Les Tourmalines Ouarzazate

... tranquil place to rest after the hustle and bustle of the Souk. Marrakech souk is really very touristy, but a place not to be missed. We arranged with Mahjoub the Riad owner to return in 4 Arabian nights time, if you ever want to stay in Marrakech his is the place, excellent value for money, great breakfast, fantastic house, pleasing staff. www.riadjbellakhdar.com <br><br>We decided to rent a car for 4 days ...

... 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.

... Jewel of the Nile) and Ali Benhaddou with its famous Kasbah. We also drove through the rose growing area which was quite a surprise.<br>Ahmed shopped for some initial provisions - so that will be the meat from the hanging sheep carcasses then, plus fruit and vegetables. The snow looms on the mountain tops and a local shop is delighted that we want 36 bottles of water between the 4 of us.<br>A jolly first evening as we manage some sort of interaction ...

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.

... wanted to do similar things so we could split costs. The next day we started cruising all the car rental agencies looking for like minded travellers. As judgemental and picky as Elise and I are, this was not an easy task. We were lucky enough though to find two French guys who were trying to rent a car that was over their budget. After a few formalities, and discovering we all wanted to go into the desert, we were off. At ...

Entao, hoje eu iz um passeio pelo "quase" deserto. Eh uma regiao montanhosa, onde estao os pontos mais altos do norte da Africa, a cordilheira do Atlas, ela fica entre Marrakech e o deserto do Saara. Depois de dar uma olhada nas montanhas a gente seguia a rota do Kashbar. Kashbar eh uma antiga cidade-fortaleza berbere, contridas antes ou durante a invasao arabe na regiao, sao todos construidos de barro seco ...

... only to find the price had doubled &amp; jumped out of our budget. So, off to another joint around the corner at half the price, but after inspection, were a little concerned we might be carried off in the night by the bed bugs and if any of you have seen Trainspotting you'll have an idea of what the bathroom &amp; loos were like! So off to find another abode and finally find a place to rest our heads in meagre clean comfort. Find ourselves adopted on the morrow by Hassan ...

After some lunch at a set meal restaurant(90 dirham for 1 person! less than £5 each, but Morocco style this was expensive so we split) and a view of another Kasbah we were on our way. The next journey of the trip in the car was just as long, but more scenic, for we drove through the Draa Valley, where there were Palmeries galore. Morocco's number one export, Dates, is from these trees, and the country is in trouble because they have an uncurable and ...

... 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 ...

... or grapefruit, or a tropical mix, or any other type of juice; nope - orange). The other 1/4 sell nuts and dried fruit. Stall after stall, side by side, all selling the same thing and, judging by the full barrels of peels, all doing pretty well. In fact, the keep-your-competition-close theory seems to apply to basically all aspects of Moroccan commerce. There are the carpet sellers, the silversmiths, the leather workers, the butchers, the herbalists, and the ...