Day #11,581 {New Year’s Day 2014}: Because New Years’ Eves generally find me breaking bad, New Year’s Day sunrises generally find me asleep in last night’s sequined clothing, slobbering on a mascara-smeared pillow.
This, as I learned in the Sahara, is 100% my loss. (And, incidentally, Mr. M’s loss because his first vision of the new year is Me, in last night’s sequined clothing, slobbering on a mascara-smeared pillow.)
Up early to move onto our next destination of Marrakech, it was time to bid our desert home adieu.
As excited as I was for the journey, the swish-swerving ride back through the sand dunes to M’Hamid was not as well-received this time around. (My perpetually straight-laced Mr. M decided New Year’s in the desert was His Jam and partied a little too hard to be four-wheeling a few hours later. I should’ve known I was on Chaperone Duty when I saw him shotgunning a full glass of amaretto. Poor Mr. M.)
Just as we were nearing the pavement and the town of M’Hamid, we encountered a mass exodus of locals on foot, heading out into the desert in the direction we’d just spent an hour and a half driving. There were kids, old folks hobbling along, even donkeys!
When we asked our driver where they were going, he looked confused and responded that it was a holiday. Apparently everyone and their donkey agrees that holidays should be spent in the desert, even if that means you have to walk.
We stopped for a lunch of veggie tajine, cous cous, shawarma, french fries (surprisingly common all over the country), and of course, Moroccan mint tea.
Happily, mint tea seemed to follow us everywhere we went. Unlike the peppermint tea we’re used to at home, Moroccan mint tea contains huge sprigs of fresh mint and comes deliciously sweetened.
Then it was back into our Touriste van for the sightseeing piece de resistance: the Atlas Mountain pass.
The High Atlas Mountains span Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia and constitute the tallest range in North Africa. Our route was over the tortuous Tizi n’Test Pass- which tops 6,860 feet and clings desperately to the severe cliffside. With few guardrails in sight (Sister LP pointed out that there were actually huge chunks of guardrail missing at key junctures… not cool, Morocco, you know I’m high-strung), the Tizi n’Test Pass is one of the most challenging roads in the region.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Things started off cool.
Cool as in, I half woke up from dozing off to see this:
The geology of the region was fascinating. As usually happens when I travel through foreign countryside, I found myself wanting to know a whole lot more about the processes that formed the landscape around me. Consider it a second-quarter New Year’s Resolution: I need to take an Intro to Geology class, stat.
I was really enjoying the scenery.
Until the road pulled away sharply from the valley floor. And the curves started getting tighter and tighter.
I’m not one for hairpin turns. Since we’re friends, I can tell you- I’m kinda sorta on the nervous side. {Mr. M declares this an understatement approaching fib.}
The Atlas Mountains scared the bejesus out of me before I ever saw them.
But my panic attacks have to understand that if I refused to do everything that scared the bejesus out of me, I’d be glancing out the window of my house like a nervous squirrel, eating stockpiled Saltines in a bathrobe, and obsessively checking my deadbolts.
And I’m not ready to commit to that yet.
The entire snaking Tizi n’Test pass consists of one lane in each direction… which means no turnout lanes… which means that when folks want to pass you, they DO. At ridiculous speeds. Usually just before approaching a blind curve.
It was like watching a terrifying thriller movie where you really don’t want to see what’s going to happen next, except that you kind of do, so you end up half-watching with your hands spread wide across your face in a pre-emptive cringe for what’s coming next.
We did a lot of screaming, and our driver Mohammed did a lot of eye-rolling… and hitting the gas… and passing around blind curves.
It’s the Moroccan Way.
Spoiler alert: we made it out alive. And for all my histrionics, the scenery was unbelievable. Given the opportunity to craft our Moroccan trip itinerary all over again, I’d take a night from Marrakech and spend it in one of the small villages in the Atlas Mountains instead.
