The Sahara Desert - A Journey of Exclamation Points
25/03/2019
"This article is a rather lengthy story, but it's enough to preserve my memories of my trip to the Sahara Desert, because I know that if I don't write it now, these memories will soon fade away like sand blown away by the wind."
The world is indeed vast.
I've been to the far north of the world, with its snow-covered landscapes and aurora borealis. I've also visited ancient cities to admire the works of time. I often thought those trips had given me enough "wow" moments, that my horizons had been broadened. But it wasn't until I ventured into Africa, specifically Morocco, that I suddenly realized the world is still vast, and there are so many more wonders waiting out there.
A portrait of travel blogger Ly Thanh Co. Readers can find more interesting articles by him at: https://lythanhco.com/
For this desert trip, since I didn't know how to drive, I had to hire a group desert tour in a 16-seater van. This seems to be a popular way to explore the desert. At the Marrakech central market, numerous vans arrived at 7:30 AM to pick up passengers, all following the same route. In my group, only my travel companion and I were Asian; the rest were from the US, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. And right on time, the group set off in the early morning, leaving Marrakech.
The Curving Atlas Mountains and a Midday Uno Game
The journey from Marrakech began at dawn, stopping only once on the outskirts of the city for a quick breakfast. After that, the car continued its leisurely drive at 70 km/h.
The convoy was packed, and at times, luggage lurched and spilled from the luggage compartments due to the winding roads deep in the Atlas Mountains via the Tizi Ntichka route. The American group kept telling each other, "You have to stay hydrated," and every 15 minutes they would grab a water bottle and gulp it down. Each person kept two bottles, one in their hand and one on top. Therefore, most of the spilled luggage consisted of water bottles. After an hour of sharp turns, as intense as the sunlight outside the window, one group, consisting of two men and two women, finally grabbed both water bottles to keep them from falling on their heads.
"Those kids are so silly!" I said to my travel companion, Kim. After a week of traveling alone in Spain, it was fun being able to judge others in Vietnamese with Kim. Kim chuckled in agreement. She suffers from vertigo, so sitting in this bumpy car ride wasn't easy for her. Even someone as healthy as me sometimes felt nauseous when the car hit potholes or boulders on the sandy road.
We stopped at a bend in the Tizi Ntichka road, where we could see the Atlas Mountains and the winding roads below, where Kim and I experienced a bumpy ride that felt like a boat ride. But the view from that stop was surprisingly spectacular. The sun was hotter than in Marrakech, but I still had to wear a thick coat when I got out of the car because the temperature wasn't too high for a Moroccan winter, and there were occasional gusts of wind blowing back down onto the road from the Atlas Mountains.
The car continued its journey, soon coming to a stop after 45 minutes.
A man with a goatee, wearing a cobalt blue headscarf adorned with white patterns that matched the Djellaba he was wearing, was only slightly less presentable than his flip-flops.
"Welcome everyone to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, I'm Brahim, and I'll be guiding our group on this tour."
Finally, we had a tour guide. Perhaps because I hadn't read the tour information very carefully, I kept wondering why there was only a middle-aged driver accompanying us, with no one else around. The stops were all like rehearsals. Everyone in the group got off with equally confused expressions. The two Israeli guys sitting next to the driver were tasked with relaying to the group how many minutes the bus would stop. The driver, however, provided absolutely no further information about his stops.
But at least, at Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the whole group had Brahim as a guide. I hope to hear some good stories about the place.
The car was parked quite far from the earthen and stone structure, which formed a sturdy fortress in the middle of the desert. A small stream flowed across it. At that moment, a crowd and several white vans were gathered by the stream, near a stone gate. More than a dozen horses were surrounded. Some people were riding, while others stood below. All were wearing traditional clothing.
“Wait, everyone, they’re filming!” Brahim shouted to the group. Unable to hide my curiosity, I raised my camera and zoomed in to see what they were doing. They were clearly not locals, as some were carrying weapons, hopefully fake, moving under the direction of someone who appeared to be the director or his assistant. Looking around, my fellow passengers seemed equally curious. “I don’t know anyone in this group, at least not yet,” I thought, certain that everyone would start socializing around lunchtime.
After the film crew, who had apparently gone to Brazil, left, the group finally ventured deeper inside the magnificent structure they had only dared to admire from afar.
As they walked, Brahim explained about the enormous earthen structure.
Ksar, meaning castle, is the name given to a cluster of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, representing a form of pre-Saharan housing and settlement before the desert encroached upon this area. Although Ksar means castle in Berber, it is actually only the size of a small village.
