We left the Sahara behind and made our way to Ouarzazate following the “Road of a Thousand Kasbahs”. On the way we stopped at a small village called Tinghir. We were joined by a young guy named Tofiq, who took us to his family farm. His family grows Medjool dates.

Tofiq led us to a table that had been set outside amongst the palm trees and explained to us that he was going to serve us “the best meal we’ve had in Morocco”. He wasn’t wrong. His Mum did all of the cooking and the food was delicious. He served us up a huge plate full of different Moroccan salads, then a variety of different meat skewers, followed by a massive tagine full of meatballs. When he whipped off the terracotta, cone-shaped lid, the meatball stew inside was still bubbling away, having been cooked for two hours over an open fire. We finished with orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon and Moroccan mint tea. Delectable!

We then went to the nearby Todra Gorge, where a small river winds through a steep canyon. The road next to the river is mostly pedestrian, with vendors selling all kinds of local crafts along the road. We saw a few local women tending to their miniature donkeys. We all whipped our phones out to take photos and they immediately put their hands out for money. We gave them some dirhams and our guide explained that they don’t really need it since by local standards they are considered rich: they own 200 sheep.

We drove through a place called the Valley of Roses, where they have a festival every year dedicated to the thriving rose trade. The festival finished 5 days before we arrived there and all of the roses had just been harvested for the festival, so all we saw were hundreds of acres of bare rose bushes. We did stop at a shop with all different rose products. Lahcine detailed some of the products you could buy at this store, including rose soap. Linda pipes up and says “Rose soup?”

We arrived in Ouarzazate very late after a long day of driving. It took us ages to find the hotel because Lahcine got lost in the tiny streets. As he was driving along, he put on his Arabic pop music. A repetitive song came on that sounded like the singer was chanting “hug a dog”. It didn’t take much encouragement for all the boys in the van to start chanting “hug a dog, hug a dog”. We all thought we were so funny. We arrived at our hotel at 9:00pm and had a very late dinner.

The next morning we drove to Ksar Ben Ait Haddou, a UNESCO listed village that is the site for many films and shows, including Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Odyssey, etc. It was a beautiful, mostly abandoned old village perched on a hill.

We went into an art shop where an artist was painting a small picture. The painting was of the village with camels walking in front of it. The colours were very muted and dull. He explained that he was using sugared tea, saffron and indigo to paint it. He finished it, then held the paper over a flame. The colours changed dramatically, becoming more vibrant. The tea darkened, giving dark, contrasting shadows. He referred to it as “Moroccan invisible ink”. We had him write “Morocco 2026” on it and bought it from him.

We then went to a local saffron farm where they showed us how saffron is grown and processed. One bulb produces three crocus flowers each season. Each flower contains three stamens. These stamens are clipped from the flower and are dried to become saffron. This is all done by hand. No wonder it’s more expensive than gold.

We arrived at our hotel in Taroudant in the late afternoon. Linda was over the moon because it was quite warm and there was a pool, so she was set for the afternoon. Rob, Caitlynne, Ian and I decided to go into the town and check it out. Lahcine dropped us off and we went for a wander inside the ancient city walls. Linda had given me express instructions to buy her a packet of chips, so I entered a small market on the street. I found a packet of chips with “edible salt” written on them, so of course I had to buy those. I didn’t want to risk buying a packet made with inedible salt!

We walked into the medina through winding stone archways with motorbikes flying past. I was entering one archway when a motorbike came belting around the corner and almost collected me.

There wasn’t much to see, so we ended up exiting the medina. Rob suddenly changed direction, said “follow me” and took off over the road. He hurried along and we rushed after him, wondering what on earth was going on. He kept looking back and when we reached a group of French tourists in a tour group he slowed down. Apparently, his cop spidey-sense had triggered when he noticed two Moroccan men looking at us and speaking covertly. They started to follow us and then split up in a flanking manoeuvre. When we reached the French tourists they turned around and walked back to the medina. He thinks they were casing us. We were over Taroudant by then and called Lahcine to come and pick us up.

