Day 7 October 21, 2024 Sahara Desert and area 89.7 miles
It’s another beautiful sunny day. The temperature is moderate and a gentle breeze is blowing. We left our hotel at 9:00 am with a full agenda planned.
The first stop was at a fossil factory. They don’t actually make the fossils but they do make furniture and decor from the fossils they find in the mountains. They cut horizontal cuts in the mountain. Depending on how deep the slab is will determine the type of fossils. The area was an ocean 360-420 million years ago. Some of the cuts have no fossils and some have lots. They are surrounded by stone. The company then decides whether to make tables or decorative pieces. The process to clean and polish the stone is very labor intensive. The pieces are all very unique. We bought a small piece as a souvenir.
Next we drove to the town of Rozzini. Here instead of a Medina they have a Ksar. The Ksar is a smaller city. This one had less than 300 population. The houses are passed down from generation to generation. The streets are wider and there are no shops inside. They still have the five elements except they have a well rather than a fountain. Our guide was a blue man meaning he wore all blue clothing. He is part of the ethnic Berber group who are the nomadic people of the region. He had a delightful sense of humor. Many of the doors in the Ksar have a diamond shape. This is to keep out the evil eye. The people living here follow the Sunni Muslim faith. More of the women are dressed in the black headdress and long tunic. They follow the more traditional ways. The black is also a better color for the dust in the desert.
The walls of the Ksar are made of adobe which is big blocks of mud allowed to dry. The Ksar was built in the 18th century. The temperature inside was much cooler which is good since summer gets highs near 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
After touring the Ksar we went through the market. Blacksmiths were making lots of items. Everything from came saddles to windows. We stopped at one of the date shops. Dates come in the fruit, sugar, jam, and syrup. The seeds are roasted and ground for coffee. We bought a small package.
Now it is off the board the Toyota 4×4 vehicles for a drive to and through the Sahara Desert. We found several things to be surprising. There are roads but you can drive where ever you like. The ground has more rocks than sand in some places. More people live here. Many hotels are scattered over the area. At least one lake is in the area. The sand dunes change color as the daylight changes.
We drove for about 45 minutes to reach our lunch spot. Here we had flushable toilets and a large buffet lunch. The ground was covered with rugs. The ceiling was large pieces of cloth held up by poles. Since it was shady the temperature was pleasant. We had a long lunch period.
Back in the vehicles to continue the journey over dips, bumps, ruts and smooth sections. Sometimes we drove on deep sand which is much like snow. We arrived at another hotel where we relaxed for about 45 minutes.
Then off to meet the camels. Everyone in the group except Connie took the camels out on the dunes to watch the sunset. Connie watched from the hotel terrace. The trip back to the hotel went much faster. Today was one of our tour group’s birthday so the music group and wait staff brought out a cake and played loud music.
Spoffords Travel 