Hotel Les 5 Lunes Ouarzazate

Sorry not to have updated the blog for a little while(really bad wifi !!!), We thought that we should go for a little trip inland as the boat is safe in Bouregreg marina, and of course it's very cheap. <br><br>So with our Swiss friends we took the train to Marakesh.The train takes about 4 hrs and was pretty comfortable as we went first class, which is fairly advisable if you would like to sit next to your ...

... 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.

Hiked back to the hotel this morning just after sunrise - nothing like a 3 hour hike to start the morning :) Long day of travel - took a local bus to Ouarzzate, and picked up a minibus that took us to Ait Benhaddou - site of a world heritage protected kasbah. How many people fit on a local minibus with 4 benches? You'd think 14 (4 x 3 in the back plus 2 in the front). You'd be wrong.. I believe ...

... home to just a small number of local inhabitants. There are the token busloads of tourists that come in daily, but these all clear out by sundown. But alot has happened up to this point (it's hard to believe we've only been on the road for a couple of weeks so far!)... We finally managed to get to Tafraoute after being told anything from 10am, 2pm &amp; 4pm for when the once a day bus left, we found ourselves laving Tiznit at 3pm. We were the only westerners on the bus that ...

... Ouarzazate, and maybe Zagora. I think this is mainly so we don'y have to sit on a bus for 9 hours. Today we boarded a bus for Ouarzazate. It's a small mountain town, on the other side of the Atlas from Marrakech. Our bus ride ended at night, so we thought we'd get some zzzs aboard; we were wrong. The mountains are amazing. bigger than anything I've seen before in BC or ...

... all to myself. Down the hill on my side of the road comes a cute Moroccan kid running down the slopes. He says Bonjour. I tell him good day back in French and compliment him on his French. He smiles. Two more kids come running down the slope, both say Bonjour and I do the same. More and more kids come, one starts asking for money, but I tell him no. All the other kids depand money, and are now getting really aggressive, placing their hands in my pockets and I try ...

... guys squeal for mercy. What a great experience though! The girls also had a similar time being exfoliated by a 450lb women. Following the Hammam, the six of us (the 2 other couples) went to Amands friends house for dinner. We were served dinner at around 10:30, so needless to say we were starving! We had couscous, a tradition meal. it takes around 3-4 hours to prepare it properly. It was very good. We listened to some drumming and then headed back tot he hostel.

... up on CTM, a full cut above the rest of the bus companies (and only an extra 5 dirham, or $0.80, go figure), and as we were checking our backpacks I couldn't help but notice the women in front of me in line. Joining us en route to Marrakesh were a couple sultry blue-hairs, with proper British manners and accents, combined age nearing 150 and with, believe it or not, carry-on knitting. Welcome back to the mainstream, tough guy. One interesting note from the bus ...