The High Atlas

In the morning we headed to Ait Ben Haddou to explore the kasbah a little more.  The buildings are mainly abandoned except for a few stores along the way to the top.  We climbed the many steps to the fortified keep at the top of the kasbah.  From there we had an excellent view of the surrounding area and the houses below.  On the way down we stopped in a small Berber home and were able to see what the houses look like from the inside.

In front of Ait Ben Haddou

Ait Ben Haddou

Me and our driver Mohammed

Josh and I at the top

A list of all the movies and TV shows filmed at Ait Ben Haddou

Back in the car we headed up into the High Atlas Mountains.  The temperature quickly dropped and soon it was snowing!  Having not seen snow in about two years, it was a bit cold getting out of the car for the first time.  I braved it when we hit 2130 meters, the highest point on the road to Imlil.

Freezing at 2130 meters

On the way back down we stopped by a local woman's cooperative selling argon based products.  The women take the nuts and split them open using hard rocks.  Once opened they grind the nuts into a paste.  From there they make soaps, oils and nutella like spreads. We may have gone a little overboard when we hit the gift shop, but everything was so delicious and natural.  We ended up with two jars of the nutella spread, a bottle of oil and some hand cream.

Trying my hand at making argon oil

Some women separating nuts at the argon coop

For lunch we stopped by a little cafe alongside the road.  By then some hot food sounded like just the thing.  We both had Berber omelets which aren't much different than what we would think of as a traditional omelet.  They are simply served in a tangine pot and are eggs mixed with tomato, onion and peppers.

Yummy lunch

The rest of the trip down the mountain gave my stomach some problems.  I couldn't get over the winding roads that twisted back in on themselves. Luckily I picked up some crackers at lunch and nibbling on those made it a bit better.  After seemingly coming down through the High Atlas we started to head into the Draa Valley.  The luscious green that we expect was white instead as large snowflakes started to fall.

As we drove toward Imlil, Josh and I were just amazed that we had gone from desert to snow in such a short time.  Morocco's landscape has really impressed us in how unique it is.  Just out of Imlil we were able to pull the car into a small garage.  We worked a bit frantically to try to put all the clothes we would need for the night in one bag as the trip to our guest house was a bit difficult.

Josh ready to trek down the mountain toward our guest house

The snow kept coming as we precariously made our way down the slope and into the village.  A warm fire greeted us at the cozy guest house and we were able to warm up with some mint tea, the traditional Moroccan sign of hospitality.  The rest of the night was spent in the common room next to the fire.  For the first time on our trip, all of the guests at the guest house spoke good English.  We had a great time meeting the other couples and enjoyed a delicious family style meal.

Our cozy room

Another couple was also there on their honeymoon.  I wasn't at all disappointed that they took the so called "honeymoon suite".  The suite was a small wooden cabin outside with only a wood stove to heat it.  Our room was cold but was surprisingly cozy after we lit a fire in the fireplace.

The view from our hotel

I snapped a few pictures of the snow before turning in for the night thinking it would be gone before morning.  It has been two years since I'd seen snow and although I was not prepared for the cold it was beautiful to look at.

*photos Josh Bast