The Todra Gorges in the High Atlas Mountains were near the bustling town of Tinerhir and were a spectacular series of limestone river canyons 5,000 ft above sea level. As soon as we arrived we were greeted by an old friend – the ugliest cat in the land (already recorded in an earlier post). This cat was wild and prowled about the van, hissing if you came too close but would rub against your legs hoping for food and it actually came into the van once when I left the screen open.
Those with a nervous disposition look away now.
. . . . ?
We saw that the women still did their washing in the river. Many of the dwellings in the countryside did not have a direct water supply and we often saw folk collecting water from springs or stand pipes at the roadside.
The next day we travelled west towards Ouarzazate (sounds like Wha-za-zat), a journey of only a hundred miles but it took us almost three hours as we drove slowly and stopped often to enjoy the vast rugged landscapes stretching to the horizon – my simple camera could not begin to do it justice. Our drive finally took us along the fertile Dades Valley with its lush palm groves, providing contrast against the russet backdrop of the High Atlas.
The Ouarzazate area was a noted film-making location and featured in those spaghetti westerns set in places like Arizona as well as such films as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” and, more recently, “Game of Thrones”.
