Ait Benhaddou

We left the Gorges region and traveled further south towards Ait Benhaddou  This scenic drive offers a glimpse of times gone by via the ruins of ancient kasbahs, former colonial military outposts, austere mountains, wide-open spaces, and valleys of palm trees and irrigated fields. En route we stopped for lunch in Ouarzazate, the film capital of Morocco.
We had a short visit to Project Handicapped Horizon, an organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation, health and empowerment of people with disabilities. This project is supported through The Intrepid Foundation.
Centuries ago, Ait Benhaddou was an important stop for the caravans passing through as they carried salt across the Sahara, returning with gold, ivory and slaves. Today, its grand kasbah is still one of the most beautiful in all of Morocco and a World Heritage site. This fortified village is a fine example of clay architecture and is also famous for its role on the silver screen, featuring in numerous films such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile and Gladiator. We walked up through the Kasbah, lined with the usual shops selling their colourful wares of scarves, trinkets, carpets and jellabas.
At our guesthouse we had a  cooking demonstration of Morocco's most famous cuisine: couscous and tajine. We dined and went to bed fairly early as it was still quite cold and bed is the only place to stay warm! In the morning, we had breakfast on the rooftop patio in the morning sun. It was lovely and warm and we were treated to a boiled egg, yogurt, oranges, bread and coffee, a departure from the usual bread or Moroccan style pancakes.
Back into the van and on our way to the High Atlas mountains. We have had a lot of time on the bus lately, which has bonded us as a group and we have had many laughs and good chats with each other.I am really enjoying my new friends!