It does rain in the desert!

I didn't get to spend Christmas day on the dunes at Erg Chigaga, but now I am going to the much bigger dunes at Erg Chebbi.  I was there in 2001 and it was an awesome experience.  My excitement was mounting.

About ten in the morning we headed out for the approximately five hour drive.  Along the way I recognized nothing.  Finally, I asked Houssaine if there was another road that we might have taken in 01, but no there is not.  Everything is so different than I remember it.  It seems so much more built up now.  I knew that there was a new paved road right into the villages alongside the dunes, but didn't expect this much development along the way.  Each town we went through was still very Moroccan with no tourists to be seen that day.

Once there the paved road, much to my joy, did not take away from the rustic, natural villages.  In 2001 when the paved road ended we drove 40 or more kms on the hamada (rocky desert) and then the last 20 on the sand.  This time it was a paved road right up to the village we were stopping at with only a short drive to the auberge(hotel)  in the village of Hassi Labied.  There are a few small villages alongside the dunes.  Hassi Labied, Merzouga, and Khamlia are the ones I know of.

.  Unkown to me, Houssaine had planned this wonderful stop for lunch and to make arrangements with the owner (friend) for our desert experience. 

Surprise, surprise, surprise......raindrops in the desert.  There was just a little sprinkling and the people were so thankful.  Actually it was a good thing because it would keep the sand from getting into everything and I mean everything.  Last time I even had sand in the underwear I was wearing.

Some photos from the auberge.  There was even a rainbow.  There are several photos to show the changing colours of the sand as the sun moves.If you double click on the photo with the flowers, you will see a great view.

  Some people opt to stay in an auberge rather than rough it at a bivouac (camp), but why would one come all this way and not sleep right on the sand.

We had an excellent lunch of a roasted chicken, fries, Moroccan salad, bottled water, fresh bread, two cokes, and one tea all for the princely sum of 100 dhs, approx $10.00 for the three of us.  French fries in most of Morocco are super delicious  - made with real potatoes and blanched in oil before frying mmmmmmmm  the real FRENCH fry.

There was a group staying at the auberge who were there learning about the dunes in preparation for a car rally.  The race is for women drivers only.  One group stays for a week with trainers knowledgeable about the terrain.  This group were flying out that day and another was arriving for a week.  Information - AÏCHA GAZELLE RALLY

17/3/2011 - 2/4/2011 This competition is the standard reference for women's motorized adventure. It is open to amateur or professional women only who are then immersed in the Moroccan Sahara for 10 days on their 4X4, motorbike, ATV or truck.     » ... + info