......heading south to Zagora, skirting the Algerian border
We leave the desert at Merzouga for the mysteriously named town of Zagora, which is about 5 hrs or so in the far southwest.
Seems easy enough..... but..(if you've followed our blogs - you know...you don't always get what you want).....
After arriving at the station, we discover there are no buses leaving Merzouga that morning - seems one is broken, while another leaves later in the afternoon.
We could take the Moroccan grand taxi/collectivo; but the southern route we wish to travel along is quiet and desolate, with only several small towns on the way.
As the grand taxis only go to the next town, and don't leave until they have their 7 paying passengers, the idea of hopping from town to town in this fashion to Zagora could take all day or longer. So........
.......we opt for a private taxi. We find a taxi willing to take us the distance. A bit of bargaining leaves our driver in a bad mood. Seems, he thought his first offer was fair and we've somehow insulted him.
Great ... spending about 3 hrs or more with an unhappy, moody driver won't be fun.
But, the scenery along this flatter, more southern route, running east to west, just above the Algerian border is breathtaking.
The quiet road, just newly paved takes us across vast tracts of dry, barren rolling hills. Our quiet, moody driver manages a brisk 120 kms/hr, as we zoom beneath red-rock mountains.
Our driver stops only long enough to ask for directions, as he hasn't been on this road before. We take a short cut and save another hour or so getting to Zagora.
The 5 hr drive ends up being about 3 hrs.
We find a wonderful riad on the outskirts of town in the palmerias; these are the areas where the palm dates are grown. Located on the valley bottom, alongside the rivers, these oasis' of lush greenery stretch for kilometers. Most are protected by government laws, and UNESCO as they are a crucial source for the date industry. With fall harvest underway, the dates are as yummy as they are varied!
We've also come to Zagora and area to take one last look at the Sahara.
Rather than ride camels, we want the 4WD jeep off-road kind. As we walk through Zagora, we talk with a company offering such tours. With a little Berber bargaining, we have a deal.
3 amigos...wind blown hair!
They are starting to call me AliBaba!
This desert called the Erg Chagaga is flat, rock strewn, along with the traditional sand dunes. We are standing on the bottom of a 25 million year old sea bed. Fossils abound.
There are dunes, vegetation, water sources scattered throughout. One can only imagine the consequences of being stranded or lost out here; esp in the 50+ Celsius temps of summer.
Our guide, Rachid and driver Saïd are great. We start from Zagora and head the nearly 2 hours south to M'Hamid; where the desert 'officially' begins.
Along the way we stop at a 1000 year old Kasbah. People still live in the narrow, dusty, cold and damp labyrinths.
We visit a pottery co-op. By the looks of things, little has changed in how they work for the past 1000 years.
First, the clay is mixed with water and other ingredients unknown to us, then spread out on the ground to cure.
Next, the potter starts to do his magic while sitting in a hole and turning the wheel with his feet.
Traditional oven fired kilns set in the ground with the wood ovens below to heat them
Separator pegs are placed between items so they do not stick together
Voila!
We head for the town of M'Hamid and our jumping off point for the desert.
There are no roads here. Our driver, Saïd follows tracks, old river beds and his knowledge, from years of guiding in the Erg Chagaga.
By the end, we feel like the clothes tossed around in a washing machine that's on steroids...so much fun!
We are told that before one can guide/drive in the desert, you must spend time navigating it on foot to find your way around.
Both desert areas we've visited in Morocco are anything but lifeless. There is greenery everywhere. Seedlings, sprout through the sand, in a show of green defiance in the land of sand colored tones.
Bushes, trees, not only survive, but thrive, drawing moisture and sustenance from sources deep underground. There is water, hiding, just metres below our feet.
A nomads' well available even for Canadian nomads. Local village kids have a long hike to fill up jugs of water for drinking and cooking back home.
Water, thirst quenching, crucial for survival, bubbles to the surface at an oasis. These proverbial life savers of a rest stop, are the real deal here.
While known to many of us, only through books and film, these shaded, cool spots, have been a welcome respite for millennia, for traders, the caravans and camel trains that plied these parts on their cross Sahara freight runs that would last 50+ days.
.......Ah, what tales these cherished treasures could tell. The fortunes traded, scores settled, gossip told......
Birds, butterflies are seen throughout the dunes and hard scrabble. Life fights, survives, even flourishes here.
We end up at a quiet, secluded camp
for lunch.
A young boy prepares another fine meal of salad, chicken tagine and fruits for dessert.
Our food in Morocco continues to be remarkable.
While the menu is limited at times, it is fresh, seasoned and spiced and delicious.
Our desert camp dining room
We are eating tons of salad everyday. Chicken, lamb or meats are available everywhere on skewers or in tagine.
In fact from our riads to bus station bathrooms ( yep, even those hard to take squatters), to eating, and even getting a shave from a barber in the Medina....it is all very clean.