Houses are crammed together within defensive walls, reinforced by corner towers. Ait Ben Haddou, in the Ouarzazate province, is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture. Inside the walls, numerous houses are packed together – most are modest in size, but share a common feature: their upper floors are decorated with clay brick motifs.
Brahim didn't forget to mention that the place is recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site thanks to its architecture. He proudly showed off the films that had been shot there, some of which I had seen but didn't realize until now.
It only takes 10 minutes to reach the highest point of Ait Ben Haddou. The surrounding scenery isn't breathtakingly majestic, but it does leave one feeling a little dazed by the desolation of the desert, the vastness of the sand stretching to the horizon, only to meet the Atlas Mountains we just passed this morning.
Before leaving the city, everyone stopped by the roadside to each put on a cotton headscarf. Accustomed to the scorching temperatures of Vietnam, the current 30-degree weather in Morocco was nothing to worry about. Kim and I didn't mind, hurrying to a restaurant across the street to sit down, as we had nothing to eat except a piece of khobz bread and a hot latte.
The restaurant is decorated with vibrant patterns, at first glance resembling a riad in the middle of the desert. Colors burst forth like spring flowers, each wall a mosaic of tiles joined together to create a recurring mural. However, it lacks the subtlety often found in Marrakech riads. But the indoor pool is a welcome addition to the restaurant, offering a breathtaking view of the desert outside, its turquoise water shimmering in the Saharan sunlight.
Photo: Unsplash
It was more than fifteen minutes later before the group of friends from the van arrived at the restaurant. I was starving, so I didn't care who was sitting around me at the table; I just quickly grabbed the menu to order. A grilled skewer combo and Moroccan salad – I was craving vegetables! Kim ordered a mixed grilled platter with pumpkin soup. I was secretly delighted because I love pumpkin soup and would get to share it with her. But neither of us knew it was a mistake.
Taking my eyes off the lunch menu, I noticed a couple from Colombia sitting next to me. The woman was petite, about 1.5 meters tall, while the bald man had a muscular physique, clearly showing the results of his workout thanks to his tight-fitting, long-sleeved white shirt. Opposite us was a Belgian family, a husband and wife with their two daughters, all taller than me. Their most distinctive feature was their blonde, orange-tinged hair, all tightly curled.
After questions like "Where are you from?", "Is this your first time in Morocco?", "How many days are you staying?", the whole table fell silent. I turned to talk to Kim in Vietnamese. The Colombian couple started their conversation in Spanish. The Belgian family, from Bruges, spoke to each other in German. The great thing about traveling with a Vietnamese person is that you can have open yet private conversations in your native language.
“Anyone want to play?” – the mother of the Belgian family asked, shuffling a stack of Uno cards. I immediately forgot my conversation with Ms. Ky and flashed a genuine smile. Board games are my favorite thing in the world. Especially Uno, because of the sweet memories it brings back.
Two years ago, at the wedding of a high school friend named Thien Anh, our group of four, who used to be very close, reunited after many years of not seeing each other. If we did meet, it was usually in small groups; no one even bothered to mention class reunions anymore. After a lavish reception at a wedding venue in District 3, we decided to go to a nearby cafe to chat. Feeling bored and with nothing left to say, one of us pulled out a deck of Uno cards and started playing. We played until midnight. Since then, we've met about every two weeks. Everything has been mended, as if our high school days were never over. And I eagerly joined in. It was strange how the conversation became more open, and I even knew everyone's name at the table. A sign of the journey ahead, into the desert, with many beautiful sights and friends to reconnect with.
The Uno game lasted 15 minutes before stopping, but it showed me that if you find something in common, a new story can begin.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Current job: Copywriter and manager of Ly Thanh Co Travel Blog.
- 2018: Traveled through 14 European countries and 2 Asian countries; launched the book "Youth in Your Wallet, What Can You Buy?"
- 2019 Plan: Launch my second travelogue about my journeys through Northern Europe, Western Europe, and Japan; and continue exploring Africa.
At Travel Fest 2019 held in Hanoi recently, he was one of the special guests in a talk show sharing his experiences on various types of travel. He is also one of the "7 impressive travel bloggers of 2018" that Travellive previously introduced to its readers.
After each trip, Ly Thanh Co always feels that he learns a lot of new knowledge, satisfies his curiosity about the world around him, and that is also the source of inspiration for his current writing work.
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