The Traveling Writer
Join the journey to beauty, adventure and creativity
Friday, July 11, 2025
Life-Changing Moment & Desert Camp!
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Mystery and Beauty of the Sahara Desert
By Norma Hopcraft
The Sahara is a dry plateau not necessarily covered with sand dunes, Aziz, our group's guide, told us. In fact, he insisted we were not in the Sahara yet.
But for the last full day we'd been bussed across a dry plateau. When we had stepped off the bus for a break, our footsteps sent up puffs of dust. We'd been parched even though drinking lots of bottled water.
Then we came up to some sand dunes. I got my first camel ride, my first 4x4 drive on sand dunes, my first night ever out under the desert stars.
In my opinion, we were in the Sahara. You can decide for yourself from the pictures.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Inspiration at the Gate to the Sahara
By Norma Hopcraft
Morocco is magnifique! Let the architecture, carving, and tilework you see here inspire you with an interior design project, or an inlaid wooden box you've imagined making, or a quilt.
We spent a night in the Sahara -- you'll see those pictures next -- but first explored beautiful Moorish buildings on the edge of the desert.
Even though we weren't officially yet in the desert, it exerts a powerful presence. The soil was painfully dry as far as the eye could see. Dust puffed out from under our shoes with each footstep and coated our shoes.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Morocco, a land of mysteries and stories
By Norma Hopcraft
I feel so exotic -- I'm writing to you from Rabat, capital city of Morocco. I will meet my tour group here at approx. 5 pm. My sister arrives from Marrakech then too!