Trekking the Sahara is no easy task and definitely not for the light hearted. Getting there was a slow, hot and uncomfortable process. We woke up early in Marrakech Monday morning and met with our tour bus and got settled into our seats. We were the last to arrive to the bus, so we ended up sitting in the way back — where there was no air flowing from the windows or air conditioner. Holly scored her own seat one row up and even that was an upgrade. Eric and I sat next to who would eventually become our friends, Sasha and Jonas. They were traveling with Sasha’s dad, Nazim, and younger brother, Ilen, who were sitting one row in front of us as well. We quickly became friends with these guys because we had something in common. BEING UNCOMFORTABLE! Haha the roads traveling through the Atlas Mountains were not so developed. We would twist and turn up and down the windy mountains passes, bumping back and forth in the bus as we hit every pothole along the way. Not to mention that the roads are sometimes on steep cliffs.
To top off the fact that we were getting car sick, it was also extremely hot in the back. Everyone up front had windows or big air vents for the air conditioner but us suckers in the back were cooking like eggs. As much as I disliked our situation as it was happening, we had some pretty good laughs back there! As Nazim put it, the journey is not always the most comfortable or likable, but the destination becomes that much better and always worth the hurdles. Eric really enjoyed talking with Nazim. In Eric’s words, “he has great perspective and lots to share.”
Our trip to the Sahara was split up into two days.The desert is about an 8 to 9 hour drive from Marrakech. We stopped at some Kasbahs along the way as well as short bathroom and stretch breaks. A Kasbah is a type of medina, Islamic city or fortress where the leader of the city lived. They were used to defend the village when it was under attack. People still live in them today.
The first village we stopped at was called Ait Benhaddou. This is where a lot of movies and TV shows have been filmed. Gladiator and Game of Thrones were among the many. The buildings in the village were made from mud, straw and water and situated along a hill. We had a tour guide who showed us around the village and explained to us the villager’s way of life. There is currently 8 families who still live here as the others have moved to a more modern Kasbah on the other side of the river.
After several hours of driving with many stops in between we finally made it to our raid for the night. Boy was I happy to get off that bus 🙂
Eric & Zey take on Europe! 