Morocco Part 3...The Road to the Sahara

Saying goodbye to our new

friends..

we were on the road again.

Yannick, Malfoud and Collette..

hope to see you again someday!

It was another long day in

the car

but Simo made many 

stops

along the way.

We passed through the 

Valley of the Roses..

and lucky for us we were there

during high season.

 We saw women 

and children picking roses

in the fields..

and

we stopped and bought a 

few of these wreaths made

by the children.

Little pink shops lined

the road selling bottles

of rose water.

I can still smell the roses!

Men and women 

carrying food to feed

the sheep.

Simo told us that children

walk for MILES to 

school and back.

We saw so many children..

younger than Griffin,

walking to/from school.

Alone!

These boys were selling

little birds made out of

palm leaves.

Our last stop before reaching 

the desert.

Steve ran into a market

to grab some snacks

and these little boys were

just too cute.

Steve gave them a handful

of change..

...and they ran off so excited!

Almost there!

We said goodnight to Simo and

headed off into the Sahara with 

our guide.

Next..

our night in the Sahara!

Morocco Part 2..The High Atlas Mountains and the Drive to the Sahara

The first leg of our trip

was spent at an all-inclusive resort.

We spent two nights here.

The kids 

and Steve

loved the water slide!

It was so nice to be in the hot sun!

On Friday morning our driver

for the next four days came to our

hotel to pick us up.

I researched different tour companies

and we ended up with

Authentic Morocco

They were a fantastic company 

to work with.

We traveled over 1000 km

(over 600 miles)

in four days.

That may not seem like a lot..

but this is not highway driving.

We climbed up and over those

High Atlas mountains..

and it was beautiful

and nail biting at times!

Our driver Simo

was the best!

We got to know him well

over those four days.

I admit I was a bit nervous

about the long days in the car

with the kids.

But, they did great.

Simo made frequent stops..

made sure we had lunch at 

clean restaurants..

and the best part?

No wifi!

It was such a great way to

unplug for a few days.

One of the stops we made

was to see how Argan oil is made.

These Berber women are shelling,

sorting and then extracting the oils

from the kernels of the Argan tree

that is endemic to Morocco.

Argan oil is known for its health

and beauty benefits.

I'm kicking myself for not buying more!

No guard rails on these 

very windy,

narrow roads!

We sure missed Stephen.

Our lunch spot on Friday..

And then we did a little rug shopping

:)

We arrived at our Kasbah early evening..

we had the most amazing night here!

(this was all included in our tour package)

We stayed at 

Kasbah Ait Ben Damiette

located at the foot of the High

Atlas Mountains.

The owners,

Yannick and Collette are French

and the most lovely and attentive

hosts.

After settling in,

we sat by the pool

listening to jazz music

while the kids played ping-pong

and bocce in the garden.

Malfoud

(pronounced Ma-foot)

served us Moroccan tea.

I wandered around the property

and found this woman baking bread

for our dinner.

Soon we were being called for dinner..

and what an amazing dinner

it was!

Dinner was a French Moroccan 

infusion.

Delicious,

beautifully presented

and under the stars.

After a great nights sleep..

breakfast al fresco!

Homemade juices,

yogurts and jams.

Eggs, breads and delicious

coffee.

And soon we were off again...

A very memorable stay here..

we hope to return someday.

Tomorrow..

another day of driving..

beautiful country

and people!