Tizi-N-Tichka Pass
Morocco
A phenomenal last drive to Marrakech took us through the Tizi-N-Tichka, the pass through the High Atlas that had been closed due to snow when we had attempted it from the other direction only a week before. The mountains were still blanketed but the gorges were rugged and barren. The road itself, winding along the steep rock faces, held stupendous views of bottomless gorges, multi-layered rocky slopes on a fantastic background of wild snow-capped peaks. A great drive to return to Marrakech and the end of our trip.
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| Prickly pear planted to stop erosion. |
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| Highest altitude of the pass was 2,200 m. |
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| Long and winding road. |
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| Pretty amazing civil engineering feat. |
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| Steep and high. Can't imagine living in that village! |
On arriving in Marrakech early in the afternoon, we headed to the medina with a few others from our group. Not being a great shopper and a timid, polite Canadian to boot, I took a lesson in bargaining from an Aussie friend who, with a twinkle in her eye, bartered aggressive vendors down with great good humour. She spent every dollar she had, and more, but left with some great keepsakes at bargain prices. We had a fun afternoon and evening, saying good-bye to our companions early the next morning as each jetted off to Scotland, England, Australia, Egypt, United States and Ireland. Great group, great tour - but I'm glad to be off the bus.
We went off to Casablanca by train with our cruising friends for our last two nights.
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