Ait Benhaddou - Taroudant

long ride today from Ait Benhaddou to Taroudant 340 kms, riding up into the Anti Atlas mountains, then across a plateau which made the other desert areas to green. I really don't know how people can survive up here on these desert plains, we occasionally pass a small farm, but not much growing there, and small villages, and the occasional goatherd, but that's all. There are also ruins on the hilltops indication that the road we are following is not new but once an ancient trade route.

 

The weather has turned cold today falling to below 10 deg, riding often with a strong headwind which combined with the bike speeding along adds quite a chill factor, but fortunately I did bring some warm riding gear so all is well except for my boots which are slowly deteriorating, the soles are falling apart the 2 photos are both taken today, one in the morning and one at the end of the days ride, so I don't expect them to last too much longer, I will try and get some duct tape and tape them up and may try and buy new boots in Marrakesh.

 

we stopped for a break at a place called the Gas Haven, which apparently was never a petrol station but made as a film set for a zombie film made in the 70's, we were held up there for a shot time to replace the battery on one of the bikes.

Dades - Ait Benhaddou

This morning we rode along the Dades Gorge here the red rock formations rise like long fingers out of the ground, and then deep into the canyon cut up the tightly twisting pass through the mountain, again every patch of land on the edge of the river is farmed by Berbers.

in the afternoon we are back into the deserts beyond the mountains, this is an arid rocky hilly area, where little grows, but, all the way there are remote houses, all have a small farming area growing something, there must be water deep beneath the ground as these people cannot  survive here without water, so must each have their own well.

Also along the side of the road there are many ruins from the time that desert caravans used to travel on the southern side of the Atlas mountains.

We stopped for a short time had lunch of Pigeon Pastilla, a local dish, (which tasted good), and visited the casbah where the Raiders of the lost ark was filmed, didn't recognise anything, it just looked like other mud brick constructions that we had seen all over Morocco, which are like little self contained villages with narrow alleys twisting and turning in every direction like a weird maze, without a guide you would be lost.

Riding has been good, warm days, mid 20's & no rain, we stop tonight at a hotel in Ait Benhaddou which is on the old caravan route between Timbuktu and Marrakesh, in the distance we can see the snow covered Anti Atlas mountains which we will soon visit. 

Merzouga - Dades

We rode from one desert into another one, from the sand back into the High Atlas mountains.

 

Heading into the mountains we passed a ancient watering system where they tunnel underground creating a water course from an aquifer at the base of the mountain to each village, so each village has its own underground tunnel carrying their water.

 

Once we reached the mountains for much of the day we rode through deep valley gorges thousands of years old, we were well off the beaten track following a typical mountain road, narrow, windy, with occasional gravel sections where the road has deteriorated, and is constantly crossing the river, sometimes dry and sometimes with water.

 

Riding through this region you realise how important water is to life, the only green areas are thin strips bordering the river where the Berbers grow some crops, and in other areas nomadic tribes herding goats & camels have an even harder existence.

 

after a long day on the road we eventually arrived at Dades with the setting sun.

 

Merzouga 2

Rest day today at Merzouga, so what do you do on a rest day in the desert, hire quad bikes of course and head off again into the desert Ya-Hoo.

 

its amazing that there is so much life here in the desert, I took a walk this morning in the dunes and there were so many different animal and insect tracts in the sand, and it is so quiet that you can hear a camel lowing in the distance.

 

The camp site and hotel accommodation here is outstanding with the bed wider than it is long.

 

A short ride out for some group photo's in the sand dunes and then back for to the hotel to watch the sun set then another tangine dinner. tomorrow is a long ride to Dades, so early bed tonight.

 

And for Kersten's wife who I  know is reading this there is a picture of him playing quad bike in the sand.

Desert Camp somewhere near Merzouga

Currently in a desert camp somewhere near Merzouga about 5 kms from the Algerian border. After yesterdays disaster we finally arrived at Merzouga and after a quick change and an "interesting" 4WD trip we go too our camels, which were surprisingly well behaved. The interesting 4WD trip was travelling over the desert plains and then into the desert at a breakneck speed, which although exciting was also a bit scary, Russell would never drive like this.

 

It is sad to have lost 2 of the group but as you will understand there are always risks in any venture, and with motorcycling you not only have to come to grips with strange roads, but different rules and how the locals interpret these, as they often take little notice of the rules and drive in a manner that they think appropriate.

 

It was an unfortunate accident as the bike just slid out from under them as they went around a roundabout, the  road was very smooth and there were spots of oil on it.  

 

We mounted the camels and rode off with the sun setting behind us, fantastic, once it got going it set up a rhythm which was quite pleasant until it went down hill and the gentle stride turned into a jerky stomp.

 

The desert camp was luxurious with individual toilets and showers, and a big bed covered with an inch of blankets, which were certainly needed come the time for bed as once the sun set the temperature dropped to freezing.

 

I was lulled to sleep by the sound of Berber drums and singing, whilst sitting around a camp fire.

Errachidia

This morning we spent a couple  of hours wandering around this remote village that only exists because of the water that is available here in the middle of the desert plain. the old village like many we have passed is constructed entirely with compacted mud.

 

 

Er-Rissani

We are currently having tea at a roadside cafe in Er-Rissani where one of the riders has had a fall and his pillion passenger has broken her leg. They were not going fast and slipped on a roundabout. So haven't yet got to the desert, and am now waiting to find out what will happen, probably need to revise the route.

Merzouga (desert camp)

As we rode in last night in the dark I did not see anything around me, so this is what I woke up to outside my bedroom window, an oasis on the edge of the desert, but today we go on, into the desert, no internet tonight from my desert camp, so here is where I'll be.