Morocco

At the highest point of the pass crossing the Atlas Mountains

The final three days in Morocco were mostly travel days, with short picture stops here and there. We awoke in our Luxury Desert camp in the Sahara and Brahim began the long drive back to Ouarzazate. He reminded us that we could stop to take pictures wherever we wanted, and we did oblige a few times. We were returned a different route to see more of the Moroccan countryside. It was scenic, but not nearly as dramatic as the Dades and Todra Gorges.

The decorative gateway to one of the towns we drove through on our way back from the Sahara

At a restroom and refreshment stop in the town of Alnif, I found a little store selling fossils. Silly me, I thought the notion of selling a historical artifact like that would be illegal. Apparently, they’re considered “just rocks,” so not so! The owner pointed out the various trilobites and other early fossilized life forms masquerading as rocks in his store. Apparently, a professor from the U.S. brings his students to this fossil-rich part of Morocco every year to dig. He picks up many of his fossils from the leftovers of their digs. I found a nice trilobite and purchased it for my friend Keith.

Trilobite fossils and a book detailing which variety they are at a small shop in Alnif

The sun was out and it was a pretty drive. Poor Brahim’s cough, which had been present all trip, was getting much worse. I was happy to hear that he had a few days off before his next tour. He had much better luck with police stops this time, too. On our day driving through the gorges, it seemed he was motioned over at police checkpoints every half hour. The checkpoints are VERY numerous in Morocco! Many have radar detectors set up to fine speeders. Others, are just a couple police officers waving cars over semi-randomly, it seemed. For visitors, I guess it is reassuring to see the police out in force maintaining order in the countryside. If I was renting a car, though, I would wonder how many of those checkpoints would be potential speed traps. Do not drive over the speed limit if you are renting a car in Morocco!

The beautiful, rugged scenery on our drive back to Ouarzazate

It was late afternoon when we pulled into Ouarzazate. Brahim dropped us off at our hotel, the Tin Joseph, with its wonderfully welcoming and accommodating owner. True to form, when we asked him for dinner recommendations — we told him we wanted a break from Moroccan cuisine — he gave us a couple choices and then drove us to the one we picked. If you ever stay in Ouarzazate, you can’t go wrong at the Tin Joseph (“tin” means “for” in Berber, and Joseph was his father’s name). It was definitely the nicest place we stayed at during our 10 days in Morocco.

The Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate actually appeared in the Hollywood movie, Prince of Persia

The next day, we had a lazy morning until our transport picked us up to cross the Atlas Mountains and take us back to Marrakech. There was only one sight we really wanted to check out in town, the Taourirt Kasbah, which appeared in the Hollywood movie, Prince of Persia. It was expanded and grew to its present sprawling size in the 1800s, but fell on hard times in the 1950s. Since then, UNESCO and local organizations have cleaned it up, kicked out squatters who’d been living there, and even installed a local artist’s cooperative. We waved off the offers of guides, paid our admission, and began to wander. There were perhaps a dozen or more other travelers checking it out. Some had guides, others like us did not.

My favorite part of the Kasbah was up on the rooftop with the mud brick towers gleaming in the sun

The best parts of the kasbah were up on the roof. The morning sun was gleaming off of its red, mud-brick surface, making a lovely contrast with the blue sky. There were no signs, but it was fairly easy to guess which where guardrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and such. I am always a fan of climbing stairs or ladders to access the out of the way places in a historical sight, but there were a couple I chose not do at Taourirt. Some required you to bend over nearly double, and there was one ladder that would have required me to pull myself up the last four feet or so by holding onto the floor above. I chose to take a pass there! Does that mean I’m getting older? I am 61, and do wonder from time to time when I might notice myself “slowing down” or taking the easy way at sites. Was Morocco the first step in that direction, with my Luxury camp and not climbing onto the roof of a random guardhouse at Ouarzazate’s kasbah?

We had an enjoyable, scenic ride over the Atlas Mountains from Ouarzazate to Marrakech

It was getting towards checkout time at our hotel, so we took a cab back. We never paid more than $2 for a cab in Oaurzazate, though most had never heard of Tin Joseph. The owner had given us a card to hand to cab drivers with directions, and on a couple occasions, I showed them Apple Maps on my iPhone, detailing our route. We cleaned up a bit back at the hotel, finishing packing, and then sat out on the little patio out front until our transport showed up.

Some of the great views on our drive through the Berber hill towns of the Atlas Mountains

On the way down, it had been rainy and we’d seen nothing of the supposedly dramatic views. This time, we lucked out, though, and had a gorgeous, sunny day. What’s more, instead of being crammed in the back of a 16-passenger van, we were up front with the driver. We had front row seats for an incredible, beautiful crossing of the High Atlas Mountains. The windows of the van were tinted a little, but that didn’t seem to affect my pictures. I must have snapped more than 50 on the way up and over the mountains.

Being from the flatlands of Ohio, seeing snow-capped mountains is always a thrill

The biggest thrill was seeing the snow-capped peaks of the highest mountain tops at the beginning of the drive. We watched the rugged, rocky terrain slip by, punctuated by the occasional small Berber hill town. The road was in excellent condition, though rockfalls in a couple places forced us to detour for a hundred yards or so on what was obviously the older, original road. I asked the driver how long ago the new road had been built. He said it was built less than 20 years ago to minimize the switchbacks. You could see when you approached a mountain spur where they’d dynamited their was through a portion of it, while the disused two-lane road took the long way and veered around it.

Each Berber hillside town had its own mosque and charms as we passed them by

We pulled over for lunch, and yes, it was another “menu of the day” with multiple courses. My willpower had been strong all trip and I had refused to touch the excellent looking tomato and cucumber salads (one of my favorites back home). I nibbled a bit at this one, though, and promptly paid for it three days later, I believe. The food was average, like most of the places that catered to tourists. If you do go to Morocco, do your best to strike out and eat at non-touristy places and where we found the food will likely be much better.

Our driver stopped at a scenic viewpoint at the highest point of the pass

The other stop was at a mountain pass — probably the highest point on our drive. The asphalt switchbacks were laid out before us in both directions, like black squiggly lines drawn on the terrain by a crazy god-child. The hills were like a rumpled brown blanket rolling away from us in all directions. The wind outside the van was roaring, but the sun was shining. Everyone eagerly hopped out and hurried to the viewing points. It was stunning. Far below, picked out by my telephoto lens, I saw several mountain villages nestled along a river valley. A thin group of olive-colored trees marked the river while rectangular mud brick or concrete buildings spread up the hillside. It was a stark landscape, and made me think that life would not be easy for the Berber villagers on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains.

