Pagina �1

Trekking in the southern Morocco

Travelouge

bacelix editions

I’ve never seen so many stars

Pagina �2

But the camel has one or two Humps?

Moon photographed by my friend Luca in Bergamo

Premessa:

People  who  had  the  possibility  to   cross   part   of   Morocco   tell   that,   when   approaching   the   desert,   you     ask  yourself   if   the   landscape   you   are   watching   is   real   or   comes   from   a   cinema  screen;   green   is   too   brilliant,   red   is   hot   red,   sky   is   very   clear.An     immense  “tavolozza”  swang  by  the    Arab  music  till  the  last  village  before  the  when  the  trail  becomes    at  once  straight  and  the  absolute  “nothing”  is  around  you.  The  street  seems  to  be  endless  but  in  the  distance  you  can  see  the  desert  and  it  is  so  beautiful   to   take   your  breath   away.  Massimo’   diary   is   not   different     from  these   reports;   his   notes   ,   even   overview,   give   back   the   sense   of   a   happy  disorientation    that  a  hill  trekker    feels    when  he  is  in  an  enchanting  millenary  environment.  Here   is   his   yearning   thought   to   the  night   sky:   ”I   couldn’t   sleep  this  night,  without  wind,  so  I  opened  my  sleeping  bag    only  for  my  head    out  of  the  tent.  In  an  hour  I  noticed  seven  falling  stars,  not  to  speak  about  the  clear    landscape  that  was  over  me.  I  have  never  seen  so  many  stars.  Maybe  because  I  saw  only    a  small  part  of  the  moon  and  I  fell  asleep.Massimo’s  words  are  a  kind  of  country  report  by  a  traveler  of  the  nineteenth  century   ,  only  technology   is  different  not     feelings,   amazement,   labors,   enthusiasm,  discovery,   green   tea,  camels,  local  guides,  brace  fire  bread,  desire  to  go  far  away  and  then  to  return  there,  measured  steps  to  safeguard  resources  and  long  tours  only  useless    but    he  made  all   that   to   taste   the  wonderful   freedom  of   loneliness.A   ten-­‐day   trip  from   15   to   28   January   without   a   too   long   preparation,   guided   only   by   the  instinct  of  a   respectful     traveler  whose  unique  track    of  his  passage   is  a   foot  print  and  the  mark  of  the  wheels  of  his  trolley.  All  this  remind  to  an  old  Tuareg  saying:”  Start  your  way  even  if  the  you  don’t  like  the  moment,  because  when  you    arrive  you  will  appreciated  it”.  Maybe  this  is  what  Massimo  has  felt.  

We  will  ask  him  to  tell  us.                    

Giuseppe Zambaiti

Pagina �3

Mountains around me take my breath away, Their sides and ridges seem to be modeled. By the hand of the Creator himself.

15 January 2015 Starting to Marrakesh

Malpensa Terminal 2

I  thought  about  it  for  many  days;  trolley  yes  –no,  rucksack  yes  –  no,  and  at  the  end  I  decided  for  the  trolley  without  rucksack  or  better  with  my  domestic  20  l.  rucksack  I  use  for  my  outdoor    walkings.  Another  change    because  I    use  a  body  building  belt  to  change  draught  position  from  two  side  bars  to  a  support  point  and   central   draught     on   my   back.   My  daughter  Sara  accompanied  me  to  Bergamo  for   the   shuttle  bus   to  Malpensa.   I   think     of  my   new   adventure   trough   Southern  Morocco  and  how  I  decided  to  start.   I  write  some  lines    while  sitting  at  my  place  number  16  F  of  Airbus  320  –  Easy   Jet:   I   see  a   lot  of  clouds   on   my   right   till   at   the   feet   of   a  mountain   chain   that   seems   endless,   the  Alps.   I  visited  part  of  Marrakesh  where   I   lost  myself  in  its  “suks”  while    walking  in  the  center  of  an  old  city.  From  Marrakesh  to  Tizi  n-­‐Tichka  pass  for  210  kms  on  tortuous  roads,  with  snow  and  traffic  till  2250  meters  of  height.  

Pagina �4 Ma il cammello ha una o due gobbe?

31  kg  trolley,  included  sleeping  bag,  tent  

 Down  to  Ouarzazate,   famous    because  there  are  the  sets  of  many  films:  The  Gladiatore,     The   Mummy,   Laurence   of   Arabia…   and   then   Zagora.   Here   the  desert  siteof  Sahara  starts,  in  the  south  west  of  Morocco,  I  followed  tracks  and  roads   you   can  hardly   call  with   that   name,   I   crossed   valleys   and   fords   almost  dried  waiting  with  anxiety  the  sunset  and  the  sunset  was  waiting  for  me  every  evenings  like  a  friend.  From  Taguine  to  Foum  for  200  kms  through  a  dried  lake  

in  a  desert  and  plane  place  for  about  ten  days,  with    Hamed  and  his  camel;   I  found  water   to  drink  and  cook   in   the  deep    wells  dag   in   the  stony  soil.  Then  Foum  Zguid,  Tazenakht,  Tallouine,  Taroudant  and  at  least  Agadir.  

