Travel Tales, Over the High Atlas Mountains

“Travel Tales with Curious Lizard and Adventure Squirrel.” Ep. 1

I really dislike riding backwards and as much as I wanted too, I couldn’t complain. Our ride was a twin propeller airplane and our flight path took us straight over the high Atlas Mountains. Gaining altitude as we flew a pattern of slow circles, Mustafa pointed east, “that’s Algeria” he said, “and the base we took off from was used by the French Foreign Legion during the occupation.” My mind reflexively flashed through images of Beau Geste.

From above, brown earth and dusty Sahara air revealed traces of green sinews winding here and there, river valleys bringing life giving water to small farms, fruit and olive trees. We flew higher and the High Atlas Mountains loomed closer. On we went. Waves of fog broke over the summits, boiling air turbulence tossed our little plane, Slam! I reached up to prevent my head form smashing into the fuselage. In spite of myself, I felt a little panic creeping up my spine. Slam! Jokingly, Christy began to invoke the name of a Moroccan demon, both Mustafa and myself blurted out “don’t do that!” She stopped.

The worst of it lasted about fifteen minutes. I looked over to Mustafa and he was praying passionately, this was when I realized we would make it. The rest of the two hour ride was less harrowing and ended with us landing safely in the breezy coastal town of Essaouira. Feet firmly planted on the ground I turned to Mustafa and said “that was the most terrifying experience of my life,” he smiled and replied “really? I was’t scared at all.”