We were first taken to a fossil factory. Who knew that the areas around Erfoud are some of the largest fossil producers in the world for fossilized trilobites, ammonites and orthoceras and that Erfoud is world famous for its fossils? We were taken through a place that mines stone from the nearby quarries and then makes things such as countertops, tabletops and sinks from some of the slabs. They also prepare smaller specimens for sale. It was pretty cool to see the slabs. Some of them were absolutely beautiful.
These are raw slabs that have been sliced but not polished.
And these are some close-ups of slabs that have been through the polishing process. This slab contains ammonites.
This slab contains orthoceras.
After the fossils, we visited a preschool. In Morocco, school is free of charge from elementary school all the way through university, but Moroccans must pay for preschool if they want their children to attend. As a way of giving back to the people of Morocco, Gate 1 is in the process of building a free preschool for poor families in the city of Erfoud so that they can give their children a head start in their educations. We were told by Gate 1 before we left home that we would be visiting the school and were told that if we wanted to bring a small amount of school supplies to donate, we would be welcome to. This is only the second time tourists have visited this school as it recently opened its first classroom. Other classrooms in the building are currently under construction.
Entering the school with some supplies.
Entering the classroom. We were encouraged to interact with the children. For some of them, it was their first day of school ever. As more families learn about the school, attendance here is slowly increasing.
Oh, my goodness, these little ones were so darling. They were super shy. For some of them, it was not only their first day of school, but the first time they had ever seen foreigners. To have 38 foreigners descend on them, all speaking a language they couldn’t understand and wanting to interact with them, must have been a little overwhelming. Most of them were pretty shy but handled our presence well.
This little guy doesn’t look too sure about the whole thing.
Neither does she, lol.
And I just wanted to put this little one in my pocket and take her home. She was so darling!
For four- and five-year-olds, they were remarkably quiet and well-behaved. And they were especially happy when it was time for us to go.
After the school, we visited a market and many of us bought scarves, as recommended by our guide, to protect our heads from the sun, heat and dust during our visit to the desert later in the day. A two-dollar purchase entitled you to the scarf of your choice and some pretty nifty styling courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Moroccan huckster. We were sheik chic when they got done with us, and ready for the desert!
And now we come to the thrill-seeking portion of our program. We were off to the desert! We climbed into the 4x4s that were hired for our use and our group went racing out across the rocky portion of the desert on our way towards the sand dunes. Thank goodness there were hired drivers behind the wheel because driving through loose gravel, rock, sand and deep ruts at 55-60 miles per hour and constantly having to dodge big holes, shrubs and other vehicles didn’t look like an easy feat. Not to mention that we were so far out there that we would have needed GPS to find our way back to the middle of nowhere. It was crazy that these drivers had any conception of where they were going. There were no roads. Roads? Evidently, where we were going, we didn’t meet roads. There were no landmarks either, just a few tire tracks in the dirt. The ride was super fun but super duper bumpy. It was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride meets the Indiana Jones ride for sure and we loved it!
Thirty to forty minutes later (I estimate the time because it’s impossible to look at your watch while hanging on for dear life) we arrived at an oasis in the desert where a buffet lunch had been prepared for us.
And then someone in our group had the idea to get a group photo of all those bold enough to rock the turban look. Let’s just say my mom was not into sheik chic. Not even a little bit. I’m sure that comes as a huge shock to everyone. ;-)
After lunch, we went to visit a nomad encampment. There are approximately 24,000 nomads left in Morocco and they are Berbers, the native people of Morocco. They raise herds of camels, goats and sheep and make camp wherever there is grazing land for the animals and a good source of water. When the grazing is gone, it’s time to move to another area. When they need money for food, they sell a sheep, a goat or a camel. Selling one camel is often enough to keep a family for a year. We learned that Nomads do not attend school, do not know how to read or write and never seek medical care. Our guide told us that they do not even understand the concept of medical care. They live the way their ancestors have for hundreds of years. In their world, things are very simple. If you get sick, you either get better or you die. If there is a heavy rain storm and the water starts leaking through the cloth roof of the tent, you move to a spot in the tent where there is no leak. Nomads live as an extended family of parents, children and grandchildren in large tents and are content with very little. Their existence is simple and tough and very, very traditional.
Each day, the sons of the family take the herds to grazing areas and return around sunset, so there were no animals around when we visited.
We were invited inside and were easily able to fit all 38 of us inside this tent. A family of eight people lives and sleeps in here.
This is the lady of the tent, Fatima. Her husband died last year. When he died, they buried him near their encampment, packed up and moved on. Berber nomads do not use cemeteries.
Even though she could not understand us and we couldn’t understand her, Fatima was very welcoming and was willing to answer any questions that our group had. Fortunately, our tour guide, Ibrahim, is Berber and speaks Fatima’s dialect.
We left Fatima and the nomadic life behind and went to a hotel in the middle of the desert. There we were able to rest up or swim for an hour, have something to drink and get ready for the moment everyone had been waiting for from the moment we set foot in Morocco...
...the Sahara dunes and a ride through the desert on camelback.
We saddled up and were ready to ride. Getting on a camel isn’t so hard. Staying on a camel while it goes from lying down to standing is something else again. Focus on Frank (in the red shirt) in the photos below and you will see what I mean. You’d better be holding on tight and have thighs of steel to stay on this sucker as it gets up. It also occurs to me now that prior experience riding a mechanical bull might have been good preparation for the experience of having a camel stand up with you on its back. Yee-haw!!!!!!
Front legs go up to the knees, throwing you backwards.
Then back legs go up all the way, flinging you forward.
Then the front legs straighten out, throwing you straight up in your seat. Can anyone say Moroccan whiplash? How about camel chiropractic?
Finally, we were mounted up and ready to join the caravan into the dunes. Jill had this little runt of a camel. It was such a bad-tempered little thing. I have video that I wish I could upload here of it having a braying fit as she gets on it.
The Sahara desert is so beautiful!!!! It was absolutely a magical moment, riding through the Sahara on a camel, drinking in all the beauty. I think it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done.
We rode for about a half an hour and then got off our camels, a repeat performance of getting on but in reverse. Then we had to climb up a sand dune so that we could watch the sunset from the top. Thank goodness our camel driver, Mohammed, helped me and my mom make it to the top! Never would have made it without him!
The climb was worth the effort. The view was amazing!
The camel drivers were all super nice. They drew pictures in the sand..
...posed us for some fun pictures...
With our guide, Ibrahim
...and posed with us to help us capture the memories.
When it was time to leave, they pulled any who wanted to down the dunes on blankets. Such fun!
As we rode off into the sunset, I think we all realized we had just had an experience of a lifetime.
So awesome!!!
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