Camel trek, M'Hamid, Zagora

These pictures are from my brother's visit in May.

At an oasis

Travis with our guides

Grass leading up to the dunes

I didn't realize how beautiful the desert could be!...

...that being said, three days in it is plenty!

Grass leading up to the dunes Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate

Hike

These pictures are from a group hike around the province. The objective was rural health education.


Day 3: Group shot in Ait Boulli Starting out

At a volunteer's house in Bougamez

I never get tired of pictures of mud houses with a satellite dish. Earlier this day I saw a man plowing his field. He walked barefoot behind a donkey pulling a traditional plow. It could have been a scene in an 18th century painting if he hadn't been talking on his cell phone.

On our way to lesson #2

A skit on how germs are spread and the importance of washing your hands

Those indentations in the rock are dinosaur footprints. I can certainly imagine them roaming around this area.

I loved this baby donkey with its tuft of hair!

On an afternoon walk through the beautiful valley of Ait Bougamez.

The geology in this province is so interesting.

What never ceases to amaze me about these mountains is that no matter how desolate it feels-you are never alone. Take for example this mountain side below. It was in the middle of NOWHERE.

If you take a closer look in the very center of the photo you will see a house...

Day 5: the worst.

It started raining around 3pm and we hadn't found a water source to camp by. We walked along the road and fortunately the afternoon transit van passed. There wasn't any room inside but they let us ride on roof. Had it not been lightening and driver didn't go so quickly on the mountain turns so we could feel the mud sliding out from under the wheels at every turn, it might have been enjoyable. Although at that point we were grateful for any reprieve from hiking. That day (which ended well after dark) we logged more than 30 kilometers by foot.

The transit took us as far as it could. Shortly after it dropped us off and we picked up the trail again, it began to hail and quickly accumulated. I noticed several large animal prints that looked like they could be from a camel. Sure enough a few kilometers later I (I was a good distance from the group) happened upon a nomadic camel herder with a herd of 18 camels. I was up on a mountain trail and he was in the valley. I stopped and waved. He waved back and we just stood staring at each other. After a few minutes I waved again and moved on and he did the same, but we shared a moment, one of mutual understanding and curiosity (at least in my head). It made me wonder about his existence and laugh at myself for complaining that there was no place to set up camp. Clearly it was possible, we were just incapable. Because of the weather I didn't take out my camera but I'll never forget seeing camel prints in the snow. We were later told that during fall months the nomads come up to the mountains from the Zagora area because there is nothing to eat in the Sahara. When is there something to eat in the Sahara?

First lesson in Zaohia Ahansal after drying out and recuperating the day before.

Making carpets

Faedema, who runs the rug co-op, holding her 21st child! Of the 21 births, 17 survived. We had a family planning chat with her and her daughters.

That village in the distance is where we were headed to give our afternoon lessons to adults.

Inside a new neddy built for carpet weaving. It was the site of our nutrition and family planning discussion. The latter was particularly frustrating. Although the women finished with a clear understanding of how to stop having children and agreed with the importance of family planning it all seemed for nought. The clinic, only a half hour walk away, is empty. I went and spoke with the mid-wife assigned to it (who doesn't speak the local language) and she said they've been out of all means of contraception for months but were hopeful to receive a shipment this month.

The obligatory tea invite. This was after a tough family planning discussion. The moqaddam (a village elder who resolves disputes), pictured with the yellow headwrap was a delight. The first time I met him I wasn't sure he understood me or could even hear me. It turns out he's as sharp as a tack!

Day 12: almost home. View of Tamga from the top of a transit van