Covering new ground

Day 4: Erg Chebbi - Ziz Valley - Errachidia - Medilt

Depart the desert heading to Medilt. On the way pause at the desert town of Rissani, stroll at its authentic Market, afterwards continue through the Ziz Valley to the Morocco apple Capital  Medilt. 

This morning saw us rise at 6:00am.  We skipped the sunrise trek to enjoy another half hour sleep...I was trekked out at this point...and got up to some cool desert air.  After packing our things we joined everyone for some breakfast outside as the sun was coming up.

After taking a few last minute photos of our camp it was time to head back to base by camel.

We said our goodbyes to the staff and off we went...

This time we came across lots of 4x4 racing through the dunes...there was even a women's car rally happening this morning!!  I would much rather enjoy the desert by camel back in peace and quiet, but it was an interesting sight to see cars sitting on the top of the dunes with nothing else around.

Along the hour route we came across several camels roaming around, as well as other tour groups heading back as the sun started to come out in full force...love the heat!  No good adventure is without its mishaps and mine could have been when my iPad fell off my camel and was almost trampled by the camel behind me...lots of heart palpitations as I watched his foot graze the side of the case as we came to a sudden halt.  No fear though...Mohamed to the rescue!!

As we approached the end of our route it was hard to believe this amazing experience was coming to an end....but all good things must come to an end eventually.  We said goodbye to our Touareg camel guide,Zayd...a Berber whose principal inhabitant is the Saharan desert and identifiable by their blue clothing.

Mohamed was finally able to touch base with Ali who was ready and waiting for us at the finish with a big hug welcoming us back.  It was not long before we were off our camel and in the car on our way towards Midelt...the apple capital in the High Atlas.  

After making our way back out to the main road we stopped not too far away to try some camel milk...  surprisingly it was very good!  From here we travelled through Rissani again...this is the home of the first king of Morocco...and onward to the Ziz valley for a cup of cafe au lait with a view.

This area is the second largest valley, running approximately 100km, and filled with date palmeries...extremely impressive to see the huge cliffs on each side of the valley and the lush green palm trees densely growing in between.  We spent some time admiring the scenery as we enjoyed the beautiful weather...while it lasts.

We drove another hour taking in the changing scenery and terrain...hard to believe how different things look as you drive through Morocco. At one point you are in the desert, then in a lush valley, to huge expanses of red cliffs surrounding you at every turn, to green vegetation growing on the mountain sides and finally snow capped mountains...all in a 300km drive.

For lunch we stopped to enjoy some Berber pizza Ali's wife made for us the night before...what a special treat.  The pizza is made with the 44 spices we purchased at the market and looks more like a tourtière than a traditional pizza.  It was nice to share a meal with everyone and enjoy some mint tea...loving Morocco and its welcoming people.

The rest of the drive was spent listening to Berber music, stopping to take photos and admiring the landscape...we are all starting to get tired from the past three days so not as much taking this afternoon.  We finally arrived in Midelt around 4:30pm in search of our accommodations....Villa Riad Midelt.  Once we found our lovely Riad, we all enjoyed some mint tea while we filled out our registration paperwork and planned our pick up times for the morning.

Lisa and I finally had a shower...starting to get stinky...had time to organize our things, catch up on the blog and enjoy our dinner.  Hard to believe we have been travelling for a week...we've certainly packed in a lot of things....and we have just 9 days left to explore the rest of this country.  Looking forward to our trip to Fes tomorrow and seeing lots of sights along the way...big day ahead!

Until then...

L & L