Merzouga, Morocco

We had a relaxing morning in Auberge Solei Bleu hotel, as the Dessert trip is only start at 3pm. so lying down inside the cushion and having mint tea with Berber people.




the sand-dune is not too far away from the hotel, after about 10 minutes camel riding, we saw the san dunes. After another half hour, the local people pointed to us the biggest sand dune. It looks around 200 - 300 hundreds meters high, but one of our camping group-mate told us, he has seen bigger sand dune in another Africa country, so probably this is the biggest in Morocco. Temperature dropped dramatically in the night. But still worth to be chilled than stay inside tent. As stars are just in front when eyes open. sky is amazingly clear with numerous stars. Probably because no other light source here. Local people even able to tell which one is satellite. I saw shooting star passed by, unfortunately they are too fast left no enough time to make wish.

There is a residential cat in camp: yes, a cat in deep dessert. My guide, Bari told me, norman people (one of the tribe people living in dessert) used to shift from one place to another place, but sometimes, their cat won't willing to move, they may come back to old tent no matter how far away. That is probably why this cat is here, Enjoy her lonely and well nutritious life in Sahara, she is surprisingly clean and well fed. It seems she obtains sympathy from all of the tourists whoever stay here. A smart cat indeed!

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Ouarzazate (pronounce "warzazat"), is the base city to explore nearby desert. we wake up early morning in Marrakech, it was heavy rainy, can't believe we are in an African country which suppose to be shortage of water. but when we were on the local bus to Ouarzazate, it became even worse, it is like raining tiger and lion outside bus, and raining cat and dog inside bus. when the bus started to cross the Atlas, heavy rainy became heavy snow. There was a traffic accident in front of us, a lorry crashed a car at a corner on the mountain road, so we have to wait in traffic.

Eventually we arrived Ouarzazate in the late night after 4 hours delay, I went to the souk in the Centre Velle to buy a pair of socks. the souks is very small compare with the giant souks in Marrakech. Not much tourist at winter time, so the shop owners showed great interested trying to sell me some strange goods. After they tried a great effort to explain to me by using four different languages (Arabic, French, English and Japanese), I finally understood something.
for example:
1. the black colored smelly jelly is kind of massage soap which can help slim and shape body (so there is one box in my bathroom now)
2. the silver color shiny stone is a kind of natural perfume (I didn't buy because already bought some perfume in the airport),
3. the bunch of stem and dried leaves are another natural product: they are tooth brush (After went back home, I tried to brush teeth resulted in I have to rinse mouth a dozen times in order to get rid of sand, so I throw them away after first usage).
.....
After finished shopping, I went back to hotel happily with lots of useful?/useless? stuff on that night.


1. Kashbah de Taourirt, where the palace for the royal family in the past, but only empty rooms remains now.
Kashbah means the resident cluster area in the dessert? that is the definition we concluded from local people, but not so sure yet. We got much confirmed answer in Rissani a few days later after we did a few home visit.

2. Street of Jewish residents. (near to Kashbah de Taourirt)

3. The Atlas film studio and Oscar hotel, where a lot of famous actors was shooting film

4. Abu Simbel temple made by plastic and paper material. (inside Atlas film studio)

5. very sandy, sandy, all of the place, wrap my head like a arabic woman but still sand inside mouth and nose.

6. Funny toilet, until trip finish, still don't know which way is front.


7.A local bus stop. Bus journey from Quarzazate to Er-rachidia. see the Atlas snow montain at one side, dessert and green oasis at the other side, sometimes even rivers will jump out.

Marrakech, Morocco

The major color in Marrakech is pinkish, different degree of pink towards muddy. The color can be seen in buildings, sandy streets, paintings, etc, the only highlighted are orange trees dotted at the side of road. I was wondering why nobody pick up the orange since they looked big, tasty, full on the tree and almost bend to drop down, until I taste one, bitter and sour enough to kill an elephant, no wonder even bird doesn't bother touch them.


Marrakech in Churchill's eyes
-- please see Churchill's painting of Marrakech