From Fez we drove to Erfoud  for an overnight in prepartion for our two nights in camp in the Sahara. I am enjoying spending time with my family more than taking time to keep this blog current. Also once we headed out into the Sahara in Toyota 4x4s we had no data service at all. 

The camp in the Sahara exceeded expectations with lovely tent cabins with running water – hot water by afternoon – and electricity provided by solar panels and batteries. There was no heat and no insulation. The temperatures dropped into the high 30’s at night. The comforters on the bed along with heated water bottles made sure we were warm so long as we were under the covers. The dining area was heated by the presence of our bodies. Somehow I managed to leave the sweaters and warm hat I had packed for this part of the trip on the bus with our main luggage and just had my regular cool weather gear along. I survived. We rode camels, we hiked in the sand and we traveled in the 4x4s off of any road shown on any map. 

The drivers of our 4 vehicles seemed unwilling to follow any of the other cars and often we were out of sight of the other 3, running parallel tracks, only to meet up in our assigned sequence at the next major intersection. We visited with nomads and semi nomads spread over the area. The semi-nomads are families remaining behind while the herdsmen take their flocks farther afield for better grazing, or those for whom the breaking and setting camp has gotten to be too much. 

We rode camels and walked in the dunes. The grandchildren, all teens and 20’s romped in the sand. They soon found that unlike beach sand the Sahara did not stick to their clothes or skin but just slipped off. We visited a Guanra music  house where Dan got to try a new stringed instrument and we got to try the local dancing. 

We were cold in the evening and in the morning. The beds kept most of us warm at night, but getting out of the bed required freezing in temps below 40 in the room and hot water was scarce until the sun came up to warm the solar heaters and the pipes from the heaters to the plumbing. We warmed when the sun was well up in the sky. 

The second morning we  joined our 4x4s for the ride to Erfoud where we rejoined the bus for the 5 hour ride to Ouerzazate. This is a modern city built by the French in classic Moroccan style. Our hotel had all the luxuries and a pricey bar. The biggest industry in Ouerzazate is movie making and the movies made there include Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia and many more that we have never heard of. It is still an active center of movie making with three active studios. We toured one that has clearly lapsed into museumhood and does not appear to be active.

I have skipped over Day in the Life. More about that later.

Two days there and then off to Marrakesh.