Casa to Atlas to Sahara to Tanger
In January/February of this year, I went to Morocco to visit my friend Max Strong. I flew into Casablanca and we had planned a meandering road trip to the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara, and then back up to the coast and west to Tanger. Luckily for me, Max can get by speaking Dorija(Moroccan Arabic) and we rented a car and set off into the mountains.
Traveling around Morocco the people are incredibly hospitable. We went into countless people’s homes for tea and snacks and Max would talk to people about their beautiful rugs and we’d eventually get a tour of whole villages; 500 year old Mosques, orchards, and once even saw the community’s original cave dwellings and mountain spring that was their lifeline in the dry climate. Their generosity inspires me to provide the same hospitality for strangers that come into my life; something to cultivate.
With the recent earthquakes in the Atlas mountains, I’m unsure about the health and safety of all these people we met, I don’t really have anyone’s contact information for people in that area specifically. It feels jarring going to seemingly ancient communities that can be destroyed merely months later, and reinforces the temporality of our existence. Enjoy - XO RUBY