                                               

Pagina �5

Marrakesh 16 January 2015 As  a   first  day   I   think  to  a  urban  trek     in   the  old  Marrakesh.  Starting   from  my  hotel  i  will  take  the  main  street  dedicated  to  the  king  Mohammed  V  till  Jemaa  el-­‐   Fna   that   means   the   Dead   Assembly.   Once   it   was   used   as   a   stage   for  executions  and  exhibition  of  cut  skulls.  luckily  today  it  is  only  one  of  the  most  famous   squares   in   the   world   for   its   Suks   and   morning   and   night   shows   for  tourists.  Out  of  my  hotel  i  find  a  foggy  climate  with  a  thin  rain  with  12  degrees  and  a  95%  humidity.  I  walk  to  Medina  but  my  GPS  doesn’t  work  a  from  my  map  i  could  not  recognize  the  streets,  so  i  go  to  the  opposite  direction    and  I  walk  for  12  km  to  the  square  instead  of  4.  This  is  one  of  the  reason  why  it  is  good  to  be  alone.    Everything  you  do  is  good  and  no  one  can  complain.  My  target  is  to  travel   and   also   if   you   go   to   the  opposite  way   you   can   always   see   something  new.   As   I   approach   to   the   center   the  more   traffic   raises   and   people   on   the  road,  students  on  foot  or  by  bicycle  follow  the  same  direction  .There  are  many  French   schools   but   they   are   private   institutions   where   study   the   European    sons  of  rich  people.  If  our  ultra  protective  mothers  could  see  those  less  lucky  children  in  the  traffic  they  will  suffer  from  an  heart  attack.  The  main  alleys  are  full  of  orange  trees  and  at  a  man  heigh  people  picked  all  their  big  fruits.  There  are  also  a  lot  of  eucalyptuses  some  of  them  are  dried  and  someone  has  carved  the   trunks   to  make   sculptures.   Now   I   am   in   a   botanic   park   and  write   some  lines.   The  park   is   beautiful   and   rich   as  our   city  parks.  All   that  made  me  of   a  good  temper,   I  hear  birds  singing  and  it  seems  to  be  at  spring.   I  start  walking  again  to  Medina.  I  have  lost  myself,  the  Medina  is  a  place  you  cannot  descrive,  you  can  imagine  all  the  little  markets  in  Italy,  mix  them  and  put  them  together  in  a  place  as  big  the  city  of  Bergamo  but  the  rorarely  are  more  than  two  meter.  I   saw  that    Suks  are  of  different  categories:  cobblers,  smiths,  antiquaries  and  

Pagina �6

mixed  and  massed  of  all  kinds;  my  Rantastic  program  went  out  of  order  and  I  didn’t  know  where  to  go.  I  met  a  lot  of  Pilgrims  here,  unmistakable  with  their    rucksack  and  the  shell  on  the  back.    I  am  sitting  in  a    Suk  and  I  am  drinking  my  second  mint   tea   so   I   can   enjoy   the   little  multicolor   flood   of   people  who     at  their   turn   enjoy   perfumes   and   colors   of   this   place   where   tradition   and   an  apparent  modernity   coexist;   the   faces   I   see   show  a     sharp   contrast  between  people  of  a  low  range  and  the  ones  of  upper  classes  who  are  closely  similar  to  the  European  people;  looking,  dresses  and  the  same  status  symbols  like  luxury  cars  and    trendy  mobile  phones  ,  At  least  I  am  in  Jemaa  el  –Fna  square  full  of  tourist   as   all   respectful   squares   of   the   world.   Lots   of   stalls   and   even   snake  charmers  who  try  to   invite  you  to  take  part  to  their  show,  and  animal  sellers:  canaries,  turtles  and  the  multicolor  chameleons.  I  think  I  must  buy  a  Moroccan  SIM  Card   not   to   spend  more   than   the   rest   in   telephone   calls!   It   is   profusely  raining  now  so  I  find  a  shelter   in  a   little  restaurant  where  I  can  use  WI-­‐FI  so  I  send  some  photos  and  write  some  lines.       It   is  noon  but  I  have  already  eaten  and  already  walked  15  kilometers.      In  half  an  hour  I  will  be  at  my  hotel  that  I  chose     because   it   is   near   the   bus   station   and   I   can   know     bus   times,   for  example  the  one  at  8.30  to  Ouarzazate  for  tomorrow.    

