Beware of Tricksters
Next morning Marwen took us to the airport to pick up the rental car. Oh dear….we got done! As we left the carpark an old man wearing a djilabah and cap on a motorbike, offered to show us the petrol station as you get the car with only a quarter full tank of petrol. We realise now this is probably part of the ploy?!
Impressed with his helpfulness we followed him to the petrol station. He then assured us it would be better to take a different route to our turn off as the main road was teaming with traffic. Now while it was a concern finding the correct roundabout that would take us out of Marrakech, we had a fair idea where to go....and didn,t really need his help.
But Brian feeling a little nervous just starting to drive in this hectic city readily agreed. Bad move! We were taken a back route and as we became more and more suspicious… had no way of turning back as we had no idea where we were. Arriving at the turn off, he then came on strong wanting 10 Euros for his efforts! What! That is huge money in this country! We should.not have relented! We put it down to a learning experience.
But Brian feeling a little nervous just starting to drive in this hectic city readily agreed. Bad move! We were taken a back route and as we became more and more suspicious… had no way of turning back as we had no idea where we were. Arriving at the turn off, he then came on strong wanting 10 Euros for his efforts! What! That is huge money in this country! We should.not have relented! We put it down to a learning experience.
Scenes From Tiz n'Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains
It was good to be on the road to Quarzazate. The Moroccan roads are in good condition though they have no shoulder and big drops from the tarseal, so people tend to drive in the middle. However the drivers were not quite as bad as I expected.
The High Atlas Mountains and Tiz n' Tichka Pass
Today we are heading for Ait Ben Haddou. Before we started the drive up into the High Atlas Mountains we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant sitting under an orange tree. Vegetable soup and orange salad. Both good....and cheap!
Once on the Tizi n' Tichka Pass mountain road we passed numerous road side stalls selling incredibly brightly coloured crystal and rocks . The stall boys would be holding out these vivid stones hoping to catch our eye. Now I am not an expert.... but the colours of their rocks looked far from natural to me! We came across one or two stalls that did have the natural rocks….somehow their wares were very dull in comparison.
The drive was interesting with barren pink hills indispersed with small patches of vivid green oases. The scenery changes frequently and the flatroofed mud and stone houses of the villages meld into the mountains which are the same colour. You sometimes had to look closely to see them. Neat vegetable gardens spread across the valleys.
We climbed 2260 metres to the top of Tizn'Tichka Pass.There are some amazing rock formations in parts.
Once on the Tizi n' Tichka Pass mountain road we passed numerous road side stalls selling incredibly brightly coloured crystal and rocks . The stall boys would be holding out these vivid stones hoping to catch our eye. Now I am not an expert.... but the colours of their rocks looked far from natural to me! We came across one or two stalls that did have the natural rocks….somehow their wares were very dull in comparison.
The drive was interesting with barren pink hills indispersed with small patches of vivid green oases. The scenery changes frequently and the flatroofed mud and stone houses of the villages meld into the mountains which are the same colour. You sometimes had to look closely to see them. Neat vegetable gardens spread across the valleys.
We climbed 2260 metres to the top of Tizn'Tichka Pass.There are some amazing rock formations in parts.
We are staying in the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou rather than Ouarzazate . To stay in a Kasbah over a thousand years old is an opportunity not to be passed up. We turn off about 13 kms before Quarzazate along a narrow dusty road which seems to be going nowhere....and then we see the small township mainly with accommodation and restaurants that has sprung up for visitors.
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