Robert's Ramblings

I’ve been privileged to experience some extraordinary places, however the Moroccan Sahara on the Algerian border not only took my breath away with its stunning sandscapes but also left me in awe and wonder at the people who live here in such an inhospitable yet beautiful place.

We arrived here to Erg Chebbi and into a mild sandstorm just before sunset which created an otherworldly feel to this already extraordinary place. At least one camera did not survive the sunset with windblown sand doing its worst.

As the evening progressed the wind dropped and the desert became dreamy and almost welcoming.


#Morocco #sahara #desert #travel #sanddunes #sand #dunes #sunset #sandstorm #landscape #sandscape #ergchebbie

Camels, ships of the desert, were once the only way to traverse the vast desert regions south of the Altas mountains. They were built robust, reliable and dependable with enormous range and great fuel economy. They were also smelly and bad tempered but that was a small price to pay for their great value.

There are camels still used in the old traditions however the real ship of the desert now is the Toyota LandCruiser. They too are built robust, reliable and dependable with enormous range. Fuel economy is poor and their impact on the environment not good but that’s a small price to pay for dust free comfort, great suspension, air-conditioning and streaming Spotify.


#Morocco #sahara #desert #merzouga #4wd #sand #dunes #toyota #landcrusier

Almost every parent has mastered the art of flying spoon food delivery into a reluctant infant’s mouth. I’m almost certain that that flying spoon never contained leafy greens or blanched vegetables! As for raw, well, you’d have worn it for sure!

This little chick was totally happy to eat tiny pieces of a succulent plant that mum was collecting nearby. I am sure she was getting a little meat on the side but as for eating her greens, she was the perfect role model.


#ornithology #feeding #birds #morocco #travel #nurture #nature

It was both lovely and humbling spending time amid the Amazigh people of Zaouiat Ahansa. This is a place where motorised vehicles were absent, where people commuted by foot and donkeys carried goods, firewood and people. A rare extravagance might even be a rider on horseback.

When I say, “amid the Amazigh”, I do not mean in any interactive way. They were both polite and shy and seemed to flow around us going about their business as if we were not even there while the High Atlas mountain grades did not seem to bother man nor beast.

Alas we had to move on but the idea of lingering here for weeks or even months had a delightful, almost whimsical charm I will miss.


#morocco #ZaouiatAhansa #highatlas #mountains #donkeys #amazigh #rural #village #blackandwhite

We spent a couple of days exploring Zaouiat Ahansa and witnessed some of the most beautiful expressions of people and place.

Early one morning out walking I noticed small groups of boys and men wielding shovels, carrying buckets or pushing wheelbarrows all heading in the same direction. I thought it a little unusual but did not think I’d discover any reason why.

Later in the morning I walked back in the same direction and came across a frenzy of boys and men and shovels and buckets and concrete all working in close quarters on this house together. Somehow in this chaos, a house was being built, everyone seemed happy in their work and no one was getting hurt doing it.

The scene was so unexpected and so surprising and so delightful. Yet another reason why I love Morocco.


#Morocco #ZaouiatAhansa #highatlas #mountains #construction #teams #manpower #manuallabor #building #blackandwhite

Sunshine, Shadows and Shirts

Here in the High Atlas mountain village of Zaouiat Ahansal we explored the deep valley and gazed in awe upon the high desert peaks.

There were no tourists here and we felt like strangers in a strange land. Children scrabbled for attention, young men smiled and old men kept poker faces. The women kept to themselves. Regardless I felt welcome provided I showed deference and respect.

I so wanted to ask this old man about his amazing shirt while the young fella just laughed.

That’s why I love Morocco.


#Morocco #highatlas #mountains #zaouiat #travel #colour #donkey

Bathing Under the Ouzoud Falls

Despite the steep and hot walk down to the base of Ouzoud Falls, the colour of the water did not seem that inviting, still I would have been in there in a shot if we more time here.

I watched these two you men enjoy the sunshine, and the water and the constant mist spray of the falls and wished I was in there with them.