Life must be difficult for the inhabitants of the hill towns and villages of the rugged Atlas Mountains

As we descended to the other side of the pass, heading towards the plains, the earth became less brown and more of the dusty red we had been seeing all throughout the trip. The villages became towns and had a higher proportion of more modern buildings. Occasional yellow and blue colors showed up on walls, but the reddish-brown color scheme still predominated. Just about every building, though, seemed to have a million dollar view out their windows. Life may be difficult here, but the natural beauty perhaps gave the inhabitants of the Atlas some salve to their hardship. More than once we passed groups of people standing along the roadside staring off at a distant panorama.

It was a special day of mountain panoramas for me, but the people of the mountains enjoyed it every day

As we arrived in the plains, the scenic views became less plentiful and the traffic began to increase. On the outskirts of Marrakech, we passed an accident scene. The driver of a motorbike was sitting in the middle of the road, his back propped up by a friend or passer by. Traffic was stopped all around him as everyone waited for the ambulance to arrive. Our driver shook his head and clucked, “So many accidents - so many crazy drivers!” We had seen motorbikes driving with abandon throughout the trip, but that was the first accident we had seen. The accident victim didn’t appear to be bleeding, but stared, dazed, at the ground in front of him.

The Mountain views like this one slowly faded away as we entered the plains and neared Marrakech

We arrived in Marrakech as the sun was setting, and used our phones to navigate to our new “Riad” — or small family hotel in the Medina. On the drive back, we’d decided to just take it easy tomorrow, on our final day in Morocco. We’d do some shopping for souvenirs and hopefully enjoy our last taste of warm weather. It was supposed to be in the 80s, while back home that morning snow was apparently on the ground. We could have taken another day trip somewhere, but nothing jumped out to us. We also wanted a short day since our flight left at 6am the following morning, which meant a 2am wakeup time to get through the chaotic Marrakech airport. Although it ended slow with mostly time in transit, Morocco had been a great trip. I’d seen beautiful scenery, thrilling historic sights, and enjoyed my time there. I was glad that I finally got a chance to visit. It was worth the 3-4 year wait after Covid had cancelled our first attempt to go here!

So many great sights and so many fascinating places in my 10 days in Morocco!

Our guide, Brahim, takes in the panorama of the desert sand

This was the day, our second day of our 3-day Sahara excursion, and our full day in the desert. We’d gotten a glimpse of the spectacle yesterday evening as we plodded across the dunes to our camp on camelback. With today dawning with clear skies, and I was looking forward to a full day of desert vistas and interesting sights and experiences.

The sun rises near our luxury camp on our second day of our Sahara excursion

We began the morning watching the sunrise (a desert camp tradition), shaking our heads at the antics of one of the travelers from the Italian group. Picture a collection of a dozen or more travelers all lined up more less together staring off in the direction of the sun, awaiting its rise. Then, just as the golden eyelid peeks above the rim, and everyone raises their cameras, one of the Italian men walks about 20 yards in front of everyone to “get a closer view” — of the sun! Never mind the nonsense of moving closer to something that is 93 million miles away! He just walked into all of our shots, forcing all of us to move up to where he was or have this random Italian dude in our sunrise pictures! Doubtless, he was from the same group that had been up caterwauling and drunken drumming around the campfire in the center of our circle of tents till past midnight.

The dunes beckon us to dive in and drive up, around, and down them in our SUV

All that was forgotten, though, when we climbed into our SUV with Brahim and rode into Merzouga. We met our dune driver and Sahara guide in town, switching to his SUV which was better equipped for off-roading in the sand. I had done this once before in the UAE, but was looking forward to it nonetheless. We took off, slip-sliding across the desert sands. We raced up sandy slopes, fishtailed to follow the thin crests of the towering dunes, and slid down steep hills of sand. We bounced along in the back of the SUV, enjoying the ride. I mentally compared it to slow-motion driving on ice and snow back home.

A line of camels seems to disappear as it descends behind a dune far away across the sands

We stopped atop one particularly tall dune and got out to take pictures. The morning sun and struck a golden orange glow from the sand. You could see our tracks and those of other SUVs climbing up and down the dunes all around us. Off in the distance, I watched a four wheeler buzz up the tallest dune in the area, then the driver dismounted to walk around and admire the view. Merzouga was one of the Moroccan towns on the edge of the Sahara where you can come, rent a four wheeler, ride camels, and even surf down the dunes. Our tour supposedly included sand surfing, but having done that (and face planted) years ago, I didn’t have any desire for an encore. I remember sand being stuck to every inch of my body after flying off my surf board and not being comfortable again till I’d showered hours later. Brahim never asked, though, and I never brought it up. “No thanks, I’m good!” as they say.

Criss-crossed by the tire tracks of various SUVs, the Sahara near Merzouga is an outdoor playground for tourists

I pulled out my telephoto lens and had fun taking pictures of various groups of travelers on camelback, seeming to rise and fall in my lens as they crested the dunes and disappeared on the other side. We would stop other times on our drive through the Sahara, and it was cool to get that 360 degree vantage of being lost in a sea of sand. As the sun rose higher, the sand lost its orange glow and turned more of a golden yellow color. I’ve always admired how the wind crafted the crests of the dunes into a sinuous “S-shape,” and it was cool to see it repeated on both large and small dunes.

One of the decorated tents of the Berber nomad encampment

Our next stop was at a Berber nomad encampment. We had a chance to look inside and even sit and enjoy a tea inside one of their tents. The younger kids were kicking a soccer ball amidst the tents, giggling and enjoying themselves. Brahim said that the Merzouga children would often come out and visit to play soccer with them. Brahim talked about the differences between the Berber and Bedouin nomads. The Berber people (about 30% of Morocco, he said) have actually been in North Africa since Classical times, interacting with the civilizations of Carthage, Greece, and Rome. I was fascinated by the Berber script, which at first we thought was Greek letters. It has a common root in the Phoenician alphabet, which explained the similarities . The Arabs (Morocco’s majority) came around 700 A.D. during the various waves of conquerors that washed across North Africa after the founding of Islam. Probably the most surprising thing I discovered in my time in Morocco was its large Jewish population. Although it declined with the establishment of Israel in 1947, during the Middle Ages perhaps 20% of the region’s population was Jewish.