Pagina �7

Marrakesh 17 January 2015

Wake  up  at  6  but  I  was  just  asleep    so  I  prepare  my  trolley  and  I  carry  it  on  my  shoulders   for     four  decks.   I  have  breakfast  and   then   I   run   to   the  bus  station,  destination   Ouarzazate.     I   had   enough   of   yesterday’s   tour   in   Marrakesh  because   I   don’t   like   going   around   in   the   city   even   it   is   old   ,   famous   and  crowded.    I  expect  great  things  from  the  bus  tour,  a  first  taste  of  the  Moroccan  land  trough  a  plane  place  and  then  Atlas  mountains  with  all   their  colors  until  Tizi-­‐n  Tichka  pass,  2200  meters.  one  of   the  highest  pass  of   the  Country,   then    down  to  Ouarzazate.    What  a  spectacle  boys!  Luckily  I  haven’t  done  it  on  foot;  there  is  the  danger  to  be  hit  by  lorries  at  every  bend  .  The  risk  is  real  because  lorries  pass  very  close  to  the  side  of  the  road,    moreover    I  would  have  taken  a  hard  walk  week.  As  I  foresaw  after  a  plane  part  studded  with  little  villages  and  a  few  bigger  countries,  I  enter  the  valley  where  is  the  local  river  to  lord.  That  is  because  water  has  excavated  the  banks    reaching  the  road-­‐sides  and  in  some  cases  has  swallowed  the  road;  this  is  caused  by  the  abundant  rains  of  the  last  weeks.  We  mount  the  mountains  and  cross  the  front  of  the  Atlas,  one  hundred  km   wide,   while   we   continue   to   enter   and   go   out   of   valleys     and   to   mount  inexorably.   There   are   a   lot   of   small   little   villages   and   huts   at   the   side   of   the  road,   where   makeshift   merchants   sell   every   kind   of     trinkets,   particularly  quartzes    and  minerals.  

Pagina �8

We  go  on  travelling  on  a  raod  that   is  similar  to  the  one  of  the  Stelvio  pass   in  Italy  and  when  we  see  the  snow  our  speed  decreases    and    buses,  lorries,  cars  begin   to   form   a   long   column;   there   are   also   a   couple   of   German   Unimogs,  ubiquitous  at  every  raids  and  latitude.    I  must  say  our  driver  was  a  very  good  one,  in  particular  for  the  right  speed  to  maintain  and  for  the  ability  to  have  the  right   measure   a   every   bend,   even   if     there   were   panic   moments   when  approaching   ravines   or   subsiding   sides   of   the   road.   The   pass   at   least   and  downhill    to  Ouarzazate  for  more  than  one  hour  and  85  kms.    Suddenly  we  are  on  a  dry  highland  where  colors  change  at  every  moment  from  ocher  to  a  vivid  yellow,   to  a  pale   red.   It   is  a  volcanic  place    where  you  can  see  black  basaltic  blocks  and  you  note  that   this  yellow  comes   from  the  pumice  stone  and  solid  volcanic  ash  .  It  is  always  time  and  torrential  rains  that  crumble  and  devastate  these   rocks,   carrying   them     down   to   the   valleys   by   their   waters.       I   saw  Ouarzazate   in   the   distance   and   it   is   not   so   small   as   I   imagined;   50.000  inhabitants  and  a  lot  of  things  to  see,  even  a  lake  ad  its  dam.  

Pagina �9

A   tajin   based   snack,   goat   stew(very   little)   and   a   lot   of   vegetables:   all   very  spiced  and  at  a  tavern  on  the  street.  Blessed  Trivago  and  not  a  tent  and  a  lot  of  sacrifices;   IBIS   hotel,   one  matrimonial   room  with   an   ultra-­‐  modern   bath   and  giant  shower  .  price  28  euros  breakfast  included.  

Pagina �10

I  am  just  one  of  five  guests  in  a  luxury  hotel  of  one  hundred  rooms,  a  superb  swimming  pool  but  water  is  at  12  degrees  (  I  taste  the  surface  with  a  finger)  so  I  decide  to  go  out  and  take  some  photos  of    the  giant  Kasba.  I  come  back  to  the  hotel    for  a  shower,  report  and  a  little  rest.  

18 January 2015 Ouarzazate

It’s  7,30.  After  an  abundant  breakfast   I   leave  from  my  hotel    dressed  in  short  trousers,  shirt  and  a  pile  gilet;   the  temperature   is  4  degrees  centigrade!  Only  200  meters  and  I  put  on  a  covering  pile,  but  I  decide  to  keep  the  trousers  so  I  walk   towards   the   center   of   Ouarzazate.     No   one   around   and   beside   the  temperature,  this  day  is  not  the  best  day  I  could  have.  Out  of  the  city  I  prefer  walking   on   the   sand   for   four   kilometers   to   AitBenhaddou   ,   wheather   is   not  merciful  and  I  have  other  23  kms  to  go.  I  go  back  on  the  road  and  I  scrounge  a  