Between the early morning, the 11-hour journey, and the years taken off my life over the High Atlas Mountains (being neurotic is really quite tiring), we were exhausted and excited to finally arrive at our riad in the old medina of Marrakech.
Expecting a bit of New Year’s fatigue, I’d arranged for the riad’s lovely housekeeper Samira to cook us dinner that night- and it ended up being the absolute best meal we ate anywhere in Morocco!
There’s a lot to be said for delicious home-cooking shared around a dining room table.
Samira started us off with a table-full of eggplant, zucchini, and cabbage salads with Berber bread and a Moroccan red wine. Thinking this was dinner, we were all a little shocked when she then arrived with a huge tajine filled with roasted lamb, almonds, and dates… roasted vegetables & olives… a platter of cous cous with caramelized onions… and even a refreshing dessert of oranges sprinkled in cinnamon. YUM.
Although the Tizi n’Test Pass was classified by me as ‘death-defying, at best,’ the end-of-trip recap revealed that our day driving through the Atlas Mountains ranked high as one of the overall favorites of Morocco.
It gave us a look at the Morocco in between the insanity of Marrakech and the peace of the Sahara: the Morocco present in roadside food stands and pottery cooperatives and cliffside goat herding.
For being death-defying, the journey- the whole journey- was satisfying and real and somehow… unexpectedly life-affirming.
And Marrakech was next…
Explore the previous day’s New Year’s Eve adventures taming camels & crossing things off my Before I Get Old & Boring Bucket List!
Details of the Day:
If you’re looking to plan your own trip to Morocco, I booked our transportation through Morocco Desert Tour, which was extremely flexible in terms of working around our schedule (namely, I needed a driver who would wait for us in M’Hamid whilst we gallivanted around the desert). The provided van was really spacious, and Mohammed was eager to share tidbits of history and daily life with us… if we only knew French a little better!
Moroccan Food: Just in case you haven’t yet met a tajine (or tagine- either works!) in your own culinary adventures… you’ve got a new friend to make! The tajine is a pyramidal clay pot into which you can throw an entire meal… veggies, meat, even fruits. Think of it as a Berber crockpot!
The dome of the tajine pot collects all the condensation as the meal cooks in the oven, so there’s not a lot of additional liquid needed- perfect for life in the desert.
I used to think Bear Tooth Pass going into Yellowstone National Park was bad....you have shown me that it is a walk in the park! I don't usually get nervous but I don't hang out the window trying to see everything either...my mom on the other hand, she'd be sitting on the floor in the back seat not wanting to know what's going on! We always updated her when we went through Bear Tooth :) Its amazing to see the difference in land as you travel...it's so beautiful! Were you able to buy any pottery?
I've haven't made it to Yellowstone yet, but I googled pictures of Bear Tooth Pass and WOW!! It's stunning (now you've made Yellowstone rise to the top of my travel wish list!), and I have a feeling that drive would have me doing some Serious meditative breathing. I might pull a "your mom" and just hunker down in the back seat! :) I ended up buying a tiny 3-pot tajine set. Everywhere we ate had a similar set in the middle of the table to house seasonings- kind of like ornate salt & pepper bowls!
Um... I totally would've been clutching onto Daniel for dear life on that road. The views look amazing... but I'm not sure if my fear of falling over the edge would've allowed me to realize that at the time!
It was pretty close to being panic-attack-inducing. I've totally freaked out on freeway overpasses and bridges before, and it was all I could do to will myself not to break down on that drive. Eeek! The funniest part (if there was one) was how ridiculous our driver thought it all was- everyone was freaked out, and he was like, what is *wrong* with these people? :}
Beautiful pictures
Thank you, Nolie! The whole drive to Marrakech was filled with some pretty excellent scenery. :)
Gorgeous pictures and sceneries. I love traveling, maybe someday I will visit. Looks like a dream! Visiting from SITS.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Myrah! Traveling is a little addictive, isn't it? Where has your favorite destination been?