Forgotten by History, a crumbling mud brick settlement from the French colonial period

History came face to face with us on the next stop, as we drove from the nomad encampment and passed through the ruins of a mud brick town. Brahim said it was from the French period in the 1800s. France controlled neighboring Algeria during that time — which was less than 20 miles away from where we were. It made repeated attempts to influence Moroccan affairs or outright control it. To this day, French is a second language of sorts in Morocco. The crumbling ruins of the town had that lost in time quality about them. It was evocative to wander among them, and think about a thriving settlement that was once here. Lives lived. People now dead and gone. It brought to mind the Shelley poem “Ozymandias,” and its vainglorious boast, “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” The desert and time has a way of swallowing up empires and leaving only their crumbling remains.

A Berber grave covered by the dark stones of the Black Desert

From there, our guides took us to a Berber graveyard, explaining the differences between their burials and Christian ones. We were in the “black desert,” as this portion was called, for its dark stones. You could see each mound covered in dark stones, marking someone’s passing. We learned that two upright stones mark each burial. The direction the stones faced indicated whether it was a male or female burial. They pointed out the keepsakes that were placed on the grave, mugs or personal items, left to remember the person. The graveyard was also in an incredibly fossil-rich area, apparently. This part of Morocco was once covered by a salty sea, and our guides pointed out the fossils of shelled animals and even sea turtles.

Where there was only sand for more than 50 years, now a lake has sprouted up in the Sahara

From there, Brahim had a surprise for us. They’d altered the itinerary to include a special spot that had only very recently appeared. The frequent rains over the last month had made an area of the Sahara where it had not rained for 50 years previously suddenly transform into a lake with vegetation sprouting all around. It was fascinating to come upon this mini-oasis amidst the sea of reddish sand. The scattered green shrubs, occasional tree, and still waters reflecting the sky and clouds made for a beautiful, tranquil spot. Several other SUVs had pulled up there, and I could hear travelers marveling to each other in French and German. I wandered around the giant pool, taking photos and enjoying the strangeness of the sight. It was another of those unusual sights that you know you will remember years later when you look back upon your trip.

It was fun to wander around this surprising lake amidst a sea of sand

After wringing every bit of enjoyment I could out of the picturesque spot, I returned to the SUV and wondered how many dozens and dozens of photos I had taken so far that day. Brahim explained we would have one more stop before lunch. We drove back towards Merzouga, stopping at a collection of buildings where we would enjoy a musical performance of the Gnaoua. These sub-Saharan Africans had been originally brought to Morocco as slaves in the Middle Ages. They had their own unique form of music and still performed it during festivals and now to help others learn about their culture. We sat and watched a group of four perform several songs, and (of course) enjoyed a glass of hot tea. The serving of tea is a welcoming ritual in many Middle Eastern cultures, and we experienced it time and again in Morocco.

A group of Gnaoua musicians perform their traditional music

From there, we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. By now, we’d learned how to minimize the “mountain of food” offerings at restaurants catering to tourists. All of them have multi-course, “Menu of the Day” programs. However, you can pick and choose what to order to keep from getting uncomfortably overstuffed. Also, you learn NOT to fill up on bread and soup before the main part of the meal arrives! Interestingly, we were done with our day’s scheduled activities, at this point. Brahim asked us what we wanted to do, but that was obviously all he had for us on our schedule. We convinced him to take us into Merzouga to do a little souvenir shopping. We were successfully able to find the shirt that I was hoping to find in my size. At another sprawling store, we looked at carpets, jewelry, pottery, and more. I was tempted by, as Sam says in Lord of the Rings, “the nice shiny daggers” in their curved, jeweled sheaths, but ultimately did not buy one.

Although we did not venture far into the Sahara, it was enough to fell lost in a wilderness of dunes

We had been go, go, go since landing in Morocco a little less than a week ago, so relaxing a bit at the desert camp actually sounded nice. We bounced in the SUV back to our Luxury Camp and debarked. Brahim promised us he’d return to take us to a viewing point for the sunset. As it turned out, we’d lost our clear blue sky by then and its was cloudy when the time for sunset came. Still, we went out, hoping for a miracle, and took more photos of the dunes stretching to the horizon. Although it had not been a dawn to dusk, jam-packed full day like yesterday, it had been a fulfilling one. I had enjoyed the panoramas of the desert that day, and seeing and touching History all around me.

What a day!

Day 1 of our Sahara Excursion featured a drive through southern Morocco’s beautiful gorges

Way back when Covid first broke out, we were booked to go to Morocco during my spring break. Of course, the trip was canceled. Now that we were headed back, though, we decided to extend our time there by adding a three day Sahara excursion, with two nights in a desert camp. We read through various tour offerings and decided to go with Excursion Désert Maroc tours.

Having our private car and driver, though expensive, made the trip so much more scenic and fulfilling

As part of the tour, which other than the flight was the most expensive portion of the trip, we had a private vehicle with driver/guide at our service for three days. All excursions and most meals were included. We even upgraded to the “Luxury Camp” which had the shower and toilet in our “tent” because neither of us are really big campers. “Glamping” in the Sahara it would be! Our guide Brahim (who asked to be called “Brian”) picked us up promptly from our hotel in Ouarzazate at 8:30am. We then began our long day of driving and sightseeing. Brahim assured us that we could stop anytime we wanted to take pictures. Perhaps he didn’t realize the extent to which we both like taking photos, but this aspect of the tour alone made it worthwhile. On many excursions and day trips, I have seen great views and regretted that I couldn’t simply tell the driver to pull over every time I wanted. For the next three days, I could do exactly that!

Kasbah Amridil was the first of many incredibly cool historic buildings we would see that first day

Our first stop was in part of the Skoura Oasis. One thing that I was really looking forward to seeing in the southern part of Morocco were the “Kasbahs.” Think of these as the Moroccan version of local noble’s castle. Usually made of mud brick rather than stone, they formed a central citadel part of the town which would grow up around them. Our first stop on that day was at Kasbah Amridil, founded in the 1600s. It was also our introduction to the fact that it had been raining in the south of Morocco…a lot! A fast-running creek separated us from the kasbah, so we would have to be content with pictures rather than a visit inside. No problem, I thought! I switched to my telephoto lens and got some nice shots of the decorated mud brick towers of the Kasbah. Apparently, Kasbah Amridil also has a Hollywood connection, as it appeared in the 1962 version of Lawrence of Arabia. To this day, the original family still lives in part of the kasbah, maintaining the rest as a museum.

