{"id":2356,"date":"2017-02-06T22:59:12","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T14:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=2356"},"modified":"2017-11-02T00:53:22","modified_gmt":"2017-11-01T16:53:22","slug":"20170206desert1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/06\/20170206desert1\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 2 of Moroccan Vacation: Sahara Desert Tour Day 1 on February 6th, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

First day of our three-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech.<\/p>\n

The plan of the day’s tour was to visit A\u00eft Benhaddou Village, a desert village and UNESCO World Heritage Site where several movies were shot.<\/p>\n

\"Mini<\/a>

<\/br>Mini Vans Waiting in Marrakech Medina<\/br>Only desert-goers would wake up this early.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n


\nThe images in this post are hosted on Imgur. Email me should there be any display problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

We were told by the travel agent guy to arrive at Jemaa el-Fna at 0720 for departure, which meant we had to wake up early. However, even though it’s outside the usual breakfast hours, our wonderful hotel manager even prepared breakfast for us.<\/p>\n

\"Koutoubia<\/a>

<\/br>Koutoubia Mosque from Jemaa el-Fna<\/p><\/div>\n

At Jemaa el-Fna and with Moroccan punctuality, our minivan didn’t leave until 0800, which meant we got to enjoy the other tranquil side of the usually-bustling Jemaa el-Fna, on the bright side.<\/p>\n

\"Packed<\/a>

<\/br>Packed Vendors at Jemaa el-Fna<\/p><\/div>\n

After sitting in that Ford Transit Minivan for three days I found it had the most gruesome seats I had ever been in. Well, I always felt disgusted at AirAsia’s idea of 9-abrest A330’s but I thought that Ford Transit might be as terrible. However, for the first leg of the journey, we got to enjoy farmlands and ranges of mountains along the way, which made the discomfort of the seats barely noticeable.<\/p>\n

But not long after the journey, I recalled that I left my camera-charger in my suitcase at the Marrakech hotel (as we would be returning to Marrakech after the desert tour). That meant I only have two batteries of camera power with me. So to conserve that camera power, I took most of the photos on the road with my cell phone. Although tomorrow night I would find out that this wasn’t the saddest thing that would befall my camera.
\nAlso, all the original photos seemed to have this strange white balance due to the car window in front of me. I tried to post-process them as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Cactus<\/a>

<\/br>Cactus along the Way<\/br>Plants like these were easy to spot before crossing Atlas Mountains.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Desert<\/a>

<\/br>Desert Tour Convoy<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland outside Marrakech<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Our minivan made several stops at viewing points along the way. The first one was overlooking a valley in the Atlas mountain ranges.<\/p>\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Valley<\/a>

<\/br>Valley of Atlas Mountain Ranges<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Snow-Capped<\/a>

<\/br>Snow-Capped Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Valley<\/a>

<\/br>Valley of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Snow-Capped<\/a>

<\/br>Snow-Capped Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Country<\/a>

<\/br>Country Road passing Villages beneath Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Then it’s a roadside Cafe as the driver took his rest.<\/p>\n

\"Country<\/a>

<\/br>Country Road<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Our<\/a>

<\/br>Our Van at Roadside Cafe<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland Beneath Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Crossing<\/a>

<\/br>Crossing Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Then it’s Atlas Mountain Pass. At an altitude of 2000 meters, it’s the highest point of the desert tour. We could see the Northern slopes of the mountains were covered by patches of snow.<\/p>\n

\"Snow-Capped<\/a>

<\/br>Snow-Capped Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Snow-Capped<\/a>

<\/br>Snow-Capped Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Atlas<\/a>

<\/br>Atlas Mountain Pass<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Winding<\/a>

<\/br>Winding Road up Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Snow<\/a>

<\/br>Snow on Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland below Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Town<\/a>

<\/br>Town of Agouim<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

After crossing Atlas Mountains, the lands became bleak and barren, resembling more and more like a proper desert.<\/p>\n

\"Barren<\/a>

<\/br>Barren Land in Central Morocco<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Movie<\/a>

<\/br>Movie Park in Ait Zineb<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

At half past 12 we reached A\u00eft Benhaddou Village. Before visiting the village we first had lunch in a nearby restaurant with views of A\u00eft Benhaddou Village Hill. <\/p>\n

\"Hill<\/a>

<\/br>Hill of A\u00eft Benhaddou<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Lunch<\/a>

<\/br>Lunch at A\u00eft Benhaddou Restaurant<\/br>After yesterday’s quite disappointing dinner, we decided that we would avoid Moroccan food of Couscous and Tangia, and picked Omelet.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Well, as a way to rack up revenues through desert tours, the lunch restaurants along desert tours usually charge double or triple of the market price for their in my opinion terrible<\/del> dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Lunch<\/a>

<\/br>Lunch Restaurant before A\u00eft Benhaddou Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

The interesting thing about such roadside cafes and restaurants on the desert tour was that, they were the pioneers of the equality movement by providing only gender-neutral multi-stall bathrooms. I guess people from North Carolina would be really impressed how the uncivilized hijab-wearing Muslims thought so much ahead of them.<\/p>\n

\"A\u00eft<\/a>

<\/br>A\u00eft Benhaddou Village Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

After lunch, it was the walking tour of A\u00eft Benhaddou Village, an important stop on the caravan route between Sahara and Marrakech, whose buildings were pretty much in good shape till this day.<\/p>\n

\"A\u00eft<\/a>

<\/br>A\u00eft Benhaddou Village before Hill<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"A\u00eft<\/a>

