Marrakech to the Sahara Desert - My journey

We left Marrakech across the Atlas Mountains with heavy rain looming.  We were tired and thought we would never leave Marrakech everyone wanted a piece of us as it was the night before Eid.  

Having driven throughout the Atlas Mountains past an interesting Alpine hunting ground we got stuck in a village.  Cars at loggerheads as they would not make way for a tourist bus trying to get though.  As is the way with Moroccan traffic.  We decided to park up and get lunch.  We ambled towards a smoking bbq cafe full of the hubbub of lunch and became smoked ourselves as the wind changed and we ate our tagine and chips with smoke pouring over us.  I quite like being smoked out as it reminds me of African fires and my childhood in Nigeria.

Into Ourzazate a town which many people are rude about but I quite like and onwards towards the Dra Valley to Agdz, town of the old Kasbah's and beginning of the Dra.  We came over the hill with high spirits knowing that in less than an hour we would be at our cosy guesthouse for dinner when we were confronted with about 300 cars immobile.  We had no ideas what had happened but they soon told us there had been a flash flood due to the rain volume in the mountains and the two bridges, one after the other had been washed out and we couldn't pass.

Very swollen river but beautiful rainbows.  Uma and I were excited at the adventure and as I kept telling Marcus we wouldn't be on an adventure if these exciting happenings didn't cross our path.  We waited 3 hours and then in the dark we were directed slowly across the charging river to the other side.  The journey from Marrakech to Agdz had taken 10 hours!! but this is not normal.  Uma and I wined and dined and Marcus fell into bed with a migraine.

Through the Dra Valley the scenery was spectacular and I started to feel that I was leaving Morocco and entering Africa.  

Along the road on the way to Mhamid the last town before the desert we saw these amazing v's made from reed.  They are to stop the desert sand taking over the town and keep it in the Sahara

Camels in Mhamid a charming Desert town full of Berber Nomads and a mix of African's from Mali and other parts.

A photo of the gorgeous Dra Valley on the way to Mhamid.