The High Atlas

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Our Perle du Dades hosts very kindly drove us most of the way to our next destination, the biggest Kasbah in Morocco. They even directed us to another one we ought to see on the way. Sadly, though, there didn't seem to be any public transport or taxis between the two.

Gavin didn't believe the prices for chartering a taxi at first, so it took a couple of hours (and a morale-boosting pizza) before we found anyone to drive us up there. We finally left, for about half the original quote. 5km down the road, we were handed over to another driver and another vehicle. We did get a little nervous when he kept stopping to pour water on his engine in the middle of the desert! It hardly bothered us by comparison when there was no handbrake. The driver leapt out, the car started rolling backwards, and he had to jump back in before he could get a rock behind the car wheel as alternative brake!

We made it over the mountain pass to Telouet. There's an enormous Kasbah, built largely with French funds to their Berber chieftain who kept the Berbers in order for them. Our characterful guide gave us a surprisingly enlightening and entertaining tour around the Kasbah, given that he was speaking French (his third language and our second). He forewarned us about Marrakech - it gives you "couscous a la tete", he said. How right he was!

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