Showing posts with label Sahara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sahara. Show all posts

29 Sept 2020

MY CORONA ARMCHAIR TRAVELS - SUNSET IN THE SAHARA, MOROCCO

The Sahara is extended over several countries, Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and Tunisia. It covers 9 million square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi), amounting to 31% of Africa. 

I have been visiting the Sahara in Tunesia, Egypt, and Morocco. Each hotel where I stayed offered sunset rides on a camel to the Sahara. Here are some pictures of the part in Morocco


We first drove in these jeeps to the point where we met our guides with the camels

One Berber teached us how to put the scarf around our head in a special way so that we were protected against the wind  and the sand  before we climbed on the camel !

In front of their straw houses two little Berber children

The way the families live, all in one huge tent together with the animals. The Berbers are all dressed in blue djeballas with the blue scarfs which sometimes covered the face until the eyes. I once experienced a sandstorm in the Sahara and we had to protect ourselves from the sand in a Berber tent. We had to pull the scarf over our noses to our eyes, the sand stitched like a thousand needles.

The Berbers were very friendly and invited us for a cup of tea

The goats stayed with us near the tend

Although there is nothing but sand and hills covered with sand there are beautiful shades of different colors

Here we are resting with our camels and wait until the sun goes down

I have no idea why I wore a red scarf





and while we were waiting for  the sun to set behind the hills,  there was no sound around us, it was so peaceful, you could hear the Sahara whisper in your ears. A wonderful experience !

 

 

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6 Jun 2009

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Then he rolled to the side and on his back

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rolling from one side to the other

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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.

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

2 Jun 2009

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

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

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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.

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

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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 !
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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 !