Le Courchevel Oukaimeden

... Almohad's) hid and then swept down through the plains in their purifying conquest that installed them as rulers of all of Morroco for a few centuries at least. Ever windier roads took us up and up to the famous pass where we were ringed by more snow clad peaks. Starting downwards on the southern side, the views went on forever over the plains and towards the coast. With the Atlas Mountains behind us, we were ready for our sweep down through the plains...

In order to make the walk good for all, it was decided to make two teams going over to Tacchedirt different ways. The fast fit team walked over Oukaimeden mountain. This walk was very steep to start but at the top gave fabulous views of the Tacchedirt Valley. The rise was from 2600metres at the Club Alpin Francais to 3200metres on top. The weather was good and with excellent views over the ...

... showed us the water driven mill that would grind grain for bread, the kitchen and other rooms. The guide of course was looking for money after giving the tour. So far this was becoming an expensive trip into the mountains. From the Berber house we went across the street where we were shown how the women used stones to break open almonds. The almonds were then used to make foods and cosmetics. There was a ...

... got back to out hostel at the end of the second day! There are lots of other treks to do in the area as well, if you have time don't just confine yourself to Toubkal! We were dogged most of the way up by 3 German guys with a flag ("a flag?!" "yes, a flag."). Not the German flag, but a flag showing the symbol of their walking club. How very German. They beat us to the top eventually, but only because I thought I was going to die ("it was ...

... up the paths, but we could only keep this up for so long. Often along the path would be another group of people descending from the peak that morning and would often inform us how good it was up there. it seemed the only other form of transport that could navigate the tricky paths were donkeys and we came across these beasts fully loaded regularly. We would do a good burst of about 30 minutes before stopping for a serious rest and some food. We ...

Having spent a night in the coastal Spanish town of Cadiz, simply because we had no accomodation in Sevilla, we crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar in a very slow ferry to Morocco. We only really decided to go to Morocco about 2 weeks ago, and it felt pretty random. On the ferry we brushed up on our previously non-existent Arabic and French language skills, and tried to ingrain in our thick heads the Muslim customs that we should abide by (for example, not handing over ...

... watching it dubbed in French this time wasn't too bad. The theater had a pretty good amount of people and earned a round of applause from the Morrocans that were watching it. Hearing Yoda speak French is amusing. Going to get something to eat soon and then go back to my hotel to rest. I didn't want the trip to end like this but there isn't much I can do.

... for a bit because he was introducing me to all these people that didnt' speak English and neither did he so I pretty much had to just say "a huh" or "i don't know" over and over. I showed my displeasure and motioned to go back up to Zach's house so we did. Zach gave me a Arabic/English music CD that he was playing that I really enjoyed. Today was a very interesting day. I'm glad to be back at the hotel and in the medina but it was very nice to get away from this part ...

... We went to eat in the night market at Djemma el-Fna at a food stall. There were lots of things to choose from but we went with some olives, bread with some kind of salsa type dip, a tomato and cucumber salad kind of like my dad makes and beef on a stick. There were many other things to try but I'll save that for tomorrow. The workers at the stand were fun and it is interesting to watch them try and get people at their stall. The overall vibe of this square is ...

... stuff. Kind of like a "Cliff Notes" travelog. That night we returned for another food orgy in the main square, and topped it off with a paying-for-the-atmosphere mint tea on a roof-top restaurant overlooking the action. Phil and I both agreed that Marrakesh has bumped our previous favorite cities (his was Hanoi, mine was Istanbul) out of their top spots. Bellies full of fresh-squeezed orange juice and honey crepes, we got back on the (BORING BORING HOT BORING) north-bound train to Meknes.