#morocco #travel #highatlas #mountains #swimming #water #waterfalls #ouzoudfalls

Escaping the craziness of Marrakech the High Atlas mountains were like travelling to another planet. At first they reminded me of the Norther Flinders Ranges in South Australia but the more I noticed, the uniqueness of these mountains became more and more obvious.

The High Atlas mountains contain Northern Africa’s highest peak, Toubkal, at 4167m and our highest mountain pass was 2260m, about 32m higher that Australia’s tallest peak of Mount Kosciuszko. It is hard to capture the vastness of these desert mountains. You really have to see them for yourself to feel their immensity.


#blackandwhite #morocco #travel #highatlas #mountains #monochrome

Gold and silver and jewels and more silver and more jewels. The markets in the old Medina cater for every taste and every whim.

After a while a stroll becomes monotonous. The same pots, the same rugs, the same shoes, the same trinkets. There is something comforting in sameness, in monotony. Perhaps abundance or lack of scarcity creates a comfort even if it’s an illusion.

Still it’s nice to re-frame, and look again through the eye of a wide open lens.


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #jewellery #bokeh #abstract

Cats, cats everywhere. There were blacks ones and white ones and ones with a little yellow on them and they all looked like they owned the place and they all seemed just the same.

None seemed to be owned by anyone yet they all appeared to be looked after by the locals. During my exploration of the old Medina I found little bowls of food and water in tucked away nooks.

One thing I did note however is that none of these stray cats had morphed into the oversize wildlife killers we see in Australian strays. I guess there’s not much wildlife in Marrakesh if you don’t include the tourists.

I did find it a little strange to find cats here and not dogs but I guess it makes sense. Cats are both bold and polite and integrate seamlessly in the bustle of Marrakech life.


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #cats #animals #street

An early morning walk through the Medina revealed a very different but strangely familiar city.

The hawkers had not yet opened their doors or arrived to set up for the day. Some litter lay around but surprisingly little. What I did not expect was that familiar sight of graffiti on walls.

I wonder if I might find graffiti in every city of the world and from now on will go looking for it in places I would never have thought.

Perhaps graffiti is the universal art of cities. Time and travel will tell.


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #graffiti #art #streetart

In Marrakech a community baker is at work. Here local families bring their freshly leavened loaves to be baked. One man is responsible for the entire day’s baking and he has to get every one of those loaves perfect.

To say more about this Moroccan tradition I would only be paraphrasing so here is a link that has more about this wonderful community aspect of Moroccan traditional life.

https://www.citynibbler.com/home/2019/2/20/communal-ovens-morocco


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #bread #baking #community #culture

In the alleyways of the medina can be found any number of souvenir trinket shops to lure the visitor into parting with their tourist dollar for some Moroccan treasure. Unfortunately the goods that might actually be useful tend to be too hard to pack or made from materials that Australian customs would frown upon.

These beautiful incense burners might have just made the grade and presented such a stunning visual display that I decided to bring them all home with me … in my camera.


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #trinkets #incenseburners

The alleyways of the Marrakech Medina are not for the distracted or those slow to react. One moment you’re sharing the cobblestones with locals strolling about their business or travellers exploring the town. The next moment you have some local Moroccan lads bearing down upon you on a tricycle hosting a couple of French tourists.

Motorbikes, tricycles and scooters vi for access with donkeys, hand drawn carts and people. No matter how quiet you think the moment is you will always be surprised by what comes around the next corner.


#colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #tricycle #fun

The Marrakech Medina was insane. A madding chaotic mix of tradition, tourism, markets, hawking and seeming managed confusion.
Initially I found my senses quite overwhelmed. I wanted to capture everything but everything was too big, too fast, too busy, too smelly and too colourful and it took spending time with a guide to begin making any sense of it all.
After a while it became clear this was a place of protocols and rules, a place of bending rules when they needed bending and being told one one thing while observing another. There was nothing black and white here! When asked about these indiscretions of form our guide Abdul simply laughed and said, “and that’s why we love Morocco”.
Just like the amazing colours of the spices in the markets of Tinsmith Square, black and white will never do.


#Spice #markets #colour #morocco #marrakech #travel #food