So. Morocco. Was good, if cold at night! Really had a good time exploring Marrakesh, and I enjoyed the trip we took despite it being a lot of driving. Trip over the Atlas mountains was cool, although fairly hair-raising on the way back, with snow causing a lot of traffic & other problems, and coping with it in the dark.
The Todra Gorge was really amazing, and riding camels through dunes to the camp for the night was pretty amazing. The tour was worth it for the stars that we could see that night, in a perfectly clear wide-open sky.
Enjoyed bargaining too, and wondering round the souks. I'm happy with what I ended up buying, especially my little hand-sewn camel and of course, my rug. The spice souk was interesting to walk round too, and I'm glad I didn't bring back mint tea in the end; had enough of that stuff by then! The Palace Bahia was a good trip too, despite having to eavesdrop on a tour to find out some interesting snippets about the place (no idea how we could have booked one ourselves as there was no info on it around) and the Tombs not quite worth it, but still interesting.
Djemma al Fna was also a sight to see, and hear, and taste. The square at night was a brilliant space to be dropped right into on our first night (more or less) and was completely alive. Food wasn't too bad either, and fairly cheap really.
Loved the riad we stayed in the first night, Riad Ghallia. Gorgeous rooms, and Thierry was nice enough to be up at stupid-o-clock (before 6 I think it was) to get us some breakfast before we had to go on the tour. The camp was fun, and the hostel, Casa de la Sol, was really good too. Only down-point being the cold hotel in the Dades Gorge on Sunday night. Least the water was hot, and we weren't staying any longer.
I would recommend anyone else to go though! We covered enough of Marrakesh itself in a day, so only a few days can be quite a good trip. I'd recommend going on a tour to Essouria though, as it's closer than all the way to Merzouga! It's what I'd do if I ever go back.
