Author: Ella

Grubb thinks it’d be fun to chart the path to our room. From the entrance into reception, pick up the key Back across reception and up to the next level, thread through salons Out to a terrace, walk across, turn left, walk a little farther Then turn right, step up into a hall and continue…

In Taghazout, the crashing of the surf was our night music. Here in Essaouria, the continual cawing of the seagulls drowns out anything else. Except for the music on the square. We are not far from the fish market where the gulls are on an endless quest for discarded fish parts. Leaving windows open last…

Villa Maroc has many nooks and crannies, hidden staircases, and levels of suites and salons. For us, it is delightfully unique. Grubb tracked our path from outer door to our room. He will post that. I will try to do justice to the room. The door (up 3 flights of narrow stairs) opens onto a…

I stand on our terrace at the Munga Guest House in Taghazout for one last look. There is a thick mist and the beach below is stirring. A tractor hooks a small boat and ferries it across the sand to the water for a casual fisherman. Chaise lounges with umbrellas are being set up in…

Taghazout is off the beaten path for most. A surfer town with a surf shop every 20 feet. Meant for surfing. You can take surf lessons with a yoga session thrown in. Malibu on the Atlantic. My shoes have gotten a lot of attention. Instead of sandals, I wear my water shoes, otherwise known as…

This morning, the hotel in Tafroute with its mountain view looks gorgeous. But we are coast bound. To Taghazout, the Moroccan surf capital. Ali swoops by at 9:00 to collect us, dressed for the coast sporting a California T shirt. He has ditched the desert attire.  First, Ali says, we will go see the painted…

Monday Just another sunrise in the Sahara. I feel a surprising tug on my heart. I don’t want to leave. But we pack our bags and the moment we’ve zipped them shut, 2 young men are at our door to take them to the car. We are heading west, to Tafroute in the anti Atlas…

Sunday. It’s sunrise, we stand on a small dune outside our tent facing east. Bashir brings us chairs and coffee as the sun slowly crests the horizon. We wander down to the dining tent where breakfast is available. Spicy omelet, yogurt, assortment of Moroccan breads and jams, fruit, coffee, orange juice. All served. No buffet…

Long drive on Saturday. Diverse scenery. From mountains to dry plains to stretches of date palms to scrubby desert to the orange dunes of the Sahara. Through the longest valley in Africa which stretches from north of here to the Atlantic Ocean. The river is bone dry.  We had a break for tea, stopped to…

We arrived late afternoon yesterday, enjoyed a sunset from atop a high dune and this morning’s sunrise atop a small dune with our coffee. But more later. This morning we are off for a camel ride and then a visit to a nomad family. This afternoon, we chill and will catch you up on our…

Today’s journey is from Dades ( blue dot near top) to the desert camp at Erg Chigaga (red balloon near bottom). I don’t know the exact route yet as Ali is fond of taking the road less traveled. I do know it will take about 7 hours plus stops. The thin, squiggly black line near…

Little did I realize that I’d be leaping across gaps like a goat, sliding down crevasses, walking tremulously along ledges less than a foot wide. With Abdul as our guide, “I got you, don’t worry”, “Yes, I love you Ella, you strong woman”. But, that’s how our much anticipated hike in the gorge went. At…

Ali pulled his Toyota Land Cruiser up to the hotel at 8am sharp. We loaded up, strapped in and then his “cousin” called. She’d left her wallet in the car. No way she could be without it for the next 10 days. Who could blame her? We detoured, did a quick handover and THEN we…

Here is our tentative route for today. And just because it looks cool and I forgot to post with yesterday’s entry. The Fes train station. You can see Grubb on the right, sort of.

Up relatively early, we went downstairs for breakfast to find our young Hassan (the staffer who has attended us for breakfast and dinners), sound asleep on a sofa, all lights off, no one in the office.  Uh oh. We cleared our throats to wake Hassan up. He popped up, sprang into action, and in 15 minutes…