Summary: After spending two nights in the Western Sahara's Erg Chebbi, we made the long journey to Dades Valley. This quick stop broke up the drive to our final destination of the city of Marrakesh. Along the way we stopped at a Berber town's local street market, got pulled over (again) by the police, visited a Kheterra, a desert irrigation system, and strolled amidst the towering limestone peaks of Todra Gorge.
[This blog is part of a 10-days in Morocco Trip].
Erg Chebbi to Dades Valley. As mentioned in our previous posts, getting to and from Erg Chebbi requires several hours in the car. As we left Erg Chebbi in the morning, after a chill morning enjoying the dunes ones last time, we began our long journey to Dades Valley. The first stop we made was in a typical Berger town with a central market. Just outside the market is animal "parking." The first lot is for donkeys that will haul goods back to homes and more distant villages. The second set of lots we passed consisted of livestock brought to the market to be sold.
Berber Markets. Inside the market, produce, spices, meats, all other goods could be purchased. Dates have been a staple in the local diet for millennia, with many market stalls still devoted just to this fruit today. Common Berber dishes such as tagines and couscous feature dates. Culturally, dates are significant as a meal of dates and water are used to break fast during Ramadan.
Daily Police Stops. Outside of the market, we were pulled over by the local police - again. Our driver's car, owned by the tour company, had tinted windows which apparently were not permitted unless the tint was part of the original vehicle purchase. Ours was legal but that didn't stop us from getting stopped on a daily basis by local law enforcement. Unnerving at first, it became funny over time. Who knew they would be so vigilant about tinted windows? (photo below: goofing off while we waited).
Kheterra. The next stop on our long journey to Dades Valley was at a Kheterra. These still functional 10th century desert water system use gravity to funnel water through underground tunnels. Some parts of the system, like the one we visited have dried up but others, (not-shown here), remain active. We watched local families drive up to a well located along a Kheterra and fill a carload of containers of waters to bring back to their desert home.
Dades Valley. Towards the end of the day we arrived in the Dades Valley area, our stop for the before heading the remaining 300+km to Marrakesh the next day. Along the Valley are ancient town, some portions of which have been abandoned.
Todra Gorge. Just before reaching the hotel, we stopped at Todra Gorge. Carved by the river Todra, the towering limestone cliffs have also been featured in various movies and American TV show, Expedition Impossible.
Desert Sunset. From our hotel room we watched the sunset, enjoyed a nice meal, and prepared for another day in the car as we headed into Marrakech. As we noted in our prior post on Erg Chebbi, getting to the Western edge of the Sahara desert means a large amount of time in the car over the course of two days. However, it was the best part of the trip and well worth the effort. With stops along the way, as shown here, the drive much more bearable too.
