ATLAS MEETS ATLANTIC: Days 16-21 of 273, 28NOV15-3DEC15, 1,119km to total 2,150km, El Mansouria to Essaouira MOROCCO

PLACES VISITED: Marrakesh, Ait Benhaddou, Tinghir, Todre Gorge, Tizgui, Essaouira MOROCCO.

OVERNIGHTS: Marrakesh (2), Ait Benhaddou - Bush Camp (1), Todra Gorge - Hostel (2), Marrakesh MOROCCO.

SPECIAL STOP PRESS: My fellow travellers are now using the Greek saying “OPA”!!! I didn’t realise it but every time I burped or farted or bumped into someone or almost tripped or almost spilt something I kept saying “OPA” and it caught on. People asked me what it meant and I told them - anything ju want - it is like “U N G O W A” - yes it is… the universal one-word language...

DAY 16, Sat 28NOV15, 283km, El Mansouria to Marrakesh MOROCCO. If there is a public face to Morocco then it is in Marrakesh (Pop 2m, Elev 425m). It is flat with the highest part of the Atlas Ranges in the background. All the buildings are painted in sandy colours, oranges, terracotta reds, dark tans, ochre… no white! The city is well kept and has these iconic short palms and red dirt that make it “more African” in looks. As a matter of fact our 4hr drive opened up sceneries of mud brick villages with Mosques in the middle and surrounded by dry red dusty plains - it is “getting more Saharan" as we go!

Our campsite (El Ferdaous) was 11km out of town and we made a stop at a “Marjan” supermarket (for more olives and cheese for me…) and a booze stop!!! OMG -  what am I going to do… Now wait. Next to the Marjan was a “Fuddruckers”!!! Yes, you read right! The Los Angeles hamburger chain from the 1980’s. The last time I had a burger there was in LA in Dec 1987 with my cousin Paris and his sister Kathy. Unbelievable. After a lovely sunny run, I relaxed in reception with Roberto (CPA from Brazil) drinking red wine and eating green olives and cheese whilst making several blog corrections sent in by my new Editor, Leo Drinias!!! It was a great evening of phone calls to Australia on account of a decent wi-fi and a movie to end a fine day...

DAY 17, Sun 29NOV15, 1km, Marrakesh (City Walk & Evening) MOROCCO. What a welcome sleep-in. Up at 9am and on the minivan into Marrakesh by 11am. What a town. So different from the others. Laid flat, all ochre coloured buildings. The main boulevards and modern city are quite clean.

The Kasbah and old town is quite different - the streets are wider but full of small shops, people and passing motor bikes. Much more open to the sky than Fez and all red/ochre/orange in colour instead of the blue of Chefchaouen. David (Retired, UK) joined me on a walking tour of the city. We started with the 12th Century “Koutoubia Mosque” with its 70m minaret near the centre of town and opposite from our drop-off point. From here we visited the “Saadian Tombs” which are flat, narrow rectangles, with small mosaic tiles and some with a long, narrow, marble roof shaped cap. Underneath are the Sultans of the 12th & 13th Centuries that built most of Marrakesh by trading spices.

Strange thing is that there are no names or dates of the dead - no epitaph. Next to the tombs is the old palace or “Palais el-Badi” or Badia Palace. It was built by a Saadian Sultan in 1594, covering 135m by 110m and used for state functions and visiting dignitaries. There is not much left of it - just the outside walls, and underground service tunnels where slaves and staff lived and worked to keep the Sultans comfortable. The grounds have orange trees growing in them. There is a terrace you can climb to see the surrounding city and the new palace in the distance where the current King stays whilst in town but is not accessible. The tombs, new and old palaces and a mosque are all part of the “Kasbah” and enclosed by an inner wall. There is another larger wall with 15 gates that encompasses the larger old town, built in the 11th Century, 19km all the way around (you can walk/run it). Next stop was the “Palais de la Bahia” which is easily the best preserved and most beautiful to see inside. It was built to be the modern palace in the 19th Century but current Kings found it too small so it was converted into a museum.

The gold gilded wooden doors and ceilings are the best and compliment the tiny pieces of blue, green and yellow tile that make up the many mosaic floors and walls. From here it was a brisk walk back to the minivan drop-off point to meet Roberto (CPA, Brazil) who wanted to join us. Very close to the pickup point is the main plaza and centrepiece of the city: “Djemaa el-Fna”. This is a huge space much like the centre of Prague or Moscow or Gdansk. At night this place explodes into action with cooking stalls and myriads of locals eating everything from calamari to cows tongue!!! More on this later. The plaza is full of snake charmers playing their flute with a variety of snakes surrounding them, especially cobras. If you go too close, all of a sudden a snake handler puts a snake around your neck to charge you for a photo.

That’s what happened to me and before I knew it, Roberto was snapping away and we filmed an interview with the snake and charmer. Just off the main plaza is the medina containing all the “souqs” selling everything and anything. Gary (Warehouse Picker, Chicago) joined Dave, Roberto and I into the souqs and eventually we stopped at a tiny local cafe for hot tea, cafe au lait and a variety of local sweets. We passed the 12th Century “Ali ben Youssef Mosque” and the “Ali ben Youssef Medesa” or Islamic school of religion.

