Under the Sahara skies

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...” 

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

There are places and there are places.  It is easy to understand why prophets retreat to the Desert to search for God and spend time with Him. In the desert, how can man not be humbled, dwarfed by the blanketing golden sand during the baking heat of day, shrouded by the infinite stars in the cooling chill of night.  

I rode across the kingdom of sand, chasing after the footprints of sheikhs and veiled beauties, searching the skies for signs of flying carpets and poking around sand dunes for a rusty genie-inhabited lamp. Although I am now back home, a small piece of my heart will always be with the Sahara. I will be back!  

Meknes

Meknes is the nearest city to Volubilis and a hidden gem off the tourist track . 

She used to be the Capital of Morocco in the 1670s-1700s under the reign of Moulay Ismaïl . Now, Moulay Ismail was a pretty interesting King and better known as the "Warrior King". He fought the Ottoman Turks for Morocco independence, had 10,000 heads of slain enemy adorning his city walls, and fathered 867 children. He also made an offer of marriage to the French King Louis XIV's daughter Marie Anne but was refused. I wonder if all the children were his. 

As an imperial city, Meknes has her fair share of historical monuments and sites. It was also here where we had THE best Moroccan meal. Although the markets here sell a more limited range of goods, the prices are much cheaper in comparison to Fez and Marrakesh.

Our first stop was the royal stables, Moulay Ismail was a horse fanatic and owned 12,000 of them. That is probably the equivalent of keeping 50 Ferrari on the road in our time. Check out the lake where the horses get their water from.

Royal Stables

Volubilis Ruins

Hot, lush, unkempt. Hauntingly beautiful. 

There is a certain unique and strange quality standing in the middle of city ruins watching the opulence of yesterdays rotting into cobbled paths. 2000 years ago, a bustling city so full of dreams and aspirations. 2000 years later, just a cold trail. 

Fez

Our initial plan at Fez was to hit the streets and scout around the neighborhood but being a scaredy cat, I dragged W back to the riad before the sky turned dark. We chilled at the rooftop swing and caught the sunset there.

It was super fun bawling our lungs out and trying to out-swing each other.

As described on wikipedia, a riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. Locals told me that years ago, the French brought up the riads and converted them into accommodations for tourists, one of the reasons for ballooning property prices. Stepping into a riad, I could understand why. Hey, W, if you are reading, I would love to have one of these too!

Accommodation

1. Riad Damia 10 Rue Sornas Ziat 30000 Fès, Medina. 65 euro/dbl room/night. Requested for complementary upgrade to suite cos it was off peak season. 

Review: Not bad but could be better. Free breakfast with nice freshly squeezed orange juice and a good spread of food. Nice terrace to watch sunset. Cleanliness 3.5/5.

View from rooftop

Mini-Scare en route Fez

Sunset view from the train 

We took Easyjet (S$60) from Madrid to arrive at Morocco Casa Mohammed V Terminal 2 at 1.40pm. Upon exiting the plane, I knew i was stepping into a patriarchal and conservative society. Women were modestly clothe from head to toe and the atmosphere was quiet and solemn.  The custom staff were pretty thorough and spent a long time questioning the African guy before us in the queue. He was carrying a picture wrapped in brown paper and parts of the frame were exposed. W answered the questions on my behalf. I just stood at his side and tried to give off a harmless vibe.