Pagina �11

lift  from  a  guy  who  is  just  going  to  AitBenhaddou;  10  Dhirams  is  the  tip  I  give  him  before  a  greeting.  I  start  my  visit  to  the  wall  village  and  instead  of  entering  from  the   road   ,   as  all   good  children  do,   I   cross   the  valley  where  a   calm   river  flows,  so  when  a  see  a   ford  made  of  gravel    sacks  set  at  a  distance  of  a  step  from  one  to  the  other  I  pass  to  the  other  side  and  I  enter  the  village  from  the  rear  entrance   .When   I  arrive  at   the   fortress   there  are  some  tourists  who  saw  me  crossing  the  river    and  they  greet  me  warmly  because  they    see  the  pilgrim    shell   on   the   back   of   my  rucksack;   they   want   to  exchange   some   words   and  smile  to  me  with  pleasure   .  I   know   they   are   French   so  we   greet   each   other   with  the  typical  pilgrim’s  Ultreya.    I  continue  my  visit    through  narrow   alleys,   little   stairs  and   tunnels   so   I   discover  very  little  shops  where  very  little   old  women   try   to   sell  local   handicraft   goods.   All  the   buildings   of   the   village  are  built  of  straw  mixed  with  mud,  even  the  walls  that  border  the  single  estates  .  The  Kasbah  (  we  would  call  it  “  patriarchal”  house)  is  on  the  side  of  the  river    and   it   is   formed   by   an   inside   closed   yard     but   open   air,   overhung   by   a  crenellated  walkway,  with  micro-­‐cameras,  that  people  use  as  a  sleeping  place  and  a  kitchen  that  all  people  can  use.  Usually  this  kitchen  is  in  the  center  of  the  building  so  that  smoke  can  disperse  into  the  air.   I  take  some  photo  as  a  good  tourist  does  and    I  go  to  the  river  with  the  idea  to  cross  it  in  the  opposite  way  and  when  I  see  I  can  walk  on  the  riverbed  I  go  on  for  a  couple  of  kilometers  ,  then  I  follow  the  road  to  come  back  to  the  city.  I  meet  again  the  French  friends    I  met  just  an  hour  before    and  they  give  me  a  lift  that  reminded  me  to  the  lift  I  had   before  my   visit   to   the   city.   I   ask   them   to   leave  me   at   the   Atlas   cinema  studios  where  I  enter  not  before  paying    50  Dhm  –  5  Euros  and  other  10  Dhm  to  a  local  boy  who  knows  foreign  languages  and  wants  to  guide  me.    I  see  the  F.104   jet   used   by   Michael   Douglas   in   “   Il   Gioiello   del   Nilo”,   then   I   enter   an  

Pagina �12

imposing  portal  and  I  am  in  front  of  the  set  of  “  Il  Piccolo  Imperatore  “,  then  “  Il  Trono  di  Spade”,  “  L’Ultimodei  Re”  with  Moses  and  all  the  rest.  But  I  got  out  of  my  head  when  I  saw  the  set  of  “  Asterix  and  Cleopatra”;    Page  13                      some  constructions  have  been  used  for  years  for  films  set  in  the  old  Egypt,  thanks  to  the  long  lasting  cares  against  weather  and  time.          Someone  told  me  that    two  Italian   boys   are   the   creators   of     fiberglass   and   polystyrene     structures   (the  

same  as  Gardaland)    

When  I  go  out  I  walk  toward  the  Kasba  of  TiffoulToute  where  the  oldest  part,  year   1000,   is   in   very   bad   conditions   and   the   part   you   can   visit   is   inhabited  because   it  was   restored   in  1920  and   it   is   very  nice.     The  halls   at   the  ground  floor    are  furnished  with  antique  furniture  and    carpets.  There  is  a  picture  of  half   length   chieftains   and   important   local   inhabitants     that   camps   at   the  entrance.    I  have  ten  kilometers  to  go  to  get  to  my  hotel  so  I  start  my  way  and  at  four  in  the  afternoon  I  enter  my  bed  room.      A  surprise  is  waiting  for  me  for  tomorrow.  

Pagina �13

19 January 2015 First day in the desert

Surprise is I have known Aziz who works as a guide in the desert and he proposes to cross from Mahamid to FoumSguid , 200 kilometers by an off-road car.I refuse because I am a pilgrim but I must say I wouldn’t be sorry to travel this way. Now the proposal is to go on foot but with his (false) brother as a guide. I slept in my tent for eight night in the desert, walking 25 kms a day among sand dunes passing on the Iriki Lake that is a lake without water because there is a dam Dra in Ouarzazate. This morning Aziz will take me at the hotel by car and we drive to the Dra valley to visit the most characteristic places. What a day! I am in the desert by a twig fire with yellow toothed Aziz who prepare our supper , but I want to start from the beginning; as agreed Aziz picked me up at nine, destination Mahamid in the southern Morocco near the Algerian border.

Pagina �14

We  board  a  Toyota  cat   to   leave   the  wonderful  Ouarzazazate  and  we  advance  inside   the   valley   of   the   Dra   the   famous   valley   of   the   Kasbas   .   We   start  mounting    after  around  30  kilometers  toward  the  pass.  Mountains  around  me  are  amazing,  sides  and  ridges  seem  to  be  modeled  by  the  hand  of  the  Creator  himself.  Dreadful  canyons  unite  in  bizarre  angles  to  become  a  unique  river  and  suddenly   they   divide   into   one,   two   falls.  Mountain  walls   are   colored   in   lilac,  Aziz   tells  me   that   after   abundant   rains   flowering   explodes   into   thousands   of  these  little  flowers.    We  stop  to  have  breakfast  in  a  palm  grove  at  the  sides  of  the  valley.  Beyond  the  river  there   is  a  mud  village  where   I  Go  for  a  two  hour  visit.   Little   streets   bordered   by   crumbling   stones   ;   a   ghost   village     without  inhabitants  who   live  some  meters  higher   in  houses  built  of  blocks  of  cement    or  of  straw  and  soil.  A  puncture!    We  change  the  wheel    and  again  on  our  way  to  Zagora.  Here  we  can  eat   for  another  hour   travel   to  our   starting  point  at  a  plane  and  dry  place;  as  a  background  there  are  sand  dunes  that  sun  makes  of  an   indefinable   color   in   the   twilight.   Here   is   Hamed,   my   guide   who   doesn’t  speak  my  language    but  only  Berber  and  Arab,  so  our  conversation    is  between  

