MY LOVE STORY WITH CAMELS

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I knew that cats usually love me, but I ignored that camels love me too. The first experience I had on our way to Ouarzazate, in the very south of Morocco. Near the restaurant we had stopped for lunch were camels. The guide proposed that someone should give a bottle of water to the camel. While the others were still thinking if the camel would spit and bite, I took the bottle and gave it to the camel.







See, it looked very happy ! To thank me he then throw the bottle away and tried to eat my cap !
I just could run away leaving my cap, which I picked up later (slighly damaged). Apparently the camel didn't want to keep a souvenir of me. I am deeply disappointed.

My second experience I made with the camel which took me through the Sahara to watch a romantic sunset.


Here you see the heads of my Berber and my Camel. Proudly I sat enthroned on my camel and tried to take a picture of his long eyelashes. But it didn't work. It was like sitting in a shaking boat.



When we stopped and I was sitting besides him because the group was dispersed a little all over the place to watch the sunset, he suddenly pulled his tongue out and made a funny noise.



Then he rolled to the side and on his back



rolling from one side to the other



I quickly had taken out my camera to immortalize this event. I was only a very little scared that he would fall on me but no, nothing happened. I am still alive and not reduced to a pancake.



Then he layed down happily and a man of my group took this picture.

SHOW & TELL - A restaurant in Marrakech

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When I was in Marrakech (Morocco) our group was taken to a very famous restaurant called "Dar Essalam". It was an enchanting and fairy place, with an amazing decoration out of 1000 and one night. Unfortunately the flash of my camera didn't work so I had to take the pictures with my spare camera, but it still gives an idea of what we have seen. The food too was delicious.

We were taken through very small stony streets to a very old looking wooden door and we looked at each other thinking, oh my god, where do they take us know ?



But behind this old door was a real palace, mamor and mosaic, oriental carpets and beautiful decorations



My friend Ilona and I were greated by two ladies.


During the meal was a belly dancing show


even with candles on the head


Here we are sitting and waiting for the starter

This restaurant was already used for shooting the movie The man who know too much with James Stewart and Doris Day by Hitchcock in 1956 !





This was the place where Doris Day and James Stewart sat with him together






some of beautiful hand painted plates


I also loved the simplicity of the dishes



This was one of the rooms of the restaurant. It just gives you a little idea of how beautiful it was !

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - Morocco

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Yesterday evening I came back from my roundtrip trough Morocco and wanted to show you the first pictures of this beautiful country

13 stops and views of the South of Morocco

1. Marrakech,known as the "Red City", is an important and former imperial city in Morocco.

2. Ouarzazate, the Holywood of Morocco, where amongst others "The Mummy, Gladiator and Martin Scorcese's Kundun were shot.

4. Aït Benhaddou is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and several films have been shot there, including "The Last Temptation of Christ" "The Sheltering Sky" "Kundun" "The Mummy", Gladiator and Alexander

5. Atlas mountains

6. Zagora, a well known town with a sign at the town border : "Tombouctou 52 jours", the supposed time it takes to get to Timbuktu, Mali on foot or camel.

7. a sunset in the Sahara on a camel

8. Erfoud, also is a popular destination for filmmakers because of the beautiful views of the Sahara Desert that the town's location affords. Desert sequences in the 1999 film The Mummy were filmed in several locations around the town, including the inside of a dormant volcano.

9. Tineghir is a town in eastern Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains

10. Red mountains

11. Villages were time stood still since 2000 years, but have here and there a TV antenna

12. the "blue men" Berbers who live in the desert

13. Camels and donkeys !

IN THE DESERT

I am one day too early for Wordless Wednesday for which please scroll down. The sun probably burnt my brain !

Here are some pictures of Ilona and myself in the desert



We took a Jeep to the Sahara desert and it is amazing that there are people living there.



We had to buy the special Berber scarfs to protect ourselves from sand and sun. If there is a little wind the sand flies all around and feels like needle stitches.


Berbers are living in a tent and are nomads. They are very friendly and offered mint tea to the whole group. We were 24.


Water is very precious so here I am with a big bottle. Joking some Morocans said that still water is muslim wine and sparkling water is muslim champagne !


These are some houses which we saw on our way to the desert. Some places still have no electricity.

Sorry if I can't visit you but it takes ages to load a page ! I will catch up when I am back home !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Need to go to the dentist ? Here is one in Marakech/Morokko

I am very sorry not to be able to comment on your blogs, but it takes hours to load a page. Internet is not yet really up to date in the very south of Morocco !

I AM STILL ALIVE

After having spent 5 days in the desert without Internet connection I am finally in Marrakech where I found one in the hotel we are staying for 3 days to rest from our trip.

I can only say it is an absolute beautiful country. I can't say anything about the big cities because we only drove through the very south, through the desert and red rocky mountains with sometimes a green spot when some water managed to stay. The time stood still here. People are still living like 2000 years ago. In the last 15 years there was some improvement, electicity arrived even in Erfoud which is a little town in the middle of the desert.

As soon as I am back home I will write more about my trip of course and show you the beautiful landscapes I have seen.



The camel which took me through the desert to watch a sunset was so happy that when I sat beside him he rolled around on his back like a big cat !



Here you see only a little of the beautiful landscapes I have seen. This was in the Atlas mountains.