The smell of sand tickles my nostrils. A warm, dry wind caresses my skin. My gaze begins to wander over these distant desert horizons.
Here we are, finally back at the gates of the desert. Five weeks ago, we left our little Swiss nest to set off again.
We had been wanting to come back here for a long time, to Merzouga more precisely, to meet Youssef, a local guide with whom we had formed a strong friendship after only two days spent in his company, when he had guided us for our first desert crossing with Scooby. The “mayonnaise had taken” from the first minutes spent chatting with him. And after these two memorable days, we had parted too quickly, but our current schedule had not allowed us to prolong the experience.
We had then sworn to come back one day, this time with more time at our disposal. In the meantime, the idea had matured to combine the pleasant with the useful; what if we made a short video report on him? Indeed, Youssef is one of those extraordinary people that we meet during our travels, and who are great inspirations for the world. An exemplary philosophy of life, a humanitarian commitment to the nomadic communities of the desert of his region to which he is so attached makes him a character who deserves attention. This is why we were keen to use our photographic and videographic work to share this kind of positive story that can only help inspire the world in what is best.
So seven days ago, we arrived on Moroccan soil. After a short stop in Tangier, followed by the unmissable city of Chefchaouen, then Meknes, what a pleasure today to find the desert landscape of the South. The kindness and hospitality of the Moroccans are always there. In Chefchaouen, it was the meeting with Tachfine that touched us. From this small mosque where he comes daily to do his evening prayer, sitting to delight in the spectacle of the setting sun over the city, we were able to exchange a long moment together until nightfall. We had so much to say to each other that we arranged to meet up the next day at noon before hitting the road again. We’ll definitely stay in touch.
Today is a brief but very pleasant meeting with Aziz, the owner of a small shop where we bought a few bits and pieces. He recommended an excellent tagine just opposite his shop. A treat. What a pleasure it was to do some shopping and eat this tagine, in this small village of Zaida where the atmosphere seems timeless? The many shops on either side of the main avenue that had brought us to this village were bathed in the thick smoke that escaped from the stoves on which the tagines were cooking waiting to be devoured. The street was teeming with life. Everyone busy with their own business, whether it was women busy buying their vegetables, or men with their heads under the hood of a car here, or sipping tea there.
It is now 4pm and we have set up camp for this evening. We are enjoying the pleasant temperature and admiring the sunset over the mountains in front of us. An ideal moment to write these few lines and attach some photos of this first week spent in Morocco.
See you soon for more news from the desert.
Sam
