More scenes of the Sahara
No Comments »30th January, 2016; Category: Africa, Animals, Exotic Destinations, Holidays, Morocco, Photos
Our camels waiting to take us into the Sahara
In recent posts here on this site I have written about our tour of Morocco. The visit to this amazing country was certainly a wonderful experience. One of the highlights of the visit occurred on Christmas Eve. We were taken on a camel ride into the Sahara Desert.
While the experience was unforgettable, I must say that riding a camel is not one of my favourite modes of travel. I find it very uncomfortable. In addition, I also found it hard to take photos while riding a camel and I found that most frustrating. I must say I was quite happy to dismount at our destination, a Berber camp in the desert.
One of the frustrations of trying to take photos while riding a camel relate to my interest in birds. I write about the birds I see and photograph on this site. With a constantly moving platform such as a camel in motion, it is very hard to compose the scene, focus and shoot. I saw some interesting desert birds on this ride but none I could use here, or on my birding site. I couldn’t even use the photos to identify the species. (Sigh)
Still, despite these limitations, I managed a few good photos while riding a camel. I must say that some of the shots I did manage to take – without falling off or otherwise injuring myself – do show the amazing colours of the desert at sunset. I did take more the following morning as we rode out of the desert.
Further reading:
- Into the Sahara Desert
- Christmas Eve in the Sahara
- Fossils for sale in Erfoud, Morocco
- River Ziz valley in Morocco
Sahara Desert, Morocco
Sahara Desert, Morocco
Sahara Desert, Morocco
Into the Sahara desert in Morocco
Off into the Sahara on our camels
In recent weeks I have been sharing photos and writing about our tour of Morocco a few years ago.
In my last post here I wrote about our camel ride into the Sahara. This occurred just before sunset and so the colours of the desert sands were stunning. It certainly made up for the discomfort of riding a camel. It was not only uncomfortable – it was very hard to take good photos while constantly on the move.
Who was the not-so-bright spark who thought that riding a camel was a good idea?
Our destination after about an hour of painful riding was a group of Berber tents near a little oasis. After a delicious meal eaten around a camp fire we slept in these tents for only one night. During the night we had a visitor. It seems that most of the touring group had a cat visit them in their tent overnight.
This experience just happened to be on Christmas Eve. It was certainly different and one to remember.
Into the desert with its magnificent colours
Our accommodation in the desert – a Berber tent
Our campsite in the Sahara
Christmas Eve in the Sahara
1 Comment »19th January, 2016; Category: Africa, Animals, Camping, Exotic Destinations, Morocco, Trip report
Camels waiting for us in the Sahara
On Christmas Day last year I wrote here about our Christmas in the the Sahara desert a few years ago. We were on a guided tour of Morocco – you can read about our adventures in recent posts (go to the Archives or use the cloud on the side bar). Our tour dates happened to bring us into the Sahara on Christmas Eve.
Once we had left our bus – including our luggage – we saw a group of camels waiting patiently to take us into the desert. I had seen the amazing colours of the Sahara in photos, but until you experience it with your own eyes at sunset, you don’t fully appreciate the depth of the colours. Some of the tour group dressed up for the occasion, including my wife and daughter (see photo below).
As we set off into the desert I realised how difficult it is to take photos while travelling on a camel. I think this was my first ever ride on a camel. The camel constantly lurches forward and then back. It is an animal which does not make a very good platform for photography. I am pleased I managed to get a few reasonable shots during the hour long journey.
In the coming days I will show more photos of this part of our journey, including our camp site in the desert.
Some of our tour group get into the spirit of riding camels
My daughter on her camel in the Sahara
Off into the “unknown” parts of the Sahara
Happy 10th Birthday Trevor’s Travels
No Comments »28th December, 2015; Category: Africa, Australia, Ethiopia, Exotic Destinations, Himalayas, Morocco, Nepal
Alhambra, Spain
CONGRATULATIONS!
TREVOR’S TRAVELS SITE IS TEN YEARS OLD TODAY.
Ten years ago today I started this travel blog.
Over the years I have shared hundreds of photos and over a thousand articles describing the places I have been.
Over that time I have travelled extensively here in Australia, had a short visit to Thailand, been about half way up Mt Everest in Nepal and visited many places here in my home state of South Australia.
On a more recent trip I visited my daughter who was teaching in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, had a wonderful holiday in Morocco and then went wandering around Spain for a few weeks, falling in love with the country in the process.
All of these I have shared with readers on this site – except for Spain; those photos and articles are coming in 2016, as well as a few more featuring our trip in Morocco. And more travels in Australia.
Over the coming years my wife and I intend travelling to many more places. We just hope that both our health and our budget allow it. These travels may include another visit to Ethiopia; our daughter returns there to teach again in 2016. If this trip eventuates we plan to visit several more countries on our way. Some possibilities include Italy, France and… oh, it is so tempting to return to Spain. We’ve only just had a taste of that wonderful place.
In the meantime, readers can enjoy the many articles and photos here on this site already. Just go to the archives, click on any of the categories on the sidebar, or use the search facility near the top of each page.
Happy reading.
Trevor
Mosque in Casablanca
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia
Ama Dablam, Everest region, Nepal
Floriade, Canberra, Australia
Lunch in the Ziz Valley
Maison Vallee De Ziz
After leaving Errachidia and travelling along the Ziz Valley we stopped again at the Maison Vallee De Ziz for lunch. This hotel and restaurant was a road side stop but our guide knew that they served good meals. In fact, we were never disappointed with any of our meals during our two week tour of Morocco.
I think I actually amazed my wife and daughter with some of the meals I ordered. They were quite out of the ordinary compared with some of the food I like and order when we are dining out here in Australia. This trend continued into Spain, the next leg of our journey. I will write about that here in a few weeks’ time.
Meanwhile, please forgive me for posting a photo of my lunch. I will try not to bore with such things too much.
My lunch at the Maison Vallee De Ziz
Maison Vallee De Ziz
My wife and some of the million plus palms in the valley.