I was never sure what it was, but this hilltop boulder formation had Berber symbols on it

Our next stop was our first random photography pullover. We’d noticed some unusual boulder formations atop a hill, and Brahim found a parking lot very close by. We scrambled up to find it was actually a monument or religious site of some sort. There were Berber symbols painted on the rocks, and a painted blue and white rock staircase leading to a cave atop the hill. Brahim didn’t know much about it, so after taking a few pictures we hopped back in the car and continued on our way.

All along our way, we would see tiny towns each with their own historic Kasbah

We passed through a shallow gorge with a small river running through it. Settlements seemed to cluster all around the gorge. Some had their own kasbahs, as well. Brahim chose a cafe in one of the villages for our first bathroom break, probably sensing we wanted time for more photos, too! It was interesting to see how some of the villages were located down in the river valley and others perched on the cliffs above. There were also scattered modern houses here and there that were not part of the village clusters. I took a break from pictures to buy a Moroccan citrus soda and enjoy the panorama of the countryside on this crisp, cloudy morning.

The buildings mirrored the reddish brown earth all throughout the Dades Gorge

The main part of our itinerary today would be passing through two deep gorges. The first up was the Dades Gorge. To get there, we crossed through the Valley of the Roses. Here, along the Dades River, roses bloom in incredible profusion in the spring. There is a yearly festival in celebration and many local businesses are involved in the production of products made with local roses. Brahim asked us if we wanted to visit a rose oil factory. These are the types of things that tours love to schedule, but travelers like me prefer to avoid. You are typically given a quick spiel on how the product is made, shown sample wares, and then pressured to buy products. I imagine in most cases, tour companies get a kickback from purchases. Luckily, ours was a private tour and we could simply bypass the entire rose oil factory stop with a “No thanks, Brian!”

The Monkey Fingers is a rock formation and trailhead for a scenic hike

Our next sight was the Dades gorge itself. The walls on either side of the gorge rise anywhere from 200 to 500 yards in height. Above that, rugged mountain outcrops loom over the river valley. Clusters of buildings sprout here and there out of the damp, reddish brown earth. Many of the buildings mimic the color palette of the ground in pinks, oranges, and golds. We stopped at a few places for photographs, including at the famed “Monkey Fingers” observation point near the town of Tamlalt. This is also a trailhead for a day hike, but as it was raining off an on by this point, we opted not to go for the hike. The monkey fingers part is named after a rock formation of small boulders that look somewhat like a creased monkey’s hand. A bonus for me at the stop were the friendly dogs enduring the drizzle and wagging their tails in return for a pat on the head and some kind words.

Closeup of the town of Boumalne Dades gleaming pink in the afternoon sun

After awhile, the rain thankfully went away. In fact, it timed itself perfectly. The sun broke through just when we reached an incredible scenic overlook in Boumalne Dades. This was also the largest town we’d seen so far since leaving Ouarzazate. Thick clusters of green trees grew along the banks of the Dades River, abruptly giving way to arid brown slopes and then pink rocky hilltops. The panorama ran for miles in every direction. Several towns staked out their positions on both sides of the slopes. All of them were shining brightly in the afternoon sun, with pink once again being the dominant color of walls. Our scenic overlook was essentially a long parking lot and a dozen other people had also pulled over to enjoy the view. Most seemed to be locals — not travelers. We took lots of photos, and I had fun with my telephoto lens, zooming in on various buildings, plazas, or other sections of the towns up and down the gorge.

Settlements line the Tondra Gorge, some in the river valley, others climbing the slopes above

Next, it was on to the Todra Gorge, a series of limestone river canyons. As we began our drive along it, we stopped to take pictures of a lovely kasbah surrounded by a grove of palm trees. Beyond the kasbah, the mountains rose up to the sky, which was once again clouding up. In front of the kasbah, the valley was thick with thorny scrub bushes. Once again, a number of small settlements were spaced out in each direction along the gorge. Each seemed to be staking out their individual part of this river valley. In most, you could see the slender shape of a minaret rising from the surrounding the buildings. Other towns marched in pink ranks up the rocky slopes, On the far side of the gorge, my telephoto was able to make out ancient buildings which had been carved out of the rock of the mountain itself. It reminded me a bit of Petra in Jordan, the way the crumbling buildings seemed to grow out of the cliff sides.

The road arc along one side of the gorge, diving into the valley, and then up the other

As the gorge narrowed, the road descended into the level of the valley. We soon were headed back the other direction on the opposite side of the gorge. Brahim explained he was taking us to a popular walk where the cliff sides reached out towards each other, almost joining up. He let us out and said he’d be waiting at the end. Here, the brown cliffs reared high above us, at least a football field in height. They were sheer and deeply grooved, colored here and there by freckles of tough green bushes that grew on their rocky faces. A stream ran along the gorge to our right as we walked along the road. Occasional souvenir sellers had set up their brightly-colored wares beneath the towering cliffs. I spotted a t-shirt I liked, but the vendor did not have it in my size. I mentally marked it down to hopefully find somewhere else.

Walking through the Tondra Gorge was the first place that day we saw a number of other travelers

We continued walking and taking pictures. Most of the time we had to lean back and use our widest angle lens to get the sheer height of the rock face in our picture. This was obviously a popular walk, and for the first time today we were seeing a number of other travelers doing the same thing. It was nice to get out of the car, though, and walk a bit. Even the walk was fairly short, we milked it by stopping to take numerous photos — as always!

“Wait - we are headed to the Sahara and it’s raining??

After Brahim picked us up, he let us know the next stop would be in the Sahara. I was really intrigued to see what our Luxury Desert Camp would look like. Even though I had been in deserts before in my life, I was pretty excited to see one as famous and historic as the Sahara. Notice I don’t say Sahara Desert. Sahara means “desert” in Arabic, and you wouldn’t say the Desert Desert, would you? We were just on the famous desert’s northern fringes, but the prospect of a sea of dunes all around was still thrilling. However, the cool weather, cloudy skies, and occasional rain showers made all of it seem slightly unreal. How could we be heading towards a desert when it has been spitting rain off and on all day long? As we drew nearer, I even spotted a rainbow gleaming against the dark gray clouds on the horizon!

Guests arrive at the Sahara camp on camelback - not in an SUV!

