Trance traveling to the
ends of the earth

The Moroccan police officer in the gray uniform says he's sure le grand festival is going to come off just fine -- never mind the fact that his small city on the edge of the Sahara Desert is about to be invaded by thousands of freaks from Allah-knows-where, wielding loud music, wild ideas and a desire to dance like dervishes for four days straight.

The policeman sits at a café sipping mint tea and agrees that, yes, there may be some problems with illegal drugs. He swooshes a fly from his cup and insists, again, that he's not worried. It's as if to say, "we survived invasion by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Spanish and the French, so what's a few thousand debauched loonies preaching peace, love and universal enlightenment through techno music?"

And so, on a sunny afternoon in a small town on the edge of a vast desert, Morocco becomes the latest country to meet the Deadheads of the new millennium.

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Photo Gallery Take a visual journey through Morocco.

Map of Morocco See a larger map of the country. (Pop-up window)

Trance Links Wanna learn more? Visit these trance sites.

A journey from Seattle to the Sahara
A group of Seattle travelers braves high-pressure snake charmers, eye-searing sandstorms, cultural gaffes and some really nasty toilets to travel to Morocco for a four-day trance festival that will draw 3,000 revelers from every corner of the planet.

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Where the women are
In Morocco, many people pack up towels and soap and head to public baths for a good soaking and thorough scrubbing.

Road warrior
It's worth noting here that what passes for a highway in Morocco would be considered a quaint country road in the United States.

A trek into Berber life
On the way back from the fest, Kevin MacDonald gets dropped off at a small Berber village in the Atlas Mountains.

Seattle DJs take you inside the trance
Q&A with Seattle trance DJs Muschi and Kundabuffer. With links to trance sites.