Morocco.... A love story - (Day 9)

Throughout all of the adjustments we had to make to our schedule the previous day, the goal was to not get too far behind in our schedule. Abdel talked to us about making today a very long bus day and we all agreed. We were supposed to be half way to Marrakesh already but because of the flooding, we were still in Erfoud. This meant a VERY long day of driving to get back on schedule and get to Marrakesh. We were all in agreement and the driver was up for the challenge. As a side note, our driver was an amazing gentleman named Muhammad. Each morning he greeted us with a warm smile and a "Good Morning". We all settled in the bus and got comfortable. Because we were a small group, we could spread out on the bus. People would sit in different places throughout our trip and talk with different people. Sometimes Jim and I would sit together, but on longer rides, we would spread out so we had a row to ourselves.

Even though it was a long day of travel, Abdel kept us all in good spirits. We all knew he was very stressed throughout the previous day's adventure but he kept a smile on his face and kept us happy. And continued to educate us on Morocco.

When we started out that morning, we drove through a lot of areas that had been flooded the day before. The damage was everywhere. Luckily, the roads were passable.

Tanghir was one of the towns we drove through. It was beautiful and had a great history.

There is a movie that Abdel mentioned about Tanghir, "Tanghir - Jerusalem - Echoes from the Mellah". I have not watched it yet but I do plan to. Anything to bring back memories of Morocco!

One of our stops for the day was Ait Benhaddou, a ksar (fortified city) along a former caravan route. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and extremely interesting.

We continued our drive through a lot of little towns and lots of areas with stunning views of the mountains. In one of the little towns, the bus Muhammad pulled over. Abdel got off the bus and walked across the street. We had no idea what was going on. We sat and waited. Everyone on the bus sat watching the people go by wondering what he was doing. He came back a short time later with a box in his hand. He had stopped to buy us dates as a snack. Great idea!

Another interesting site we drove past was the Atlas Film Studio. Throughout our trip, we found out that many movies have been filmed in Morocco. In Rabat, we saw the stairs that Tom Cruise drove down in Mission Impossible. Here, in the Atlas Film Studio they filmed movies that include Game of Thrones, Jewel of the Nile, Prison Break and Gladiator. There are just an example of the many, many movies that were filmed there.

The fact that there was a film studio out in the middle of the desert was quite impressive. What was more impressive was the architecture. We did not drive into the studio but even from the road, you can see the amazing buildings and monuments. The entrance was lined with palm trees to add a really good "Wow!" factor.

We continued on toward Marrakesh. Although it was a long day of riding on a bus, our stops along the way made it seem not quite so long. We also stopped in Dades Valley where rose blossoms are everywhere. The locals produce rose water, rose oil, etc. We stopped at a quaint little shop and we all ended up purchasing rose scented items. It was lovely!

The road we were on was the COL DU TICHKA and links the cities of Marrakesh and Quarzazate through the High Atlas Mountains.

The road was steep but you could see for miles. Apparently the road had been rerouted recently. Thank goodness! Abdel showed us parts of the old road. The looked EXTREMELY dangerous with no security barriers. Col De Tichka (Mountain Pass)

is at 2260 meters altitude. (7400 feet)

I didn't really get a good photo of the twisting mountain road but below is a photo I found online. The first photo in this post shows it but the roads don't stand out a lot. Again, Muhammad did an excellent job of driving!

We arrived in Marrakesh early evening. We stayed on the bus and did a tour around the city since we were running behind. Initially, I was not impressed. It looked like just another big city to me. I later changed my opinion!

Once we got to the hotel, we had tea (of course) and then headed to our rooms to freshen up before dinner. We all met in the dining hall. The hotel was more of a conference event hotel, so not the quaint hotels we were used to. The food was all buffet style. Delicious though. We had a long table reserved for us so we could eat together. We were all exhausted but still had great conversations at dinner. Once we finished dinner, everyone went to their room to collapse and rest before a full day in Marrakesh the next day!

Ruthie