The Sahara

We left Fes for a 10-hour bus ride to the Sahara. We stopped around lunch at a view overlooking an oasis where we would be dining. You can tell it was once a river channel, huh? It was definitely interesting to see. The trees looked just ike a river of green. At the mirador, little boys came running us with little camels woven from grass. I bought one, and it is one of my favote purchases. The oasis was such a different landscape than we had been seeing. It went from dirt with scattered bushes, small trees, and trash, to a plethora of grass, plants, creeks, and palm trees. We walked through the oasis to a restaurants, which was a madhouse with students. But the food was good, and the bathrooms were clean, so I was more than happy. Yet, I am always amazed at how rude and ungrateful people can be...even next to others who you know have much less that you do. Students were complaining about the chicken, that they had to pay for water, that the service wasn't fast enough, etc. And we wonder why the world has such a negative view of Americans.

After lunch we stopped once near a spot were a sheep herder and his two young boys were with their sheep. People were literally chasing the sheep and scattering them out for nearly 20 minutes just for their own entertainment, and without any regard to the fact that this man and his children were going to have to gather his herd together again. Some people truly are idiots.

After a few movies in the bus and a few more desert potty breaks, we were ready to get into the SUV's that would take us to our campsite in the desert. In the picture below, we are all loaded into our SUV. We drove out of town and across a road with a river running across it - literally. And before long, we were driving through the desert. It was night, so we weren't able to see much more than a faint outline of the dunes, but the ride was intense. The SUV's spread out across the desert's zigzaging dirt trails. We drove and bumped along for close to 45 minutes. And believe it or not, there is washboard roads in the desert too. Our driver drove fast over bumps and dunes, literally throwing us from our seats. To be honest, without being able to see, it was similar to riding with Jimbob on a minimum maintenance road.

Finally, we could see the ligh of our campsite. It was a series of big tents - a bar tent, meal tent, bathroom tent, and the sleeping tents. The tents were made out of thick blankets with rugs on the floors.

The bar tent.

The supper tent

This pic is a little out of order, but this is our friend we met on the first night. A very fun guy - very full of energy.

Our first stop (after we'd dropped off our bags in our sleeping tent) was the bar for some Moroccan tea, which let me tell you, I have been missing out on my entire life. It's a sweet mint tea, and it's fantastic. Next, we went out to the dunes to play in the sand. The sand was almost as fine as flour and a lot more orange that I expected it to be. We wrestled and rolled ourselves down the dunes, and when we were tired out, we laid and looked at the stars. I couldn't believe I was actually in the Sahara desert.

In the morning, we were woken up at 5:45 am by the berbers - the people that live in the desert and ran our campsite. We walked to a high dune to watch the sunrise. And let me tell you, walking uphill in the sand is killer - it's like a stair stepper from hell. But it was worth it. It was a mix of blues, reds, and oranges raising over the sand. It was almost magical.

After the sunset was breakfast and then the camels! To be honest, at first it is terrifying. These animals are soo much larger than horses. When the camel stands it's hard to stay on because he stands with his back legs first and then his front. And it's a bouncy ride, but it didn't take long because I was happy as a lark and completely stoked to be riding a camel in the Sahara! Unbelievable. And it was hot, even with our turbans on, which are used to keep you cool. Not an inch of shade as far as the eye could see.

We rode all the way to a huge dune...that we had to walk up. It was a job, and I thought I was going to die of exhaustion half way through, but I made it. At the top we took pictures, like the one below, and watched people slide down the dune with Noelia's snowboard. We walked back down while we watched the berber guys race down the dune. I was shocked that they didn't fall - they were going soo fast! We hopped back on our camels and continued to the berber desert town. While we were on our way, we met Adi - the guy that was the boss of the camel rides.

Adi walked with us to the town trying to teach me Arabic and Berber without much sucess - my brain can't handle any more languages. We had a great time talking. He also took Mel and I into a room and showed us how they make the bread that they eat here, which is what he is doing in the picture. He invited us to hang out later back at the campsite.

The desert town was very, very brown, for lack of a better word. The buildings were made of straw and mud blocks. There were children weaving among us here too, and Mel and I gave them some of the bubbles we brought. I wish we would have brought more. We took a tour of the little town. In the middle of the town was a garden with plants to feed the animals and people. It was irrigated by water found under the sand dunes. Who knew, right? We walked to a berber rug shop, and it was so interesting to learn about all the different types of rugs. Berber women traditionally make four rugs in their lives. First, they make a rug for their fiance when they become engaged. At this point, the couple hasn't seen eachother because marriages are arranged, so the bride puts her personality into this rug. The next rug is made when the bride moves in with the groom and his family. Fun, huh? This rug is to show the woman's worth and competency. And these rugs have so much symbolism - protection from the evil eye, zigzags to show wandering life in the desert, etc. It was fascinating. The next rug she makes is a travel rug - this is more of a tradition now to remember the life the berber people lived as nomads. The last rug they make after they are forty, and it is a reflection of their life. These rugs are absolutely stunning.

