I am into my 3rd day in Marrakesh! Of course there wasn´t any chance of me staying just in Marrakech so I headed on a tour to the Western part of the Sahara Desert, near the Zagora Village.
The journey there was one of a hell. Meeting time was 7 a.m at the tour agent´s office and initially we were on a jeep or rather land rover. Somehow, there seem to be an overbooking of no. of people so they swapped us onto a van instead. It wasn´t that bad but somehow I prefer the land rover because the driver was a black Moroccan and the funny thing is he was wearing some traditional costume. In addition, he spoke English so we could communicate. The most hilarious thing was he kept saying I was Japanese or from CHINA and when I told him I was from Singapore, he still greeted me in Japanese repeatedly. hahaha..So one of the boys on our van gave him a nickname- The African KING. See his posh shot:
The beautiful sceneries along the way.....
This is one of my favourite pictures. It looks so picturesque... :)
Don't take any steps further. Or you shall be with GOD :)
It was a 12-hour ride to where we rode camels. There were lots of bends along the way, and the road wasn´t that smooth so it was incredibly BUMPY throughout. I tried to catch some sleep here and there but there were a million stops in between for us to take photos and have some meals. Usually I love taking photos but not when I don´t know what I am taking. The driver couldn´t really speak English or rather he couldn´t speak English at all so most of the time after he parked the van, he would just do the photography hand-sign and we would get down. After some time, I really got so tired of it that I no longer took much photos.Whenever you go on tours, they will bring you to some posh place for lunch or meals and this was no different either. We were brought to this hotel where they had a pool by the side of the restaurant for lunch. Come to think of it, it doesn´t make sense if they brought us to some cheapo road-side stalls for lunch right? People will think their service is lousy or whatsoever. Anyway, some other people in the group as me decide to skip lunch since we felt it was too expensive. Instead, we headed to buy watermelon! It was super funny. 5 of us actually bought the whole melon weighing 12 kg! hehe.. Then we just stood by the roadside and ate. The locals who passed by kept staring at us and laughed at us. They must be thinking what are these tourists trying to do? But the weather was simply too hot and I definitely needed some melon to cool me down. haha..
Mud-thatched houses. Now I know they don't just exist in novels but in real life too :) I am honestly curious, "Does anyone live there?"
Where civilisation lies in history :)
At the foot of the architecture you see in the previous picture. I think this used to be some sort of castle or palace. There were guards outside and you have to pay to go in. But due to time constraint, I gave up the opportunity.
If you enlarge and look carefully, you see something like a river. It has already dried up because it is summer. In winter or fall, there's usually some water.
Alright, the magnified river. I am actually stepping on it. There's a bit of water here and there.. 
The Scorching SUN!
Yet another of my fav pic :) Now you know what made me decided to pick up my bags and leave for this country.
We returned to the hotel after our ´melon-lunch´ and all of us just took off our shoes and dipped our legs in the pool. The feeling was fantastic I´ve to say! I guess this is just a pre-amp of what I am going to expect in Singapore when I return.
Along the way, we met a million kids who wanted money from us. I gave in 3 times and just gave them a few Dirhams here and there. The first one was a boy who worked in a provision store. We were about to enter the desert and that was our last stop to get some water and the turban for the desert. When the car pulled over, he was quick to open the door for us and asked us to get some drinks from his store. He didn´t ask for any money. Everyone got down except me because I still had quite a bit of water and definitely needed no more. Seeing that, he came by and asked me to go to the toilet instead. He could speak very basic English and told me there´s no toilet in the desert so I should go down. Nice as he was, he provided me directions so I decided to reward him for his service.
One of the shooting studios for Hollywood I guess. Think back to the movies Troy, Alexander, Gladiator etc. They need some desert, or sandy fields as settings. So where do they head? Marrakech of course!
The Desert in a modern painting :) 
Arabic Words. But I don't know what it means? Anyone happen to know some arabic? Perhaps it means INSHALLA?
More of it.... My Question: Who inscribed those words? Perhaps Allah really did. :)
Finally some vegetation!
The winding roads.....
From the back windscreen of the van...
Brothers on a donkey. So lovely :)
Before embarking on the ride, I'd to take a nice shot with my buddy for the next 2 days. :)
Close-up shot of my BUDDY.
I am sorry, Dear Camel. I realise it is actually quite cruel to be riding on animals after this trip.
The nomad taming the camel. It refused to stand.
Along the way shots. Just simply lovely!
Rarely do we get to see women on the streets.
