Todra Gorges

Morocco is a land of contrasting landscapes. It has the Sahara, a mediterranean climate up north, and several sets of mountain chains (one of which I live in.) It also has a beautiful gorge a few hours from Ouarzazate, called the Todra Gorges. It reminded me of a mini grand canyon and was very pretty. Here are a few pictures from our day trip there.

Annie, Linda, Donna, Peggy and me with our new masks that we bought in the gorges. They are from Mali and pretty cool looking.
Me in the gorge.
Me, Linda, Donna and Annie in the gorges.

Desert Oasis and Camel Trek

This weekend, I got to go on a camel trek into the Sahara and visit friends in their desert oasis home. Here are some of the pictures from my adventure.

These are our guides getting the camels ready to go on the hour and a half ride to the desert camp. It was my first time riding a camel, so I was a little nervous. Luckily, although my camel complained loudly when she was given a command to sit or stand, she didn't bite or spit. We nicknamed her "Princess Sara" because she seemed pretty high maintenance.

This is our caravan heading into the desert. I'm in the very back of the line.
This is us posing on top of our SUV. We stopped to get our first good look at the Sahara. You can see the dunes in the background.
This is our group taking a walk at Emily and Sean's site. They live in a beautiful town in the Errachidia province. Their town is an oasis in the middle of the desert. It has palm trees and amazingly clear streams and rivers running through it. It was truly a beautiful area.

Emily and Sean made their giant bed by lining up six foam ponjs. Its huge and comfortably fit five of us to sleep. They were wonderful hosts and I'm so glad I got to visit with them and see their site.