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
Merry Christmas
Christmas morning in the Sahara Desert 2011
I would like to wish all of my readers a really Merry Christmas.
Over recent weeks I have shared photos of our trip in Morocco in December 2011. I have also written about our experiences on that holiday with some reflections on what we experienced. Christmas that year was extraordinarily different for us. At home in Australia we usually go to church on Christmas Day and occasionally on Christmas Eve as well. Then on Christmas Day lunch is a gathering of family and sometimes friends.
In a Muslim country like Morocco this festival is not celebrated by many. Just to make things really different, we rode on camels just before sunset into the Sahara Desert (see photos below). We had a wonderful meal around a camp-fire (it was freezing cold in the desert at night). All we had by way of celebration was a few biscuits and chocolate. The music and singing around the camp-fire certainly made up for the lack of normal Christmas activities we may have enjoyed at home. The lamb tagine the guides cooked for us was also delicious.
As the frosty air crept in around us we retreated to our Berber tents to sleep. During the night we felt lucky when one of the local cats decided to creep in and cuddle up on our bed. Next morning – Christmas Day – we were awoken before dawn to climb the sand-hill near our tents. This was so we could witness the sunrise over the desert sands.
Early morning sun on the Sahara Desert sand
Early morning sun on the Sahara Desert sand
Sun rise over the Sahara Desert, with Algeria in the distance
Our camp site in the Sahara Desert
Fossils for sale in Erfoud Morocco
Sale items in a fossil shop in Erfoud
I found it fascinating to watch the workers in the factory we visited in Erfoud. We were on a two week tour of Morocco. The factory featured in today’s post was one of our stops on our guided tour. The fossils are unearthed in a nearby desert. They are then processed in one of several factories, cutting them to various shapes.
After being made into plates and bowls, fountains and table tops they are polished and placed on sale in the adjoining retail outlet. Many other items are made as well. I would have loved to have been able to afford one or more of the items for sale, but shipping costs to Australia would have been prohibitive.
Links:
Sale items in a fossil shop in Erfoud
Sale items in a fossil shop in Erfoud
Polishing a table top featuring fossils
More photos of the Fossil factory
Fossil factory in Erfoud, Morocco
In my last post here I wrote about our visit to the fossil factory in Erfoud during our holiday in Morocco. I should add that the factory does not ‘make’ the fossils. They are dug out of the ground in the desert nearby.
Once they find suitable fossils in the desert, they are brought to the factory to be made into all kinds of objects for sale. These include small items like key rings, larger items like bowls, dishes and through to fountains and table tops. The last part of the manufacturing process is polishing. The results are stunningly beautiful.
Today’s photos show some of the machinery used in the factory. In my next post I will show some of the finished products.
Part of the guided tour is to take visitors through the retail outlet. Most, if not all, items could be shipped to Australia. The would have been prohibitive for my budget anyway. I did buy two small key rings with a fossilised stone attached. I could carry them in my pocket and not worry about excess baggage.
Links:
- Macro Fossiles Kasbah. Please note that this website is not in English
- Achour Fossils Erfoud. An excellent website with photos and a video of their products.
Fossil factory in Erfoud, Morocco
Fossil factory in Erfoud, Morocco
Fossil factory in Erfoud, Morocco