Pagina �15

mute  persons.  Hamed   tries   to  make  me  understand   that     it   is   impossible   to  drag     the   trolley,   so  we   board   it   on   the   camel.    We   start   our  march  with   a  strong  wind  from  the  North.  It  is  late  so  we  make  a  hard  effort  to  keep  a  speed    step   in   the   sand.   I   think   Hamed   is   testing  my   endurance.   After   15   kms    we  arrive  at  the  bivouac,  an  old  acacia  where  to  lay  the  sleeping  bag.  My  legs  hurt  because  of   the   forced  march  on  the  sand,    so   I  prepare  what   is  necessary  to  sleep  while   Hamed   ,  without   saying   a  word,   gathers   some   twigs   around   the  tree  and  lights  a  fireand  starts  cooking  some  vegetables  with  meal,  chili  pepper  saffron  and  something  else  I  don’t  know.  Tajne  ,  he  says,  and  I  will  realize     in  the  following  days  that  it  will  be  always  present,  cooked  at  the  moment  ,  with  the  Arab  bread  and  the  omnipresent  mint  tea  that  is  the  desert  whiskey.        Just  finished  to  eat  and  at  once  to  bed  but  I  couldn’t  sleep  because  of  the  cold  and  I  think   that   tomorrow   I  will   pitch  my   tent   to  have  at   least   a   shelter     to   repair  from  the  wind.    Hamed   is   sleeping   in  a   red   sleeping  bag   laying  on  a  military  blanket  and  other  two  blankets  over  the  sleeping  bag.  

Pagina �16

20 January 2015 Second day in the desert

It is the sun that wakes me up (I was already awaken); breakfast with bread , marmalade, banana and orange and, of course, mint tea. We start before 8 after carrying all stuffs on the camel. We go fast till 11.30 then down all the stuffs from the camel and Hamed prepare the Tajne; I feel that I will eat it all days and it’s not very interesting to me. We start again at 11.30 in a stony desert and my feet hurt, so I remove my boots and I wear sandals and again I go on in this “nothing” for a valued 30 kms walk. I don’t use the GPS RANTASTIC program because our spare batteries must last until we arrive at FoumZgoud.

Pagina �17

I  will  see  that  from  the  Ipad  map  as  soon  as  I  will  download  my  photos.        We  had  to  start   from  Mhamid  but  we  anticipate  of  a  20  kms  before     from  a   lost  place  in  the  desert  .  When  we  arrive  at  the  bivouac  I  pitch  the  tent  and  we  eat  and  at  19   I  am  already   in  my  sleeping  bag;   it   is   cold  and  dark  and  my   friend  Hamed   can   speak   only   Arab.   My   only   company   is   the   wonderful   Ferrino  Lightent  1,  so  good  night!  

21 January 2015 Third day in the desert

It   is   the   photocopy   of   the   second   day,   the   only   thing   that   changes   is   the  landscape  that  now  is  sandy.    Walking  is  more  tiring  now  but  I  don’t  know  how  many  kilometers  we  have  travelled;  we  passed    before  a  shepherd  camp  where  there  were  water   and  electricity  but  we   couldn’t   see  anyone   so  we  went  on  even  I  hoped  to  have  a  shower.    At  a  certain  time  I  order  Hamed  to  stop  and  mount  the  camp,  he  couldn’t  realize  how  tired  I  was.  We  are  among  dunes  ,  a  strong  wind  blows  from  the  West  and  I  toil  to  pitch  my  tent,  even    if  the  pickets  work  very  well  against  the  wind  all  night  long.  

Pagina �18

Hamed  proposes  to  stop  there  for  a  trip  among  the  dunes  and  the  place  will  really  deserve  an  additional  stop  but  collapse  into  the  sand  so  I  prefer  going  on.  This  situation  remind  me  to  the  snowshoeing  of  last  December  ;  it  was  a  traumatic  experience  because  my  snowshoes  didn’  t  fit    my  weigh.    It  is  18,  time  to  eat  and  it  is  becoming  to  get  dark  so  at  19  I  am  already  under  my  tent  where  I  read  some  pages  the  I  try  to  sleep.  How  many  things  you  can  think  during  those  hours  of  apparent  sleeping!      Since  when  I  sleep  in  the  sleeping  bag    I  have  the  impression  not  to  sleep  but  I  rest  at  least!  It  is  useless  to  say  that  I  miss  a  warm  bed  and  a  cushion.  

Good  night  

Pagina �19

22 January 2015 Fourth day in the desert

Even    this  time  I  counted  hours  not  from  a  bell  sound  but  looking  at  my  phone  and  I  guessed  the  time  hour  by  hour  so  it  is  impossible  to  sleep.  After  breakfast  we  start  and  I  feel  I  am  very  fit  but  after  an  hour  only  of  up  and  down  in  the  dunes    I  ask  for  a  rest.  

