Posted Oct 20, 2007 by thegypsysavage
My daughter, her partner and I have recently returned from Morocco. The part of the country that is referred to in this BBC article really IS fascinating, and restful, after the chaos of the cities mentioned. Risanni, the oasis and the sites around it are definitely worth exploring. A camel ride from Merzouga into the Erg Chebbi part of the Sahara is FANTASTIC, provided you're in good enough physical shape to climb the big dunes up, and then down into, the areas where the Berber tents are....after you dismount from a 2 hour camel ride. For older folk, like me, I recommend visiting the desert on wheels. Trips of all kinds can be easily arranged there. Merzouga, the town at the edge of the desert, is very small and quiet....not much to do there, except visit the Gnawa village and hear the drummers do their thing, which is quite wonderful. There is also a "Depot" there which has great prices on Moroccan crafts, rugs, etc. IF you bargain hard, which is the thing to do in Morocco. In retrospect, I could have easily spent another day in that area, recuperating from hours in the car and from city chaos. We had a great guide, Ali Oussou, a native of Erg Chebbi, for the entire 2 weeks we were in Morocco, with his driver, Youssef. We travelled in a Toyota land cruiser, which was very comfortable for the 5 of us. While it initially sounded expensive to us to do it that way, it turned out to be fairly economical (at around $140 per day per person, including rooms (at very nice riads), breakfasts, dinners, all transportation, petrol, airport pick-up and return, plus the amazing services of 2 of the nicest people I've ever dealt with. And we didn't have to waste any time trying to find our way around, which can easily happen in Morocco. Don't count on the ATMs there to deliver the cash you need. I suggest taking Euros with you. Or dollars. I highly recommend the site Trip Advisor as a great place to get further information about Morocco. More informative even than most of the guide books. It was extremly helpful to me in planning our trip, which I started a year ahead of time.
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