Morocco, part three: the gorges

Some of the highlights of central Morocco are the beautiful Todra and Dades Gorges, next to the Atlas mountains. Driving west from Hassi Labied, we headed toward Todra Gorge.



This area is popular among rock-climbers. We saw a group of young (12- to 14-year-old) French climbers. Here's a shot of a narrow part of the gorge with the road between the rocks.



On the way to the Dades gorge, we passed some camels. No humans visible. Notice the snowy mountains in the background? That's the Atlas range.



Also on the way to Dades, there are some unusual rock formations.



Kasbah-style buildings abound in this part of Morocco.



That night we stayed in a hotel that left something to be desired (i.e. heat). It was nice to get going in the morning. We continued up the Dades Gorge.



The road wound up and up, and we could see geology at work all around us.



We stopped to take some photos, and out of nowhere this guy appeared. He was selling fossils. The price? "As you like." He meant it, too.



This old tower is decorated with a greenish spray-painted symbol (sort of a pitchfork shape). It's the Berber symbol for freedom and is seen all around.



On our way back down through the gorge, the sun illuminated the hairpin turns.



This building, impressively perched on a bit of rock, is a hotel. We should've stayed there.

Morocco, part two: near Merzouga

We rented a car and drove from Fes southwest to Hassi Labied, near Merzouga. Along the way, we passed through a cedar forest, snowy mountains, a town that resembled Switzerland, and the expected desert landscape.

We arrived in the dark at our kasbah-style hotel. The next morning, we went for a walk in the desert. (This is the northern part of the Sahara.)



You can't tell from the photos, but it was incredibly windy. Sand was flying into our faces and we had to lean against the wind while walking.



I had to hold my hands near my face to keep the sand away from my eyes, nose and mouth.



When we emerged from the dunes after our walk, we were greeted by this guy, who was selling fossils, jewelry, and knick-knacks. He hit us up at the beginning of the walk, but we told him "maybe later," and he actually waited for us. For around two hours.



The hotel next to ours had camels. Here's the obligatory camel shot.

Morocco part one: Fes

Long time no blogging. Been doing lots of stuff, and hopefully we can catch you up here eventually.



In March we went to Morocco for 10 days. Our first stop was the imperial city of Fes.



The old part of the city, the medina, is enclosed within walls and contains lots of tiny alleyways that take circuitous routes, sometimes to dead ends. Lots of people do their daily shopping there.



This is one of the doorways to the medina. It's called a bab.



Women knead their bread dough at home, let it rise, and then bring it to the communal bread oven to have it baked. Here are some loaves that have been baked and are ready for pickup.



The bees seem to be enjoying these sweets.



There is a Jewish section or mellah in Fes. Although most of the Jewish community has emigrated, 56 Jewish families still live here.



The synagogue is still in use.



This man is bicycling through the Jewish cemetery.



Here you can see a contrast of architectural styles, with modern high rises in the background behind the Moroccan archways.



In the medina, there is a leather tannery. It smells ghastly, but they give you a sprig of mint to hold up to your nose. That helps.



Each of these vats is filled with a dye, supposedly all natural, in which to soak the leather for a week or more.



The skins are hung up to dry before being dyed.



Wool is spread out on a rooftop. In the background you can see some dyed skins hanging up to dry.



Back at our small hotel, here is the view from the rooftop terrace in late afternoon.



Our hotel was in the traditional style, with rooms opening onto a central courtyard featuring a fountain, elaborate plasterwork, mosaic tile and wood carvings. This type of hotel is called a riad.



This turtle was in the courtyard and didn't seem to mind having his picture taken.