We ended up back at the main plaza just in time for sunset which is the place to be. We parked ourselves on a third floor cafe balcony and sipped hot mint tea (no booze served in plaza) as the sun set and the plaza came alive with the smoky pillars of the street eateries. What a site. The eateries reminded me of South East Asia, particularly Laos and boy, do you get hassled big time to eat in one of the 100 odd stalls. Best thing is not to engage and keep on walking but one guy got the shits with me because I would not talk to him and stood in front of me, blocking me with his chest! Suddenly a work buddy of his (dressed the same) pops out and pulls him back and actually apologises to me saying “Brother, I am sorry for him”. Eventually we sat at Cafe Simo and ate calamari, fish and a roasted eggplant puree with loads of “Moroccan Whiskey” or hot tea. Only 7AUD each! Off to another stall to eat some meat: tajine beef, spinach puree and lamb’s head, all dusted with cumin and pepper.

Very tasty but no cutlery in any stall. You eat with your right hand and scoop up or grab the food up using your flatbread. Never use the left hand because that is for wiping your bum. After the meal you rinse your hand with butchers paper with one end dipped in water. I was getting itchy for a wine so we headed back to camp at 7:30pm (there was another shuttle at 9pm). A small group of us crowded around the camp fire drinking wine and beer and talking with Andi about life in the desert...

DAY 18, Mon 30NOV15, 223km, Marrakesh to Ait Benhaddou MOROCCO. I think Marrakesh was my favourite big city in Morocco to date, especially that central plaza (Djemaa el-Fna) at night. Today was a spectacular day of driving. We ascended into the highest part of the Atlas Mountains on our way to Todra Gorge via Ait Benhaddou. After a bush-side lunch stop, we ascended to a maximum height of 2207m. The scenery was so varied. Started with red dirt and scrub then along came some pine and then back to red dirt and bare mountains with outline ridges that made shapes and layers of sedimentary colours. We could have been in New Mexico USA - I recall some similar scenes in Root69!

The best was sitting “on the beach”, an open area in front of the inside of the truck and elevated above our seats and immediately behind the driving cabin (which is separate). The beach can sleep 2-3 people or 5-6 people cross-legged or kneeled to take 360 degree photos without impediment. The beach is meant for sick people or people sleeping overnight that have to cook brekkie in the morning so they do not have to wake up at night to pack their tent.

After our Atlas crossing we reached a magnificent plateau at 1300m stretching as far as the eye could see and with wild sandy and red coloured crevices and valleys. It looked very desertish and very exotic. Then it struck me. We were closing in on UNESCO protected "Ait Benhaddou”, an old Berber town, where many many well-known Hollywood movies have been filmed including "Lawrence of Arabia”, “Gladiator”, "Jesus of Nazareth”, “Last Temptation of Christ”, “Jewel of the Nile”, "Game of Thrones” and now “Ungowa Africa 2016”!!! As a matter of fact when we arrived close to sunset at a bush camp only 2km from “Hollywood in the Moroccan desert” or Ait Benhaddou, I set out for an immediate sunset run and saw many filming trucks and crew - something was being filmed there and I intend to find out the name of it, when we visit tomorrow.

I also ran to the next town. The camp was a dream.
 Set on a hill overlooking Ait Benhaddou with a valley and blue stream below and distant craggy mountains of every imaginable shade of red, orange and gold. After dinner, Roberto and I indulged in white wine, gouda cheese and Moroccan spiced green olives as we discussed the woes of Brazil: 14-18% home loan interest rates, 10-12% term deposit rates, 12% unemployment and 9% inflation! What is happening??? Roberto reckons the cause is a combination of Government corruption, the floating of the local currency and dying exports against China. Whatever the reason, I forgot the cure because we enjoyed the wine so much… (ABOVE: filming in Ait Benhaddou)

DAY 19, Tue 1DEC15, 217km, Ait Benhaddou to Todra Gorge MOROCCO. Our campsite just outside Ait Benhaddou is easily the best so far. I zipped open my tent at 6:45am and the darkness inside was replaced by a spectacular sunrise with all the softest colours of the rainbow painted in the distant clouds, above a yet-to-rise sun. It was freezing but dry - what you would expect sleeping at 1323m (Katoomba is 1000m). We only spent just over an hour visiting the inside of the “Ksar” (main town) and “Kasbah” (citadel town) of the late 19th Century old town of Ait Benhaddou, young for Moroccan standards! Everything is made of mud brick mixed with straw, even the roof! It is bloody hard - like concrete. There are rows of holes in all walls to enable scaffolding to be set up to replace mud that has deteriorated after heavy snow or rain. Clever (Moore). I climbed to the very top where I could see several film crew, trucks and camera gear setting up to film my “dag dance” for the up and coming epic movie “Ungowa Africa 2016”!!! Ha Ha! Only joking. They were filming the latest American TV series “Galavant” so watch out for us as extras, 3km behind the action, up on top of the Ksar! Today’s long drive to Todra took us onto a very large and elevated plateau at an almost constant 1500m, much like the “alto-plano” of the Andes through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The scenery unfolded to semi-arid sands and distant mountains.

