I landed in Casablanca and only stayed overnight at the hotel near the airport because in the morning I would take a flight to Ouarzazate where I rented the car.
It was not properly hotel but something like airbnb though it wasn't airbnb, LOL. It was private house where they rented a couple of rooms to people. The room was spacious and nice with balcony, but the place was not so good because near there wasn't nothing to do and no any restaurant.
My dinner for which I got to wait one hour.
I ordered even tea it took probably one half hour more than the sandwiches, ☺
Next day early morning I flew to Ouarzazate, pick up the car and drove right to Erg Chebbi, to Khamlia where I have a couple of friends and can stay with one family there which I know since many years ago and visit them each time I am in Morocco.
By the way, on the way to Khamlia I saw this one "thing" and wonder what it can be. No idea. It was on the road from Alnif towards Rissani.
But, after a little searching now got I know that it is Gara Medouar, geological formation ("erosion cirque"). In the 11th century it was developed into a fortress with a military garrison for to protect Sijilmasa (now Rissani), where gold coins were minted, and the trade routes from the south. Likely had the fortifications built of the Almoravid dynasty , which included a wall of up to 12 meters high.
Jebel Mudawwar may have been the Tasagdalt mentioned by one of the amirs of the Banu Midrar dynasty which was Berber dynasty, Muhammed Ibn al-Fath, who fled from Sijilmasa to "Tasagdalt, a stone fortress some twelve miles from Sijilmasa" sometimes between 909-913?
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gara_Medouar
I love this desert there and village Khamlia, it is silence, not so touristy, only when they go and eat at the best restaurant in Erg Chebbi area, Cafe Nora. Then it can be a little more lively during lunch and dinner.
I stayed there about 10 days and drove around tried to find new place where I not have driving before. Mot so many new I found but a couple anyway. There was nothing special, only joy to drive and look and bee there.
It was some military post behind Taouz there.
This time I was lucky and saw many flamingos when I drove to the lake. Too bad the light was pretty bad and maybe even the sun came from the wrong hole so it was not visible their pink color.
Near Rissani are many small ksars so one day me with my friends were we going there to finally to visit it. This I wanted to do many times but on some way not managed to do it.
About 4 km North-east from Rissani is Ksar el Fida, important and most ancient of the Alaouite ksar in Tafilalet. It dates back to the King Moulay Ismail, the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, in late of sixteenth century.
One other was Ksar Oulad Abdelhlim near the Ksar Abbar where Moulay Ismail, founder of Rissani was born
of course when I was there in Erg Chebbi I could not miss to go to sand dunes also which are wonderful there playing with many different color which depend of the sun and sky
Then it was the last evening there in Khamlia with my friends and even last dinner which was delicious, as all meal I have all the time there. They are exceptional cooks, all of them, though my friend's is the best anyway. LOL
We were driving back to Ouarzazate via Alnif and Agdez, this route I like more than the other via Tinerhir where is much traffic etc. while this one is almost empty, really a desert road. Also to skip to drive twice the same road, because to Khamlia I was driving from Ouarzazate to Tinerhir, then over Sargro mountain to Alnif and Rissani.
I stayed 2 nights in Ouarzazate because this time I wanted see even Fint Oasis which is only a couple of kilometer from there.
Then it was only Ouarzazate to leave the car and next day at morning flew I to Casablanca and back to Sweden.
Rent a car company was in new building and I was nice surprised that they build houses in traditional style can I say. Modern but with suitable and nice, tasteful style ☺
