Kat’s Morocco –Twelve in a continuing series…
Did you come back to hear about the camels I spoke of in my last story? I will get to that in a moment but first I want to talk about the fossil factory we visited while still in Erfoud, the stony desert. The soil here is rough and more stone than sand, so it is not inviting to bare feet. When I get to the part about the camels, I will speak of the desert sand found in the Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes of the Sahara Desert.
As I stepped off the coach at the Fossil Factory, I saw a very large, spectacularly detailed, outdoor sculpture of black fossilized marble. The fossilized marble is mined locally and brought in large slabs to the studio. (It is hard to think of the desert area I was standing in ever being capable of supporting sea life!) The slab is cut into different shapes and sizes to accommodate the different types of fossils found; orthoceras and ammonite, and the purpose of the piece. From large table tops and counter tops to small decorator pieces, the marble is designed for multiple purposes and budgets.
Once the slab is cut to size, the piece may be polished smooth or the fossil shape is painstakingly defined by careful chiseling away of the material surrounding the fossil, providing a fossil relief. The end result is polished to a high ebony gloss. As interesting as this was, the sun was dropping low in the sky and we had been promised a late afternoon camel ride into the dunes to see a desert sunset.
We arrived by coach to the gathering point at the Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes where we were all assigned a 4x4 vehicle to take us to the camels. Without a doubt, those vehicles had seen better days. I can’t imagine sitting on a wood crate tied to a Radio Flyer wagon rolling down a graded road would feel any less comfortable. There was no way you were leaving that vehicle without some bruises… but it was fun, at least in the daylight.
As we drove into the desert, we left the rock desert behind and entered the sand dunes. It was a beautiful sight, smooth dunes with wind ripples in the sand. We arrived at the camp where the camels were parked and our Tour Director quickly gathered us together for a briefing. Excitedly, he said there were a number of other tours descending on us at that very moment and the claiming of a camel and guide were on a first come, first served basis. (Our Tour Director has been in the business for many years and his timing to get his group in just ahead of the others for meals, tours and now the camel ride was impressive!) With that, he bade us farewell and good luck and we were off, tramping through the sand in search of a guide and camel. I spotted the camel I wanted and met up with the guide to settle on a price. Yusuf did not speak any English, but I knew the going rate and so did he, and that made things easier.
The time finally came for my long anticipated ride. Yusuf had the camel get down on all fours in the sand and helped me into the saddle. Then that tall lanky beast had to stand up, back end first. If you can keep from flying out of the saddle when his back end pops up, all you have to watch for is not butting heads with him as his front end comes up! I had ridden camels in Egypt, so this was not my first experience. It was a bit easier knowing what to expect. Once up and on our way, I started getting that funny feeling again, like I did the first night in Erfoud. A very spiritual, getting in touch with myself and the world, kind of feeling. I felt very calm, at peace with myself, like I was where I was supposed to be.
Yusuf and his “tribe” selected a dune and some of the guides laid out rugs for us to sit on. Yusuf signaled for me to remove my sandals and place my feet in the sand. It was a very luxurious feeling! The sand is fine, clean and at this time of year, pleasantly warm. A couple of the guides spoke some English so we were able to talk with them. That is how I found out the name of my guide. They told us where their village was and it was not close. The guides and camels traveled a couple of hours to get to our meet point every day and would travel back once we were done for the evening. Tourism was the primary way money was brought into their village so it was difficult when there were winds or other weather conditions that prevented the tours from coming. It was much the same I had heard from the Tour Director and even from the guides in Egypt. A difficult way to live and for as wonderful as Yusuf had been, he would be getting a generous tip.
The shadows grew long over the dunes, the orange sun beginning its final descent into the horizon. I had enjoyed an enlightening conversation with our desert nomads, my feet were buried deep in the sands of the Sahara and I had time to reflect on what I had seen and heard to this point. I considered the huge span of emotions I felt and questioned if I had what it would take to make it in the harsh world of the desert or hustle and bustle of the medina. With the sun making a hasty retreat behind the dunes, a gentle breeze wrapping me in its embrace, Yusuf silhouetted against the last rays of dusk, I knew this was one of those captured moments that would be relived many, many times and see me through to my very last glorious sunset.
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