To Dizzying Heights

Both of us were feeling much better today so we agreed to do a longer, harder walk to the mountain pass joining the two neighbouring valleys.

A mule with our lunch set off ahead of us and stormed up the mountain whist Stu and I dragged ourselves up, me quickly realising I still wasn't in peak physical condition!

The path we took followed the river, frequently crossing it or walking right along side it. Every now and then we crossed the mountain road and saw the occasional vehicle. It seems most guides drive to the top and only walk the last bit near the summit then walk down - a much easier hike (but less rewarding)!

I found the climb particularly knackering, at some points feeling really dizzy and wondered if I would even make it to the top, but we pushed on. And it was worth it! :-)

We made the 600m ascent from 1700m to 2300m over the scree paths and river beds in just under 2 hours (our guide had predicted 2.5-3 hours!).

Once we finally reached the top we saw a couple of thin mattresses laid out either side of a rug. This was where we were to have lunch, with beautiful mountains surrounding us on all sides. Our guide's companion who had accompanied the mule up was preparing our lunch. A bowl of finely and freshly chopped salad appeared topped with tuna.

For our main course we had traditional fresh Moroccan bread and a Kefta tanjine (lamb meat balls). As usual the amount of food was way too much for just the two of us.

We spent over an hour at the top, eating, relaxing and taking in the view around us. We then started our descent, which was much quicker now we were going down! About two thirds of the way down our guide took us a slightly different route,  skirting the edge of the village.

Berber's use tiered planting areas which, due to the recent rains, we're a lush green and looked like the paddy fields we saw in Bali.

This path was much more difficult to walk along due to the very loose gravel under foot. I found that I was frequently slipping  and therefore at a particularly difficult bit I crouched right down and held onto a rock to ensure I made it safely down the slope. Stu however took a slightly less risk adverse attitude, having not slipped as much as me, and would have landed flat on his back if Rashid hadn't caught him! We all took things much more carefully after that!

We made good time going back down, getting back to the main street only just behind the mule who had taken a slightly easier route back down, albeit he did leave a little after us.

By mid afternoon we were back at our Riad, collected our few remaining things then set of back for Marrakech.