Day 8 was spent mostly just driving from Erfoud to Ait Benhaddou, described as “a prime example of classic Southern Moroccan architecture, this fortified city's high-angled towers stand out above the family dwellings, all set near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains”.   We passed several of these earthen clay fortresses and they looked pretty formidable.      One of the most interesting sights, if not the most bizarre, were goats that climbed trees. Yes, it seems there are some cloven hooved goats who climb one particular type of tree, the Argania spinosa, or argan tree.   The fruit must be super delicious, because the tree itself is very thorny.   No one else wants the fruit, not humans or other animals.   What humans do want however, is the nut in the center of the fruit.   The argon fruit is eaten by the goat, but the nut is not digested.   It passes entirely through the digestive tract and pops out the other end, where some unfor...

Day 5 - It was time to leave Marrakesh and head south.  We toured the city of Ouarzazate , ‘a desert city at the gates of the Sahara’     Our first stop was the Kasbahs Taourirt.   It's basically a huge house/fortress where members of an extended family live. It's like a maze; small staircases, arched doorways, and narrow passageways leading in every direction.   On the upper levels, some rooms have tiny windows where you can peer outside and get glimpses of the surrounding desert.   There are said to be some 300 rooms, all of which were empty, so it was hard to visualize how they actually lived.   I understand there are still families residing in the back of the Kasbah, who will let you see their home for a nominal fee.   I totally would have done so had I been able, I think it would have been very interesting.   Our next stop was a rug factory. There was a local Barber man explaining the process of how the materials were dyed and...

Welcome to Morocco, for real this time. While I usually travel on my own, sometimes I splurge and do a guided tour.   It definitely has its advantages; for one thing, the hotels are far more luxurious than where I normally stay. It’s also really nice to have other people to share the new experiences with.   And totally I lucked out on this trip, the people I met were beyond awesome!   I booked my trip with Gate 1 travel www.gate1travel.com and I would highly recommend them.   This trip was entitled 13 day Kasbah and Deserts of Morocco.   I paid just under $2000 which included a single supplement.    I arrived a day early and decided to spend my free time doing a little sightseeing on my own. I think I've said before that I hate taking taxis because as a tourist, I always get ripped off. Today was a brutal reminder. I asked how much to go to the souk, which is the huge outdoor market. I was told 50 Durham which is about $5. I thought that sounded ...