Tinghir - Boumalne Dades - Dades gorge - Quarzazate

Brigitte:

Breakfast on the roof terrace. The Dades Gorge is not quite as spectacular and not quite as touristic, but still very impressive and reminds a bit of the Grand Canyon. In between a (expensive) mint tea for 20 DH and at our turning point in M'semrir we have lunch, meat skewers, omelet, fries, orange juice. The route from Boumalne Dades to Quarzazate runs 160 km through a wide plain between the High Atlas in the north and Antiatlas in the south. Impressive and a reminds me to America. Fueled up somewhere in between and drunk a very good coffee for 20 DH. We have to pass through Quarzazate, the accommodation is located south of the river and is not easy to find, because the reception is in Dar Daif and our hotel Dar Bladi lies behind it in the middle of an old kasbah, which partly is inhabited. Quite strange, very exciting. We are the onliest guests in the house and on the roof terrace, where we have dinner, after having taken a walk through the "place" before. We are amazed. Our "personal service" is an old very nice man, who's waiting near the entrance as we return from our walk. He also shows us the ingenious system of the wooden front door bolt. In the evening I see one of the biggest beetles of my life.

After one week we classify the motorbikers as follows: 85% of the motorcyclists are riding BMW, about 5% are couples, most are men's groups and the Polish guys are the best equipped ones and tend to "tougher adventures". Spaniards and Frenchmen prefer the Toyota Landcruiser, Dutchman of course prefer caravans. Moroccans are traveling by minibus or with Peugeot and Mercedes taxis, on donkeys, on cargo bikes, on bicycle. And on foot, like the nomads/Berbers.

Our nasal membranes are completely ruined by dust and dryness.