On weddings, camels, making new friends and a cheeky young man

Azul from the Dades Valley.

Azul is hello in Berber. I’m learning so many basic words in the local dialects that I’m sure I’ll come home speaking a smattering of several different languages. I mean, I won’t speak them well but I’ll speak them. My all time favourite word so far is “yallah”. Yallah means “hurry up,” “let’s go,” or “chop chop" — which is generally not directed at me but I hear it a lot. To be honest, I think that will be my new road rage phrase: “Yallah yallah!”

Most people I’ve encountered speak a bit of English or French, so communication generally isn’t a problem. While we’ve stopped at small, remote villages, we’ve always had our guide to navigate the linguistic barriers we may encounter. 

The Moroccan government is pouring a lot of money into tourism and you’ll find many tour companies operate here. The Moroccan people are graceful, warm and friendly and like to show their country off, which makes them eager to welcome visitors to this amazing country. Today we said goodbye to our camp. Truthfully, my entire group could’ve used at least one more night here. The peace that the Sahara brings is unexplainable. In the day, the beautiful light reflects off the dunes, bringing magic to the footprints and shadows. During the night, the light of infinite stars brings the belief that everything is possible. I will return to the desert again one day Inshallah (God-willing) because it’s simply a place of my heart. After breakfast today, we took a camel ride back to our starting point. If you’re wondering why I took no photos from on top of my camel, it’s because, again, I was on the lead camel. Riding the lead camel means I see where we are going before the other riders and our human camel leader took us over some steep ledges that made me a little nervous. Having said that, I was confident in my camel and his ability to set the pace and tone for the others. My photos today make me giggle. 

My camel and I saying goodbye. 

Me with a tree coming out of my head (I’m pretty sure that means I’m engaged). 

Sunrise in the desert.

There’s also a photo of me with three other women — my very favourite people on this trip. Two are from Boston and one from Sydney, Australia. I’ve had some incredibly personal conversations with all of these women. It’s amazing how fast we’ve shared our vulnerabilities and our life experiences. I thought, perhaps, we might share and go our separate ways but I don’t think that will be the case. Instead, I feel like the conversations we’ve had, the ideas and interests we’ve shared, and the compassion we’ve developed for each other will connect us for many years.

There’s a shot of my new Aussie friend and I watching the sunset on top of a sand dune listening to Tamikrest, an incredible Toureg musician. Toureg music is electric blues with an Arabic beat and, if you want to listen to something that will stir your body to move and make you throw your hands in the air to celebrate life, give it a listen.

There’s also a photo of me and my Saide Two, a cheeky young man from the camel ride yesterday who’s even cheekier today because he’s known me a whole day! He also threatened to make me walk today because of my return cheeky comments. Our photo made him laugh because, no matter how hard I try, I can’t pull off bad ass. (I'll write more about him and I tomorrow.) Our drive today took us from Merzouga through the Todra Gorge (where we did a short hike) to Boumalne Dades, a city near the Dades Gorge. Tomorrow we will be hiking the Dades Valley, rich in scenery. The Dades Gorge is usually a must-see on any Moroccan itinerary for its beauty.

I took a panoramic shot of Boumalne from the rooftop terrace this afternoon. The other cool thing I could see from the rooftop was a Berber wedding in full force. The celebration is one where men and women come together to celebrate the union of a man and his bride. There are arranged marriages here but the right of refusal exists. What also exists is the right to choose your own partner. If you do, the parents of both parties still have a say in the union. Dowry is still common. An interesting side note: one of my admirers asked how much for my hand in marriage and I told him a million camels. Apparently that’s a little much.

There are two other photos I’d like to talk about. One is words spelled out in rocks that often appear on hillsides (see above). Saide has told us the three words are “God,” “Country,” and “King.”

The other photo is me, in front of a cautionary sign saying to be aware of danger. Not only am I trouble in a fun way, this adventure is dangerous in a good way because it’s addictive. It’s mind-expanding. Every experience makes me crave more. I’m about halfway through this adventure and I already have an idea of where I might go next.

So look out for me. I’m not going to settle for an ordinary life. I can’t when there’s an incredible world just waiting to meet me. Goodnight and all the love from the girl under the Boumalne moon. PS: I’m positive my camel sends love, too.