October 4 Tinghir Morocco

Up early enough for the sunrise this morning as I caught a bus at 8 am for Tinghir. Owner of hotel, Dunes D'or drove me to Merzouga. Once again he just headed off in the general direction. Sometimes following a trail sometimes not! A 4 1/2 hour bus ride that leaves the desert and goes along a valley between the Anti Atlas and the High Atlas mountains. The gorges at first were amazing, high rocky cliffs with a river in the middle that is very green. Lots of date plantations along the way, with some corn thrown in.

Arrived in Tinghir about 1 pm. Tired but ok, and then immediately hit up by people with hotels and/or guides of Toudra Gorges. Persistent. But I need to stop for lunch so of course they had a place to go. Worked out ok.

As for the guiding I will have to see in morning. They got me a taxi for hotel but turns out that they had no idea where hotel was. This ride which was to cost me $0.80 ended up being$25 as the hotel is on the opposite side of the valley! My savings on hotel, gone! Oh well.

The hotel is very nice, only about 6 years old in a fairly new area of town. The road for the last 1 km is dirt and very rough! They have had some ran and the ruts are still there.

Had tea, and a couple from the French Alps arrive. More tea. They went to the city centre and I went for a walk along the road and into a dry river bed. About 1 hour round trip. Many kids along the way including a couple of boys that wanted to have their picture taken with me. So the 3 of us did a selfie! Yet another selfie!

Dinner with the French couple and we had lots of laughs especially about the crashing bugs in the desert. They told me the bugs are scarabs. Very nice to have people to talk to, even with my bad French and there pretty good English!


October 3 Merzouga Morocco

We were woke at at 6.30 am so we could see the sunrise. Sun cam up at about 7.00, so we were up too early as breakfast is after the sun rise. Usual breakfast, bread, olives, cheese, jams (which are excellent), yogurt and of course coffee! Short breakfast and then on the camels again. I opted to walk, they think I am crazy, but my butt is sore! 

The walk is great!. Saw one of those bugs that kept crashing onto the table, trees and sand last night. They fly but they do not land very well! Also if they end up on their back they have a lot of trouble getting upright. Too funny. Also saw a desert fox hole. Quite small. The walk was only about 1 hour. I spent the rest of the morning having more coffee and relaxing by the pool. 10 am and I am in swimming.

In afternoon I took a tour of the desert. A drive through Merzouga, as the hotel is a few km out. Population maybe 3000. Most is geared to tourism of the sand dunes. There is an underground channel that supplies the water to the town. They have access tunnels along the channel. The water is from the under the dunes. Stopped in town, along on the channel, this time above ground. Here the water is used to irrigate small family plots. Mot have date palms but there was also corn and some Alfalfa.

Camels everywhere! Then to a village of "all black people". Not sure of full story but sounds like it is a developed town for people from Sudan. They have turned it into a cultural area. Stopped for a listen to some local music. Very different but good. Not much driving on dunes but on the rocky cover over the sand. Very strange. There is a bit of growth, small bushes and trees but not much else. This is an oasis area and there is a river that runs through but dry at moment. There is only water if rains in mountains. Short stop at lookout, fossil display included.

Then on to an abandoned village. It was abandon in 1940. Itwas developed as there i was gunpowder found in the area. Not really sure of this. Currently a military area, and that is all. But there is a kohl deposit that they are currently digging. Apparently this is used as an eye darkener.

Then followed river a bit and the stopped at a Berber nomad camp. The guide said this was the first time he had visited this family. They are new to area and have been there maybe a week. Interesting as they were just setting up their tent. Had tea and of course left some money. They have a donkey, and a few goats and I saw 1 chicken. Also a motorbike.

Next stop was at a ridge of rock that contained fossils. Small water type from millions of years ago. They are all over, which explains how the my bathroom sink was made. Stopped again for another view over a dry lake bed. This is where the mud comes from for the houses.

The guide also told me that the hotel is about 35 years old. It has grown over the years starting with a tent. At that point the dune was about 200 metres away. Today a tractor with a blade was pulling sand away from the terrace facing the dunes.

Also a new twist on old story. To have a shower I had to let the cold water run for a long time before I could get water cool enough to shower in. It was really hot! Not sure if this is better than waiting for hot water.