We   cross   a   desert   area  with   kilometers   of   dunes   that   extend   towards  North  and  we  continue  up  and  down  for  two  hours.  Our  problem  is  we  must  go  West  so  when  the  dunes  decrease  we  turn  ninety  degrees  on  the   left  and  now  we  are  on  the  right  way.    While  I  write  some  lines  sitting  on  a  stone  I  see  the  dunes  in  the  distance  and  Hamed  show  me  the  way  we  came  from  pointing  at  it  with  a  finger;  how  far  it  is!  This  is  the  most  tiring  day  of  my  life  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  beautiful.  When  I  remind  those  days  I  think  of  a  wonderful  souvenir.  

Pagina �20

We  have  crossed  a  place  where  abundant  rains  create  some  valleys  that  unite  in  one  plane  river  bed  that  can  contain  the  incredible  quantity  of  water  during  thunderstorms.  I  can  see  deep  canals  in  the  sand.    The  advantage  is  the  green  that   grows   there   and   you   can   imagine   our   camel   that   stops   at   any   time   to  browse  green  grass  and  little  flowers.    When  we  arrive  at  the  bivouac  we  see  a  building,  not  much  more  than  a  surrounding  wall    with    towels  used  for  roof.                      In  a  little  time  two  children  arrive  and  one  helps  me  to    mount  the  tent  with  a  reward  of  10  Dhm.  I  took  him  a  picture  while  he  climbed  an  acacia;  he  looked  like  Mowgli   in   the   jungle  with   a   special   light   in   his   eyes.   Later   another   child  arrives   and   he   too   asked   me   to   give   him   something.   In   the   end   the   three  urchins  cost  me  10  Dhm.  a  blue  cap  of  the  no  longer  existing  Grandi   Impianti  company  and  two  packets  of   sweets   I  kept   for  similar  occasions.  They  stayed  even  after  the  sunset  and  ate  all  we  offered,  included  a  double  ration  of  Tajne  but  I  was  happy  because  I  had  food  for  one  month  and  I  don’t  exaggerate.  

Pagina �21

Round a twig fire Hamed and the three children intone a desert song, a singsong dirge that they think very amusing so they want me to take part in that song; the final result is that all burst out. Then I show them the photos I took using the mobile and then downloading to the IPad. They have discharged the battery because they wanted to see films and photo in which they were. I show them my family and of course my little nephews Lidia and Viola and the photos of North Cape, Turkey and the Way of Saint James, Rome with my wife Mary. They stared at me and asked me even questions I couldn’t answer but only with a stupid smile. The last sweets are for the after dinner and also two little bars end the same way. Hamed makes me understand he would like to go to the two children’s and I mime that I am going to read something and then to sleep. I see him while stealthily takes some supplies. Probably because he doesn’t want to go empty handed into someone else’s te I slip backwards into my “garconniere”; it is not so easy with telephonr, IPad, battery charger… I am greedily reading a book, Estinzione, and I think it is a pleasure to me! Good night.

Pagina �22

23 January 2015 Fifth day in the desert

The   three  children’s  goats  wake  me  up,   it   is   the   first  night   I   sleep  quite  well.    Mint   tea   and   bread   with  marmalade;   tea   is   a   rite!   Every  man   in   the   desert  dedicates  a  particular  care    and  is  nothing  compared    with  our  super  delicate  and  clear   teas;   it   is   cloudy  with  pieces  of  herbs   inside.  All   this   is  boiled  on  a  twig   fire;   we   take   a   little   ember   and   we   put   it   in   a   small   hole   previously  excavated  with  an  enameled  tea  pot  over  the  fire    filled  with  three  quarters  of  water  and    we  add  chopped  tea  leaves  in  a  good  quantity.    

At   the  end  we  add  a  desert  herb,   like   rosemary  but   soft  and  some  pieces  of  sugar    (  Hamed  has  taken  a  cone  of  sugar  weighed  two  kilos  and  breaks  it  with  a   stone.   He   pours   the   concoction   four,   five   times   into   a   glass   and   from   the    glass   to   the   tea  pot,   then   you   can  put   in   the   tea   leaves   ,   prosit!     I   talked  at  lenght  about  tea  because  today  we  haven’t  eaten  but  we  walked  for  six  hours  and  now    we  mount  the  camp  for  the  night  and  the  sun  is  still  high  in  the  sky.  

Pagina �23

Iriki Lake crossing satisfied me as ever before; 30 kilometers walking on a very plane desert. The lake is only a far remembering since 30 years; someone dried it when they built a dam on the river Dra near the city of Ouarzazate. Today only the offside vehicle roadways furrow this desert and when the passengers see a pilgrim who crosses the lake they greet him warmly. Here we meet a young camel driver and spoke some words using my macaronic French but he understood me and this is important. Not too long ahead we can see a mirage, better, a cathedral in the desert; on the background I see a massive building dancing under the Fata Morgana effect and as I approach it I can clearly distinguish its embattled walls. I remember the French films about Foreign Legion so I hope nobody will come to recruit me by force. It is only a white wall, one square meter, with black writings faded by the sun and wind:

ALBERGUE IRIKI SAHARA.

