"It says a lot about our trip that it wasn't diminished in the least by the fact that British Airways lost my luggage and I didn't get it back until the end of the trip, meaning I had to spend the entire week with nothing but the clothes I was wearing. The country, the people, and especially our driver Khalid did everything possible to make me forget to think about it.
The desert was the centerpiece for me - the major reason I wanted to go to Morocco in the first place, and the thing I have dreamed about every night since I got back. There is a serenity there that is almost nonexistent elsewhere. And we were royally entertained there, by Khalid, Hamid (who is one of the funniest people I have ever met, despite my not being able to understand a word!), and Barak who made a huge bonfire for just Sue and me, as well as three musicians from another camp who wandered over when they heard Barak drumming, and played and danced the most wonderful dance. The camp itself was very cozy. Even our camels were cooperative. Next time more time in the desert!
My other favorite part was driving on the piste through the mountains. The geology there is amazing, and the views are much more complex and surprising than you get from the main roadways. What a great place for photography. We had many opportunities to interact with the Berber, in ways that make you rethink your notions of community and sharing, from Hamid's lovely family and the great meal we had in their home, to the two women we gave a ride to, to the people on the farms along the way who wanted aspirin and nasal spray, to the children who were so happy to get the pens and colored paper. You do come home with a far great interest in these cultures that you may have known little about before.
Our lodgings were mostly very nice except for the very fancy place in Zagora that turned out to be less than clean and Sue got sick there which we think can be blamed on something from the buffet. (Authentic Morocco: this 4* hotel has been discontinued). We liked the hotel in Ncob and our host in Tamtatouchte provided us with excellent conversation and another round of drumming by some men who gather every evening for this purpose - what an improvement over collapsing in front of the television.
Khalid was not only an excellent driver but extremely helpful in countless ways, from executing an unplanned shopping trip to try to find me a change of clothes (not an easy matter to find Western clothing in Morocco) to even checking our rooms each morning to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything - not to mention the lovely meal we had in his home when we got back to Marrakech, and all the explanations and conversations about Moroccan ways. This enriched our trip immeasurably.
My only thought about what I would do differently - and I'm not sure how feasible it would be - has to do with spending somewhat less time seeing the standard tourist attractions (although I enjoyed them all) and more time just looking around the towns and villages and seeing how people live, what sorts of shops there are, what the buildings look like, the physical layout of the villages, where the donkeys are kept, etc. The dailiness of life in the Moroccan community.
In any case, I went with the expectation that this would be my one and only trip to Morocco, and now that seems unlikely. As you see, I'm already planning the next one (not only more time in the desert, but definitely an overnight in Telouet). Your suggestions as to our itinerary were invaluable, especially your encouraging us to make the mountain-and-desert portion of our trip longer. Thank you so much for your contributions to a really exceptional vacation."
