Today, I ventured into the desert for a camel ride, quad bike ride and meal with a show. Today was the highlight of my trip. I had a fantastic time.
Camels, Quad bikes and dinner.
We didn't have to get up early today as our planned trips were not until this afternoon. We woke at 8 am and went outside to the courtyard for breakfast. Once breakfast was finished, we sat around relaxing for a while in the cool courtyard.
We went for a coffee at one of the local cafes midmorning and briefly chatted with the local boys outside the Riad. Moroccan people are very friendly, and I started noticing that even the local ladies in their Abayas would smile at me in recognition and even say bonjour. It was interesting looking at many of the beautiful women in differing styles of dress and modesty and listening to the different languages they spoke. It once again made me wish I had learnt different languages when I was younger. With my bad memory, it is too late for me to learn more than the basics nowadays. Most of the local people, it seemed, spoke French rather than Moroccan Arabic, but many also spoke English. According to a 2012 study, 98% of Moroccans speak Moroccan Arabic, 63% speak French, 26% speak Berber, 14% speak English, and 10% speak Spanish.
We returned to the Riad briefly to collect cameras and bags. We then walked to our pick-up point, where we found our transport to the desert. We were picked up by a small minibus and driven to the more touristy area near the Jemaa el-Fnaa, where we transferred to a bigger minibus, and more people climbed aboard. We were soon driven out of Marrakech and towards the desert.
As we travelled, the minibus was pulled over by police. We were soon sent on our way again, but not before the driver had been fined the equivalent of 300€ for not carrying his ID with him. We continued for a short time, then stopped at a roadside building where we were taken to see how Argon oil was produced. We first had some mint tea, bread and different dips made with Argon oil. I liked the dip made from Argon oil and peanut butter but didn't want to buy any to find I couldn't take it back to Spain when I went through customs at the airport. When our turn came we were shown the traditional method to grind the oil before being shown different items we could buy.
After the short stop, we continued into the desert and turned off the road for the final few miles as we crossed the desert to where we would ride a camel and a quad bike, have dinner and see a show.
Camel ride.
As soon as we were at the site, we walked to where the camels waited and climbed aboard them. I was wondering if I could even get on the camel. I knew they would be lying down when we got on them, but they were still quite big, and I didn't know if my legs or hip would allow me to get on the camel's back. With some help from a guide, I was soon sitting astride the camel, and it rose onto its knees, then its hind legs, followed by its front legs. I felt like I was sitting across a wide barrel high in the air. My hip ached a little, but not enough to worry about it.
Soon, Lisa was on a camel behind me, and the rest of the people in our small camel train were all mounted and ready to move. We were led through the desert along a predetermined path, and after about 10 minutes, we paused whilst the guides took our cameras and took photographs of us all on the camels. The views from high on the camel's back were fantastic, and I remembered the film Lawrence of Arabia. We were soon off again, and too quickly for me, we were back where we had begun and dismounted. I loved the camel ride and wished it could have been longer, but I was glad it was a gentle walk. I don't think I would have lasted long if the camels were galloping along at the 30 to 40 km an hour they can reach.
When the camel ride had finished, we were all led a short distance to where we would take our quad bike ride.
Quad bike ride.
I was a little nervous about going on the quad bike because when I was about 12 or 13 years old, I had ridden one at a Pontins holiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales. It hadn't gone well. The bikes were much smaller in those days, as was I and as I went up the first hill, it wouldn't go up. To get it to climb, I had to stand up and was promptly thrown off the back of it, the bike tumbling back and landing on top of me. That was the last time, until today, that I had been on a quad bike.
I needn't have worried. These days, bikes are much wider and more stable, and I weigh considerably more, meaning that bikes are very stable. Lisa got on the first bike, and I got on one, three or four bikes behind her. The safety helmet was a tight fit, but it did fit. However, the safety goggles to stop anything going into my eyes were terrible. I gave up trying them on and pulled out my sunglasses. They are a wrap-around style and would be of more help than the goggles provided.
We were soon off, and I loved it. Riding the bike brought back memories from my school days and my motorbike. This bike was much more powerful than my Yamaha FS1-E, and I should be safer here with no lawyers about to crash into me and wreck my bike. I loved riding through the desert along the track we were led upon. I could drop back occasionally to generate a gap between me and the bikes in front, which I then closed at a greater speed, or race up to the top of a hill or bottom of a dip.
We stopped after covering half the route we were on to take some photos in the desert. After a short stop, we continued and climbed the last incline. As we got to the top, a group of riders was sitting to wait to go down a considerably steep slope. I wished I could have joined them, but our group had finished our more sedate ride. We stopped and handed the bikes and helmets back to the guides, and my adrenaline pumped for an hour or so afterwards. I had already started planning to go and do it again in the future on a longer half-day or longer ride.
Photos from my quad bike ride.
Once we had finished the quad bike ride, we sat down next to a swimming pool in the desert and were served dinner.
Dinner and show in the desert.
We were brought a beautiful salad and some mint tea when we sat down for dinner. After the salad, we had a chicken and vegetable tagine before having a beautiful coconut sponge cake for dessert. While we sat eating, a couple of Moroccan musicians walked between the tables, playing and singing to everybody who was eating dinner. As we finished dinner, the sun began to set. It looked beautiful going down over the desert, and I had the opportunity to take a few photos before we moved a short distance to see a short show.
The musicians had set up inside a large oval formed by tents and seats where people sat. In the oval, a few different fires were lit to keep everyone warm and allow the dancers to dance around. I didn't participate in the dancing; my knees would have given way, but I did shoot some video clips of the dancing and the musicians.
When the music finished, our guide found us, grabbed some chairs, and told us to follow him quickly as there was going to be a fire show starting in a fire pit further down the hill. We followed him down and waited for the show to start. Now that the sun had completely gone down, we could only see a faint outline of the performer until he lit some of the torches. He started by moving the torches around and even juggled them a few times. He then entertained us using ropes he had set alight to form arch shapes around himself. The final act consisted of him lighting some oil and ash in pots attached to cables and then swinging them around himself. The effect was unique, and I am glad I had videoed it all to watch it again.
As the show finished, we approached the tent the guide had told us to meet him at. Standing beside it, he saw us first and shouted "Arsenal" to get my attention. We followed him back to the minibus, and everybody was soon aboard. We joined a convoy of minibuses, all of whom were leaving the desert. The line of lights from the vehicles must have looked good from a distance, but the light shows the guide put on in the minibus were brilliant. The van was kitted out with strip lights of different colours, and as he put music on, the lights would light up in time. The people on the coach sang along to the music as we crossed the desert.
When we reached the main road, the lights and disco finished, and after about 40 minutes, we were all back in Marrakech. All the other passengers were dropped off at the pick-up point, but Lisa and I were taken back to near our Riad, so we didn't have to walk back. I had a fantastic day, and it was worth coming to Morocco just for today. I thought it had been very well organised and I enjoyed everything. As we left the minibus, I shook the guide's hand and passed him 100 DH as a tip. This equated to about 10€; I thought he had earned every bit. If you are ever in Marrakech, make sure you take this excursion.
It was about midnight by the time we got back to the Riad, and once again, I was asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow of my bed.