the sahara desert at night

Because we took our time getting there, our arrival in the desert was after the sun had set. There was a camp set up and we had a tent to ourselves to sleep in. But first, we went into a larger tent where there were a few other couples waiting for dinner. We were served an incredibly delicious chicken/potato/carrot tajine. For dessert, there were fresh oranges - the best I've had in my life. After the meal, we sat around a fire and listened to some traditional Moroccan songs as well as Sting's Desert Rose and The Lion Sleeps Tonight performed by these berber guys - they were pretty good! It was pitch black and all we could see was the small radius of area around the fire, the light from the tent, and the gorgeous starry sky. It was cold and we got under several heavy blankets, tried not to think of the wild dogs barking in the distance, took some silly iphone photos in the dark, and fell asleep anticipating a morning fire and a camel ride out of the desert.

- Mina 

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musée du cinema

While in Ouarzazate, we stopped at the Musée du Cinema where there were props from movies like Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, and Gladiator (I just realized that I actually haven't seen any of those movies). There was absolutely no one else there and it was kind of creepy but we took the opportunity to behave like dorks.

- Mina

a few stops along the way

A lot of movies are filmed in Morocco and there were sets in the middle of nowhere. Naturally, we had to stop to take photos. We shared lunch in Ouarzazate while admiring the kasbahs. Ouarzazate seemed like a really quaint place and I would have loved to have spent more time there but feel lucky to have been able to get, what felt like, a bonus day trip en route to the Sahara.

the long and winding road

argan oil

On our way to Zagora, our driver (and new friend) took us to a women's argan co-operative in the village of Tadarte. We shared a breakfast of Moroccan bread dipped in argan butter and argan oil. Of course, there was plenty of mint tea.

Argan oil, or Moroccan oil as it's more commonly referred to in North America, is used in a variety of skin and hair care products and seems pretty trendy. Apparently, women in Morocco have been using it for shiny hair and glowing skin. I haven't used it consistently enough to give you my opinion on it's beauty claims, but I can attest to it's deliciousness.

en route to zagora

photos taken during the drive from marrakesh to zagora - so that we could spend the night in the sahara desert (!)