Before I go any further with this, our first
“Blog” entry for 2015, I would like to extend on behalf of myself and all the
Desert Detours team our very best wishes and great times for the forthcoming
year………….
Desert Detours ran eleven full tours into the
region last year and I know we say it every year but 2014 was another one of our
best ever……
We are constantly adding new locations and
by-routes to our established tours ……. We have increased our already generous
meal/snack provision, expanded our “included” listing and introduced more
personal introductions. Indeed if you joined us on say the “Classic” more than
a few years ago you would hardly recognise it now.
For 2015 we have introduced TWO
new tours THE FOOTSTEPS
OF MOORS and THE GRAND TRANS-MOROCCO. I posted info
earlier, but just a reminder…….
Through Concept, Recognisance
and then the trial stages these TWO new 40 + Day tours are now
firmly scheduled for 2015 and BEYOND.Starting early May crossing over to Morocco for the start of the “Footsteps Of Moors” for a thought provoking and meandering passage across the High Atlas Mountains and beyond, then re-entering Andalusia following a route along little used and stunning Andalusia byways.
During September and
October Our “Grand Trans Morocco” tour guides you through the rarely
visited, mysterious eastern region known as the “Forgotten Morocco”. We travel
via the awesome Mediterranean-Riff Mountain coastline and reach the actual
Algerian-Moroccan Border crossings before running south then returning west towards
the Atlantic Coast on a route that includes the Sahara, High Atlas, forests and
Imperial Cities………A genuine Trans-Morocco journey and adventure……Truly superb!
There are of course
duration options available ……. If for any reason you are unable to undertake
the full 40 PLUS DAY tours you can for example select just part
of the full tour, or indeed you can extend your stay, with on-going assistance,
beyond the 40 PLUS day schedules.Both the Footsteps of Moors and the Grand Trans-Morocco tours are FULL EVENT tours and are NOT “padded-out” with endless Free Days …….. Both tours are of course fully supported.
There are far too many highlights and features to list here, so for more information and details contact the office via email or phone either 0034 615276532 or 0034 658988841 without delay!
Anyway I think that is enough about us for now. If you want more information you know where to find us.
Whatever your plans all at DESERT DETOURS and ANDALUSIA DETOURS sincerely wish you a healthy and safe 2015…….most of all enjoy and take care wherever you may journey.
Very best regards
Debbie and Ray.
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY………………….?
We are now well into our
37th year of trading in the specialist touring business ……. 37 years,
where has the time gone! ....... Anyway let’s make something VERY clear, DESERT
DETOURS is NOT up for sale. It never has been and never will be.
What you may, and I stress may, see happen at some point during
the forthcoming year are reports or adverts for the recruitment of a business partner.
This is NOT a regular staff position; rather it is a full-time hands-on
association with a demonstrated commitment. Motorhome/Caravan owning or
background is not a pre-requisite, neither is experience in the “Touring”
business necessary, but client consideration in an exciting, well established
and continuously growing business is paramount.
Hey, this is starting to
sound like an early recruitment advertisement …… it’s not …… but you never
know, the right person may just be reading this!
GETTING THE BLUES……………
Chefchaouen is ranked
9th on Buzzfeed’s list of
Most Beautiful Travel Destinations, making it the only city from North Africa
and the Arab world on the list. It ranked ahead of Utah, USA, Camiguin, the
Philippines, and Cape Town, South Africa.
The New
York-based website highlighted the blue mountain village of Chefchaouen, describing
the blue city as “one of Morocco’s most picturesque towns.”………
It’s nice to
see and we have to agree, which is why we visit the town on most of our tours.
Located in
northern Morocco, just a couple of hours south of Tangier, Chefchaouen was
founded in the 1400s as a fortress to protect the north against a Portuguese
invasion.
Multiple
cultures and inhabitants marked Chefchaouen’s history, mainly Amazigh tribes,
Moroccan Jews, and Andalusian Moroccans. This diversity gave the city its unique charm and
made it one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The city’s Jewish inhabitants left the greatest mark on Chefchaouen. The city’s alleyways, houses, floors, and walls are all painted in various shades of blue – a legacy of their faith and a practice that is still in place today. Judaism recognizes the color blue as being symbolic of God and heaven, so the houses were painted as a reminder of this.
From the
bright, vibrant spices lining the streets (and the plates!), to the soft blue
palette that’s woven throughout Chefchaouen’s buildings and main pathways, without
question it’s one of Morocco’s most picturesque towns.
ANOTHER
VIDEO FROM OUR “AMAZING MOROCCO” SERIES……………
If you have already been
on one of our “Classic” tours you would have been here for three stunning and
inspiring nights we “Wilderness Camp” at this location. Those clients who were on
our December-January tour you will remember a stunning Christmas Day there. If
you are joining us in the future this is one of the many experiences you will
enjoy……either way sit back and enjoy this short video. Erg Chebbi Dunes…………….
NOT
SO LONG AFTER………..
Not so long after we in the west celebrate the birth of Christ, at Christmas, Muslims have their own festival when they observe the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.
In Morocco, Eid Al Mawlid
Annabawi, the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad which takes
place on the 12th day of Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month in Islamic calendar,
will be celebrated on January 4th.
Known by different names in the Islamic world, this
celebration in Morocco is called “Eid Al Mouloud,” or simply “Al Mouloud.”