Once we arrived near Merzouga, the place near the Algerian border from which many Sahara excursions depart, we began to see the sand. We soon left the pavement and were slip-sliding through sand as Brahim hunted down where we would meet our ride to the camp. I hadn’t mentioned before that Brahim was driving a 4-wheel drive SUV, so his vehicle could handle driving in the sand. He wouldn’t be driving us to the camp, though. Oh no, our tour agency planned a much more cinematic arrival. We would ride into our camp on camels! I had ridden a camel once, long ago, but for many visitors, I imagine this is the first time they’ve been atop one of the grumbly, ill-tempered beasts. It took some doubling back in the SUV, phone calls, and shouted directions from other camel wranglers, but we eventually found our mounts.

Riding one of these groaning and moaning beasts is an interesting experience

The sun had set already and it was growing dark by the time my camel lurched forward and then backwards to stand upright with me on its back. There was a metal handrail protruding from the “saddle” that made it easy to hang on despite the angle you are pitched forward and back. Once In motion, the camel’s gait is interesting. You know how to flip a towel, making it ripple one way and then the other? A much more mild version of that motion is what happens to your spine once you surrender to the camel’s motion. The saddles were also set up for us to have our legs hanging down on each side like a horse, rather than folded underneath like I’ve seen other camel riders. I imagine it is to help novice riders like us keep our balance!

Imagining myself as Lawrence of Arabia as I sway through the Sahara on my trusty camel

As we began our 45 minute trek across the dunes, Brahim disappeared in the SUV to beat us to the camp and get our luggage set up in our tent. We had a guide leading our camels, which were roped together. In the distance, we saw other travelers likewise in small groups heading across the dunes in the same direction. Our camel driver let us down at one point to take some pictures of the dunes all around us. The sand dunes had the slow “S curves” just like I had seen in countless movies and pictures. Here and there, sturdy green plants grew out of the sand. You could see the hoof prints of other lines of camels as a darker orange, breaking the smooth surface of the dunes. True to their nature, the camels moaned, belched, and groaned, as if they’d eaten something for lunch that was definitely not agreeing with them. Luckily, none decided to spit on us or try to throw us off!

I have to admit that despite the rain and cold, it was fun riding a camel into camp

The romantic nature of riding across the dunes on camelback in the Sahara was only slightly lessened by the occasional drizzle of rain and chill wind that blew across the sands. Still, it was a fun experience. It was neat to see how other lines of camels would disappear from sight as they descended a dune, only to reappear as they climbed the next. It was much like looking at something while out a sea, which appears and disappears with the rise and fall of the waves. Eventually, we arrived at our cluster of tents, which would be our home for the next two nights. I wasn’t expecting the hard sell from our camel wrangler after he let us down. He pulled out various souvenirs from his pack, offering each up to us. We declined to purchase anything, and were directed to the large dining tent. We were served tea, as is tradition, and then shown to our luxury tent.

Our Luxury tent in the Sahara camp

I’d mentioned that we would be “glamping” (glamorous camping), and the tent fulfilled that definition. If you didn’t notice the cloth walls, it would seem like a hotel room. There was a separate shower (bigger than you’d find in most European hotels!), and separate toilet. The bed was king size plus, with a second single bed, as well. There was hot water, flush toilets, electricity — all the amenities of a hotel room. The only difference was the walls were made of cloth. Oh? How do they get the electricity out in the desert? Solar power! All of the camps have their own solar arrays to power their guests’ accommodations and their kitchens. After a dinner of too much food (that seems to be a common theme for Morocco!), we headed back to our tent to rest up for tomorrow’s adventure among the dunes!

Recognize this place from Gladiator or Game of Thrones?

There are some places in the world that, when you first catch sight of them, you let out an involuntary “Wow!” You know the image is being seared into your brain. Ait Ben Haddou in southern Morocco is one of those. In fact, Hollywood must agree as it has been used in films over and over, including in both Gladiator movies and Game of Thrones.

Ait Ben Haddou is a walled, hilltop mud brick town from the medieval era

We had taken a “day trip” to it from Marrakech. However, we had talked the company into letting us go down one day and return four days later after the Sahara excursion we had booked. We were in a large van with a dozen other travelers from across the world as we bounced our way south towards the Atlas Mountains which cut across Morocco. I was looking forward to the panoramic mountain views that I had read about. However, the sky clouded up and it started raining almost immediately when we entered the mountains. The climb up and through the pass was invisible to us, as rain or condensation fogged our windows.

This place is truly one of those sights that you will remember forever

The rain stopped several hours later when we arrived at Ait Ben Haddou, fortunately. We piled out of the van and met our guide for the site, Walid. Of all the drivers or guides we had in our 10 days in Morocco, he was by far the best. His father was actually Tuareg from Timbuktu in Mali, which I had visited in 2009. We talked about that and also how his mother was from one of the five families of Berbers still living inside the historical site of Ait Ben Haddou. Walid had been hired as an extra in many of the movies filmed there. For Game of Thrones fans, Walid was one of Kaleesi’s Unsullied warriors, and he had photos on the walls of his home (which we visited) to prove it!

Walid’s weathered photos of himself as an Unsullied during the filming of Game of Thrones

As a teacher, I admired the technique he used to remember everyone’s names. It also appeared he spoke just about everyone’s language. For example, when I told him I was from Ohio, he rattled off the Japanese phrase “Ohayo gozaimasu” which is a casual way of saying good morning. And yes, Walid speaks Japanese, too. He marshaled us through the outskirts of the new town and took us to a couple scenic overlooks for us to take our first photos of the gorgeous mud brick town across the raging, but shallow river.

Close up of the Berber designs on the mud brick towers

He explained the modern footbridge we would cross on was relatively recent. In the old days, if the rain had swollen the river, visitors would have to cross on donkeys. During storms lasting days, Ait Ben Haddou could be completely cut off for days. That was the reason so many families had moved to the new town sprouting on this side of the river. He pointed out solar panels that we had missed on the roofs of a few of the houses. We also discovered later while touring one of the homes that car batteries were also used there for electricity. Still five families held out and lived among the towering reddish-brown structures which were constructed in the 1600s. The town was likely first founded in the 11th century, but mud brick wears down over time due to rainfall or even earthquakes.

Our guide Walid outside his own home that was a stop on our tour!

Once we had taken our photos, we walked across the bridge and began our exploration. We peppered Walid with questions, especially about when the town was used as a movie set. He explained that it was closed to visitors during weeks of filming, but that guides like him were still able to earn income as extras in the movie or assisting the crew. He showed us a list of more than 60 movies that had filmed portions on site. Remember Russell Crowe’s first fights in the North African arena (“Are you not entertained?”)? Those arenas were built by the crew and then taken down so thoroughly even when Walid pointed out where they had been I could see no trace. In fact, Gladiator II had recently concluded filming scenes there, too. So, I was glad we didn’t arrive on a filming week and miss out on actually walking through the town.

