Merzouga

Sahara Sunrise,dunes and views all from our campsite at Merzouga - these shots were taken before the sand storm struck in the early afternoon and filled us and our home with sand!

Merzouga sun rise

Campsite

Our morning walk in the dunes

All this at our camp door step

Beautiful golden sand

High Atlas Range

We have had some incredible days. Yesterday morning we biked to Merzouga in 26 degrees about 5km,got caught in a sandstorm on the way back blown from side to side and got well exfoliated then this morning drove 4 hours to Timnay over the High Atlas range(2000m) snow either side of the road and 2 degrees outside. We are camped in a little town outside Midelt where the temp at 5.30pm is minus 1 degree and it is snowing. This country is amazing in every way.

Sahara Headwear!

I was curious about the headwear so sent the gypsies a message. This was the response!
The headwear is the best investment to protect you from the sun and mostly the sand - when it blows you are very grateful for it. We are back in the Sahara desert today in Merzouga. It was a beautiful morning, we went for a walk in the dunes, took amazing sunrise photos did some washing, went for a bike ride into a village 5km away and on the way back a sandstorm hit. OMG, our washing was turned upside down and we were turned inside out trying to ride our bikes back to camp. We have seen the Sahara at it's best/worst today! Apparently when it snows in the atlas the Sahara gets the wind. We leave for north tomorrow so we may go from 26 degrees to -6 degrees!

Sahara Desert

Here are the pics of our most amazing experience in the Sahara Desert thanks to www.sahara-desert-dream.com  Our adventure in Ouarzazate and in the Sahara is right up on the top of our list. We have had fantastic fun, learnt so much, made good friends, being wined and dined with very hospitable and generous people.  Ouarzazate means quiet city.  It may mean quiet, but we have left exhilarated and a tad exhausted! Thank you Allal

Camel ride into the Sahara

Road trip to the Sahara.  Beautiful blue sky
and land for miles and miles. Every corner
you turn, there is another different but equally
beautiful sight. 

John with our guide, Nordin in the Draa Valley

Lunch stop, tangine for lunch in a beautiful setting
with Riad, pool and Moroccan delights

In the Sahara

Jelly legs when we got off!

On our way to the campsite

Arrived at camp.
John with our driver Ahmid and guide, Nordin

Our Hymer (tent) for the night, felt like
5 star accommodation!

The boys chilling at camp - spinning some yarns!

Shenanigans in the Sahara dunes,
waiting for the sunset

The Sahara

More fun in the Sahara

A rather high dune to climb!

The Sahara in its full beauty

Sahara sunset

Ahmid, John and I, waiting for the
sunset to happen

Sunset arrived

Dinner in the camp restaurant - soup with
bread and dates, followed by Tagine and fresh
fruit for dessert

Camp fire, singing, drums and lots of stories -
just awesome

Our campsite

Waiting for the sunrise and watching the moon
disappear

Sahara sunrise

Road trip back to Ouarzazate, a car broken down
our driver, guide and John leapt out to give a hand.

Tafraoute

Camping at Tafraoute, a beautiful peaceful and small village set in a basin surrounded by red stone - the home of leather slippers and Gypsy Girl wrapped up from the sand and dust!

Gypsy Girl parked up for the night

Tafraoute sunset

Camping life is basic but good

Taroudant, a walled city. The city is all within the
7km walls

Convoy road trip to Ouarzazate

Road trip to Ouarzazatte, on the Tizi-n-Taghatine
and Tizi-n-Ikhsane plains - felt we were in
Graham Sydney, Otago country

Ouarzazate

Checking in from Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara and the Game of Thrones (season 3). What a beautiful city, Ouarzazate means quiet city and that it is. Feeling very excited, as we have booked a sleep over in the Sahara tomorrow night, via the Draa

Valley, Agdez, Zagora, M'Hamid and then a camel ride to Les Dunes De L'erg Lihoudi for the Sahara sunset, sleepover and sunrise with Desert Dream, cannot wait!!

Le Ksar Ait Ben Haddou (game of thrones, season 3)

L'Oasis De Finit

Kasbah Tifoultoute

Streets of Ouarzazate

 In Ouarzazate

Tafraout

Morocco - our time is going so fast here - we are loving every minute of it.  We have enjoyed the people we have met, the food, the climate, the vastly differing landscapes between provinces and the fun bartering.  Here's a few pics of our last week or so.

Essaouira beach

The bag man

Essaouira sunset

Kasbah, Agadir. John with Ali, our wonderful
panel beater who not only fixed the hole in
Gypsy Girl, but was our tour guide.  He took us
into Agadir, via the Kasbah on top of the hill to
give us fabulous views over the city.  He also
told us how much we should pay for items, wrote
us a note in Arabic for us to give to the taxi drIver
to get us back home for 7DH each.  Ali made
our stay in Agadir a very memorable one.

Views from the Kasbah over Agadir

Agadir beach, middle of winter and it's still warm
enough for some to swim and surf.

Looking back up to the Kasbah, from the port.
Agadir was hit by a terrible earthquake in 1960,
that killed over 18,000 people. The whole city had
to be rebuilt.

The crazy streets of Marrakesh

Jemaa El-Fna Square, Marrakesh.  The main
square where there are snake charmers, men
dressed in red with crazy hats ringing bells and
selling water, oranges and juice carts during the
day.

Jemma El-Fna Square by day - for every photo I
took in the square someone would pounce out of
no where for payment - 10 DH a shot! So not
many photos were taken!

Our new look!

Jena El-Fna Square - food stalls at night - just
rows and rows of food stalls set up under canopies
dragging you in to eat their food, which I must say
was very tasty.

Jemma El-Fna at night 

Jemma El-Fna Square at night, souks branch off
from the square and they just goes for miles in all
directions! It's so easy to get lost amongst the
treasures, narrow alley ways and stalls.

The square at night comes alive with food stalls,
carts, story tellers, healers, male belly dancers,
singers and markets. It's crazy fun!

Snow on the mountains on our road trip from
Marrakesh to Aourir, Agadir.

Banana Beach, Auorir - the lively village not far
from our camp where we had the
panel beating done.