Finally back online!!  Of course no wifi in the Sahara (on Monday), but we thought we would be able to connect last night (Tuesday, Oct 11) at the Bab Rimal resort outside Foum Zguid.

No luck.  The whole town was without connection to the outside world.  Not even the telephone.  Wonderful in a way, but frustrating for this amateur blogger!

Last night had bigger problems than that!  Wait for Tuesday’s post (Day Seven).

Back to Monday.  Everyone was thrilled with the two riads in Zagora: Vila Zagora and Dar Sofian.  In the early morning our painters were all taken to a nearby hilltop (a hair-raising journey over gravely  roads made even more exciting when one 4WD fell into a ditch).

From there they had a panoramic view of the date groves, oases, mountains, sand, mud-brick houses and even the sparkling water in our riad’s pool.  Perfect for painting.  Pam did two!

Us lazy non-painting folks sat over breakfast while being plied with goodies by Moha, the most attentive (and witty) major-domo we have encountered in a country of excessively helpful people (all males – we’ve remarked on this in Spain and Portugal too — ¿dónde están las chicas? — maybe in Fès and Casablanca).

We joined everyone on the mountain to ooh-and-aha about the view and the amazing half-built hotel (???) before heading to Tamegroute to view a pottery and an ancient Koranic school with manuscripts dating to the 12th century.  Very, very hot there and we welcomed the shady shop (can you ever go through an historic anything without exiting through a shop?) where we all of course added extra kgs to our luggage.

Now the real adventure began.  Onwards to H’mid, on the very edge of the Sahara, where we dined in a bit too much heat in the gardens of a bizarre hotel complex in the middle of no-where.  Food was a bit suss (see tomorrow’s post — big clue there!) but all very pleasant before we left the tarmac and headed  to the sand for a swerving and swaying two hour drive to our campsite, about 20km from the Algerian border.

Our tents were amazing – complete with en suite facilities and huge beds with fluffy (albeit a bit sandy) duvets.  A group of us opted for the 30 minute camel ride, while others explored the sand dunes.

Dinner under the stars for us all after the desert isunset.

OK, well you will just have to imagine all this because although this exquisite riad in Taroudant has quick wifi, it’s not powerful enough to upload any of my wonderful (says me) photos.

So, more to come later when the uploads are stronger (maybe in Fès, to where we fly tomorrow – Thursday).