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In 2002 we spent a day with this handsome young Berber tour guide who took us to see a kasbah - a walled, older part of a north African city. His story is a remarkable one. When he was a boy of about eight, he was befriended by a man from Spain who took a great interest in him and encouraged him in his schooling. Every year he would bring books from Spain for the boy. When we were introduced to him, he had just completed a Ph.D. in social anthropology and was fluent in eight languages. I have often wondered what became of him, if he remained in the desert or if he took a job in one of Morocco's cities. He told us that the aquifers near Erfoud - the only source of water for the area - were being depleted. I have also wondered what if anything has been done or could be done about that. 
We were with a tour group in the desert in Morocco in 2002 when this photo was taken. Here are the Berbers waiting for us to mount our camels and ride to where we would see the setting sun. Later, we got into our sleeping bags for a night under the stars in a large lean-to - an altogether memorable experience.
One of the highlights of our Moroccan holiday in 2002 was a visit with the Berbers in the desert. We rode on camels at sunset, slept in the open air, and rose in the dark for another ride on the camels to see the sunrise. Here are our camels waiting for us to return to them for the ride back to Merzouga.
Here we are in Morocco on our camels in the Sahara desert in 2002. Each group of five or six camels was roped together and led by a Berber. It was a most uncomfortable ride, but a wonderful experience nevertheless. We rode our camels into the desert to see the setting sun, then slept outdoors in a large lean-to, and rose before dawn to ride out in the dark and see the desert sunrise. On the previous evening a musical entertainment was presented by the Berbers who were looking after us. Berbers are the tribes people who have lived in the southern deserts of Morocco since before the beginning of recorded history.
