Riad Salam Ouarzazate

... You can travel second class, which saves you 6 euro but also allows you to sit or stand with whoever you (don't) want First or second class it's definitely best to bring your own sandwiches, as they're more expensive than the fare. <br> <br>We stayed the night in Marrakech in a really wonderful Riad, Which a had a beautiful internal courtyard with a fountain in the centre, the guest rooms around the edges ...

Just quick entry to set the map pin. Suffice I lucked out and nabbed a guide in Merzouga who just happened to be headed to Marrakech to pick up 3 Spanish clients to guide them on a 10 day tour of Morocco.<br><br> Thus, instead of struggling w/ mind-boggling taxi negotiations to navigate to Quarzazate (about 8 hrs. from Merzouga), I ...

... the family and get the tents up whilst Ahmed produces that Lamb Casserole with soup.<br>The goats live pretty much by daylight so it's an early night before the 5.30 dawn chorus.<br>The next 6 days then follow the pattern of early starts and trekking up to 6 hours and a lazy afternoon waiting for the goats to catch up. We climb to 3200 metres &amp; experience the temperature swings at that height as well as some residual winter snow.<br>Overnight ...

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.

... with Moroccan men without them. We checked into a nice hotel next to a giat Kasbah Hotel where film crews are staying and ate our own picnic of fresh produce on sandwichs made by Nadine. We can make out the outline of the city in the dark and cant wait till sunrise to see it in all its glory. Joy. We still havent found a magic lying carpet or genie lamp. We have our three wishes ready though. Roast dinner with family, a night in at the Tugun penthouse watching DVDs and a picnic with our friends.

... this morning. Kasbahs are actually fortified buildings with four walls that rich caravan traders built for their families. At one Kasbah, they said that the women never left the Kasbah except for when they were born, when they got married, and when they died. My mom would hate that! Tomorrow we head over the Atlas mountains to Marrakech - on the road again! We will cross the highest mountain pass in all of Morocco and in all of North Africa before getting back to a big city.

... s unexpectedly hard to stop for a photo - once you stop your car, children from all around start running towards the car and want some money. In one case they nearly broke the windows of our car, wow;). And if not children, there are some tourist-things-sellers nearby for sure;). So it's good to be quick or to stop at desert places. Back on the main road we cut the corners down into the valleys. And then comes a surprise, a police roadblock. Officers say something ...

... The drive was very scenic, the red desert, the adobe villages in the hills all around, the snake-like roads sneaking up the mountain slopes, the massive colorful rocks rising out of the hills - amazing. I stopped in some places to take photos. One time I was just facinated by one of the hilltop adobe villages, this one on the other side of the road, so I drove to the side, parked the car, took my camera and got out of the car. There was no traffic, too, so I had the ...

... and the piece-de-resistance was the freshly made profiteroles covered with warm belgian chocolate sauce ... yum! We spent the night at a nice hotel across from the famed Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. I was too exhausted to tour this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the sunset on this clay city made for a great photo. The site is featured in the films Romancing the Stone & Gladiator.

... itself. It was lush green with pink wild flowers growing near beautiful willows with a stream flowing through sparkling from the sun setting over the rocks. It reminded me of a fairy tale setting. All I needed to see now was a damn unicorn taking its evening drink from the stream and a couple of trolls asking for gold. I got one of the best nights of sleep the entire trip that night. We were in for another long day of driving so it was much needed.