Our lunch break was in the middle of nowhere and just a few hours later we arrived in the large, almost oasis like, city of Tinghir, surrounded by palms and gardens fed by a large river in front of the city. It is here that my cook group, Dan (US teacher, Egypt), Chris (Surveyor, USA) and Dave (Retired, UK) bought food at the local markets. I was in charge of the dish we would make and the cooking for lunch and dinner tomorrow and brekkie the morning after. I decided to invent my own version of “Moroccan Lamb”.  Minced lamb leg cooked with tomatoes and mixed Moroccan spices featuring cumin and oregano. The lamb would sit on a stew of white beans, chickpeas, lentils, carrots, capsicum and zucchini, completed with the same spices. Lunch would be curried egg sandwiches with tomato, cucumber and cheese and breakie would be a Moroccan Omelette of potato, tomato, capsicum and spices.

As we approached Todra there was great news for all of us - we would be staying in a hostel for the next two nights - wow - a real bed after 17 days of sleeping bag! Lucky for me we arrived at the “La Vallee Hostel” (Elev 1424m) at 4pm which gave me plenty of light to run in but no direct sun! The hostel is right inside the gorge, surrounded by 100m high ochre coloured limestone cliff walls on two sides. What a magnificent run. Alone on a quiet road twisting and winding its way through the gorge which is about 20km from one end to the other. I reached 1564m elevation. I shared a room with Roberto and we celebrated our luxurious bed with a movie on my Mac Air, chips, nuts and wine!

DAY 20, Wed 2DEC15, 0km, Todra Gorge (Trek to Nomads), Tizgui MOROCCO. “Wakit” our 23yr old local guide from nearby Tizgui was a tall thin chap dressed in jeans, jacket and sneakers with no tread! Hardly a trekking outfit but he managed to climb that rocky path as if he was a goat or taking the proverbial “walk in the path”! I kept close to him so that we could get ahead of our pack of 14 (one turned back after 30min) and take photos and film while the others caught up. What a trek. What a day. Perfect conditions. Cold in the shadows of our 9am start but lovely when we reached the sunlight. We trekked a total of 9.5km starting at 1424m and reaching a mountain top at 1992m. It was a slow pace because of the fitness levels (or lack thereof) of 14 very different people. I would have loved to run it by myself but I wanted to visit the nomads which I could only find with a guide. I was ready to go with my trusty 2L water bladder (one of my brother’s 50th presents to me) on my back - what a great device - cannot wait to use this when running in the desert!

This was definitely the new highlight of the trip to now. After approx 3hrs we arrived at a rocky slope that had several cave-like holes dug into it. One was for sleeping, another to store food and yet another for the animals. These “Berber Nomads” use this slope as a base for summer and in the winter they pack up their families, animals and possessions on mules and travel down to the coast to avoid the cold and snow, only to return to the mountain slop in summer again. Sometimes they will change their summer location altogether and build a new one where there is more water or food for the goats. This family is headed by “Hammed” (short for Mohammed) who is 70 and he has a son who is married with three children. Mum was not home but we met the rest of the family. Hammed slowly and carefully made us mountain tea in his little cave-like kitchen.

The tea is actually a mild, small leaf version of Oregano with the same smell but a thirst-quenching mild taste. We took plenty of photos of the family, especially the children and they loved watching themselves in the resulting photos. The descent back to Tizgui took another 2hrs, arriving at 2pm, perfect for me to take a run in the opposite direction to yesterday. Lovely sun all the way. By 4pm I was showered and ready to cook at 5pm. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed my “Moroccan Lamb” which I subsequently renamed “Todra Lamb” after the gorge in which it was cooked! Roberto and I then enjoyed another wine soaked movie in bed - what a contrast since tomorrow night we would be bush camping!!!

DAY 21, Thu 3DEC15, 395km, Todra Gorge to Marrakesh MOROCCO. Today was dominated by driving. Our goal is to get to the coastal town of Essaouira on the Atlantic. To do this we must drive some 200km back to Marrakesh (descend from the Atlas Mountains) and then drive the 180km to the coast. We cannot do this in one day and depending on traffic, it could take two days hence the 1-2 nights of bush camp along the way. On our descent we did see in the distance, the highest mountain in Morocco, “Jebel Toubkal” at 4167m (almost double Mt Kosciusko) with its summit under snow. It is close to Marrakesh. We topped out at 2136m before reaching Marrakesh and much to screams of joy, Andi and Grant surprised us by turning into the same camping ground we stayed at before - unreal - no bush camp and I can charge everything, wash clothes and have a hot shower! Bliss. Tomorrow it is off to Essaouira where Atlas meets the Atlantic...

PS: INTERESTING FACT ON AFRICA:

Science places the official start of the human race as a genetic descent from a woman called the “mitochondrial Eve” somewhere in Tanzania or Ethiopia approx 50,000yrs ago. This means we are all Africans!!!