The interior of Walid’s Berber house inside the walls of Ait Ben Haddou

It was cool to tour the lived in “Berber House,” which Walid admitted was his own. That certainly explains the photos of him as an Unsullied on the walls! The furnishings were simple and still rather spartan by modern Western standards. This is despite Walid probably earning a higher wage than many of his fellow residents or fellow countrymen. His fee from each of us for the two hours was only $4 (multiplied by 16 of us, plus tips). I imagine he does more than one tour a day, so my guess is he earns a couple hundred dollars a day in a country where the median income is about $55 a day. Still, Walid worked hard on building a relationship with everyone on the tour, and I admired how he handled the group and kept everyone involved and happy. Plus, it always amazes me when people can speak multiple languages fluently. It shows dedication to doing your best to take the time to practice each language and develop it.

Looking across the modern footbridge to the hilltop that Ait Ben Haddou stands upon

Walid gave us time to climb to the top of the hill the town is perched upon, and moments to explore each place we visited. However, the drawback of a guided tour is you truly don’t get the time to linger where you like, or probe deeper into a site. Walid led us into Ait Ben Haddou and then immediately out of it to the restaurant we would have lunch. I’m sure the tour companies in Morocco get kickbacks from the restaurants where they take tour groups. The food at these was usually fairly average, at best. It was only when we picked out our own restaurants that it was a notch above. It says something that the Moroccan food I had eaten at home, prior to my visit, was actually tastier than what I ate while there on my vacation!

Walking through the streets of the UNESCO World Heritage town

After we all posed for selfies with Walid, we piled back into the van and headed to Ouarzazate, where I would be staying that night. Our destination there was Atlas Studios, another Mecca for Hollywood and other filming companies around the world. When we debarked, the driver gathered those of us who’d opted to stay in town rather than return to Marrakech. He would take us there now while the rest of the passengers had 15 minutes to take pictures of the decorated exterior of the studios. Since Atlas Studios does tours that take about an hour, I would have been seriously disappointed if I was one of the passengers going back to Marrakech that day. It was only about 4pm, so we had the opportunity to check into our hotel and return by taxi for a tour.

Some of the props and scenery created for Ancient Egyptian movies at Atlas Studios

Sure enough, after being dropped downtown and taking a taxi to our hotel ($2), we were soon on our way back to the studios. In fact, we were being driven by the amazing owner of Tin Joseph, our hotel. Time and again, he went out of his way to help us out. The studios closed at 6pm, so we were in time to book one of the last few tours. We actually passed on the first one as the group size was so huge. We gambled that the one leaving 15 minutes later would be smaller, and it was. The guide explained honestly that one of Morocco’s advantages as a filming location is it’s cheap labor.

A Jerusalem street created for Mel Gibson’s “Passion of Christ” movie

So, Hollywood would build sets, for example the Jerusalem city street we walked through was built in 2004 for Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ. Atlas would leave the sets standing on their lot and then other companies (or even businesses filming commercials) would use them, lowering their production costs further. The same was true of props built for movies. One of my favorite movies from 2001 was Black Hawk Down. The vehicles that the U.R. Rangers got shot up in are still standing on their lots. There is also a Viking longship, Ancient Egyptian vessel, and even the ark from a movie about Noah that I had never seen.

One of the U.S. Ranger vehicles from the movie Black Hawk Down

The main part of the tour was walking through the larger of the various sets that were built and are still standing. The entire frontage of Jerusalem from the 2005 Crusader epic Kingdom of Heaven still stands about a football field away from the main studio lot. Probably most impressive were the several Ancient Egyptian sets. The detail and painting were striking and certainly harkened back to my own visit to Egypt in 2007. Our guide even had us “film” our own scene using the Cleopatra set and one of the tour member’s phones with us as actors. Our guide was an apprentice at the studios and did a great job using the phone camera to simulate a Hollywood scene.

And the walls of Jerusalem itself for the movie Kingdom of Heaven

Another set we enjoyed was the Tibetan monastery from the 1997 movie Kundun. He had an interesting story that, as a rule, they don’t take Chinese tour groups there. Too many visits by Chinese groups devolved into acrimonious denials that Tibet exists. The Chinese government censors History on a regular basis and a film about the life of the 14th Dalia Lama is definitely taboo in their heavily censored and repressed world. So, now the stop is skipped altogether by the guides if the group is from mainland China. The PRC also pushes back heavily on Western media, and Disney CEO Michael Eisner was actually brow-beaten by their government to “apologize” for the movie. This simply illustrates how important storytelling and art is to freedom of expression. And how craven that for-profit companies can be in kowtowing to authoritarian regimes. As a History teacher and someone with a Journalism degree, it just shows how firm we must be in fighting to ensure the truth is told and known. Today’s 21st century world of disinformation by for profit “sources” is being led down a scary path, I feel.

The interior of a movie set Egyptian temple at Atlas Studios

All in all, it was an enjoyable hourlong visit to Atlas Studios. I am glad my stop there wasn’t limited to 15 minutes of rushing around and photographing the Egyptian architecture and statues lining its exterior. Atlas Studios wasn’t Ait Ben Haddou, but it was a fun stop with lots of interesting, behind the scenes information about a film studio.

Me driving the Pharaoh’s chariot at Atlas Studios

Looking from the fortifications to the seaside city of Essaouira

Morocco has been fought over by many civilizations, tribes, kingdoms and more. As European navigation and sailing approved, the Portuguese began to seek out trade markets and build forts along the Atlantic coast of what is now the kingdom of Morocco. A flashpoint where Europeans fought North Africans was the town of Essaouira. It is a popular day trip from Marrakech, so I booked one to see this city of blue and white on the sea.

The blue and white seaside city of Essaouira is a pleasant day trip from Marrakech

Essaouira is a port town with a harbor bursting at the seams with blue fishing boats, hauling in loads of fish for the local market and throughout the country. Protecting the harbor are fortifications built during the wars, bristling with cannons, stone towers, walls, and bastions. Wherever I find an old fort, I am happy to wander the walls. I enjoyed taking pictures of the city across the inlet, it’s whitewashed walls gleaming in the sunshine. I examined the huge cannons (24 pounders, is my guess for my military history readers). Each brass cannon was inscribed with where it was cast and in what year. Just past the harbor was a tiny island with an even older, crumbling stone fort.

