We took a minibus tour to the Sahara. The trip there was an adventure in itself. We had a driver who fancied himself a Mario Andretti-type driver. He was passing vehicles like he had just robbed a bank, swerving in and out of traffic at breakneck speeds. Items were falling off the overhead storage racks as he passed people and took curves. I think he drove so fast to make up for all the cigarette stops he had to take. This often worked in our favor because it seemed to be the only time he would stop for us to have a photo shoot, often ignoring our other requests. Even though he spoke good English, he pretended not to understand or to not give good description of what we were seeing. All in all he was quite rude and aloof.
Ait-Ben-Haddou
There was one place he could not slip quickly past. Ait Benahaddou on the southern slopes of the High Atlas mountains in the province of Ouarazate. It is the most famous ksar (castle) in the Ounila Valley. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. It has been the site of over 20 movies, as well, including The Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia. Most of the people now live in a nearby village; however, four families still live in the ancient city.
This group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls is traditional pre-Saharan habitat, although this site is not older than the 17th century. The houses crowd together withing the defensive walls, which are reinforced by corner towers. It is a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco. The site was also one of the many trading posts on the caravan route linking ancient Sudan to Marrakech by the Dra Valley and the Tizi-n'Telouet Pass.
We had a very handsome guide, dressed in traditional costume. He said he has served as an extra in many of the movies (Babel with Brad Pitt) and even having a few speaking parts. We had to cross a shallow river (Oued Ounilla) by jumping from stone to stone to reach the ancient city. While we were taking our photo opportunity, he clearly said that he charged 20 dirham ($3 CDN) per person for the tour. Although we were told that we would have no extra costs to pay, other than our meals, this was a bit unusual but not outrageous. He asked if this was OK and everyone agreed.
We first stopped at a small artisan who painted pictures with lemon juice then held the seemingly black paper over a flame for the citric acid to oxidize and appear. The pictures had a very ancient look to them from this process.
The entire city is built on such a steep hillside that while you are walking along a path you are actually walking on the wall of the building below. The interior walls around the individual dwellings are very thick adobe and covered with bamboo and stones to seal them. Some of us walked to the very top of the hill to peek at the granary located up there. The building itself was locked up and not much to see, but the view of the city and surrounding area was well worth it.
We were allowed into one of the homes. It was almost dungeon-like with its low ceilings, tiny rooms and minimal light. The brilliant sunshine outside the open doorways make the interior seem even darker than it actually is. They cook over clay ovens stuffed with kindling. We went up to the rooftop and chuckled to see a solar panel and TV antennae (with a tea pot amplifier). Down below was a small pen with some sheep, goats, and chickens.
There were little shops set up in the alleys. There weren't many and it looked as though they set up only when they knew tours were coming through. They did not appear to be manned all day long. They mostly sold clothing, jewelry and daggers.
It was a very enjoyable tour and we were very pleased to have experienced it. However, there was a couple from Quebec that started rumbling how we were told there was to be no extra costs and now this guide wanted 40 dirham. We said that we had agreed to that price before he even started the tour. They weren't going to stand for this extra billing and refused to pay. A few others jumped on board with them, also refusing to pay. Our driver refused to let anyone back into the bus unless they paid our guide. This was quickly getting out of hand. We quietly slipped the man 100 dirham (he was a really good guide) and tried to convince the others to just pay him so we could go already. Finally reason prevailed, they understood they had agreed to the price beforehand and therefore, grudgingly, paid the guide.
We carried on to Dades Gorge.