It is an occasion when Moroccans show their devotion to their faith, a
spiritual day to recall the ideals of Islam and recite poems dedicated to the
Prophet. Of course Al Mouloud is a predominant Islamic celebration but interestingly
a number non-Islamic tradition that has also come to be associated with the
holiday.
In most of the regions in the south east of Morocco, men walk together in early
morning to the graveyard singing “Al Burdah” and women warble “you-you” when
the men pass by. In the evening, the sound of the Attalba, religious people who
memorize the Quran and master the Islamic legislature, reading the Quran and
reciting hymns glorifying God can be heard coming from houses, along with the
fragrant odour of incense and sandal wood.
Traditionally
tea, nuts and cookies are served while the Attalba read and recite the Quran and
religious poems before a meal of couscous.
The city of Salé, on the Bou Regreg estuary, holds a lantern procession on Al Mouloud called Dor Eshamaa. In Meknes, in the square of Saint Sheikh Al Kamel, the celebration on this day takes a barbaric turn. Men and women engage in wild dances using knives to strike their foreheads and eat hot embers and drink boiling water a practice that of course has nothing to do with Islam.
The city of Salé, on the Bou Regreg estuary, holds a lantern procession on Al Mouloud called Dor Eshamaa. In Meknes, in the square of Saint Sheikh Al Kamel, the celebration on this day takes a barbaric turn. Men and women engage in wild dances using knives to strike their foreheads and eat hot embers and drink boiling water a practice that of course has nothing to do with Islam.
The dancers, who usually wear white, see themselves in an ecstatic state of joy. Visitors are required to avoid wearing red clothes, a colour that is known to provoke the wild dancers. Wearing black or red is considered an offense and those who do may have their clothes torn. Perhaps the strangest aspect of this ceremony is the custom of the infirm laying at the gate of the shrine in order for the “Aisawa,” followers of the Saint, to heal them by walking on their backs.
In Tazarine, a small village about 160 kilometers from Ouarzazate, Al Mouloud is considered an important and dignified day. In the early morning, readings of the holy Quran can be heard from a distance. Men dress in white, and exchange smiles and expressions of courtesy.
The day of “Tazlaft,” [a Berber word
meaning an earthenware plate where couscous is served], is the busiest day with
loud music from tambourines. It is believed that, thanks to Saint Sidi Amrou, a
dish of couscous twice as wide as the width of the door can be passed magically
through the opening. Tradition says that anyone who looks while the miracle
takes place will be struck blind.
On Al Mouloud, the sacred co-exists with the profane. In Meknes,
for example, at the same time as some are engaged in the pagan ritual of
ecstatic dancing others are inside mosques reading the Quran or studying the
Prophet’s biography. Though these “decadent and barbarous” practices give the
ceremony a vibrant and lively atmosphere, they should not be associated with
Islam.
WRECKED……….
From time to time some of our clients express an
interest in diving off the Moroccan coast, even to the point of bringing along
their equipment on tour. Desert Detours will not be organizing a visit anytime
soon……but you never know!
A team of divers and a researcher specializing in
underwater archeology discovered, Sunday, the remains of a British steamship
which had been wrecked off in 1918 near Sidi Toual beach, 15 km south of Agadir
in the commune of Sidi Bidi (Shtouka Ait Baha province).
Preliminary data shows that pieces of wreckage are
scattered over 700 square meters, Azeddine Karra, underwater research
specialist at the Culture Ministry, told MAP.
The vestiges, found at the depth of 6-10 meters,
include rusty doors, parts of the engine and large iron bars, he said.
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In
a similar statement to MAP, Ait Baaziz, professional diver, said that the
steamship “SS Baynyassa” was on a trade mission from Brazil to Gibraltar and
changed its route towards the Agadir coast because of a mechanical failure.
MMmm………We
have in the past been able to accommodate most clients “Hobby/Interest”
requirements i.e. Golf, Skiing, Climbing etc., but like I say we have no plans
to include visits to this particular feature!!!
A PROMISE IS A PROMISE…………….
A Moroccan man from Arazan, a small village
located at few kilometers from Taroudant in southern Morocco, has kept a
promise for over 70 years to cleaning the grave of his friend’s Jewish
ancestors.
The man’s name is Lahcen. One winter day in
the early 1950s, his friend Moshe, a Moroccan Jew, and his family were forced
to leave Morocco for Israel. Moshe asked his friend, Lahcen, to take care of
the graves of his ancestors.
According to Mr. Omar Louzi, President of the
Rabat Business Club, Lahcen promised to honor the request, loyal to the
friendship he had with his Jewish friends. For more than 60 years, at the
beginning of each year, Lahcen has been cleaning the graves of the ancestors of
his Jewish friend.
Despite his meager resources, Mr. Louzi said
that at the beginning of each year, Lahcen brought a small box with black paint
and re-writes the names originally written on the graves in Hebrew. What is
amazing about Lahcen’s loyalty is that he honored the request, whilst he never had
been to school.
Now, despite his old age, Lahcen is adamant
about keeping his promise. According to Mr. Louzi, “when someone dares to say
that “it is now old, and he has already done enough to honor his promise”, he
gets angry, and answers, “A promise is a promise.” He added that he “will
continue to do what I have to do … until the return of my friend Moshe … or
until I die”.
Lahcen’s noble gesture embodies the
atmosphere of tolerance and co-existence that prevailed between the Jewish and
Muslim Moroccans in the past before their emigration to Israel and other
countries
RANDOM PICTURES…………….
Just a few of the
many thousands of photos taken during 2014…………
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