Driving in the Desert

We left beautiful Fez behind, as we climbed the Atlas Mountains to get to the desert for our next two nights at the desert camp. This is our last day of internet until Saturday.

Our journey yesterday began at 8:00 on the bus and we arrived at this lovely desert outpost at about 5:00 pm, with several surprises with our rest stops along the way The National Highway is a smooth two lane road.

It was a bit cool – in the 50s – when we arrived at our first stop, a fancy ski resort dubbed “little Switzerland.” Skiing in Morocco ? Who knew? Thanks to Linda from Florida for these photos, while I fought with an ATM machine. I won, but it left me no time for picture taking.

After we left Switzerland, we discovered another surprise: monkeys!

We took a little walk on the highway for fifteen minutes, just to stretch our legs and found a fellow traveler.

We had spectacular scenery on our drive. I did nap a little as well.

At our lunch stop, Mostafa showed us the map. Fez is at the top, and today’s destination is Erfoud, shown on the map as Arfoud. The Saraha camp at Mergouza.

Lunch was delicious we had the usual pureed vegetable soup, followed by trout or mixed grill.

These way stations are especially designed for travelers taking this trek, with many groups coming and going. Mostafa made sure we stayed ahead of the pack for a pleasant culinary experience.

Back on the bus! We did stop for photo ops as they came up.

We’re heading to the last leg of our journey.

We arrive at our destination

We’re greeted by musicians, given a welcoming tea and cookies, and get our room assignments. After we get in our rooms, we head off for the pool. The temperature is a bit over 100 but it is dry heat and doesn’t seem to bother me.

After our delicious buffet dinner, we’re given information about Thursday and Friday. No internet. Limited electricity. We spend the rest of the evening consolidating luggage and preparing for the Great Desert Adventure.

I’ll be in touch Saturday or Sunday.