MOROCCO 2

   OUIRGANE VALLEY

Day 3
   A very windy cycle from the Kik Plateau where we left a stunning arid landscape as we descended into a lush valley with red-earth hills and pine forests.

    Our awesome guide Saiid "Yella Ladies"

    Daily dose of 13 beautiful women!

    I think we saw an equal number of cars and donkeys!

    Cy and Tenzin

    Our home for the next three nights, the Domaine Malika, I love a room with a view.

    We arrived just in time for traditional Moroccan mint tea.

Day 4
Today we left from our inn to cycle upstream through the gorge created by the Nfis River. This was considered our most challenging and most beautiful ride and it was both. There were quite a few long climbs and descents. We had a bit of weather as well, sun, rain and hail. It took us four hours to ride 24 miles....did I mention we're riding in the High Atlas Mountains? It felt great!

    Melinda, me and Micky

    The view after most climbs....

   Rebecca, Joyce and Sharon

   Nfis River

   Prickly Pears

    Our guides

   We were cold, tired and still smiling when we finally arrived at the days lunch spot.   The homemade soup for lunch was the perfect cure.
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After lunch we visited the Tin Mal Mosque, one of only two mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims can visit.
The Mosque dating from 1153 is being restored and is hauntingly beautiful. We had a local man giving us a tour of the building and his descriptions brought the mosque to life, I could easily imagine thousands of praying in the mosque. You could feel that you were in a special space.

Architecturally, Tin Mal presents a unique opportunity for non-Muslims to take a look at the interior of a traditional Almohad mosque. It is roofless, for the most part, and two of the corner pavilion towers have disappeared, but the mihrab (or prayer niche) and the complex pattern of internal arches are substantially intact. The arrangement is in a classic Almohad design – the T-shaped plan with a central aisle leading towards the mihrab – and is virtually identical to that of the Koutoubia in Marrakesh, more or less its contemporary

   Village of Tin Mal

 
We took the shuttle back to the Inn and those twists and turns were way scarier sitting in the back of that van, made the accomplishment of the cycle all the sweeter.

MOROCCO

MOROCCO AN ADVENTURE MOSAIC   (part 1)
11/2016
"Sometimes, just one sentence can change your mind, break open your heart, soothe your soul or hit you like a truthbomb," Danielle LaPorte

My #Truthbomb card read French Kiss Life!
Fast forward a few months and I'm climbing off a plane in Marrekesh ready to embark on a cycling adventure for which I've done almost no research. My plan was to let the experience wash over me.

      Marrekech Airport

Like many Moroccan cities, Marrakech comprises an old fortified city packed with vendors and their stalls (the medina), bordered by modern neighborhoods. Today it is one of the busiest cities in Africa and serves as a major economic center and tourist destination. Immediately one notices the abundance of red sand stone buildings from which Marrekech gets the nickname "the red city".
We were driven to the edge of the medina, from there we had to walk to our Riad. It was located on the other side of Jemaa el-Fnaa, a famous square and marketplace which transforms into a carnival as dusk settles. This place was insane and so entertaining! It's filled with snake charmers, monkeys that will pose with you, story tellers, dancers, musicians....it's quite the show.
         (This is not my photo and I could not find a credit)

We then entered the souks, a labyrinth of alleys crowded with shops, people, donkeys, push carts, motor cycles and cats. At this point my sleep deprived brain was spinning, but in a good way.
A few sights that caught my eye....

     The sidewalk

   texture/street art

      This place was built tn the 11th century

    Olives

   This is our street! Can you tell we are cyclists?

    RIAD EL-BORJ
 A riad is a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden or courtyard.
It was love at first sight. Riads are historic, unique and so full of atmosphere. Plain on the outside; gorgeous and intricate on the inside, our female Moroccan guide compared the typical riad to the shrouded Muslim woman.

    My room

Koutoubia Mosque

   Rug shopping 

  The Pharmacy This Pharmacist was so quick witted, we laughed so much during his demonstration.

   Day 2     We collected our bikes and took a short 11 mile cycle through the outskirts of the city called the Palmerie.

    The first of many group shots of the fabulous 13 women I shared this experience with.

    Lunch on the trail....this amazing spread was prepared al fresco each day we cycled. Hassiem even took requests, one day we were treated to french fries.

Majorelle Gardens
It took 40 years for the French painter Jacques Majorelle to create this beautiful refuge in the heart of the city. Yves Saint Laurent saved it from demolition 40 years later.

Babouche are the colorful slippers you can find in abundance in market stalls and shops throughout Morocco. Babouche can be found made from leather or cloth and are often ornamented for special occasions. you slide into them like a mule.