Pagina �24

   I  enter    the  very  Spartan  structure  ,  it  is  desert  and    its  two  doors  are  closed  so   we   stop   to   eat   some   tangerines   and   to   drink   water   in   the   straw   gazebo  outside.    We  go  on  following  the  endless  track  and  Hamed  shows  me  on  the  horizon    at  the  North  West  the  ubiquitous  umbrella  acacias;  we  have  arrived,  it  is  two  o’  clock.  We  mount  our  camp  and  I  prepare  my  trolley  for  the  last  two  stages  .  

Hamed  prepare  our  food  and  he  cooks  the  bread  he  has  just  kneaded  and  put  it  in  the  ember.  All  seems  so  easy  and  even  it  is  not  all  clean,  all  is  fine.  I  prefer  harmony  than  cleaning  so  I  feel  fresh  even  if  I  don’t  wash  for  five  days;  more  or  less!    We  are  drinking  tea  while  the  sun  sets  rapidly.  This  evening  we  will  eat  tomatoes  with  a  little  salt,  mackerels  and  a  kind  of  barley  and…  good  night.  

Pagina �25

24 january 2015 Sixth day in the Desert

I  couldn’t  sleep  without  wind,  so  I  opened  the  zipper    and  put  my  head  outside  the  tent,  only  the  head  and  the  body  inside  the  sleeping  bag.  I  counted  seven  falling  stars  in  an  hour  and  the  landscape  over  me;  I  have  never  seen  so  many  stars    maybe  because  I  could  see  only  a  lowercase  glove    of  moon  and  without  realizing  what  was  happening  I  felt  asleep.  

I  remembered  that  it  was  very  cold  at  night  so  I  stayed  in  the  tent  till  seven  in  the  morning,  wake  up  hour.          After  lots  of  days  drinking  tea  I  had  a  big  cup  of  Nescafè  and  it  seemed  to  be  much    better  than  ours,  it  taste  like  the  American  coffee  and  we  drank  it  with  the  bread  Hamed  cooked  in  the  ember  the  evening  before.  Morning  breakfast  is  my  favourite    meal.  

Pagina �26

 I  have  prepared  my  Truck  under  Hamed’s  skeptical  eye;  he  says  that  nothing  is  better  than  a  camel  when  someone  has  to  carry  anything  in  the  desert.  Even  though  we  were  in  a  stony  place  I  was  convinced  of  succeeding  and  I  started  as  my  friend  was  tying      the  camel.  

Only  fifty  meters  ahead  I  lost  my  rucksack  so  I    also  lost  the  occasion  to  test  it  on  a  hardly  walkable  soil.  I  must  say  that  the  trolley  test  was  positive  because  it  resisted  during  those  days  on    stony  and  exhausting  tracks  .  I  am  convinced  it  will  never  break!    Out  of  this  moony  part  we  walked  two  hours  and  a  half  more  on  a  hard  sand  then  a  stony  track  began.  

Pagina �27

What  remains  of  a  Donkey  

I have been holding for more than one hour until midday bivouac . It is 13.30 and we start again, an uninterrupted march till the night bivouac where we arrive at 5 p.m. a mule work with a truck too! My feet hurt a little bit less if I travel with my trolley and the reason is that I change my posture and consequently my footing even if I walk uphill. We arrive at a plateau extended as far as eye could see and at last I could ask Hamed to take me some photos so I had to throw half of them away:

Now  I  take  care  of  my  feet  the  we  eat  and  then  GOODNIGHT.  

Pagina �28

25 gennaio 2015 Foum Zguid

I  slept  again  in  my  sleeping  bag  even  though  I  had  a    bed    to  sleep.        Foum  Zgad  is  at  the  end  of  a  gorge  where  a  stream  of  cold  air  comes  from  the  mountains  at  night  and  windows  of  my  bedroom  are  from  fear  with  many  broken  panes.    At  23.30  I  slipped  into  my  sleeping  bag  because  I  needed  to  warm  my  body.    Abundant  breakfast  in  the  morning  with  black  coffee,  bread  and  marmalade;  180  Dnh    to  sleep  and  eat  in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening.  I  start  walking  in  a  cold  morning,  warmly  dressed  and  towing  my  trolley;  people  look  at  me  smiling  maybe  because  they  are  trying  not  to  be  as  donkeys  and  there  is  someone  who  choose  to  behave  like  a  donkey.  This  is  good  for  me  also  because  it  will  be  worse  to  carry  30  kilos  on  my  shoulders.    I  tour  around  the  two  halves  of  the  village,  the  new  one  built  on  the  right  side  of  the  mountain  with  Arabic  buildings,  all  is  very  tidied  up  and  from  the  center  of  the  village  start  the  roads  to  Ouarzazate,  at  west  side,  and  to  Tata  at  East.  In  the  centre  all  is  vivid,  artisan  shops  ,  sanitaries,    hardwares  and  bazaars  that  sell  food,  mechanic    workshops  and  smiths.  This  all  in  the  African  way  that  is  very  messy  for  us  and  not  too  clean..  

