Touring with Ali

"Holy f*ck balls!" part deux.

We just arrived back in Marrakech after our 4 day tour through southern Morocco. We hired a guide, Ali, and a driver, Youssef - nickname "Crazy Couscous" - he's a professional driver for movie sets - for the trip. It was outrageous! I've never seen so many beautiful things in my life.

Day 1

Lots and lots of driving with a few stops including one at Ait Ben Haddou where many movies were filmed including Gladiator, Jesus of Nazareth and Kingdom of Heaven. It's a very beautiful place with green grass and palm trees surrounded by desert rock and mountains. A real-life oasis.

We stopped several more times for photos and arrived at Ouarzazate - aka The Gateway to the Sahara - where we stayed the night at Dar Chamaa - a lovely riad located in the 'burbs. Tim swam in the frigid pool while I watched. We had an interesting dinner consisting of fried egg rolls and spaghetti - strange, but good.

Day 2

More driving through the Draa Valley where we saw more kasbahs and made our way to Auberge L'Oasis. Thus began our journey into the Sahara. We, along with a Dutch family, mounted camels and headed straight into nothingness. The desert was unbelievable. Sand for miles and not a cloud in the sky. Unfortunately, I am still unable to post photos, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ceville or Granada will give me an opportunity to do so.

We rode for about 2 hours - ouch - and arrived at our camping grounds. We watched the sunset, then prepared for dinner. The food was delicious and the family from Holland was very nice. We talked a lot about the differences between our countries and made jokes. After dinner we sat under the stars and played the drums with our guides, Youssef and Sahid. They gave us all nicknames - Tim and I were Mohammed and Fatima. We sang songs and laughed until close to midnight when we all retired to our Berber tents for the night.

Day 3

Youssef woke us at 6am to watch the sunrise and then we began the journey back to the auberge. My bottom was not happy to be back on a camel! After showering we took off with Crazy Couscous and Ali for some more driving. We made our way through the Dades Valley and stopped at the Todra Gorge - Morocco's Grand Canyon.

We arrived at La Perle du Dades - a bed and breakfast if you will - in the early evening. After relaxing by the pool we prepared for dinner and after our bellies were full and we were feeling a bit drunk, we watched Kingdom of Heaven in the chambre de cinema. Bad choice in movies, but it was cool to see Ait Ben Haddou on the big screen.

Day 4

Today we woke up late and had a leisurely breakfast. We took off again for some more driving and made one stop at another kasbah in Ouarzazate. We invited Ali and Youssef to have lunch with us before making our way back to Marrakech.

Tonight we're going to visit the new city and check out the nightlife outside the city walls. Wish us luck!