Aroumd

Today we journey'd over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260 m) to the scenic Toubkal National Park. The route is an epic journey as we bid farewell to the landscape of the Sahara, passing over the desolate high altitudes of the Tichka, before traversing some stunning lush valleys and winding our way to the end of the road at Imlil.
We stored our main luggage and took our daypacks up to the peaceful  village of Aroumd where we spent the night. We had the option of putting our bags on to pack mules, but i felt i needed the extra exercise so decided to carry mine the one hour climb. Plus, I just feel sorry for the mules as it always seems like they carry way too much weight. 
A family-run mountain home (gite) was our accommodation for the night and perched on a great rocky outcrop we had an incredible view of North Africa's highest peak - Mount Toubkal. Facilities at the mountain gite were shared - both the bathroom and sleeping arrangements - but it was quite comfortable. The temperature had dropped dramatically, down to -4, and even though there was a fire in the common area, I just couldn't get warm. Eventually, I just went to bed, slept in my clothes and piled as many blankets as I could on top of me. My new room mate is a lovely girl from Australia named Laura. We have become great friends over the past 10 days and spend much of our time giggling and being silly together. She is a breath of fresh air.
The next morning we were led on a four hour hike up the mountain to an ancient shrine. It was for me, another highlight. The hike was fairly steep and rocky but it was a beautiful sunny day and we managed to stay quite warm. A few people opted out of the hike so we were a small group of only 6. As we approached the shrine, we came into the snow, making it a little treacherous to walk, but as usual, well worth the effort. The shrine is only about halfway up, the rest being much more challenging and with more snow and ice. With the sunshine it was stunning, and I wished I could have gone on to the top. We met a group of Polish people who were staying overnight at the top and I was so envious!
We had sweet mint tea to fortify ourselves for the descent down and kept ourselves amused by singing musicals all the way down. Laura can sing like an angel and Les and I did our best to keep up to her. (Les, from New Zealand, is a big burly steer farmer, self proclaimed redneck, and I was most surprised at his affection for singing the songs from the Sound of Music!)
Once we arrived back at the gite, we were served an amazing lunch on the terrace in the sunshine. Still quite chilly, but the views of the mountains in front of us made us forget the temperature altogether. After lunch, we packed up and made our way back down to the village and our patiently waiting driver Hassan.

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!