The fortified bastion protecting the entrance to Essaouira is a wonderful place to wander

And everywhere you looked, seagulls circled above, landed, roosted, strutted proudly, and squabbled good naturedly with each other. I took pictures where the seagulls seemed to be manning the cannon, calling for a load of chain shot to bring down a vessel’s masts. Other shots had the seagulls eyeing me up and down, as if sizing up the fort’s newest recruit. It was fun composing photographs with these fearless, white birds. I probably spent close to an hour wandering the walls, climbing up in the tower, or peering out the typical, rounded Portuguese style sentry points. I would switch between my normal lens, my telephoto, and iPhone like an artist eyeballing new angles on a subject.

Seagulls are a constant sight posing wheeling around the skies, and riding the wind

Eventually, we descended from the fort and walked across the esplanade towards the city. Wandering through one of the gates, we walked along the streets and alleyways looking for a likely cafe for lunch. We settled on one advertising its menu of the day. This was the first one I had noticed, but would discover it was THE thing for restaurants catering to tourists in Morocco. Like with my grilled meat experience in Marrakech’s square, we began with bread and a tasty vegetable soup of some sort. Then the mountain arrived! We had ordered Couscous (think a rice-like wheat) with vegetables and chicken. The bowl containing the food was piled in a giant cone easily eight inches high. The base of Mount Calorie was the couscous, the slopes were various veggies, and the meat clung to the summit. Truly, a family of four could dine on the amount of food we were given for $12!

The beautiful views were my favorite thing about Essaouira - wandering and composing photos

Being a coastal city, rain showers blew through Essaouira regularly. I was reminded of an Englishman’s description of weather along the coast of Cornwall (England’s southwestern tip): “We don’t get weather here. We get bits of weather - a little sun,a little cloud, some rain, more sun, more clouds…” That description fit Essaouira perfectly. Still, it didn’t stop us from wandering the city and tracking down ATMs to withdraw the necessary dirhams we would need for our upcoming Sahara Safari. We sought out picturesque deserted alleyways and crowded market streets. We used the iPhone to locate the recommended museum of culture to find it closed. That seemed to be a trend in Morocco - museums closed for renovation.

Market streets were busy in Essaouira, while quiet alleys were deserted

We shopped a little in the markets, more “scouting” for future purposes. This was only day three in Morocco and we were staying for 10 days. We explored the harbor, photographing the brightly painted boats and fishermen selling their pungent catch from the Sea. Those who know me understand I want nothing to do with a seafood meal. I always tell the incredulous who can’t believe a world traveler dislikes seafood that there is a reason for the phrase, “Something smells fishy…”!it was cool to see the sheer variety in their catch, including some horrible looking sea beasties that I couldn’t identify.

The fishermen’s stalls selling their fresh catch were interesting and a little pungent

We began to meander towards where our driver would pick us up. I took out the telephoto lens to get shots of the kitesurfers sawing through the waves trailing behind their brightly colored sails. I zoomed in on the three masted sailing ship anchored a couple hundred yards off the beach. I maxed out my lens to get an image of an array of wind turbines built on an island further offshore. In the desert and mountains I would later see lots of solar arrays bringing power to those too remote to tap into the nation’s electrical grid. In fact, the world’s largest solar tower is currently in Morocco, and the count has plans to build more to export electricity to Europe.

The blue boats lined up and crowding the harbor of Essaouira were a colorful sight

Eventually, our driver spotted us and scooped us up for the three hour drive back to Marrakech. It had been a very enjoyable day amidst the sun, sea, and the fortified city of Essaouira.

Offshire wind turbines beyond the Essaouira harbor

I was really glad we visited Essaouira while in Marrakech

The gorgeous Saadian Tombs in Marrakech, Morocco - burial place of royalty

Several years ago, when the world was shutting down due to Covid, I was forced to cancel my trip to Morocco. I had been wanting to visit this North African country for decades. However , when the chance arrived, the pandemic slammed the door in my face and I would have to wait for a few more years. The time had come, though, and I was finally on my way to Marrakech.

The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, just outside of the walled city

Known as the Red City, Marrakech is one of Morocco’s most popular destinations. It has a huge Medina, or walled inner city. Inside the Medina, is sprawling Jemaa El-Fna, the central square packed with vendors, performers, hawkers, visitors, and locals. It’s revelry heats up as the day goes on. At night, it is the place to be with crowds gathering around groups of musicians, storytellers, snake charmers, men with monkeys doing tricks, and henna tattoo artists.

Carpets are one of the many things you can find for sale in the souks of Marrakech

All around the square, a labyrinth of souks extend outward. The souks are narrow alleyways with stalls and stores selling clothing, metalwork, jewelry, pottery, leather - you name it. I saw many things that tempted me, from curved intricately decorated daggers to egg-shaped lamps glowing with colored glass or stones. With space for perhaps three people to pass, the souks alleyways are crowded and at times frustrating to move through - especially if you’re not shopping. My first riad, or small family-owned hotel I stayed in, was located in the middle of one of the souks on a surprisingly quiet side alley.

Dodging motorbikes and other wheeled vehicles is the biggest annoyance inside the walled city, or Medina

The thing that makes walking in the Medina or souks the most challenging are not the groups of tourists who want to block access as they cluster together. Nor is it the elderly being assisted by adults on each arm. It is not even the occasional baby stroller. The most maddening thing about Marrakech’s Medina is the motorbikes. No matter how narrow or small the alley, locals go buzzing through them at high speed on their motorbikes. Toss in an occasional hand pushed cart or donkey cart, and you will constantly be dodging left or right to thread your way through without getting run over. The most humorous description I read about the experience was one attempting to praise the Medina for its lack of vehicular traffic. It was supposedly a serene, pedestrian throwback to the Middle Ages! Ha! Less true word were never written! A day or two in the souks or Medina and you will likely find yourself longing for sidewalks where pedestrians walk and streets were the vehicles stay.

The Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech’s largest, is just outside the walls of the Medina

The first of Marrakech’s historic sights that I visited was just outside the Medina - the Koutoubia Mosque. It was built in the 1100s, inspired by some of the mosques from Muslim Spain. In Morocco, non-Muslims are as a rule not allowed to visit the insides of mosques. I have been inside many elsewhere in the Muslim world, from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul to Djenné in Mali - the largest mud brick building in the world. In Morocco, though, I would be limited to admiring their decorated and often colorful minarets. These towers are where the call to prayer echoes through their city five times a day. It was sunny day, my first full day in Morocco, under gorgeous blue skies. The orange stone of the minaret’s spire was a colorful contrast against the Heaven’s blue.

