Mhamid el Rhozlane Travel Guide

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We take a trip with Hassan Naamani to the desert. You drive 60 km from Mhamid to the highst dunes in Morocco. Driving with 4 Wd is exelent expirience and the nature around you is exciting. After arriving you can have great walk on dunes, from where you can have a good sun set. You return to camping and dinner is ready. Nomads are singing and druming, dancing. Sky is full of stars and you sleep deep, cause of soo clean air. Morning is also outstanding. After breakfast we ride a camel all day long, with the few stops to relax our pelvis. We were tired and deep sleep was again on menu. Trip to Sahara with Hassan Naamani I would recomend to anybody hwo want to get real nomadic exspirience.

In morocco is difficult to say here is no good food, cause nearly everyone is cooking good.
Everyone has opportunity to choose ingridiens grove in the beautifull gardens in the oasis along Valle de draa. All the products are bio and eco. Carot taste like carot and apple like apple. Goat meat has complettly different taste...Herbs they use with it are also healthy and tasty with top note aroma. Soo dificult not to eat good.
In hammada the Draa we notice even more fine taste and delicious feeling long after meal.

Favorite Dish: Am not meat eater, but friends admit that lamb& cous-cous was farr the best what they ever try. I was happy with all the rest, like harira soup, salads, fruits - cause all soo fresh......

Well is not a shop is tipical moroccan souk. There are in every town once a week or every day. We visit many, but in the Mhamid we both the best and cheap products for health and beauty, and also for cooking.

What to buy: We both cumina, safroon (from Taroudant and we find we get it cheaper in Mhamid, to what they offerto us in Taroudant after),harissa, indigo, misuak, henna, date soap, rasul (spacial clay for hair and skin), turmeric and many others. We are all very happy with the quality and people hwo are eating with us, also. Those smells......

What to pay: Try to count and negotiate kindly and you will pay good price.

They love ideaa you cook some food from your country. I did potates grilled with oil and lot onions and goolash and many vomit...next time I cook indonesian chicken with nuts, coriander, turmeric etc..all happy..People in Morocco they love to talk, to exchange, negotiate, they love to learn what is new and spacial in countrys around and cause is stereotip for morocco - kindness, hospitality, respect family,.......They did, we did and we spend perfect time together and I learn from one sahrouie women to cook Harira and am tasting it just half an hour ago. Is very good soup and healthy aswell ,specially if you are blood type A. Mhmmmm!! Soon I ad some fantatic recepie for good lunch or simmilar occasins.

There is one story. give me pencil, give me dirham, give me kiss, give me, give me.There were soo many around me, all this hands and pulling. I got a funny feeling...is not just to give me...is also oportunity to speak, to ask, to soeak, to play...Me and my friend did that. we just change this give me to the Lets do it. And we paint together, we share colors, ideas..,nice moments. After we did sport competitions and after we gave presents to each others. Children take us to their familis, different villages, they' brake the wall 'between us and Mhamid. My warning is that dont ignore kids and also dont give them just something - take your time and learn some from them and teach them also, what you thing. Be a good messenger.
Dont be shoked if you see how older men dont want children to ask and bag and how happy they will react if you will spend your time with them. If you want just to give and go is better not to give any and in the same time you will help to resolve problems with this give me pen, give me pen...mhamid dont want this, but is very difficult to resolve this problems. Sometimes you see that becuse of tourist dont want to go to school and soon or later and as sahara walk guide, what else can be without school. If you just give, they will thing bagging works for life....when you share you can build nice moments and valuable at the same time.

Mhamid is small, but big enouph to have sellers every where. When they see you arriving, they will all run after you, with the milions of different ideas for you, things to buy, camel to choose. But if you have your own way, just dont be bodered with this habit..,explain whereyou go and to hwo you go and they will respect.

Unique Suggestions: Dont buy just to have a peace. If you want some good things from Mhamid spek to Hassan Naamani. With him you are save. If you want silver, you will get silver, if you want old - antique - you will get the real stuff. You ask for amber- is there. Dont buy stuff in the shop on the airports and hotels, because you will pre pay over too much, or just from someone...
Hassan Naamani father is an old merchant hwo transvers Sahara from Mhamid until Timbouctou many times and is the first person hwo after 1970 starts with caravans for forigner people. You are wirh and in the heart of the sahroui tradition and culture with the familiy Naamani you are also in save hands and you can expirience best and real.

Fun Alternatives: This does not mean that all the others are unpolite or bad minded..., not at all..,but it happens that you meet also some hwo just tells you some 'hot airs', just to get some from you....
His brother Habib runs Sahara hotel. Now, after great Mumbarek is death, alone. Is also very berber ethnic decoreted. Here you are in original rooted familiy - with real pedigree, If I can say soo. You aviod traps, that you move in the known places. Sahara hotel and Camping Hammada de Draa are two places in the South Morocco, from where you can explore largest dunes, have best food, and oportunity to buy good quality and good price aswell and learn some about sahroui history, present ..sahroui music.... dance....singing, tradition.....
Both persons are very good guides, drivers, organizators, historians, speaking good english and french. and many friends all over the world can admit that.

Am an therapeut of traditional chinese medicine and am working body treatment and also have some here and there, many years, but in Hammada de Draa I get one of the best body massage and beauty treatment. There are people they really know their proffession and if you there, feeling tired or stress, dont forget about this opportunity. Problem is that you must book in advance, at least few days before. My garantie is your feeling after session.Here you can also ask for Henna Tatoo Artist.