The tiny and gentle footsteps of the camel on the desert. :)
I am quite a softie when it comes to kids. So I took out 2 Dirham from my wallet and gave it to him so he will go back and not follow us further. I bet his feet must be BURNT. Of course, I don´t blame the girl for not budging because we are not obliged to give them money and it is not encouraged or maybe she didn´t have any loose change. But I just can´t bear to see him walking with us bare-footed in a temperature of 40 degrees celsius. Plus, he was so HAPPY when I gave him some money. Seeing his face lit up with a smile really warmed my heart. He immediately dashed back to where he belong when he achieved his purpose but I will not forget that image of how he turned back and looked at me and smiled at me as he ran back. It wasn´t a smile of triumph that he achieved his purpose. I am VERY sure it was a SMILE that came from his heart to show his gratitude. To many people out there, 2 Dirham is so immaterial yet they can be SO RELUCTANT to part with it. But of course, no one can afford to be giving away money all the time because there are just too many of them out there.
I don't know if you can see the little boy following us under the scorching sun. That explains why I gave in ultimately. It pains my heart to see him suffer. :(
The ride on the camel was FABULOUS. It was a bit like a roller coaster when the camel stood up and of course laid down but it was fun. Guys will have to bear with the torturous ride though because it´s super bumpy and you know... hehe.. It´s just like riding a horse. We caught the sunset along the way and the scene was just beyond description. From the time of seeing the sun hanging on the horizon till it disappears, leaving only its light rays, took probably only 2 minutes. It´s amazing how it can disappear so quickly. The nomads were nice people too. Along the way, they kept helping us take photos and from time to time, they always checked on us and asked if we were doing okay. I pity the camels most I guess. With us on their backs and our backpacks was just crazy! The whole journey from where we started till we reached the desert took almost an hour!
More of the camel ride
The sun setting....
Now that I am back in Europe, I learn to appreciate life and nature better. Occasionally, I look out to the west from my doorstep and admire the beautiful sun set that I can catch amid the HDB flats. Perhaps not as nice as the one in Europe or in Marrakech but definitely worth seeing. Some day I will take a snapshot and show it to you guys :)
After the sun had gone down the horizon.
When we finally arrived at the desert, I can only say I WAS SHOCKED. Have you ever seen the whole area covered with golden brown sand and only just the sky and the sand and the tents? I was AWAY FROM.....
All the hassling by the people,
The pollution in the city,
Stress of urban living,
Cruelties of Life,
Complexities in interpersonal relationships.....
Even though we did experience a bit of there when we were out in the highlands in Sapa, it was completely different this time round. When we were in Sapa, there were still a bit of commercial and touristic activity but this time round, it was ZERO. The nomads treated us like friends and the hospitality was fantastic. The tents had nicely-laid carpets, cushions for us to sit on, warm blankets and really nice bed-sheets who smelled like they just came out from the laundry room. Come on, it´s the desert and yet we had this kind of treatment. I was expecting just straw mats and I actually brought my own wind-breaker etc. Dinner kick-start with the traditional and famous MINT-TEA and I can only say I LOVE IT ! Then it was tangerine, Stewed chicken with potatoes and carrots, accompanied with pieces of bread. Simple yet nice. :)
Arrival at the tents... Time for the camels to rest.. :)
The moon high up in the skies ! :)
Gathering outside the tents for some nice MINT TEA :) Sharing your life.their life.everyone's life.
As the sky got darker. You don't need shoes in the desert. haha. But beware of the snakes :)
The Tangerine Meal :)
By nightfall, everyone just gathered around and the nomads were there playing music with those barrels or their own musical instruments. The feeling was great. I don´t know how to put it across in words but I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that night will be one of my best memories in life. I will never forget it. :)
Inside the TENT
The Unforgettable Night. Music.
Dance
See the guy in Green? He's the Australian that's gonna fly together with me 2 days later. What an irony. The world is SMALL :)
It started to get really WINDY by around 11.30p.m or so and one of the nomads helped me to the turban using the bed-linen. The turban was really effective. It wasn´t for decorative purpose. It prevented the sand from going into my eyes and my face. People started to head for bed at around 12 or so but I stayed up looking to see a sky full of stars. It was quite a pity actually. I stayed up till around 2 a.m but the moon was just too bright. There were quite a bit of stars but it didn´t fill the whole sky completely. It got so windy and the sky started to get cloudy so I went into the tent to catch up with some sleep. God knows the next morning the American girl told me there was lots of stars at around 4 a.m or so. She couldn´t sleep so she decide to head out to try her luck. It´s a pity I missed it !
But still, I love the desert. :)
Even today, almost 2 months after I am back in Europe, just thinking of that moment sitting in the desert just brings back tons of memory.... If only life could be more carefree as it was back then.... :)
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