Winding through the Atlas Mountains

The next morning we were picked up by our driver Kamail and so we said our goodbyes to Marrakesh and started day 1 of our 3 day journey through the High Atlas Mountains our final destination being Fes with a stop over in the dessert.

We made a few stops along the way.. see those winding roads down below, the particular spot was called Tizi and Tichka .. and we wound all the way up them.. at high speeds. We had no internet the next few days.. we all got a lot of reading done.. napped at intervals and tried to keep the nausea at bay.. seriously.. I'm not one to get nauseous.. but all the spiraling up a mountain got my insides all squirming.

That brown structure far in the distance is Ksar of Ait Benhaddou. It is a traditional mud brick city on the edge of the High Atlas Mountains. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and has been featured in many films, mostly as a replacement for Jerusalem. It has appeared in more than 10 movies, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. Below is a close up. We didn't visit it.. just observed from a distance.

Above is a picture taken outside the Atlas Film Studios. Once again we didn't take the tour.. but many many movies like Gladiator, The Mummy, Spy Game, Lawrence of Arabia etc have been shot here.. 

At the end of about 6 hours we reached Skoura where we were to spend the night. We had hired our driver via a company called Dessert Luxury Camp and the stay in Skoura was included in the package. So we expected a basic hotel.. one step above a motel. So imagine our jaws dropping yet again when we pull up to this beauty

source

Our room was a two bedroom, with a tub large enough to fit the whole family and a large siting room. 

After welcoming us with mint tea and cookies we were taken on a tour of the property where they grew a variety of herbs, vegetables and had 100 year old olive trees.

While we were freshening up for dinner we heard a squeak squeak.. we narrowed down the noise to the fire place and guessed it might be a baby mouse? Not wanting to make a big deal out of it.. we just made sure to close our bedroom doors and headed out for dinner. 

Once again our hosts were so nice and friendly.. dinner was wonderful. 

A side note: There are cats everywhere.. especially where you eat.. cat's just sit by your table and stare at you.. our ground floor room's window was left ajar and a cat tried to jump right in.. we shooed it away and closed all the windows and snuggled in for the night.. but there was one persistent cat that started to loudly meow and claw at the window.. and squeaking in the fireplace hadn't ceased. M wondered out loud.. "what if the squeak was a kitten and not a mouse?" we called the front desk. Out of the fireplace emerged.. wait for it

four kittens :)

The next day after breakfast our driver picked us up again and we started day 2 of our 3 day journey.. through the High Atlas Mountains.. 

 A stop at the Todra Gorge and then a lot of driving.. until we finally reached the Erg Chebbi dessert. We spent the nigh there.. and I'll share more from the dessert in next week's post.

On the 3rd day we woke up in the dessert and after breakfast we continued on the rest of our drive.. the longest one so far.. a total of 7 hours to Fes with a quick stop at the Valley of Palms.

  

       

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