The maze game of Marrakech. That is what the beginning of the tour was.
Picked up in the morning by one man who we thought would be our tour guide.
Handed to another in a square.
Handed money to the man in the square.
In another bus.
Then another.
Finally in an eight seater we headed off to somewhere.
The plan was such
- sightseeing in an air conditioned vehicle
- Ouarzazate
- Ait benhaddou
- Zagora
- Todra Gorge
- Merzouga
- Erg Chebbi
- Berber desert camp in the Sahara
- Dades Vally (and great accommodation and meals)
Mohammed was our driver and the final combination of trekkers were Sanna next to Mohammed, then Kim, Seiko, Norma and us. Two stranded tourists, who had been waiting for hours (a big muddle) joined us along the way. Johnny and Helena. Laughs and handshakes all round. This is our new family.
A motley crew. Immediate rapport and good will. Sanna born in Marrakech was the energiser, translator, into it all girl. Kim the quiet Korean, a foil to Sanna. Norma the circus performer with a big heart and big smile from Mexico. Seiko in HR in Tokyo, always elegant. Johnny the English rock climber with Helena the ballet dancer studying languages at Cambridge. Richard the artist.
Introductions all round. Who we are. What we do. What we believe. Two Muslims, two Christians, two nothing....
...and off we went.
The Arabic music accompanied us up the Atlas Mountains.
The open window the air conditioning.
The gorges and desert, the oasis and Berber town, the camels and the red sand, sharing bowls and water, teas and meals, the heat and the not-so-well-with-me moments, standing in line, climbing up stairs, following in line and cameo chats wove a special fabric. Not a planned pattern but an easy weave.
No person would have planned the mix.
No person could have seen that this group would bond so well.
We shared our food, we shared our stories.
We sat well with each other.
It was only a few days, but I miss them.
We are scattered all over the world again, from England to Australia. Different ages, different stages.
Funny how to start off taking pictures of the things you came to see, then end up taking pictures of the people and plan to travel to the places just to see them....
Picked up in the morning by one man who we thought would be our tour guide.
Handed to another in a square.
Handed money to the man in the square.
In another bus.
Then another.
Finally in an eight seater we headed off to somewhere.
The plan was such
- sightseeing in an air conditioned vehicle
- Ouarzazate
- Ait benhaddou
- Zagora
- Todra Gorge
- Merzouga
- Erg Chebbi
- Berber desert camp in the Sahara
- Dades Vally (and great accommodation and meals)
Mohammed was our driver and the final combination of trekkers were Sanna next to Mohammed, then Kim, Seiko, Norma and us. Two stranded tourists, who had been waiting for hours (a big muddle) joined us along the way. Johnny and Helena. Laughs and handshakes all round. This is our new family.
A motley crew. Immediate rapport and good will. Sanna born in Marrakech was the energiser, translator, into it all girl. Kim the quiet Korean, a foil to Sanna. Norma the circus performer with a big heart and big smile from Mexico. Seiko in HR in Tokyo, always elegant. Johnny the English rock climber with Helena the ballet dancer studying languages at Cambridge. Richard the artist.
Introductions all round. Who we are. What we do. What we believe. Two Muslims, two Christians, two nothing....
...and off we went.
The Arabic music accompanied us up the Atlas Mountains.
The open window the air conditioning.
The gorges and desert, the oasis and Berber town, the camels and the red sand, sharing bowls and water, teas and meals, the heat and the not-so-well-with-me moments, standing in line, climbing up stairs, following in line and cameo chats wove a special fabric. Not a planned pattern but an easy weave.
No person would have planned the mix.
No person could have seen that this group would bond so well.
We shared our food, we shared our stories.
We sat well with each other.
It was only a few days, but I miss them.
We are scattered all over the world again, from England to Australia. Different ages, different stages.
Funny how to start off taking pictures of the things you came to see, then end up taking pictures of the people and plan to travel to the places just to see them....
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