We arrived back at the hotel to find Lidia, Dennis and Linda drinking beer by the pool. This seemed like a good idea so we spent the rest of the afternoon there. There were a few young men and women hanging around by the pool. The boys were carrying huge tennis racquet bags that would hold 8 racquets. They were going in and out of the gym, checking out the girls around the pool. At one stage they walked past us and one of them was so intent on studying Linda’s “assets” that he walked right into the umbrella in front of us.

The following day we drove to our next destination, Essouira. The road was lined with thousands of argan trees. Argan trees produce nuts that are used to produce argan oil, which is used in many food and cosmetic products. The goats also love them, and occasionally you can see the goats climbing the trees to eat the nuts. Rob and Dennis saw one goat up a tree during the journey.

We arrived at our hotel, which was ideally located inside the busy medina of Essouira. We spent the afternoon following our local guide, Zaid around the ancient streets. Linda and Dennis were particularly taken with the local food market, where you can buy fish or meat and then take it to a local restaurant/kitchen where they cook it for you on a charcoal grill and then serve it up to you with salad and chips.

We walked along the city wall, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is lined with Spanish cannons. Zaid explained to us that the cannons were useless, only firing up to 60 metres, which was nowhere near enough to hit an enemy ship. Apparently they used the cannons as a tool to frighten enemies with the noise.

After the walking tour, we all went our separate ways for dinner. Linda and Dennis went back to the local market and had sardines. They loved being amongst the locals and the sardines were super fresh. It cost them $8 for the entire meal. Rob and Caitlynne went to a local restaurant. They were shown to a table, but when the waitress pulled back the chair there were two cats sitting on it. She showed Rob and Caitlynne to another table and placed a “reserved” sign on the cat’s table. Apparently they turned other customers away because they were full, but the cat managed to keep its table! Ian found a tiny, family run restaurant with only three tables. He was the only customer and the chef and her daughter cooked him up a vegetable cous-cous. They couldn’t speak English, but Ian had a great time, sharing photos of our trip with them, making some new friends. Lidia and I went to a restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean where we watched the sunset over the ocean while listening to live local music and enjoying a fish tagine paired with Moroccan rosé.

After breakfast the following morning we had a wander through the busy market, checking out the local artisan work. There were many stores selling colourful ceramics and woodwork. We found ourselves in a woodworking workshop with a couple of artisans making the most beautiful furniture. We fell in love with an inlaid table and ordered one to be made for us.

We then left for the short drive to Marrakesh. This city was the absolute highlight of the trip. We enjoyed this place immensely. As we arrived, a porter met us to collect our luggage and then led us through the pedestrian only streets to our hotel. On the way, we passed through the main square. If Fez was an assault on the senses, then this was like taking a baseball bat to them. The shrill sound of the ghaita (an oboe-like instrument) lay like a blanket over the market, as did the oppressive heat, with fruit sellers, snake charmers, monkeys and other vendors scattered throughout. Adding to the bedlam were people, bicycles and motorbikes speeding past in every direction. The porter led us into an archway, leading to the narrow streets of the medina, which wound its way to our riad.

I googled a good place to have dinner and that night we all went out to Le Bistro Arabe. This place promised live Moroccan Jazz, which actually turned out to be a salsa band. The food was fantastic; fancier Moroccan food than we’d had before and very tasty. The music was even better. The band rocked and Lidia took the opportunity to drag all of the boys up for an instant salsa lesson. We danced the night away and then, just before we left, Dennis asked the band if Ian could join them. They immediately agreed and Ian jumped on the congas and bongos and absolutely ripped it up! I’m sure the rest of the customers were looking at the loud, dancing, whooping Aussies wondering what we were on, but Ian did receive lots of shouts and applause from the rest of the audience.

