Zaghro Hotel Ouarzazate

... a battle ship, so we just got the fossil, which we're going to stick on the wall in the head. <br> <br>After heading over the High Atlas pass at 2400 mtrs, we arrived at Ait Benhaddou, which is famous for it's 12 century Kasbar, which has been used for the filming of Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia. The whole place is built of mud bricks. Which don't appear to be kiln fired, there aren't ...

... 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 ...

... required to live. Camel herders touch the sides of the hump to assess whether a camel is ready for a long journey. 5. Camels are called "vessels of the desert" by the people of the Sahara. 6. Camel caravans always started out two hours before sunset, to avoid the heat of the day and to navigate by the stars. 7. All parts of a camel are used. Camels are used first for transportation. In the desert, they are more reliable than a 4x4 ...

... because you had to walk with your head down to make sure you had a steady step. Our favourite donkey came for the ride and we stopped once to let him eat and rest (and for us to do the same thing!). We walked back over to the same trail as yesterday, said goodbye to the donkey then hit the canyons for a bit of boulder climbing! It was great - sliding down rock faces, positioning feet, trying to avoid pools of water ...

... a while and a "I'll never do it again" promise I pay 100dh. Phew, they sure know how to earn on tourists. By the way, they like long segments of 60kmh, usually when there is no need for this sign;). Because of all the stopping and really heavily winding roads, the crossing of the mountains took as nearly all the day and it's nearly evening now. But still, we want to visit the famous kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. We turn to a minor road and after cutting local stone ...

... 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 ...

... supplying me with Latin music during the ride ... somehow thought that it was appropo ... lol Interaction with local Berber families was not as good as I expected. Maybe because all 12 of us were with the family and a host of other student visitors were there as well. I did have some henna done by one of the young girls. Dinner was tasty & the entertainment by the ladies of the house was lively.