After the rug shop, we were able to visit a school. When we got these, the kids were lined up against the wall holding their chalkboards with words to welcome us. After this, they were told to go to their seats. The school had only one room and close to 20-30 kids - girls on one side and boys on the other. We had brought toys, candy, and school supplies for the kids, and they were all very excited! I was excited too, to be honest. I've missed my time with kids since I've been here. Once again, I had wished that I'd brought more things.

These two liked having their picture taken, so they could look at it afterwards.

The kids that weren't in school, like these guys, followed us back to our campsite. Mel, Jill, Ellen, and I lagged behind the rest of the group because we were still playing.

Many people told us how grateful we would be after we saw how these people lived, and while I would say this trip did make me understand how much we take for granted, I also realized that just because we have more money and material things doesn't mean we live in a happier, better world. These people in the desert don't have much. The kids don't have playgrounds or ice cream or a room full of toys; but they are full, well-clothed, and happy. The desert is their playground. These people take care of eachother - they had plenty of food, they are warm, they have homes - and they aren't caught up in this materialistic rat race always needing more, more, more. The berber people are, I believe, happy. Once again, our way isn't necessarily the better way.

We got back to the campsite, and women from the village were doing henna (not sure on the spelling). We paided our dirham, and they painted designs on our hands. In their culture, a woman paints these designs on her hands to signify she is ready for marriage, and I suppose I need all the help I can get. jk, jk. But it was very fun and lasted about a week!

After henna, we went up to a sand dune where Adi and his friends were playing music and dancing. Mel and I danced with them for awhile and had a great time learning all of their dances. Then Adi asked us if we wanted to hang out with his and his friends for awhile.

Us girls went with them to another dune, and I had one of the best nights of my life. We sat under the Sahara stars while they taught us more arabic and berber words. These guys are so intelligent! They speak arabic, berber, french, spanish, and limited english. They learned french at school, and they learned spanish and english from the tourists because they had too. They speak less english because they had fewer english-speaking tourists. We talked and talked and laughed and laughed. It's funny - people are still people no matter where you are.

After awhile, they taught us a new song while playing their guitar and recorder. "Vamos a la playa, vamos a la playa. Aqui no hay playa. Solo hay arena, solo hay arena, y las estrellas!" There are more verses but this was the jist of it. I was amazed by how much energy these guys had. They ran our campsite and had lead our camels through the desert by foot. I would have been exhausted by the end of the day, and they were so full of life! And speaking of music - these guys could play absolutely anything. And by anything, I mean even a pan and a table. They even played a tin trash can and made it sound fantastic. I wish I would've had a tape recorder to record all beats and rhythms they would pull our of random objects.

They asked us if we had ever had a berber sand massage - obviously the answer was no. They said that during the off season, many Moroccan people come out for these massages. It usually involved the whole body, but they just showed us on our calves. They buried our legs in the sand, and then pushed down and massaged through the sand. You may think this sounds crazy, but it was the most relaxing, exfoliating things ever.

After awhile, we all had to head down to supper. After eating, we had musicians in the supper tent for our last night in the desert. We danced for awhile and had a great time, but in all honesty, we were a little too exhausted from the day to do much dancing. Us girls headed outside and sat down to watch the stars. What we turned out watching was Adi and Hassan doing the traditional berber camel dance. They were dancing before we came outside just for their own enjoyment. It may sound ridiculous, but the dance was mesmerizing. The entire dance tells a story of a camel and his master. I could have stayed and watched them all night.

Needless to say, I was very sad to leave these people, this culture, and the desert the next morning.

The Show

Before I talk about the show we went to in the evening. I want to write a bit about some things we saw in this city. As we were walking back to the bus because we were finished with our tour, we had young kids (4-10) years old come up and ask for money. I had never experienced that before, and it broke my heart. I gave them all the small bills and change that I had, but of course, it wasn't enough for all of them. I still think about those kids, without shoes and nice clothes, living in poverty. We take a lot for granted in the US, and they have nothing. I think about them often.

When we were in the Medina, there was a young boy (around 10-12) selling little keychains. One of the guys in our group was talking to him because he spoke Spanish. Travis (the guy in our group) asked how much a keychain was and bought one. Then, joking around, he asked how much it cost to buy the boy. The boy said, "To go to America? Free!" He was just kidding, but it definately put things into perspective for all of us.

That evening, before the show, three girlfriends and I decided to venture out to find cheap water. We soon regreted leaving the hotel without a guy. First of all, traffic was absolutely crazy and chaotic. There are crosswalks and even signals, but the traffic does not follow them. If we weren't tagging along behind locals to cross the busy streets, we were running for our lives across them! But it was the cat calls that were borderline scary. There are cat calls in Spain, but not like this. Men on the street, in passing cars - it was definately another culture shock to say the least. But it ended well, we got cheap water and back to the hotel safe and sound.

The show was fantastic. Lots of traditional music with drums and really neat beats.

