October 15, 2023
We headed out to Rissani to learn about restoring a Medina. The government of Morocco is attempting to modernize century old Medinas to add water and electricity while retaining the original materials for the structure. The walls that surround the medina are about 4 feet thick and are constructed of bricks then a stucco that consist of sand and straw. HGTV really needs to do a segment of this.
We then visited a modern Medina that is so colorful with all of the beautiful mosaic tiles and open courtyards. The palms trees we full of dates which is a major export for Morocco.
After our lesson on Medina’s we headed to the souk in search of scarves for our camel ride. Since it was Sunday the market was crazy busy and very chaotic!! One of our group got groped by a old guy and kids were begging for money, not a good time! We acquired our scarves then headed to the livestock pens where for only $90 you can own your own sheep. We wondered if we could convince the airline that the baby lamb was a support animal or in my case a seeing eye lamb after much discussion and laughter we decided it was probably not a good idea.
After the market we exchanged our bus for 4X4’s to head out to the Sahara Desert. Quickly our 4×4 left the paved road and were bouncing around the desert. We stopped at the Tissardmine oasis for a delightful lunch. After lunch we helped each other wrap our scarves for the camel ride. There was lots of laughter and sharing as we attempted what seamed like an easy task that proved to be challenging. I love this group of women!!
We headed out to a nomad enclave on the way to the dunes and shared tea with a nomad family as we sat around in our scarves trying to be natives.
The dunes of Erg Chebbi are the tallest sand dunes in Morocco, reaching around 250 high.
The pictures tell the story of the magical experience of riding camels in the desert as the sun was setting. I was blown away by the desert vastness!!
The little girl who dreamed of being an adventurer heart is full!!! The only word for today is unforgettable!
Best Fricken Day Ever!!!!!!