<\/br>A\u00eft Benhaddou Village and Asif Ounila River<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Sandbags<\/a>

<\/br>Sandbags on Asif Ounila River<\/br>That’s how we crossed the river.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"New<\/a>

<\/br>New A\u00eft Benhaddou Village across Asif Ounila River<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Kasbah<\/a>

<\/br>Kasbah of A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"A\u00eft<\/a>

<\/br>A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Movie<\/a>

<\/br>Movie Equipment by A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/br>According to our guide, this is the site of the small arena in the movie Gladiator.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

\"Carpets<\/a>

<\/br>Carpets on Sale<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Rooms<\/a>

<\/br>Rooms Interior<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Hill<\/a>

<\/br>Hill and Farmland outside A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Hill<\/a>

<\/br>Hill and Farmland outside A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"New<\/a>

<\/br>New A\u00eft Benhaddou Village and Asif Ounila River<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Distant<\/a>

<\/br>Distant Snow-Capped Atlas Mountains<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"New<\/a>

<\/br>New A\u00eft Benhaddou Village and Distant Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ranges<\/a>

<\/br>Ranges of Atlas Mountain<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"House<\/a>

<\/br>House on Top of A\u00eft Benhaddou Village Hill<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Stone<\/a>

<\/br>Stone Piled at A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/br>Some religious ritual.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Street\"<\/a>

<\/br>Street<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Donkey\"<\/a>

<\/br>Donkey<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Towards the end of our tour we were given demonstration and sales pitch<\/del> of local fire paintings. What interested me was that, along the fire paintings there were displays of photos of film crews in the A\u00eft Benhaddou Village (obviously not for sale). Well, if not for those photos (and Wikipedia) I don’t think I would recognize the A\u00eft Benhaddou Village from the post-processing of the movie crews.<\/p>\n

\"Fire<\/a>

<\/br>Fire Painting<\/br>Before being heated up, those paintings were colorless.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Rocks<\/a>

<\/br>Rocks by A\u00eft Benhaddou Village Hill<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Hill<\/a>

<\/br>Hill across Asif Ounila River, and A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/br>Finally we got this decent bridge to walk on on our way out.<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"New<\/a>

<\/br>New A\u00eft Benhaddou Village<\/br>Not many residents here.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

At the end of the tour we were led to scarf-shopping (at triple the market price), which concluded an otherwise very pleasant tour of this ancient village.<\/p>\n

\"Barren<\/a>

<\/br>Barren Land in Central Morocco<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Roundabout<\/a>

<\/br>Roundabout in Town of Tabouraht<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Atlas<\/a>

<\/br>Atlas Film Studios outside Ouarzazate<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Streets<\/a>

<\/br>Streets of Ouarzazate<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Moroccan-Style<\/a>

<\/br>Moroccan-Style Buildings in Ouarzazate<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Ouarzazate<\/a>

<\/br>Ouarzazate Cinema Museum Entrance<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

No, we didn’t have time to visit the Ouarzazate Cinema Museum. I thought this was only for government-mandated rest of the driver, and while he took his rest, we listened to street music performers nearby.<\/p>\n

\"Electricity<\/a>

<\/br>Electricity Lines along Morocco Route N10<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Snow-Capped<\/a>

<\/br>Snow-Capped Atlas Mountains across Barren Central Morocco Land<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Village<\/a>

<\/br>Village of Idelsane<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Landscape<\/a>

<\/br>Landscape of Erosion in Central Morocco<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Plantation<\/a>

<\/br>Plantation in Central Morocco<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Town<\/a>

<\/br>Town of Skoura<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"\u8def\u8fb9\u9910\u5385\u65c1\u7684\u666f\u8c61\"<\/a>

<\/br>\u8def\u8fb9\u9910\u5385\u65c1\u7684\u666f\u8c61<\/br>Our last stop of the day, no nearby village.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Street<\/a>

<\/br>Street of Kalaat<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Village<\/a>

<\/br>Village of Tazzakht<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

At half past 6 in the evening we reached our overnight hotel<\/del> inn near Gorges Dad\u00e9s. Oh Gosh, that’s the most basic inn I had ever been in as far as I remembered. <\/p>\n

\"Hotel<\/a>

<\/br>Hotel for the Night<\/p><\/div>\n

Oh, that’s a two-star hotel? I guess one star minimum to start with and one star for their free but very slow<\/del> WiFi near the reception, though that’s the only thing my friend ever cared about.<\/p>\n

\"Hotel<\/a>

<\/br>Hotel for the Night<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Hotel<\/a>

<\/br>Hotel Reception<\/br>Look at those carpets inundated with sand.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Dinner\"<\/a>

<\/br>Dinner<\/br>No, I hate Couscous.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

It was a clear cloudless night, and the stars were clearly visible. (Not so for the next night.)<\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/a>

<\/br>Moon and Stars<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Stars<\/a>

<\/br>Stars Fly<\/p><\/div>
\n

\"Bed<\/a>

<\/br>Bed for the Night<\/br>Since this was a fairly budget tour (so was every other tour promoted on the streets of Marrakech), expectedly there were no quilts provided in the hotel rooms. Furthermore, there was only a thin layer of linen separating my body and their never-washed sand-filled blankets.<\/span><\/p><\/div>
\nNo, I won’t post pictures of its terrible bathroom.
\nEND<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First day of our three-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech. The plan of the day’s tour was to visit A\u00eft Benhaddou Village, a desert village and UNESCO World Heritage Site where several movies were shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,2],"tags":[308],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2801,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356\/revisions\/2801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}