Todgha or Todra Gorge was at the eastern end of the High Atlas Mountains. We chose the camp site because it was close to the Gorge and had a (fairly) modern washing machine and a swimming pool.
Before heading up to the Gorge we needed fresh supplies, so we stopped at the nearby town of Tinerhir and parked at the roadside – not looking forward to having to trudge around the hot dusty streets looking for meat, fresh milk, fruit and vegetables. We were approached by a sprightly old man who told us he had been born in England and was a Jew, and therefore not fasting for Ramadan. He quickly found us the shops and stalls we needed, often tucked away down narrow side streets. Less than half an our later we were back in the van clutching our purchases and our new Jewish friend went happily on his way clutching a generous tip.
Todra Gorge was a spectacular rock formation created by glacial rivers carving a deep canyon through the red rock. At its narrowest, the gorge was almost a tunnel, just 10 metres wide and 160 metres high. It was a busy tourist destination and also a favourite with rock climbers.
It was Ramadan and finding a restaurant open before 8pm was proving problematic so we found ourselves self catering more often than not – Tony was the chef and I did the washing up. Our campsite cooking smells often attracted the local feline population and we were regularly (not) tempted to adopt the sweet little kittens that skittered attractively around our cooking pot. However, the Todra campsite had the ugliest cat you could imagine and it took a shine to Tony – we just could not get rid of the creature. All day it hung around the van trying to rub itself against Tony’s legs.
Below is a photo of the beast – if you are of a nervous disposition, please look away now . . .
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