Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture. There are three pages of photos in total):
1) The second famous gorge in the Atlas mountains is the Todra Gorge. This time we did have plenty of gas and were able to spend a few hours exploring this striking valley. Goats and sheep are common but the ones living in southern Morocco, as seen here, have a much harder life than those in the green northern part of the country.
2) Another shot of the Todra Gorge. We rode about 60 miles to the top of this valley. Normally, anywhere there is water in this part of the country there are palms but this gorge is very dry for the entire length so the valley is rocky and arid.
3) As we continued south we entered the soft sand desert. The Berbers are the native, nomadic peoples of Morocco and have traditionally lived in the Sahara. Here is a traditional berber well, of hundreds built in lines above a (now dry) underground stream that ran from the Atlas mountains to the oasis of Fezna.
4) One of the highlights of the trip was meeting and befriending Jochen from Cologne, Germany. Here Jochen is undergoing a transformation into a berber camel jockey.
5) No visit to the Sahara would be complete without a camel ride. Here Alan and Jonna sit atop our gentle giants ready to venture out into the massive sand dunes outside Merzouga.
6) Here is the caravan made up of the Edelweiss tour group. Our camel train went a couple of miles out into the desert (to within eyesight of the Algerian border!). While we played on the camels the Merzouga Rally was happening right next door which meant we were frequently buzzed by offroad motorcycles zooming across the soft sand.
7) Jonna missed Colorado so much she strapped on skis and did a run down the face of a large dune.
8) Another great day of riding through the mountains, this time up the Valley du Ziz. This was the first of two passes we went over this day in our return trip over the Atlas mountains.
9) Sweet mint tea is the national drink of Morocco. We probably drank four to six cups of this each day. Each cup is made with strong green tea, a couple of large sprigs of mint and three large sugar cubes.
10) The Col Du Zad was the second pass as we headed north over the Atlas mountains. This area is also the start of the once great cedar forests of Morocco. Beautiful riding and the return to a fertile green landscape was again sharp contrast to the arid south.
11) Looking into a muslim cemetery in Fez which, as non-muslims, we were not allowed to enter.
12) The souk in Fez was the largest we visited in Morocco and due to the hilly topology of the area was even more maze-like. Each table, shop (or even just someone with blanket on the ground) was selling something different. This stand was selling dried fruit including dates which were both in-season and delicious.
13) This man was sitting at a table on the street sorting and selling old coins. We are not usually fans of taking photos of people on our travels but Jonna discretely took this shot from the hip while walking by.
14) We have no qualms about taking photos of cats. These two had made themselves a nice home inside the Madersa Bouianania (a 14th century Islamic college).
15) The streets and alleys of the Fez medina are narrow, winding tunnels. There are homes on the other side of these walls but there are no windows. These "blind houses" are built with all the rooms looking inward towards an open courtyard with just a single doorway onto the street.
16) This is a massive leather tannery located in the heart of Fez. We know that photos cannot capture scents so you would need to be standing next to us there to understand why having a sprig of mint stuffed up your nose was necessary. The smell of processing animal skins is foul and the conditions for the people working here was terrible.
17) Unlike other souks we visisted no vehicles are allowed inside the Medina in Fez. So animals, mainly donkeys like this one, are used to bring in everything. Donkeys are the trucks of rural Morocco and we saw them everywhere. The small ones were quite cute and Jonna wanted to bring one back with us to Colorado.
18) The city of Volubilis was the south-western edge of the Roman empire. We stopped for a short visit to walk among the ruins. This photo was taken in the ruins of the basilica.
19) Volubilis is known for its mosaics, including this one on the floor of one of the ruined buildings.
20) On our way back north to return to Spain we were lucky enough to spend another night in the beautiful city of Chefchaouen. Thankfully it did not rain on our way into town this time so we could get out and explore a little more. We walked this street on our way to see a cascading stream on the edge of town.
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Morocco Trip Photo Page.
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