The Moulay Al-Yazid Mosque is near my favorite site in the Red City, the Saadian Tombs

From there, it was about a half mile walk to the next mosque I would visit, the Moulay Al-Yazid (nicknamed the Kasbah Mosque). Beneath its minaret’s recessed blue almost “fleur de Lys” pattern, a line of horse and carriages waited to take tourists on a clip-clopping ride through the city. I did not indulge. For some reason, it is one of the things I rarely do when visiting a city, along with the circular tourist bus rides. I did relax and enjoy a soda from the third story of the Kasbah Cafe, though. Doubtless, Shariff wouldn’t like it, but I did it as an homage to the Clash song. Thankfully, the king did not call out his jet fighters and order them to drop bombs between the minarets while I was there…ha, ha!

The Saadian Tombs are an amazing, ornately decorated complex reminiscent of the Alhambra

Next up were the Saadian Tombs, a burial complex of royalty and nobility from the 1500s Saadian dynasty. The visit starts off slow, as you wander past gorgeously decorated slabs of marble marking burial spots. You peek into a few doorways or alcoves containing tombs. The walls and ceilings are intricately carved in stone by master craftsmen from a bygone era. In Islamic art, living beings or animals are usually not depicted. Instead, artists decorate with intricate scrollwork, patterns, geometric shapes, and fancy calligraphy from the Quran.

The main tomb complex is like a wedding cake in its elaborate carvings and detailed stonework

As you progress along, you are heading towards a queue, which shrinks or stretches depending on how busy the tombs are that day. You are waiting for your turn to admire the most complete and amazing of the mausoleums. Inside are several royals’ tombs, surrounded by an absolute wedding cake of beautiful stonework, carvings, and decorations. It immediately reminded me of the Alhambra in southern Spain, a fortress home of Islamic Moors who ruled that part of Europe for many centuries. The Saadian tombs are on a much smaller scale than the Alhambra, but equal it in the artistic mastery of its craftsmen.

The Bahia Palace gives insight into how the nobility lived in splendor and beauty in Morocco

More beautiful buildings were next to with a visit to the Bahia Palace. This sprawling home of the Moroccan Vizier, the second in command to the sultan, showcases the beauty that the Muslim elite lived amidst in the Islamic world of the 1800s. Unfortunately, here is where my Morocco visit crashed headlong into a trend that has spread across the tourist world in our time. I am talking about those who visit beautiful buildings and sites across the world and then commandeer it for their own private photo shoot. They pose like models as their friends or family take glamor shot after glamor shot of them. Long after an ordinary visitor may linger briefly for a snapshot of them standing in front of a cool sight or famous building, they recline, pose, and simper for the camera. Yes, I am talking about the TikTok or Instagram generation obsessed with putting on a would-be modeling show for their Followers.

Detail from one of the ornate ceilings in the Bahia Palace

I believe I have distilled down the difference between them and ordinary tourists or travelers. To these people, it is more important to show off where they are. They get dressed up, wear special outfits, or adorn themselves in their favorite jewelry. In other words, while most people are visiting to SEE an amazing sight, view, or building, these people are not. They are there to be SEEN at it. I believe this Instagram effect on travel is truly awful. If you happen to be one of those types, please stop! More and more places are becoming over-touristed. The crowds at major sites are growing each year. The last thing the world needs is the most self-indulgent among us to further ruin the experience. If you paid admission to get into a site, you are not a model. Sorry - I don’t care how many Followers you have or how you monetize your page. You’re a visitor, and please be considerate of the other visitors who paid the same admission that you did. Take a breath, admire the place, take a photo, and move on.

It was not just palaces and mosques that were elaborately decorated - the Madrasa Ben Youssef is a school

Enough of a rant? Hopefully! Time to move on to the Madrasa Ben Youssef, which is a school teaching the Quran to children. This 1500s building was not home to the elites, but instead to the students and budding scholars of Marrakech. Since it is a religious building, it was also very elaborately decorated. Once again, parts of it harkened back to the Alhambra. Every inch seemed to be carved stone or woodwork. Unfortunately, the Instagrammers were there in farce (intentional misspelling), posing in intricately decorated windows, or doing a runway walk in front of an elaborate archway. The smaller space of the madrasa meant they were more of an annoyance, though, less of a logjam.

The decorative windows looking down on the courtyard are from the dormitory rooms of the students

My favorite part of the visit was wandering through the second story student rooms and imagining what life was like for them living and studying in this beautiful dormitory. Which students got the more spacious corner rooms? Did older students get the ones overlooking the dazzling courtyard? Did they have Instagrammers interrupting their studies with their shallow antics? Ha, ha - just kidding on that last one, but I did ponder what the life of the young scholars was like.

Colorful but reeking city tannery is on the outskirts of the walled Medina

The last sight of a very busy first full day in Marrakech was probably the least satisfying and strangely hardest to find. So far, using the maps app on my iPhone had worked wonderfully in the city - even in the most tangled maze of the souks. However, the medieval tanneries were on the edge of the Medina, just inside the walls. For some reason, many of the small streets or alleys leading to it were blocked off. Our app led us to dead ends, till we eventually circled outside the walls. We reasoned there would be a gate nearby, so we circled and found indeed there was. We found the tanneries, which is an area of maybe two blocks devoted to tanning leather.

A beautifully decorated wooden door in Marrakech

In the pictures I had seen beforehand, it is covered in round pools of varying colors that hides are soaked in. The stench is bad (which is why tanneries were on the edge of town!). However, daylight was fading by the time we arrived. Most of the pools were covered with tarps, blankets, skins, etc. so, the view was nothing like I had seen in photos. No sunshine gleaming off colorful circular pools in the late afternoon. On the positive side, with most of them covered, the stench was not nearly as bad as I had heard it was! Shockingly, no Instagrammers were posing by in the foul pools! Can you believe it?

A popular “food truck” style eatery that packs Marrakech’s main square each night

We finished off the evening visiting the square, again. Every evening, dozens and dozens of the equivalent of Moroccan food trucks set up shop in their designated space in the square. Most are devoted to grilling meats, with local dishes the specialty, of course. The food was good, but as we were to find over and over on this visit - you are given WAY too much. After the first courses of bread, soup and vegetables, it was difficult to find room for the meat! Still, the experience was fun, with hundreds of hawkers and touts trying to steer you towards a seat at their tables. Plus, while you’re sitting down, you don’t have to worry about dodging motorbikes or Instagrammers!