Ouarzazate (wa-zeer-ra-zat) is the movie capital of Morocco. Lawrence of Arabia, Rules of Engagement, Gladiator, and others were made here. They have even opened up a film school.

Our stay here was mostly an overnight on the way to Marrakesh however we did tour a beautiful casaba.

On the way, we stopped at Ait Benhaddou which is a village which has been used in many movies. There is a communal granary at the top of the hill which was quite safe from invaders. Our guide, Amine, was a really nice guy but not so great as a tour guide. The hill the granary was on looked like it was going to be a very steep climb so having been sick and still not having any energy, I opted to just stay in the little town where the bus dropped us off. Buzz went ahead on the walk and later told me that I could have easily done the first part which had picturesque shops and casbahs. sigh….

The gate in the last picture is actually a new one constructed for “The Jewel of the Nile”

Marrakesh, called the Red City due to the earthen buildings, is a bustling city: casinos, night clubs, and very expensive hotels and restaurants. Even though I have been very careful about what I eat, I still got a terrible case of traveler’s diarrhea and upset stomach and opted to skip the itinerary for the first day in Marrakesh and slept, slept, and slept some more. I will now turn this program over to Buzz to highlight the day for you:

We met our local tour guide who took us first to the cemetery of the first ruler of the current dynasty which was established in the 16th century. The cemetery complex had been walled off from view (and looters) in the 1800’s. The only entrance was through a small door in the adjacent mosque. It was rediscovered by the French during flyovers as they were trying to map their territory. It was visible from the air, but not the streets.

We then went to a cooking demonstration of making couscous

The minaret for the main Mosque in Marrakesh has a ramp going all the way to the top. The Imam used to ride a horse up to the top for the call to prayer. Now he uses a microphone on the ground floor with speakers up top.

We then went to a palace built by a Prime Minister. When the King got wind of how opulent it was, he fired him.

The Marjorel Gardens was primarily a cactus and succulent garden as well as a museum of Berber life. Factoid for the day: The term Barbarian comes from the word Berber, though it is hard to believe that these kind, nomadic people have much barbarian in them.

The final stop of the day was a trip into the shopping area. The one covered street inside is about a mile long.

At first glance, I thought this sign said Amish.

Back to Kim……

I rallied in the evening for our dinner event. We climbed into our horse drawn carriage for a tour of the Square and to our dinner destination. The Square is a very happening place at night. Families and couples were everywhere jut hanging out.  Since drinking alcohol is not allowed for Muslims (at the very least, it is not done in public), it was not the usual public drunken scene.

We were dropped off at an alley. It turned from an alley into literally ruins and we felt like the lambs being led to slaughter. Then we turned the corner and voila!

Dinner was lovely, just wish I could have eaten some of it. We were entertained by musicians and dancers and treated quiet royally.

We had been signed up for the trip to Essaouira for the day to see Argan oil being made and goats in trees but we decided we needed a day to just chill out. (We later found out that we did not miss much and that the goats in trees were placed there!) So we walked around the souks and the square for a while then headed back to the hotel and spent the afternoon reading by the pool. It was a much needed calmer day. If you have never taken a guided tour, be aware that they keep you very busy. We were usually out of the hotel by 7:30 or 8am and did not return until after dinner….on the go all day, every day.

That night we walked to a restaurant down the street from the hotel that was really hopping and a good people watching place. Speaking of food, the food in Morocco was, overall, a great disappointment. It was bland and the selection was very limited to tagines and couscous! The best meal I had was my camel tagine and Buzz liked his trout, both at a lunch stop on a long day of bus riding. Our guide admitted that the restaurants and hotels don’t make their food spicy or flavorful because they are afraid the tourists will say it is too spicy! Not buying it….we ate at many non-tourist spots and their food was bland also. sigh.