Travel on the Salt Road...

I believe it's been on the TV before, but currently showing on the BBC is Morocco to Timbuktu: An Arabian Adventure (this link takes you to the book available on Amazon.com) where the presenter, writer, explorer and Arabist, Alice Morrison, travels in the footsteps (literally in some instances) of the salt and gold traders of old.

She's so enthused about her subject, finding excitement in holding a gold coin that could have come from Timbuktu, trekking over the Atlas Mountains, living with one of the few remaining nomadic families from the area, getting hands-on in a tannery in Fes, and sleeping in venues the camel caravans and traders would have hundreds of years before.

Here's the original trailer just so you have a taste.

To me, this is high adventure, fantasy nearly. It reminds me of the Silk Road (which I'm fascinated by), but in this case it's the salt trading roads on which she is travelling. I'd love to have time to travel like this, but in the meantime, why not journey with a fascinating and knowledgeable expert? I'll probably learn more this way, even if I don't get to see the sun set, experience the smells, or feel the sand beneath my toes (or anywhere else!).

It's not just about the journey itself, or experiencing a different culture in today's world, but just as importantly it's about the connection with the past and learning to see how things have changed and developed over time. It's brilliant and feeds my love of learning, travel, culture, history and good documentaries.

I'll admit, I can't wait for the next episode for another fix of this Arabian adventure...

(And here's a link so you can see some more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08qlhkp)