The next day, our guide Ibrahim took us all over Marrakesh for a walking tour. We explored the old palace, and the maze-like markets of the souk. The souk was insane. The streets were barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side and were lined with vendors and artisans selling all kinds of wares, while motorbikes and bicycles weaved in an out of the pedestrians. 99% of the goods sold in the markets were made in Morocco, so it was refreshing to go to a market where they’re not trying to peddle the same old Chinese made crap you get in some other countries. There was some of that, but it was largely distinctly Moroccan artisanal wares, like leather-work, stucco, metal-work, ceramics, textiles, stunning woodworking and artworks. Many of the artisans work outside their shops, doing everything by hand.

We all wanted different experiences for lunch, so Ian, Lidia and I went to a recommended restaurant while Dennis, Linda, Rob and Caitlynne opted for street food. The restaurant Ibrahim chose for us was fantastic. Situated on a rooftop with panoramic views over the souk, with the minarets of the mosques scattered throughout. Lidia ordered harira, which is a delicious Moroccan soup made with chickpeas, beans, lentils and Moroccan spices. They brought it out in a huge ceramic pot, which they left on the table. It was served with bread, dates, olives and sweet cakes (why?) and could have served three people. I ordered a local Marrakesh specialty called Tanjia, which is a clay pot cooked over a fire for 6 hours and usually comes with beef or lamb. I ordered the beef and it was to die for. The waiter brought out the clay pot, opened it and shook the contents out onto my plate. The Moroccan spices were amazing. Ian ordered a poke bowl and struggled to get through it. A great lunch.

After lunch we hooked up with Ibrahim again and he took us to the Majorelle Gardens, which were created over a 40 year period by a French artist named Jacques Majorelle. They were later purchased by Yves St Laurent and his partner, who restored and expanded them. They were quite beautiful, with many ponds, fountains, trees and extensive cactus gardens.

For dinner that evening, I found a local restaurant called Dar Essalam. The Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Man Who Knew Too Much with Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart was filmed here. The décor and food were very Moroccan and two musicians played the Oud (African Guitar) and drums right next to our table. At one stage a waiter dragged Ian up out of his chair for a dance. Ian started dancing like a cricket on crack cocaine.

After our meal, the lights went down and suddenly three women came dancing in with massive trays on their heads. On the trays were candelabras and teapots. They danced and spun around without touching the trays. One of them dragged Lidia up and placed the tray on her head. I can honestly say that this is the first time Lidia has ever danced with a tray on her head in her entire life. She swung her hips like a hula dancer and did a great job. She said it was super heavy.

After these ladies left, more women came dancing out and treated us to a belly-dancing display. Lidia was again dragged up and had a crash course on belly dancing. She did admirably well. Ian was also roped in but wasn’t quite as elegant.

Next up, another group of musicians arrived with a ghimbri (Berber three-stringed guitar) and those big, metal castanets they love here. They wore fez hats with long tassels on them, that they swung around, the tassels spinning on their heads. Ian was again dragged up. They stuck the hat on his head, and he started swinging it like a madman, scooting sideways up the room, until we started wondering if he was going to go dancing and spinning his tassel all the way back to the hotel! He looked like he was having some sort of a fit, but actually successfully kept that tassel swinging around like a windmill in a hurricane. He then topped it all off by borrowing the ghimbri off the guitar player and treating the entire room to Moroccan music, Ian-style. He actually did a great job playing away on this drum/guitar-like instrument and finished to resounding applause from the audience and musicians alike.

On our final day in Marrakesh, we spent the day wandering through the souk absorbing the atmosphere and buying various handcrafted items to bring home. Ian was with us for the morning, and when we went into a leather workshop to buy an ottoman, he handed his sandal to an artisan who was sewing leather ottomans together. He asked if he could fix it, since the front of it was become unstitched. It took him 5 minutes and when Ian tried to pay him 100 dirham ($15), he would only accept 50 dirham. Ian’s shoes are a good as new!

We also purchased a stucco wall plaque. Stucco is very popular here and is made by mixing marble dust with water and lime. They carve it into intricate patterns before it dries, becoming strong like cement. The artisan who made it, explained that he was one of 1,000 artisans who made the stucco for the mosque in Casablanca over 4 years.

An early night on our last night in Morocco before a super early start tomorrow. Our destination: Bordeaux.