The world is a book and we read one new chapter each time we travel. The Arab-Berber of Morocco has always been on top of my list of destinations to visit, with its rich culture and vibrant surroundings. On our first visit to Morocco, we even had a wonderful glimpse into the life of the Western Sahara.
For safety’s sake and to have more fun, we form a group of eight. We first fly to Marrakech, arriving late in the afternoon and are welcomed by Hassan, our local tour guide, who will stay with us the entire trip. We also rent a shuttle bus to drive us from place to place as we wish.
The territory that now constitutes Morocco has been inhabited by Berbers for over 5000 years. Most Berbers embrace Islam, though their non-Arab ethnic and linguistic distinction has resisted the Arab-Islamic influence. In the past, Morocco was conquered by the Spanish and later colonised by the French. According to Hassan, English is their fifth language.
In Marrakech, the old town is full of intertwining narrow passageways and local shops full of character. In one of the cracked, overlooked alleyways, we find our Riad – a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior rooftop garden and courtyard.
The Riad we stay in is a compact townhouse with a cool, secluded central courtyard, smothered in greenery at the top. To gently awaken in an exotic room adorned with traditional Moroccan designs is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world.
During the two-day exploration, I find that the town is governed exclusively by cats. There is an abundance of them on every street corner. As a predominantly Islamic country, cats are considered the safeguards of angels, so people love having them around, Hassan explains. To me, they just look so cute, scavenging for meal scraps and stealing seats.
Early in the morning, we set off on our 2-day drive to the desert. We depart Marrakech towards the High Atlas Mountains at an altitude of 2,260 metres via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, an old caravan trail. En route we take a walk and see the sheer rock walls that rise to 300 metres in the narrowest parts in Todra Gorge. The view is stunning.
The best time of the year to explore the desert is from September to the end of May, during which time the temperature is endurable. All desert camps are closed during the summer due to the extreme heat and windy weather.
It is afternoon when we arrive at Erg Chebbi, the desert gate. We take a short rest in a hotel and pick up a few items for camping in the desert tomorrow. Later we make a circuit of the desert dunes by jeep and have the opportunity to see the nomad’s way of life.
It’s an exhilarating ride. Our Berber driver knows his way through the vast expanses of sand without the help of GPS devices. Sunlight and the location of High Altas are all that he has for direction.
We meet a Berber family leading an authentic desert life. They tell us the sands are fickle, and dunes may drift for decades in one direction, or not drift at all, then suddenly turn and consume you.
“It starts so gently that at first you don’t worry. One day the grains begin to accumulate against your walls. You’ve seen the grains before, and naturally assume that a change in the wind will carry them away. But this time the wind does not change, but persists,” a man says.
“Over weeks, the sand grows. You fight it back with a shovel, and manage to keep your walls clear. But the grains never let up, and one morning while shoveling you realise that the dunes have moved closer.”
“Eventually, no amount of digging will clear your walls. The dunes tower above you, and send sand sheets cascading down their advancing slip faces. You have to gather your belongings and flee,” he says.
Erg Chebbi is one of Morocco’s Saharan ergs, large dunes formed by wind-blown sand. We bask in glorious sunsets and channel our inner sheik as we ride meandering camels across the dunes, giving us a real taste of desert life.
We are served a cup of delicious mint tea upon our arrival at the camp. We listen to traditional Berber music while watching the stars and the rising moon in the amazing Sahara desert. What a beautiful moment in life!
The next morning we wake up at 5 am for a pre-sunrise hike. It’s chilly with sub-zero temperatures. It’s also a race against time as we need to conquer the highest sand dunes here with altitudes of around 250 metres.
The trek in the Sahara desert transports you to another world. There is no landscape on earth like the desert! The climbing is tough and tiring. Sand fills our boots and our feet sink into the small dunes.
Distance is hard to gauge in the desert and it takes a long time to reach the dunes. Half of our team gives up along the way. Then near the top I have to pull myself up, and I make it!
From this height, it’s beautiful scenery, all the dunes spanning an area of 50 kilometers from north to south now beneath my feet. It’s one of the most unforgettable and life-changing challenges, and the reward is seeing the sun rising from atop High Altas.
Life in the desert is tougher than what we city dwellers could ever imagine, and it takes courage to conquer the desert, but it’s definitely worth the visit.
Our journey goes on and it’s a full day’s drive to our next destination Fès, the third largest city of Morocco, whose cracked and dusty streets hide all manner of beautiful and forlorn relics.
Exploring the oldest city of Morocco is breathtaking. We start with must-visit attractions such as the Royal Palace gate, the Jewish headquarter and the Attarine museum. What fascinates me most is its medina, an old but historic town, in which thousands of houses are tightly packed together, creating a multitude of labyrinthine alleyways.
The medina, laid out in a grid pattern, is unique and complex. There are no street names and a map is useless. All the alleys look pretty much the same and you wonder just how the locals find their way home. So to play it safe, we walk in a group with our GPS on, setting the riad we are staying in as the final stop.
We stroll through the tangle of alleys and meet countless small storekeepers and craftsmen with their souks. Whether or not you are a big shopper, going to a souk is a cultural experience that should not be missed.
Don’t be surprised if you feel slightly overwhelmed when you enter a lively area filled with artisan shops, aromatic bakeries, and excited shopkeepers eager to meet you. Perhaps it’s time to show off your bargaining talents.
Moroccan carpets come in many designs. The Berber rugs are characterised by their geometric patterns and are the most expensive because they are made with vegetable dyes. Meanwhile, Moroccan floor lamps, ceiling lights, or light shades transform our space into a delightful room. So why not bring an exotic touch of exciting colour and design home?
Time flies and all good things must come to an end. The end of a journey marks the beginning of another. Like all travellers, I’ve seen more than I could possibly remember. Morocco is not just a place, but a new way of viewing the world.
