At 8am, Ibrahim came to pick us up. We walked to the taxi station and got into his Toyota Forerunner. Immediately, he started to point out things along the way, and he’d offer to pull the truck over, if we wanted to take a picture.
As we approached the mountains, the road became narrower and windy. We passed a lot of rock & gem stalls which the area is famous for.
It took a couple hours to make it over the Tizi N Tichka pass. I could see why this road is so dangerous. In areas, it is in a state of disrepair, and there are a million blind corners. There were many vehicles that had no business travelling, and were either way to loaded down or just about to fall apart.
Just before reacing Ouerzazate, we stoppped off at a Kasbah. It was built up by the film industry for a movie, so half of it is old (350+ years) and the other half is brand new. We took a tour of the Kasbah, but our tourguide’s English was really sketchy. I don’t really understand everything he said as a result.
We had a very touristy lunch on a rooftop hotel in Ouerzazate. It was good food, but I don’t think it was worth the price we paid. Also, around this time, I started feeling the symptoms from the bad OJ. I felt a bit queasy and had very little appetite for the delicious chicken lemon & olive dish they prepared for me.
Driving from Ouerzazate to Todra Gorge took about 3 hours. We stopped in Tinehir for some cash, but poor Barry was still deprived of beer…Ibrahim offered to help Barry secure some beer, but he renigged on the promise.
Finally, just as the sun was completely disappearing, we made it to the Todra Gorge. I was so excited, I wanted to start climbing in the darkness. We found the Auberge Le Festival, and met with Addi-the owner.
This hotel is on the west end of the gorge, off the road, and in a scenic location. It is a little ways away from the big tourist hotels, and the food served is wonderful. I was very happy with my choice, even if we were a little far from some of the climbing areas.
Dinner was meat with veggies like eggplant and potato. Barry & I requested a vegetarian version, which was brought out a little later. After dinner, we talked about climbing the next day, and I poured over our climbing materials. I got my backpack ready for the next day, and then around midnight, I was incredibly sick to my stomach. I spent the night in pain with oscillating hot & cold sweats.
Tags: Marrakech, Ouerzazate, Tizi N Tichka Pass, Todra Gorge