Day 7

We left the hotel at 8am to walk to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Ben Haddow. Built in the 11th century it became a stopping place on the caravan routes. Other than being a main tourist stop now it is also used as a backdrop for numerous films.

We were staying just across the river so we were able to visit long before the tourist buses started to arrive.

We spent about an hour wandering through its narrow lanes and enjoying the views from the walls which protected the town. 

These days it is inhabited by just a few families but there were a few artisan craft shops as well as the usual souvenir shops.

                    

We also visited a carpet weaving women's cooperative. Some of the carpets were made here but a lot of them were made by the women in their own homes and then brought here to be sold.

There was a huge variety of sizes, designs and colours. They were reasonably priced considering the hours of work that goes into making them. 

Today would be our final lunch together as the tour finishes when we get to our hotel in Marrakech tonight. Youseff had arranged for us to have lunch in the home of his old driver. He was a delightful host and there was an obvious bond between the two of them,

 

After lunch some of the girls had their hands decorated with henna by the daughter of our host. Henna has been used for centuries in North Africa and the Middle East with its origin being traved back to Ancient Egypt. The use of henna is mainly for celebrations and special occasions such as weddings, festivals and religious holidays.

We continued on our journey through the Atlas mountains to Marrakech. 

We arrived in the city just before 4pm and quickly dropped off our luggage at the hotel before meeting our guide who was going to show us around. I would only be here overnight as I have an early flight home in the morning.

The guide took us into the Medina, probably the most famous place in the city. It is approximately 6sq km in size within 19km ramparts. It was colourful, very busy and it was also getting dark. Imagine my surprise as I turned a corner and bumped into a friend from the bowl's club back at home! I had forgotten she had mentioned that she would be in Marrakech for a golf competition at about the same time as myself. I can't tell you how shocked we were to see one another. Didn't have much time for a chat as I was worried I would lose sight of the guide and be lost in the Medina.

Once our guide had finished the orientation tour we found the nearest rooftop bar to relax and admire the view. We had said goodbye to Youseff and our driver at the hotel. He was an excellent guide, just couldn't fault him. Despite the health issues I experienced it was a very good, fast paced trip. Youseff included so many more experiences than were in the itinerary which added to our enjoyment of this incredible country. Another 10 out of 10 trip from G Adventures.

Day 6 Todra Gorge

The hotel we stayed in last night was in the village next to the Todra Gorge. The Gorge is a limestone canyon on the edge of the High Atlas mountains. We enjoyed a beautiful early morning walk to the Gorge, followed by one or two stray dogs.

The date palms were in full fruit.

The walk brought us up to the road going through the canyon. The cliffs towered above the road.

The cliffs attracted rock climbers of both human and animal varieties.

The stall holders were out selling their wares.

Youseff then took us to see a cave dwelling family he had befriended a few years ago.

 He took a large box of groceries which he distributed amongst us to give to the family. Apparently many families used to live in the caves here but the majority have moved into local towns. The father wasn't there as he was out looking after his goats. 

 

The mother made us all some tea and was very happy to sit with us and answer questions. 

The children, 13 and 8 both went to school in the nearest town. Youseff had bought them a bike to make the journey easier for them.The children brought their school.books to show him and spoke a little to.us in French as they are learning that at school.

It was a fascinating insight into a completely unknown way of life. The mother was the same age as my daughter and the children the same ages as my grandchildren. Needless to say that's where the comparisons ended. Not sure how they manage living out here in the winter.

 

We left the family to return to the Gorge which was now filling with tourists. Our minibus was waiting to take us to our next stop which was a dog rescue centre run by an ex guide. During Covid he had converted a small piece of land into a beautiful garden with a guest house. 

The profit from the house and providing meals for passing tourist groups goes towards caring for the stray dogs.

 

After lunch we visited the large shed behind the guest house where they looked after stray and sick puppies. 

 

A couple of local.vets provide vaccinations and health care at a reduced cost. The dogs looked well cared for and healthy. Dogs can be purchased and transported abroad. Some of the puppies had that adorable pleading look but I did resist.

Our hotel for the night was near Ait Ben Hedden. This area has been used for numerous films. Hence the giant mural on the wall from the film Gladiator. We passed a couple of mobile film.units. Gladiators, some biblical films and more I had not heard of ( but everyone else had) were made here. Another hotel with a pool which we didn't use. I had bought a bottle of Moroccan red wine earlier in the day and we settled down by the pool enjoying a drink and chat. Many hotels do not sell alcohol but it is acceptable to bring your own and drink it openly in the public areas in the hotels.

After a large meal at lunchtime we were not that hungry but we did pop.out later in the evening for a slice of pizza.

Day 5

 Today we left the Sahara behind on our way to the Atlas mountains. Water used to be brought down from the mountains through huge pipes to provide for the smaller villages and towns. At regular intervals there were wells for the villages to  access the water.

We stopped to visit one of the families who lived in one of these disuded water tunnels. An enterprising family that now have opened their home to private tours.

We were taken down some steps into the tunnel.

Every 50 m or so there was a large hole where a family had accessed the water. 

Deep inside a candle lit table had been laid for us and we were served a delicious meal.

We then made our way out of the tunnel into the strong daylight.

The next part of out jouney took us through the fertile valleys of the Atlas mountains.

Of course, wherever we stopped, we were greeted by friendly faces wanting to sell us something.

By late afternoon we arrived at our hotel for the night/ The swimming pool looked lovely but it was freezing cold and nobody ventured into the water.

 In stead we all sat in the gardens to just relax and chat. The tables were set outside for us to enjoy our evening meal in the lush gardens.  We had only just started eating when it began pouring with rain. We quickly picked up our plates and ran indoors. Four of us stayed on after dinner to chat to our guide Youseff. He had been born in the desert and was brought up living the life of a nomad. It was no wonder he had connections with so many people. He changed the itinerary quite a bit to include extra visits to people's homes etc making it a very special and interesting trip. He has decided that he wants to start his own travel business rather than working for a company. He is an excellent tour guide and I hope he makes a success of it. He is one of G Adventures top guides and is off to Cambodia on a trip next week as a reward from the company