Pagina �29

The  old  part  of  the  city,  the  most  picturesque,  is  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  at  the   left   side,   partially   demolished   the   uniform   black   color   of   the   local   stone.   This  way   the   road   ends   when   the   city   ends   and   it   becomes     a   track   that   enters     an  immense  palm  grove.  The  two  teams  towns  are  divided  by  the  Zguid  river  that  flows  in  a  giant   riverbed.  We  can  see  palms  and  debris   that   the   impetuous  stream  carry  during  rain  season.    I  am  sitting  outside  a  bar  that  is  on  the  main  square  and  an  hour  ago   I   asked   a   local   taxi   driver   how  much   is   the   price   to   ride   from   Foum   Zguid   to  Tazenakht,  about  85  kilometers  .  The  bold  young  asked  for  30  Dhm  the  equivalent  of  3  euros  but   I  paid  what   I   thought   it  was   the  right  price  and  then   I  dared  ask  what  time  we  would   leave;  “Inchallha!”  he  answered  (   I  hope  my  writing   is  correct  but   I  doubt),   that  means   “if   God  wants  we  will   see”.     Three   hours   passed,   the   car   has  changed,  an  old  Peugeot  505  SW,  and  now  I  am  on  a  car  with  other  6  passengers  and  the  driver  and  they  all  stank  like  or  more  than  me!  From  my  point  of  view  I  saw  in  the  order:  a  couple  of  young  hippies,  two  Suisse  boys  ready  to  spend  four  days  in  the  desert,  a  couple  of  German  people  aged  about  60,  on  a  Camion  Camper    equipped  with   all   the   accessories   of   a   house   and   in   the   end,   two   very   important  Moroccan  persons  who   accompanied   a   French  man   dressed   in   the   colonial   style,   in   a  white  panama.

Pagina �30

I thought to be Mr. Poirot who observes the world around him to guess who the murderer is. Of course I had lunch meanwhile alternating succulent morsels to a look at what happened around me and an eye to the Michelin map. The road R 111 is similar to our Valle Brembana but not so deep and large enough. The local river dramatically enlarges its bed and erodes the sides and portions of carriageway as long as 300mt

After  some  kilometers  we  slow  down  to  a  crawl  to  overcome  debris  or  to  step  over  yards   evictions.   If   we   don’t   count   these   little   inconvenients   the   valley   is   like   the  Michelin  maps   reports;  well   cared  oasis   inside   some  sunny  bights  of   the   river  and  when  you  enter  a  village  the  first  thing  you  can  see  is  a  Kasba  more  or  less  in  ruins.  The  street  mounts  till  Tizi-­‐n  Taguergoust,  more  than  1600  meters,  as  our  Foppolo.  

Pagina �31

  In  a   thirty  kilometers  descent  we  arrive  at  Tazenekht  city.  The  hotel   is  big  enough  and   the   rooms   are   very   cold   but  with  warm  water.   Guess  what   I   had   for   dinner?  Tajne!         This   night   too   I  will   sleep   in  my   comfortable   sleeping  bed,   by  now   I   am  accustomed  to  it    and  I  feel  to  be  like  a  butterfly  in  its  cocoon.  

 I  spend  a  little  time  more  than  usual  writing  some  notes:  taxi,  waitings  and  the  hotel,  I  walked  only  for  ten   kilometers.   My   left   foot   isn’t   very   good,  tomorrow   another   bus   to   Taroudant   and   then  Agadir  I  suppose.      In  a  couple  of  hour  I  will  eat  my  pappa,  then  just  two  steps  to  digest  and  …    

GOODNIGHT.  

Pagina �32

27 january 2015 Agadir

As  I  said  my  first  day  here  when  you  travel  alone  you  can  take  any  decision  about  the  travel    and  no  one  but  you  can  say  a  word  against  the  decision  you  take.  After  the  night  I  spent    in  the  hotel  in  Tazenaki  I  think  of  the  cold  food  I  ate  ,  of  my  sleeping  in  the   cold   and   of  my  waking   up   with   a   temperature   of   -­‐0-­‐   degree;   I   was   happy   to  board  the  bus  to  Agadir,  distance  about  200  kilometers.  

I  thought  it  will  take  three  hours  but  it  needed  6  hours  ;   I  boarded  a  very  crowded  troop  train  and  I  was  wrapped  up  for  the  cold;  after  two  hours  later  the  sun  entered  the   window   at   my   left   (no   curtains   of   course)   and   I   was   giving   in   outburst.   All  windows  were  closed,  no  breath  of  air,  the  implacable  sun  on  the  face  and  more  my  travel  friend  smelt  like  a  fish  in  a  port  market.    Now  I  am  sitting  at  a  bar  in  Agadir  and  that  all  make  me  laugh  but  I  was  really  freaking.  Because    I  am  very  satisfied  with  my  travel  through  Southern  Morocco    I  have  a  little  tour  around  the  city  of  Agadir  and  I  think  that  tomorrow  I  will  be  at  the  airport  to  come  back  to  my  village  of  Luzzana.  

Pagina �33

Pagina �34

Pagina �35Mowgli

I  have  flown  between  two  continents  looking  at  the  Sea  and  Earth  from  the  Sky.  

I  have  walked  on  Sands  and  Stones.          

I  HAVE  NEVER  SEEN  SO  MANY    STARS.  

See  you  next  time  and  Buen  Camino  a  Todos  …….  

Pagina �36

Stamattina 0 gradi brrr