Rock the Kasbah

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"A civilization rich in types and models unchanged for centuries, ... ideas and customs, moral and physical aspects of mankind that are eternal simply because they have never changed .... But that it has survived until our own times, that we can see it, we can touch it, we can mix with its people, is a miracle that never ceases to astonish." (Andre Chevrillon, Marrakech dans le palmes, Paris, 1920).

Weve spent a few days in the country & now are in Essouria, a town where surf & fish are the order of the day. We left our desert camp shortly after sunrise to enjoy the dunes in the morning light. After breakfast we huddled back into our minivan over a dirt road .. bumpy & dusty.

We saw a demo on fossil finding. Morocco was once a ocean before the Ice Age & stones with fossilized sea creatures are plentyful & used for dishes, sinks & tables. We drove to the mountains of Todra Gorge with stunning scenery & homes painted in several shades of sand.
Our oasis in the gorge was accessable by rope bridge & the hosts arranged a amazing two days for us. A hike, a fire , a sheep dinner complete with the slaughter for our viewing pleasure.

We visited Izis ( from the hotel) home for lunch with his family & to see his mother's workshop for carpets. After loading up our new carpet on Frank's pack we visited a local hammam . A utilitarian bath house where ladies greeted us witgh a song & a dance before a vigorous scrub & rub. Our journey out of Todra Gorge consisted of a visit to a school for the diabled, a trip to the weekly market & a bumpy bus ride.
Once in Ait Benhddou we toured Atlas studios where many famous movies have been filmed. We were able to see the egyptian movie sets in full color as we had to imagine them when we traveled there. Morocco has the perfect natural backdrop for films like Cleopatra & the new Ben Hur.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were greeted by a local extra with the nickname Action for the 10 movies he has been in and a spectacular view of the best preserved kasbah. There are still 10 families living there. We watched the sunset by crossing the river on sandbags & got a recipe for Action's tagine in a cooking demo

The next morning we had breakfast on the patio enjoying our last glimpse of this UNESCO world heritage sight. Our minivan then drove us to Imill where the paved road ends. Here we climbed Mt Toubkal to our mountain guest house for the night. I paid for the privledge of a ride on a mule up the mountain with all our packs. The mountain has several villages & is a national park. The views where once again spectacular & we could see snow on the mountaintop.... snow !!??!!

The fire went out early and we had a chilly night but enough time in the morning for some walks around the village. I desended early wanted to take my time along with another 2 of our new friends. We even had time for a coffee in the Kasbah. It was an interesting day her on the mountain , snow and all.

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