The Sahara's Heat

Salam! Kulshi mzn (“Everything good?” in Darija)?

I finally decided that it was time to visit the Sahara (“Desert” in Arabic), the first hottest and third largest desert in the world. Staying one night in Marrakech, the tour guide picked me up at 7:30 am near my riad — A type of traditional Moroccan and Andalusi interior garden or courtyard associated with house and palace architecture. The mini van was already filled with many people — Foreigners from all over the world! Finding a place to sit in the vehicle, I found the air conditioning refreshing even at such an early time in the day.

With all tourists picked up, our 600-kilometer trip towards Merzouga begun immediately. Our first stop was a cafe two hours out in the middle of nowhere, stopping to grab a refresher and stretch for the long journey ahead. Back on the road, we ventured through the Tizi N’Tichka (“Difficult Pass” in Arabic) in the High Atlas Mountains. This mountain pass lies above the great Marrakech plains, serving as a gateway to the Sahara. The roadways seemed as if they were slithering through the rocky hills, splitting boulders in their path and hiding behind trees every-so-often.

Around an hour later, we hopped off the van again at Ait Benhaddou in Ouarzazate. The historic ksar, or fortified village, runs along the former caravan route between Marrakech and the Sahara. Ait Benhaddou has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. In addition, several films have used the site as a stage, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Gladiator (2000), and Prince of Persia (2010). Parts of Game of Thrones were also shot in Ait Benhaddou. A local who actually appeared in Gladiator took us through the narrow pathways of the village. It was incredible to see earth, clay, wood, and bamboo utilized in the traditional architecture. At the peak of the village, vast land of both desert and villages could be seen.

Passing through Vallée des Roses, we finally reached Dadès Gorges where we would be staying for the night. The site was a single line of civilization that ran at the bottom of steep rocks. Another line of vegetation ran parallel to the rocks, hiding a fresh stream of water that a few of us found and explored. On the other side of the stream was a breathtaking view of towering rocks with many caves. The geological environment was outstanding with the mix of vegetative and earth hues. After a delicious dinner of traditional Moroccan tagine and fresh fruits, we slept to prepare for the next day.

At 7:30 am, everybody took their seats outdoors for breakfast. 30 minutes later, we hit the road again and made our first stop of the day at the Toudra Gorges. Walking in the narrow valley between the mountains, it felt like the tall rocks would collapse on us at any moment. On one side, locals sold traditional clothing, scarves, fruits, beverages, and more! On the other side, the people having a refreshing time in the stream created a beautiful atmosphere. Here in the gorges, I learned that some locals still live in the caves! They would come down occasionally to gather food and water from the stream!

Near Tinejdad, a city in Errachidia Province, we had the opportunity to see the making of traditional carpets of different sizes, colors, skins, thicknesses, and textures. One of the locals explained the five elements to the Magic Carpet. "With the elements of silence, emptiness, whiteness, purity of the earth, and the light of the stars," says the local, "one can obtain the licensure to fly a carpet anywhere in the world with lots of practice." Indeed, the local himself owns a license! When our stomachs called for lunch, we took a break at a buffet where they served a wide-range of Moroccan dishes and FRUITS! The cold and sweet fruits were a must for satisfying our thirst. After hearing that the buffet had a pool in the back, almost everyone, including myself, jumped in. Spontaneous as it was, no swimwear was prepared and we jumped in the clothes we wore. The cool water was heavenly in the heat of the sun. There were chicken fights, lots of splashing, and good memories to cherish.

Only having around 15 minutes to dry up as much as we could, we got back into the van and made our next stop at this shop selling traditional attire and scarves. There, everyone was dressed in traditional Moroccan clothing for pictures on the terrace. Many of us bought scarves and got our henna done for free by these young girls who were henna-professionals-to-be! The lady at the register gifted me a little glass bottle, which I eventually realized was for taking sand home as a souvenir from the Sahara!

Passing Erfoud, an oasis town and the capital of fossil and mineral deposits in Morocco, we finally reached Erg Chebbi in Merzouga! From just a few feet away, the golden sand of the Sahara stayed waiting. Arriving at a guest house, we had the option to change and put on our scarves to shield our scalp from the sun. I had bought an olive green scarf from the shop, so I wrapped it around my head like shown to us by the locals.

We took our first steps toward the sand and found the camels lined up. They were huge with bushy eyebrows, two rows of long eyelashes, tough lips, and LONG legs. The camels here are known as dromedaries, having only one hump. The hump stores up to 80 pounds of fat, allowing for the break down of fat into water and energy when sustenance is not available. With this single hump, the dromedaries can travel up to 100 miles in the desert without water! After settling into the backs of camels, the local guide started our trek into the Sahara. Surprisingly, the camels proved to be a lot harder to ride than I thought. Gripping tight, I put my life line in the thick footpads of the camels as we navigated the shifting desert sands.

Around 20 minutes later, we stopped near one of the Sahara's dunes to watch the sunset. Getting off my camel, I would have been launched off if I did not hold on! Climbing the dune, Ricardo, my friend from Brazil, took a sand board up to the highest point. As he slid down, the few of us took in awe the expansive land of the sand shimmering in the evening sun. It was magical. At sun down, we rode the rest of the way to our camp where we found our tents and had dinner. After dinner, we joined the locals at the center of the camp where there was a bonfire, music, and dancing. I even got to learn how to play the Tam-Tam, a double drum made from ceramic bowls covered with goatskin. One side is larger than the other, resulting in two different pitches. It took me a while to figure out how to wack the drums for them to give off the right sounds.

After a night of rest in the tents, we had breakfast at 5:00 am and started our journey back on the dromedaries 30 minutes later. The rest of the day was spent traveling back to our starting point and saying our goodbyes.