We left Casablanca this morning on a normal speed train to Marrakech. As we figured out where on the platform to wait for the first class section of the train, a well-dressed man yelled to us with a smile that we were standing in the poor people section. We laughed and asked why we thought that and he pointed at Steve with his well-trimmed beard and refined outfit. The rest of us tried not to take offense and we all followed his direction. As we waited he explained his tour company and his background. It’s funny how many people (everybody?!) in Morocco is a tour guide that you can hire!

As soon as we arrived in Marrakech, we met up with a driver arranged by Hassan to take us to Caravan Agafay, a boutiquey desert camp about 35 min SW of Marrakech. It is a rock desert, so sort of small gravel instead of smooth sands, but is quite barren and remote.

This is a beautiful, serene area, and a peaceful retreat for us during our very active itinerary.

The young lady that welcomed us, Heenan (sp?) guided us through a little welcome ceremony wherein we each burned a handful of a special crystalline rock over a fire and inhaled the smoke to calm the body. Sounds like some psychedelic shit but it was cool and smelled good. Maybe I inhaled a bit extra..?

Our rooms (lodges!) are really wonderful, and are full-featured little suites in permanent tents with running water, electricity, etc. They still have a real outdoor vibe though, like a screened-in porch.

As is the case anywhere in this region, beyond the desert are rolling hills of green and brown, and beyond them the lofty peaks of the Atlas Mountains. Central to our view is Toubkal, the highest peak in Northern Africa and the Arab world at 4,167 m (13,671 ft). It is snow-capped this time of year and very prominent.

We did a little tea ceremony next, which is simply sitting around in a circle with a great local guy drinking Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Moroccan Mint tea has long been a favorite of mine, and is just Chinese green tea, fresh Moroccan mint, hot water, and optionally sugar. I have always like tea with honey but that is seen as bad here. I tried it of course in Tangier and thought it was great, but so is a little cane sugar so I’ll behave. I had like 6 glasses with cookies! By the way, pouring the tea from a height is key to serving as it mixes and aerates the tea.

The camp is filled with beautiful little lamps and decorations.. and guests.

We then went over to watch a local woman make traditional bread.

We spent a lot of time just enjoying the camp and its views. There aren’t many people here, which is nice! As the sun set, colors got richer and explored the yellow-gold-red portion of the spectrum in detail.

We had dinner in the open dining area. It had outdoor heaters but was fairly mild temperature (~65˚F) anyway considering the time of year.

The food was a mixture of Moroccan and Mexican dishes, as the Caravan company is global with focus in Mexico and the Middle East. All of our dishes were tasty and filling.

Desserts were rich and fresh as well.

By now it was fully dark, and with minimal light pollution (you can see neighboring cities on the horizon) we could see the stars very well. In fact as it is an rare astronomical time, you can also see 6 planets (Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune) all at once, the first 4 with the naked eye!

We went to bed happy, refreshed, and in true desert silence.