Proper Travellers Now - Day Four in Marrakesh
By day four, there was one thing becoming increasingly obvious - whoever planned this itinerary clearly had something against lie-ins. Okay it was me! And actually I hate early mornings, so note to self for next time - include later starts and days off in the middle of such a packed itinerary. The amount of times the group asked me 'do we get a lie-in tomorrow?' was crazy and every time the answer was 'err sorry no!'
So, as you may have guessed day four started bright and early again - although by now most of us were running on a combination of excitement and determination (and mint tea!)
This was a bittersweet morning as it marked the end of our stay at the beautiful riad that had become our home over the previous few days, and we had to say goodbye to one of our group who had to leave early because of work commitments (we did try to kidnap her!).
We packed our cases, said goodbye to Dusica, thanked Mohammed (our Riad host) for the most wonderful stay and headed off to meet out guide for the next few days - Abdul. Arriving in his minibus, Abdul helped load our suitcases onto the van (I'm sure he wondered where we thought we were going! Who packs this much stuff for the desert?!) Then we were on our way - out of the chaos of city life and out to the more laid back Berber villages on our way to the desert.
Before leaving the city completely, we picked up the rest of our travelling companions. Our group suddenly became even more international, with five Italian guys, a Ukrainian lady Julia and, somewhat confusingly, another Abdul - who was the loveliest man you could wish to meet!
With everyone onboard, we set off towards the High Atlas Mountains. The scenery changed dramatically as we climbed higher and higher along the winding roads of the famous Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass. Every turn seemed to reveal another spectacular view - towering mountains, tiny villages clinging to hillsides, deep valleys.
After a few scenic stops, we arrived at our first major stop - Ait Benhaddou, one of Morocco's most famous and recognisable locations. Even if you've never heard the name before, chances are you've seen it on screen. This ancient fortified village has been used as a filming location for countless productions including Gladiator, Game of Thrones and Lawrence of Arabia. Walking through it felt like stepping onto a film set because, well, it kind of was!
Before exploring, there was of course an essential ice cream stop. Travelling is all about embracing local culture, after all. We also met some rare cream coloured camels, posed for photographs and then began the long climb through the ancient village. And when I say climb, I mean climb. It felt like approximately one million steps. Possibly more.
The higher we climbed, however, the more worthwhile it became. The views across the surrounding landscape were absolutely breathtaking. Along the way, we got to watch local artists demonstrate a fascinating traditional technique where artwork is created using fire. It was incredible to watch and, unsurprisingly, several souvenirs quickly found new homes in our suitcases.
One of the funniest moments of the day happened completely unexpectedly. We discovered a lost iPhone and, after a little detective work, managed to reunite it with its owner. In a world where most of us would probably rather lose a limb than lose our phones, it felt like a genuinegood deed as we definitely saved that lady a trip reclimbing all those steps to find her phone again!
After exploring the stunning ancient village, we stopped at a local shop filled with beautiful hats and scarves in every colour imaginable. The prices were unbelievably good and many of us couldn't resist picking up one or two. We were also shown the proper way to tie traditional headscarves, which made for some excellent photos.
After all that exploring, it was time for lunch at a local restaurant where we enjoyed another delicious Moroccan meal before continuing our journey.
The miles rolled by as the landscape continued to change around us - rocky mountains, lush greenery, stunning orange sand.
We made a short stop in the Valley of the Roses, before continuing towards our final destination for the evening - a local hostel nestled amongst dramatic rocky mountains. It felt completely different from the traditional elegance of the riad but had a charm all of its own and we suddenly felt like proper travellers.
After checking in (and regretting our packing choices having to drag our ridiculously oversized suitcases up a million flights of stairs), we gathered together for dinner. The conversation flowed as easily as it always had, with stories from the day, plenty of laughter and lots of excitement about what was coming next.
Because tomorrow wasn't just another sightseeing day.
Tomorrow was the desert.
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