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Day 3: June 28, 2015
After a good night's sleep in our fantastic riad we woke to bright blue skies and a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bread and jam. The discovery that we were sharing our space with a house tortoise brought about a frenzy of photographs and delight. But soon we were on our way back through the souks and main square to meet our coach.
The temperature was already rising by the time we left the old medina and headed out into the dusty scrubland. The landscape was like nothing most of the group had ever seen before: dry, dusty reddish soil punctuated by alternating olive trees, palms and cactus. We slowly wound our way up into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, gradually rising to the highest pass in Morocco at 2,240 metres high. The winding road full of hairpin bends and sheer drop-offs provided stunning panoramic views for miles in every direction. As the temperature began to hit the high notes we pulled into Aït Ben Haddou for a fresh lunch and some chill out time by a courtyard pool. We explored the kasbah, a deserted fortified town built by ancient Berber settlers as they tried to protect themselves from the attacks of roving nomads.
As we all began to wilt in the extreme heat and hot, dry wind, we continued our journey through Ouarzazate, known as the Hollywood of the East, since it has been the film set for many famous and epic movies, such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. We continued on down the other side of the Atlas Mountains into the Valley of the Roses where in the spring women and children harvest thousands of roses in order to turn them into soaps, perfumes and essential oils.
Finally we arrived in the small Berber village of Boutaghra.
Following our first lamb tajine we're all looking forward to bed, and another hot day tomorrow!