Accountant Adventures: Desert, Sunrise, Mountain, So many pics!

In the desert

Yesterday (Monday), We got to the hotel and found out that we could have A/C again, we decided to splurge and get it. The temperature in the Sahara desert was supposed to be at least 50 C which is over 120 F. Very Hot! We asked the hotel manager about getting a sunrise camel ride into the desert and he told us an Italian couple was going on one and we could join them. We asked if we needed any special clothes and he suggested that I get a turban, Julie already had an adequate scarf. He took us to a local shop and I found a color that I liked and paid way too much for an un-hemmed piece of cloth that can be tied into a turban. After I paid for the turban, I realized that I didn’t have much money. I asked Julie and she too was out of money. We went and looked around the town and discovered that there was no bank or ATM. We went back to the Hotel and looked in the LP for the closest ATM and it was a Grande Taxi ride away. We told the hotel manager that we were out of money and were going to go to the next town to get some. He told us not to worry about it and he would go with us tomorrow so we wouldn’t have to make a useless trip. We tried to figure out what the catch would be but couldn’t come up with one and so we agreed. For dinner they made us Lentils with a large salad and bread and we ate on the terrace, it was beautiful and really nice.

Last night the A/C got so cold both Julie and I had to actually use covers to stay warm. We woke up at 4:45 to meet with the Italian couple and our guide to take us into the desert. We walked down the main street and met up with a guide and our camels. Camels can lay completely on the ground so mounting them is very easy. They have a metal T bar in the front for holding onto. Once the camel is standing up, it’s not difficult to stay on the camel but when he stands up or gets down it is important to hold on. The guide led us on our camels into the Sahara desert before the sun had come up. The guide led us to the base of a sand dune where we dismounted and climbed the dune ourselves. The guide made it look effortless but it was a lot of work, if you stopped climbing you would slowly slide down the dune, so you had to keep walking.

When we got to the top light was pouring over the horizon, but we couldn’t yet see the sun. I made a sand angel and we walked along the ridge of the sand waiting. When the sun appeared it moved so quickly you could actually tell that is was moving and it looked like it was going really fast. It was beautiful with all of the sand and the sun and the colors. The sand was so beautiful. On the way out of the dunes I decided to barrel roll down and it was very fast and made me very dizzy while also depositing sand on and in every surface of my body.

I rode a camel in the Sahara Desert, how awesome is that!?!?

When we had packed up our stuff and were ready to leave we talked to the manager to see when would be convenient for him to come with us to get the money. Or if he just wanted us to go and get the money and come back. He said he wasn’t worried about it, he would get us a cab that would take us wherever we wanted to go and to just give the money to the cab driver. We asked if he was sure, and he was. He was so trusting that we would pay and not run off, his trust and hospitality were amazing. If you are ever in Merzouga, Morocco I would highly recommend Chez Julia.

We took the cab to Erfoud where we had three options, hire the cab we were in to take us to our next town for 400 DHS, take a bus in 4 hours for 45 DHS or take a grande taxi when it becomes available for 60 DHS. We opted for the grande taxi as the first preference and if 3pm came we would take the bus. I talked to the Grande Taxi boss man and he told me there was 1 person already, all we needed were 3 more people and we could sit and wait. We waited and waited in the hot shade for more people and every time new people would come we would encourage them with our minds to go to Tinerhir, our next destination. After only an hour and a half enough people were there and we loaded up and headed out. Shortly into the drive 3 people got out of the Taxi and then the only other person besides us got out and we were alone in the cab. They changed us to another cab and we made it to Tinerhir much faster than we had initially anticipated. We then told the cab driver that we planned to go to another town 12KM away and he drove us to the place to get a ride there and found someone to assure that we would get in the right cab and get taken straight to our hotel.

We are staying in the Todra Gorge, which is like a mini grand canyon but you can sleep at the bottom. When we checked in they took us to the room that has to have the best views, we can see towering walls of rocks out both of our windows. The views are so spectacular that it looks like the windows are posters.

We got to the hotel and there was a large stinky poop in the toilet, we tried to flush it, but it wouldn’t flush. I proposed we pour some water from the sink in the toilet to break up the poop. I filled a water bottle with water and then tried to turn the sink off but it would not stop coming. The sink was quickly filling and threatening to spill onto the floor. We emptied another water bottle and used it to empty the sink as fast as we could. Once we got the level down low enough I ran to get the manager to have him help. When he walked in the room he simply turned the handle and the water shut off, something Julie and I had both tried without Success.

There is a river behind the hotel and we went out there to cool off in the ice cold water. I made a dam out of rocks that was highly unsuccessful. We met some Moroccan kids and they were infatuated with Julie. They brought her flowers and talked to her. They were so cute and sweet. For the rest of the trip, I will have to keep my eye on Julie to make sure that she doesn’t sneak a couple of Moroccan kids into her suitcase.