The Ziz Valley

Marrakech was  nice if a bit touristy for me.  The large medina does sell food and supplies to locals, but most of the booths sell rugs, blankets, leather goods, and wood products to the tourists.  There are direct flights to Marrakech, so there are a lot of tourists here, primarily from Europe.  On Wednesday I walked to the Jardin Majorelle, the most peaceful spot in Marrakech after my lovely riad.  French artist Jacques Majorelle designed the garden in the 1920's and 1930's, importing cactus and other plants, primarily from the Americas, but also from China, Japan, and South Africa.  The garden was neglected after Majorelle's death until it was acquired by Yves Saint-Laurent and continues to be maintained by his foundation.  So among the odder things I visited in Marrakech was a memorial to Yves Saint-Laurent where his ashes were scattered.  Who knew?





On Friday I took a ten hour bus ride to Errachidia to meet Kasey and John to spend a weekend in the Ziz Valley at a lovely guesthouse that they had stayed at once.  Needless to say, I was not looking forward to the bus ride, but I ended up liking it a lot.  I drove across the width of Morocco in the front seat of a luxury bus.



We crossed the High Atlas Mountains, climbing from the desert on a narrow road with switchbacks to the snow covered peak of 7,000 feet .  It was pretty amazing.  I noticed that the style of the buildings was square with turrets on the four corners.  Even small houses looked like castles.

It was dark when John picked me up in Errachidia and we drove to the Maison D'Hote Sahara.  This is the view I woke up to.







The desert is endless with red rock formations like southern Utah.  But where the Ziz river flows, there is a huge oasis.  Our hotel was in the middle of the oasis.  It was a square building with four turret shaped rooms on the roof, which was where we stayed.





A fashion note:  for the first time on this entire trip, I am wearing sandals and crops, no winter jacket, and a short sleeve shirt under my pullover.  And the pullover came off for a while.

On Saturday morning, Kasey and John hiked up one of the mesas while Ruby and I stayed behind.  Ah, modern technology.  When they got to the top, they called me on their cel phone and I walked out on the roof.  We could see each other, but just as tiny, black specks in the distance.

On Sunday we drove back to Ifrane where I will stay for my last few days in Morocco.

Ruby is still cute.