After Erfoud we went on to the Western Sahara to spend the night in the desert. We got ready as we had to transfer to a 4wd drive and then a 4 leg rive vehicle. We were all giddy with excitement at the prospect. Ali and Aziz were excited too as they got to have a bit of fun riding in the back of the ute with MV.
We drove on to the city of Erfoud after lunch on the road. The lunch was delicious and left us energised for looking at fossils. Erfoud is a city not too far from the Western Sahara desert and is near a location where deposits of ancient sea beds were found. We got to see some really beautiful fossils dating back hundreds of millions of years. The girls were of course very interested as were we. The workshop had some very impressive pieces which were made into various things like artwork, sinks, table tops and more. For the girls it was the cat which proved to be irresistible even before we looked at the fossils.
We went to visit the actual goge as well. That proved to be impressive as the shear walls rose all around us, but it was also fun. The girls got to ride a donkey while SV lead them down the road. They all enjoyed it and garnered more than just a little attention from both the vendors and toursists alike.
As we came to the Todgha Gorge we stopped in to a Amazigh carpet weaver and seller. They are semi nomadic in that they travel with their sheep into the higher mountains in the summers and spend the winter in the Todgha Gorge. We learned about how the carpets are made and then we were shown a number of different types that they had made. The girls fell in love with one thick and comfortable carpet which had Amazigh designs and symbols on it.
After a long day we arrived in the Dades Valley for a bit of a rest. First we stpped to look at the monkey paws formation though which was quite interesting. The girls were keen for a swim but despite being indoor the pool was quite chilly. MV was the bravest and jumped right in twice but the other two only got up to their hips before getting out. We had a lovely dinner poolside which was quite lovely.
It was tme to make our way down and leave Aït Benhaddou eventhough we would have loved a bit more time there. We soon hit the road for a bit more of a drive which ended up making us quite tired, or at least some of us. Part of the drive saw us drive through Ali's town where his parents and one sibling still live.
Once we made it to the top of the hill we had a great view of the surrounding area and of course Aït Benhaddou itself. The granary was interesting in that it used to be complete but then in the big earthquake part of it fell down and the structure is now quite unstable. We had a look but then instead looked around at the surroundings which were spectacular. Aziz was kind enough to take photographs of the whole family which was great.
