In the morning, we visited Rissani, which (according to the Smithsonian) is "on the edge of the Sahara and formerly the last staging post on the southern caravan route. Once the seat of the Alawait dynasty, Rissani boasts some striking architecture with its 18th-century ksar, a virtually impenetrable warren of alleys." We started with the Moulay Ali Cherif Mausoleum, where we met our local Tuareg guide. According to Wikipedia, the Tuaregs are Berber people with a historically nomadic lifestyle, and are the main inhabitants of the Saharan interior. He was wearing their distinctly vibrant shade of blue, to which I took an instant liking.
He had great sandals to go with his outfit.
After we toured the mausoleum, he took us through the winding alleys of a nearby neighborhood where we visited a local family's house.
He then took us to his "tribe's" co-op, where they had the most beautiful items for sale. To accommodate everyone's budget, they had jewelry made from real semi-precious stones and also the much-cheaper imitation ones -- they weighed each piece to determine the price (the real stuff is heavier). Did I buy anything? You bet your buttons I did! They had ingenious silver cuffs that became little jewelry boxes when fitted with a top and bottom, which apparently are purchased by grooms for their new brides. Mohamed bought me two even though each bride usually only gets one. You can draw your own ooey-gooey conclusions from that. :)
Mohamed disappeared for about 10 minutes, and when he came back my eyes widened in surprise. He had on a full Tuareg outfit! Here he is as one of the crew. Nice!
I found a little drum and picked it up. As I started playing, the guide picked up a double-set and off we went on a jam session. Fun!
I could have stayed in that shop all day, but alas that was not to be. As we were leaving, I saw an elaborately beaded galabeya that looks like it belonged in a museum. I think the little beads were made from carnelian -- so fabulous. Reluctantly, out the front door I went and headed towards the bus with the rest of the group.
We then headed to a factory in Erfoud that produces household items made of that marble with the prehistoric fossils (we're talking ~350 million years ago). It was so interesting to see the ancestors of today's nautilus and squid preserved in the rock, which the workers slice and polish to turn into items such as tables and decorative pieces. I picked out a cheese plate featuring a bold nautilus: something about their spiral shape is very pleasing to my eye.
Later that afternoon, I stayed in the hotel while Mohamed and the rest of the tour group headed to the pink sands of Merzouga for their camel ride. I opted out because I knew that the 4x4 ride into the desert would be too bumpy for me, and that the camel ride would be jolting. Plus, there was a mini-sandstorm, which would have discouraged me even if I were not pregnant -- some people's cameras stopped working mid-ride because the fine sand got inside the nooks and crannies, ugh! (By the way, Mohamed disputes the adjective "mini" in front of "sandstorm" because "any sandstorm that can disable cameras is not mini.") Fortunately, Mohamed's equipment was not affected, and he took some great pictures and a fun video. I noticed that had a nice big brown camel, which apparently wasn't ornery, as camels often can be. I think the camel was hunkering down because of the sandstorm! When I saw the images with the sand whipped up in swirls and torrents, I was very surprised because my trip to Merzouga in 2010 was the complete opposite: the desert was so hushed that you could have heard a whisper from the crest of the next sand dune.
I rejoined the group for dinner, which featured a piping hot tagine with a cute quail egg on top. It was really flavorful and I enjoyed it thoroughly, but the dessert (ahem) took the cake: the tart was naturally and perfectly sweet, with golden and gooey dates jostling for space on top of a cream-filled pastry. I actually licked my fingers after eating it!
