We both are city people and truly enjoy the madness of Marrakech. It really is a different madness in an Arab African city, one that everyone should experience. However it was time to move on.
We easily grabbed a taxi to the city bus station located next to the mud brick ramparts. I once saw an episode of Michael Palins series Sahara where he almost gets run down in this very station and describes it as sheer insanity. Today it was silent. Many buses stop running during Ramadan, so we easily boarded a bus for Ait Benhaddou.
The 5 hour drive south of Marrakech was spectacular. We quickly climbed the Atlas mountains on a breath taking road and crossed the Tizi N Tichka, the highest pass in Morocco (2235 metres). After the pass we made our way down to the desert and the landscape changed to lunar like, devoid of all green.
Ait Benhaddou is one of the best preserved kasbahs in the country. A kasbah is a fortified city in addition to a hit song by the Clash. The kasbah is beautiful and striking, set on a hill and surrounded by palms in the middle of the desert. Ait Benhaddou is well preserved because it has been used in about 20 films. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and more recently Gladiator. The kasbah has been UNSECO protected since 1987.
Here's the thing about sights such as these, don't get me wrong it is beautiful, However the few remaining families have thought of every way to extract money from tourists. Let me preface this rant by reminding you that this kasbah was almost completely rebuilt for Gladiator and receives restoration money from UNSECO. To enter the Kasbah the locals have closed off all the open areas. They force everyone to enter through one entrance where a hand painted sign demand a 10Dirham restoration fee. Once inside we wander the narrow passages and are asked if we would like to enter any of the locals homes, for a fee of course. We even saw one man take a photo of a door, then out of nowhere an old lady appeared to demand money for the shot. Its sad to see what tourism does to some places and sometimes you question whether you should be there at all.
That said it was a good day and once the tour buses left we did not regret staying in this Small desert village. It seemed once the hordes of tourists left the locals turned back into typically hospitable Moroccans.
As Jordana napped I stood alone on the guesthouse rooftop watching the sunset. But for the call to break fast the town was beautifully silent.
