Atlas Mountains

Today we took an overnight trip out of the craziness of Marrakech to the more serene Atlas Mountains, just 40 miles outside of the city.  Even though it's so close, it seems like a million miles away. The Atlas mountains run as high as 12,000 feet above sea level, and even though we are in Africa in May, they still have snow upon them.

The scenery was awesome. Sue got this picture of a high-Atlas town on our way in.

On our drive, Madani (our Guide) arranged for a visit to a Berber house.  We also got to tour the house, checked out the home's hammam (sauna), and got treated to real authentic Berber mint tea. Sue and I were horrified as the father put two sugar cubes the size of my fist into the tea, but Madani explained that this was from sugar beets, and was a lot less strong than normal sugar. The tea was delicious, and we enjoyed watching the process unfold.

Along the road, our car became part-time shepherd to help the full-time one with his duties.

Once we arrived in the town of our destination, we had a 15 minute walk to get to our hotel, as there is no road to get there.  It's a casbah (family fortress), converted into a nice hotel, way up in the high Atlas mountains.  To help with our bag, and kids, the hotel sent down a donkey for the final part of the journey.

 

We stayed at Kasbah du Toubkal, in the village of Imlil. The hotel itself is stunning. It's perched on a cliff, with snow covered mountains visible all around.  A Berber village built into the mountainside sits across a large creek. You can see the mountains in the distance in this shot:

We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the patio.

After lunch, the hotel provided a guide for us to hike along the mountainside. Mohammed was a 22 year old who lived in the village across the creek, and spoke great English.  We went up into the hills, crossed the river, and walked through the Berber village Mohammed lives in. It's similar to Marrakech in its lack of urban planning and narrow, random streets. Not having to worry about being run over by a teenager with a motorbike was a refreshing change.



Mohammed invited us to his house to meet his family, and enjoy yet another cup of mint tea.  Of course, we accepted his hospitality, as it was a great opportunity to see how yet another Berber family lives.  His mother sat with us and made tea, and his fifteen year old sister looked on curiously.  We gave the family a bag of chocolate covered nuts and fruit.

 

It was great to get out and be outdoors. Mohammed was really forthcoming about what it is like to live in his village. Apparently, at 22, he is one of the older bachelors in town. Most girls get married around 18.

Thanks Mohammed!