Dar Kamar Ouarzazate

... br>We drove out of Marakech on the road to the High Atlas in the direction of Ouarzazate (pronounced "who said zat") We stopped on route for mint tea, and at lunch time had delicious Moroccan Tajine and Brocheta , we bought an ammonite at one of the en-route little shops, also available were the lovely crystals in rocks and onyx eggs that the place is famous for, but Sharkita has enough junk onboard to ...

... whizzed south across the interiorior of Morocco - in a nice new Toyota 4x4. We sped though Todra Gorge, the Dades, Valley of the Roses et al, and landed for the night at a lovely little riad overlooking the city. Had a beer (along w/ my Muslim guide!) on the rooftop terrace, dinner, and then set off for Marrakech the next morning.

... passes &amp; ledges; I also lose count of the times we criss-cross the stream on the way up.<br>Ahmed continues to star with casseroles &amp; soup (&amp; pancakes/omelettes in the morning) but on Day 3 a goat finds its way to the pot &amp; we are 'honoured' with barbequed offal in stomach/intestine lining. Day 4 inevitably brings goat casserole.<br>So we finally make the villages at Zawyat Oulmzi where there is a hostel we share with a Belgian school group.

Ait Ben Haddou is one of the oldest Kasbahs in Morocco. Onthe way to the hotel we saw goats on the side of a maountain. And from the roof of the hotel I took pictures of the kasbah and the neighbors garden. We met 2 German girls the next morning and gave them a ride to Casablanca. They were lots of fun.

... to those of us from countries where there are such things as sand bags and alternative routes. But in Morocco, the dammage done by a day or so of rain is fixable only by Allah and we were at his whim. While brainstorming about our next course of action we were approached by a man who got our attention by with a "Hey! You are the two French and two Americans who are going to the dessert with Hassan. Abdo is waiting for ...

... you wont know how much to pay). Then a string of other questions follow like asking which country you are from (they know how much tourists from each country will pay based on past sales), then will ask how long you will stay in their town (if it is a small town they know they will no doubt see you again and have longer to form a relationship with you and score the sale), they can spot if you are freshmeat because they notice everybody and then if you do buy then they will ...

... midi, ce qui nous laisse encore le temps de visiter la Kasbah de Taourirt (qui a aussi appartenu au Pacha de Marrakech, le pacha El Glaoui). Lahcen nous depose en début d'après-midi au Dar Daïf, une jolie Kasbah maison d'hôte en banlieue de Ouarzazate. Hélène se laisse même tenter par un hamam, pour finir en beauté (et enlever la crasse du desert :p).

... explained the imagery used in Berber carpetweaving. After a while, we got the distinct impression that the bus wasn't going to let us leave until somebody had bought a carpet. In the end, we did buy a carpet, along with 2 other couples. For the night, we stopped in at a hotel in the middle of nowhere, I can only assume they cater solely to the bus tours, albeit in an idyllic gorge. Onto the desert....

... those smelly camels and eventually back to our hotel feeling like we had been out all day even though it was only about 4 hours. One amazing morning. More long drives followed. Morocco is a huge country and we sure did a lot of driving! Leaving Erfoud behind us we headed for the Todra Gorge. This is a narrow canyon that rises about 200m high. After a lunch break here we went to Ouarzazate (pronounced Warzarzat) for the night.

... back to sleep. But apparently Issam overslept, because later he got up and went to work, I laid there and relaxed for a little bit and then got up when I noticed Ibrahim watching me "sleep". Creepy. At that point I realized what time it was, and was in deed NOT happy. I literally jumped into my clothes, grabbed my bag and left - but Ibrahim ran in front of the exit door, and asked me to stay. I told him no, but he insisted. I put on my angry face and pulled the door ...