A Stone's Throw: Morocco: Sahara Trip Day 1

I got up with the sun, the call to prayer drifting over Marrakech as I scrubbed my face and made my way down to a breakfast of Moroccan breads and jam. I finished quickly and joined Mike then headed out to meet our tour group in the main square. It turned out to be a great group of backpackers, most of whom happened to be Dutch.

We pulled out of the square and headed out towards the Atlas mountains, winding our way along narrow passes as the landscape changed from desert scrublands to mountain valleys (still pretty bare though). Our drive was punctuated every so often with a stop at a scenic overlook site or rest stop to stretch our legs and grab a snack. A little before midday, we stopped at a 12th century village, , that has been in dozens of movies from Gladiator to Prince of Persia. Ait Benhaddou is a fortified Kasbah that once flourished due to the salt trade across Algeria, but has since dwindled to a movie backdrop since the 1963 Sand Wars (I swear I didn't make that name up) caused the border to shut, thus halting the trade. It was cool to wander around the village, seeing how ancient building materials provided relief in the midday sun, and how it must have been when it was still a bustling town.
After a nice lunch, we hopped back on the bus and headed out to the Dades Gorge, a beautiful ravine cut into the mountains by little more than a stream, and inhabited by small ancient villages along its shores. We stopped at a beautiful hotel for the night, with enough daylight left to go swimming in the shallow waters and wash off the day's heat. It was nice to feel the cool, muddy waters flowing around me... then I noticed a farmer tending a good sized garden tucked in next to the river. Gardens are often fertilized with manure. Which would definitely find its way in the water. That I was immersed in. And I bet that there are dozens of gardens and farms like that upstream. So, I hopped out and took a good shower before I had dinner with the crew.

We all had hearty communal meal of Moroccan couscous with chicken and fresh vegetables, before going for a long walk in the dark canyon. The sounds of the water rushing through its twisted path below us, and the brightest stars you could imagine shone above us. It was a good end to the first day of our journey.

Our view as we started our ascent into the Atlas range.

All the things you can buy roadside in the Atlas mountains. Rocks, clay pottery tajines, fossils.... all things great to take backpacking!

The 12th century fortified city of Ait Benhaddou, famous from movies like the Gladiator film. This was a major stop along the salt trade route until the border with Algeria was closed, making this Kasbah a relic of times past.