Friday, March 16, 2018

Camel Day!!!!!!

After a good night's rest, a 6 mile run, and a wonderful breakfast at the riad, it was time to explore the desert a bit. Ultimately, we were just killing time until we rode camels.

Brahim picked us up and we drive around the area for 4-5 hours. First, we checked out this beautiful garden area and the amazing irrigation system they use to keep things growing in the desert. Really cool stuff with lots of palm trees (that produce dates not coconuts), green beans, almond trees, carrots, grasses, etc.

Then, we went down the road and listened to some local music. This was music that was played by the slaves of this region and has been passed down generation to generation. Now it's music that is played to celebrate the end of Ramadan and many other festivities.

Then, we went to Brahim's home town. We checked out an old Kasbah were some families are still living. Very interesting and primitive way of living inside the Kasbah. We also went to Brahim's childhood home and got to see where he grew up. It was interesting that his house has grown over time and the part he lived in as a child was very primitive with dirt floors and adobe walls and now the newer parts are fancy with lots of tiles and very modern.

Then, he took us to get some Berber pizza...something you can only get in the desert! It was super yummy! Like a hot pocket filled with meats, onions, and spices. It also had a little plastic tag baked into the side. It turns out the restaurant drops off the dough and ingredients in the morning to a local baker and then picks it up at a certain time. The tag lets the baker know whose baked goods are whose. Fascinating.

Then, it was back to our riad to rest until the camel ride. We had about 1.5 hours to relax, take a nap, and check email. They even set us up in a room so we had quiet time.

At 4pm we met up with a couple from Maine and the four of us were off to the desert! We drove across the sandy roads to meet our camels and our guide. We had all our luggage with us because originally they told us a car would take all of our stuff to the campsite, but that didn't happen, so we had to load all our bags onto the camels. Thankfully, we travel light.

Next up was the 1.5 hour camel trip to the campsite. So amazing. Breathtaking views, fun times with the camels, great pics. We arrived just before sunset and hiked up a dune to take in the sunset.

Then, we rode the camels down to our campsite. We had some tea and got checked into our fancy tent. It was super nice! One of the nicest places we've stayed the whole time! Shower, huge bed, and even wifi! Crazy!

We had a yummy dinner inside another fancy tent. Then it was time for local music by the fire and some star gazing.

A great end to a magical day.

1 comment:

  1. This definitely qualifies as a "magical" day! I'm sure you two will remember this anniversary forever!

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