This guy was amazing. He has full glasses of tea and candles on top of the tray on his head. He did the splits, layed down, flipped himself over, danced, all while the tray was on his head. I was impressed.

The belly dancing was also really interesting to watch. The dance is very sensual and the hip movements are amazing. I could never move like that. I did find it interesting that in a very arab nation, these women are allowed to show so much skin. I guess the art of belly dancing is something very controversial in their culture even now. It started when the sultans had harems. Women would have to dance, and if they didn't dance well enough, the king would give them to a friend.

These guys were fantastic. One of them even played the scissors. There beats were so complicated. This show was excellent.

And then Kate got to have a Moroccan wedding. She married another guy in our group - Randall.

This woman was showing us how to do some arab dance. I wasn't very good at it.

Fez - Part 2

Our next stop was a rug co-op. 1,300 women own the co-op and sell their handmade rugs. How beautiful, and I mean absolutely beautiful. Every color you could imagine. But my salesman was a little much. Absolutely trying to bully me into buying a rug. The salesman here were overwhelming, and it turns out I can't bargain at all. Especially with people in the streets - I figured they have a lot less than I do, so who I am to ask for a cheaper price...I guess I had to much of a consience.

Thousands of rugs here.

Our next stop was a clothing and fabric store. There were a bunch of looms where men were making blankets. And I got to help make one! I was soo excited! The man showed me how to use the peddles and pull the thread through, and then it was my turn! The store had tons of scarves, blankets, tunics, and more. It was really pretty incredible.

Then it was time for lunch. Great food - it was nice to have a little spice for once because Spainards don't use a lot of spices. The food was very different from Spain, and really the US too. We had cous-cous, with vegetables and a type of bread that I can really explain, but it was very good.

After lunch we went to a ceramics factory and store. We were able to see people making all this pottery by hand. It was really pretty incredible. They are so talented, and the things they make are so perfect and intricate. We don't spend that much time of products in the US.

I wanted this table so badly that I had a hard time leaving it. It needs to be in my kitchen.

He was making bowls, and it was amazing to watch his do it with such ease. He would laugh as our entire group of Americans would ooo and aaahhh in appreciation.

All handmade.

Once again all handmade and painted. I could have easily bought half of this store.

Fes - Part 1

We got into our hotel in Fez in the evening. The hotel had such an arab vibe with tiled walls and columns and intricate details. We had supper and then called it a night - tired from traveling.

This is the lounge in the lobby of our hotel.

The next day we had our tour, and our guide told us some really interesting history. Morocco was the first country to recognize the US as an independent nation. Also, in 1492 when Fernando and Isabel expelled all the Jews from Spain, the Moroccan king welcomed them with open arms. He gave them an area near the palace to make their shops and homes. In this area the architecture is Spanish - it was built by the Jews from Spain. When the Holocaust came around, Hitler asked Morocco for its large population of Jews. The king gave all the Jews Moroccan citizenship and told Hitler there were no Jews in Morocco. The people were safe because of him. Neat story, huh?

This is the king's palace.

From the palace, we went to the Medina. It is a huge labyrinth of tiny winding streets with every shop you can imagine - fresh fruits and vegetables, meat (camel included), fish, clothes, spices, thread, medicine, everything you can imagine. It was built in the 700's and is the world's largest car-free urban center. This place is huge. I wish I would have had more time to take pictures, but I was a little worried about losing my tour guide and being lost in the Medina. We discovered quickly that when a man yells "Bahlik!" it means get pressed up against the wall because a donkey carrying a load of goods is coming through. There is not room in the street for both of you. This happened often.

One of the many fruit shops.

Camel, anyone? What a way to advertise!

This is a university in the Medina. It is the oldest functioning university in the world. It was founded in 859.

The first shop we got to enter in the Medina was a pharmacy. It reminded me of something out of Harry Potter. Tons of bottles and jars filled with liquids and powders of every color lined the walls - spices, medicines, oils, teas, etc. We were able to learn about Moroccan medicine from a five-generation pharmacist and his son. (Side note: People here have many children as an insurance. When children are older, they take care of their parents - more children, more money, more care. And children often learn their parents trade, thus a five-generation pharmacist. We learned about argon oil - a cure-all oil, massage oils, lotions, a spice cure-all that we all got to sniff (wowzers it cleaned out your system), arab make-up, spanish flies (a natural viagra of sorts), etc. And all of it was organic. Then we were able to buy. These people have to make a killing when we come through.

Our next stop was a tanery. We were able to see how they made the leather, and then shop at a store with the finished products. I had never seen anything like it. Circular pools of different colored water with men working away. It was fascinating to watch them. The store had everything leather you could imagine - little camels, purses, luggage, shoes, jackets, belts, bracelets, etc. It was fun to look around and even more fun to buy, but I held myself back quite a bit.

These men are dying the diffferent types of leather.

This place was huge. The white is limestone and is used to soften the leather and separate the fur. The colors are dyes. I could have watched this all day.