dipping our toes into the Moroccan Sahara: day 1

 This map is to remind us all just how big the Sahara is.  It should inspire awe.



We were told that almost all of the trade between Europe and sub-Saharan African passed through the desert by caravan and then by ships at the port of Essaouira.  The border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed since 1972 though, so there are no more caravans on the old routes.

We took a long nauseating bus ride across the Atlas Mountains and arrived late at night in the village where the road ends, called M'hamid.  The next day we walked down the only street in town (practically) and let people propose outings to us for the second day.  After deciding on a guide, we suited up …



… and walked out of town into some small dunes …



… where we played in the sand …



… and took lots of pictures.



We wandered around within sight of the radio towers of the town.  There were lots of dunes and rocks and palm trees.  There were also a few camels and a bit of shade. 



We walked back to the edges of town.  There is less water than there used to be so the population of the town has shrunk and there were lots of houses being reclaimed by the desert at the edge of town.  We walked back to these …



… and watched the sun set.