......however time flies by way too fast out here, and soon it's time to leave... our final journey to the Sahara Desert is nearing its end and we don't want to leave, just yet...we must climb an Erg one more time!
....our lengthening shadows stretch down a dune one last time in the late afternoon sun...
Saïd says he knows the way back; and it is a looong way back - at least a 2 hour journey to the highway. As the dark closes in around us we wonder if Saïd really knows the way back as we bounce over rocks, dried river beds and scrub. He does!!
Said our driver /Rachid our guide
Our final desert sunset...
Returning safely to Zagora, we pack up to leave the next morning, north to Ouarzazate
It is about a 4 hr ride. We are unsure if there's any bus leaving, as it is a holiday......and, we are not sure why that should be a problem.... Don't buses run everyday????!!
Leaving Can Be Hard To Do...
The Road North - Zagora to Ouarzazate
Our quest to find a bus the next morning proves futile...seems that both bus stations have either no bus, or a bus leaving much later.
This time we search out the grand taxi. It is a much better, and cheaper option than the private car that someone offers us for $80 euros.
A young Moroccan man is also stuck in Zagora, and as the 3 of us are going the same way, we agree to join forces and hunt down a grand taxi. Besides, we know a sure thing when we see it.....Saïd has the language.....we are set!
We wait for about 30 minutes, until the driver gets his 7 passengers and we are off in the van north.
Saïd..our grand taxi buddy
We sit with Saïd and talk the whole 4 hrs. He's a software programmer, working on sophisticated guidance systems for radar and planes.
During the journey, he pulls out his laptop, shares his thesis paper with us on these software applications that he is involved in. We know a bit about computers etc, but his work looks like 'Arabic' to us. Time goes by pretty quickly.
Oh, did we mention that our taxi breaks down. Yea!
We should have known..... the warning signs were there, before we'd even begun heading north.
We just laughed when a group push started the taxi to get us out of Zagora.
Little did we know that our attempt at a bit of humor would come back to bite us!
....is this what we call irony......
We break down in the middle of who-knows-where.....ok... to be fair...it was somewhere in Morocco...
The driver gets out, looks under the hood ('cause isn't that what you're supposed to do, right?).
He hops in, we push the taxi once more.
Thank God, or Allah, it hadn't stalled on the uphill!
Success, it fires up and we continue on to Ouarzazate.
Ouarzazate
Our time in Ouarzazate passes quickly. It is a well organized town. Weather is great. Hot for several hours during the day, but cool at night. We visit several sights around the area.
The old Medina's
Intricate ceilings and walls abound
Upon visiting an ancient Medina we take pause to have tea in a local restaurant where we are quickly invited to tour their restaurant and rooms for rent. We drink tea and sit outside with the locals in front of the community fountain and washing area.
These women were hard at work brushing their brilliantly coloured carpets.
Next up was the quirky Atlas Corporation Studios where many movie sets are on display for viewing. Ouarzazate is famous for this studio.
Rested, we say goodbye and head to Marrakech ...
Up, Up and Away...Over the High Atlas Mountains
.....the road from Zagora to Marrakech highway.....
This stretch of road has to be one of the more spectacular pieces of highway anywhere in the world.
In our humble opinion.....
And, in our travels, we have driven over, around and nearly over the edge of some pretty amazing mountain roads.
Much like our travels through Morocco to this point, this journey from desert over the Atlas Mountains epitomizes the best this varied country offers.
Morocco is a big, rugged, beautiful country. Regions of abundance are spread throughout. The geographic variety is outstanding. It is a country worth visiting!
The scenery, vistas, elevation changes, mountain passes is truly second to none. Total bus time starting from Zagora and ending in Marrakech is probably 8 hours and costs about $30 Can/person.
If you had a car, one could easily spend several days on this route. From jaw dropping pull outs, the opportunity to hike, visit small, neatly tucked away villages or stop by shady river valley bottoms..the views are never boring.
We start in the flats of the desert area of Zagora. From there, we begin a slow, steady ascent to Ouarzazate. We soon leave Ouarzazate's rolling hills and begin climbing. When we reach Agdaz, we encounter a series of dizzying, switch back ascents through the High Atlas Mountains.
Some villages looked to be carved right from the iron colored hills.
Once over the top, reaching 2260 metres, we begin our descent to Marrakech... equally impressive...
Work is being done to upgrade, eliminate corners, add passing lanes etc. Quality is similar to our own highway roads.
Roads here in the High Atlas Mountains, like elsewhere in Morocco, are in great shape.
Narrow in parts, our bus seems to spend a fair bit of time in the other lane and blaring on the horn while rounding blind corners.
Motorbiking this region of Morocco would be an adventure.
Truly jaw dropping....snow rests on the highest peaks.
Next up.... Morocco...part 5... Marrakech and more
Additional Random Photos ...
These sand fences are found everywhere in the desert to prevent sand from crossing the road and creating a driving hazard, as well as around some crops.
