Where in the World are Aimes and Hobbes?: Maroc

Marrakech to Todra Gorge

Aimes on top of Ait Benhaddou

Having done one Christmas in London we thought it best to try and escape the cold this year and headed to Morocco for a couple of weeks of relative warmth and most importantly big blue skies! Unfortunately the trip inevitably started at a London airport, where despite staying overnight at the new novel Yotel (capsule hotel) in the terminal, the length of check-in and security queues meant that we had to run to our gate, arriving just a minute before we were due to take off.

Our mint tea friend in Djemma El Fna, the big square in the centre of Marrakech medina

Djemma El Fna in the early evening before the frenzy of food, snake charmers, storytellers and henna artists

Anyways, we eventually made it to Marrakech and spent the next few days getting lost amongst the narrow winding laneways of the Medina and avoiding the attentions of the carpet sellers in the Souks. Amongst the highlights was the evening spectacular in Djemma El Fna (the main square) where a big food market springs up surrounded by snake charmers, story tellers and henna artists. Most of the culinary highlights of Marakech were experienced here, from the super-sweet mint tea, to escargot, harira (Moroccan soup) and brochettes (and surprisingly we both managed to not get sick??).

Yummy harira and way-too-sweet mint tea (my head looks really long doesn't it?)

Ornate archway in Ben Youseff Merdersa

Blessed rays of sun - it had been way too long!

For Aimes's birthday we went to one of the many fancy Riad restaurants, which provided a slightly more refined than the Riad we were staying in which could have been described as 'rustic'? Although the food and wine were probably most notable for their quantity, with all the Moroccan favourites (tajine, couscous and pigeon pastilla) making an appearance. Slightly less common lambs brains and livers kept it interesting too.

Hobbes chillin' in our riad suite in Marrakech

Setting up for dinner in Djemma El Fna

Sampling the oh-so-sweet ginseng tea - this country has got a massive sweet tooth

Mosques with tall minerets scatter old town and echo over the city with prayer calls

Christmas Day was an exciting affair (note sarcasm) consisting of a bus ride across the Altas Mountains from Marrakech to Ouzazate. However this was more than worth it as the next day we picked up a car and had the best part of the trip driving along the edge of the Sahara though little Oasis towns of the Dades and Ziz Valleys to Fes. First stop was the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou (of Gladiator fame) supposedly one of the best preserved in the area.

Looking happy and thoroughly enjoying himself at Yves Saint Laurent's Marjorelle Gardens

Marjorelle Gardens

We rocked the ol' Ait Ben Haddou kasbah...

From here we headed north up the Dades Valley though numerous little palm filled oasis' striking in their green-glory after the barren rocky plains which make up most of the landscape in this area. Towards the end of the day we made a side trip up the Dades Gorge, notable for some strange rock formations and one of the windiest hairpin filled roads we've ever driven. We finished up our day in the small town of Tinehir, of which we weren't expecting much, but proved to be a very pleasant place to spend the evening with our hotel perched on top of a hill overlooking the town.

Look at the palm trees! A ribbon of green palms weaving up to the Todra Gorge

Road trippin' the edge of the Sahara desert

Looking chuffed with himself for being able to stick to the right hand side of the road

Near Tinehir we drove up the Todra Gorge, following the gradually narrowing valley with it's dense cover of palms spouting between the rocky mountains. At it's narrowest point the gorge is quite impressive, with the vertical walls some 300m high and less than 30m apart. From here we pushed on through the vast barren plains of the pre-Sahara towards the begining of the desert proper near the Algerian border.