April 14-23, 2010.
We centered our trip touring Morocco on Marrakech and the Sahara desert.
First, we spent 3 nights in the amazingly interesting and colorful city of Marrakech.
We found it to be so new and different, as this was our first foray into a predominantly Muslim country....the Mosques, the call to prayer ringing out throughout the Medina, the customs, the traditional dress (and not so amongst many young people).
Strolling through the Medina (Old Town) was a spectacle for the eyes and ears! So many colorful wares on display in the souks, the craziness of the throngs of people, food and entertainment on display at the Djemaa El Fna...the secret beauty hidden behind the sparse walls that house many of the palaces and riads (hotels).....
We then rented a car and set out on our way to the desert.
First, driving through the beautiful scenery along the Tizi-N-Tichka Pass, oohing and aahing at all the Kasbahs along the way.
Then we made the long drive to the town of Merzouga at the foot of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, stopping at the lovely and scenic Dades Gorge along the way.
Added in a little adventure, riding camels into the desert at sunset and spending the night in a Berber camp snuggled in amongst the dunes, then at sunrise, making the 1-1/2 hour camel trek back to our hotel. This was definitely a unique experience!
Unfortunately, much of our trip was spoiled by the fact that I got sick, so we had some down days where we lost a lot of opportunities for sightseeing.
So, our trip was much more subdued than most of our travels, but we did still enjoy what we did get to see of Morocco.
It was filled with so many of the things that make travel so special...exotic and different culture, friendly people, interesting faces and places, adventure and beautiful scenery...oh, and what fun it was capturing all this with my camera!
Hope you enjoy these photos!