Hollywood in North Africa

---

13 Sep - we leave the Todra Gorge and drive throught the Dades Gorge which is even more spectacular...very red stone and strange rock formations, some look like giant feet. Drive through the valley of the 1000 Kasbahs to Ouarzazate. This area is famous for being used by Hollywood as a film set (including good old Lawrence of Arabia) and they are currently filming Prince of Persia: Sands of Time with Ben Kingsley, due for release in 2010.

We visit a herbologist who explains all the herbs and spices used by the berbers for both cooking and medicinal purposes. I buy some mint green tea and sandalwood to use on pulse points to ease stress and sore heads...not that I'm suffering from much stress at the moment 😊 We then arrive at the fortified village / UNESCO Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. This is a 14th century village and we visit a typical 3 storey berber house, one of few still inhabited. The family let us look round and take photos - livestock kept on ground level, then kitchen area on 1st floor, bedrooms and living areas on 2nd and 3rd floor with roof terrace which is used for sleeping during the summer when too hot to sleep inside. Great sunset over the Atlas Mountains. The village is also being used for filming of the Prince of Persia and we wander round the set....no photos allowed 😊

14 Sep - day of driving through the High Atlas Mountains...diverse colours throughout the day of blacks, browns, reds and breathtaking hairpin bends. We stop at Tizi n Tichka Pass which is at a whopping height of 2260m for some great photos. After lunch we stop off at a weekly market within a small town. It's a great way to experience daily Moroccan life - there is what can only be described as a donkey car park...berbers travel by donkey from all the outlying villages to buy and sell produce at the market as well as dealing with admin / legal issues, lost and found and finding out about local, national and international news (many berbers are illiterate so they are able to keep up to date by means of public forums at the market). We reach the small village of Imlil, leave the bus then walk 90 mins uphill to our remote gite in the middle of the Atlas. Usual dinner fayre and an early night as there's not much to do in the middle of nowhere.

General thoughts re trip...we're getting a diverse insight into all parts of Morocco but spending too much time on the bus, wish there was more walking. The food is extremely repetitive and not as tasty or spicy as I expected...not sure if this is because of Ramadan and having to visit tourist orientated restuarants during the day while the locals are fasting. Pleasantly surprised by the quality of hotels, certainly not 'simple' as described in the GAP brochure, and they're used by Explore and Exodus as well. I could murder a drink...
Ramadan - in general, we're seeing towns deserted during the day and limited local restaurants for lunches. Towns and cities then become v busy after 8pm once the Muslims break their fast and go to evening prayer. Everyone meets on the streets and public squares to chat and socialise.
Group - not bonding as well as previous trip...maybe it's the lack of alcohol and early nights 😉

---