5.30 am Awoke to the sound of the 'Call to Prayer' from at least 4 mosques in the area of the camp site.
7.30 am The birds were singing away in the trees above us. Later, the sound of a plane taking off
somewhere quite close.
Out of Ouazazate, past small shops on the roadside. Past women doing the washing in the stream down below the road.
5 miles out of Ouazazate on the road to Marrakech we sailed past the Atlas Film Studios.
Reviews are very mixed.
"At present, it hosts one of the largest movie studios in the world, Atlas Studios. Several historical movies were shot on those studios (e.g. Astérix et Cléopâtre, Lawrence of Arabia, The Man Who Would Be King, Cleopatra, Kundun, Gladiator and lately Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven and Babel). It was also the location of the November 26, 2006 episode of the television series The Amazing Race."
Slowly climbing up into the mountins, landscape very arid.
Lunch stop at Cafe Mohammed at Assanfou. Restaurant Assanfou
Their Berber omelettes are melt in the mouth heavenly.
Then on and up in to granite and horrendous hair pin bends and fantastic views.
We stopped on a particularly wide bend and spent lots of dirhams at a small Berber shop which seemed to be just precariously clinging to the edge of the mountain.
Very friendly people. A father and his son. As we left, much later, the father was outside praying. It seemed too intrusive to photograph him.
On the way down to Marrakech.
We stopped for some Asphodels and sweet smelling white Broom.
The temperature is rising!
Arrived in the outskirts of Marrakech in the rush hour. Sheer Madness. Lots of people grouped on one of the larger roundabouts. Police about. Ian said he saw some of the Army as well. Someone said later that it might have been the King passing through.
4.30 pm Reached our destination 'Camping Ferdaous'. Very, very busy. Squashed in, no privacy.
Lots of Peacocks wandering about, very pretty.
5.00 pm Meeting. We had been told to bring a glass as well as a chair.
Ray produced a 5 litre bottle which was over half full of 'red'. Berber wine he called it.
It did seem quite strong.
Didn't get back to the van until well after dark and were plagued with mosquitos all night because we had left the windows open.
No malaria here fortunately, it being one of the things we hadn't even considered. Apparently the desert acts as a barrier. Didn't sleep too well.
