Hotel La Vallee 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.

... are based around some (vaguely) nearby mountain streams and areas for the animals so that the length of treks do vary. We are of course in the 'middle of nowhere' so you have to relax in camp with the bed rolls &amp; some rocks to lounge around on.<br>One day the stream is full enough for the cold water hair wash and clean up, otherwise it's mainly wet wipes &amp; the bush for the toilet stop. Impromtu English/Berber lessons continue as do the stone ...

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.

... brown mud rushing over the road. There were cars parked on either side but it was impassable. We got out to survey the scene and take pictures. We started asking people how long they thought it would take to clear the road. The responses were varried but always with an in'sh'Allah (God willing) at the end. "Four hours, in'sh'Allah!" they said. "Maybe six, in'sh'Allah, or tomorrow in'sha'Allah!" This of course came as ...

... la que eu fui! P.s.: o passeio cinematografico nao ficou apenas nisso, a rota dos Kashbars aparece tb no filme Babel, Brad Pitt e Cate Blanchet estao passeando por essa area quando ela leva o tiro (no filme). E fora que Ouazazate eh a Holywood do Marrocos, eles possuem vairos estudios e ateh um museu do cinema, devido a grande quantidade de filmes que fazem por la (eh a cidade mais perto de Ait Ben Haddou...)

... driver's holden wagon couldn't take the rough roads too well, so we made our way back the way we came - but no complaints, as to do this through an organised company would have cost us 4x more! A shoe purchase, tagine &amp; couscous later, we enjoyed our last sunset in Tafraoute before catching an early am bus for Taroudant, which was fairly uninspiring - not even a kodak moment to be had. So we kicked on after one night to face another full day on the bus (which once I ...

... but for Camel treks too, and possessing a sign that states 52 days to Mali by Camel over the Sahara (which I tried really hard to see, but had no luck). The towns we passed through in the Valley were all Kasbah style, but Zagora seemed to be a more "modern" town. This means they were attempting( the KEY word) to develop it, but didn't quite have it right yet for you'd have desert style houses made out of mud next to newly built buildings, that were ...

... was so kind to help me get out of the city, by taking his car and driving in front of me until reaching the highway so that I wouldn't get lost, and taught me a few tricks of the trade, like that you should give some coins to the guy putting petrol in your car.<br><br>Then I was on my own. Driving up to 2.100 m altitude in the Atlas Mountains was a piece of cake for my little Fiat, even though some hills were quite steep, but it was a reasonably powerful car.<br ...

... but it really comes alive late in the day and into the night. Musicians, story tellers, snake handlers, magicians, henna women, abused monkeys, and charlatans dressed as traditional water-sellers. It's like watching a low budget variety show (such as recent Saturday Night Lives). Nonetheless, watch it we did, for hours at a time from cafes and terraces surrounding the square. It's as hypnotic as it is idiotic. Some samples of the incredibly intelligent dialogue ...