General Information
The drive from Marrakech to Tinghir (Todra Gorge) takes all day. The journey takes you through the Atlas mountains and down again into the desert. The drive up through the Atlas Mountains was stunning. For hours you wind up through the mountains. There are little areas to stop at along the way where men or little boys sell fossils, beaded jewelry and pottery in little shops. Some stops have several shops and everyone is eager to get you into their shop.
At our first pit stop at one of these locations, Bill purchased several geodes and a fossil within minutes. Apparently we overspent because the shop keeper gave me a free gift of another fossil.
Looking back at the trip, I wish we spent a little more time shopping on the road sides here instead of in Fez. We thought that if we saw it there it would be in Fez, too, but that is not always the case.
Some of the items I should have purchased were the beautifully colored ceramic tajines (plate with a cone cover used for serving tajine), and the jewelry. I did not see a lot of affordable jewelry in Fez.
After several hours, the road begins to descend. The landscape changes into a rocky, sandy desert. There are a few towns that we went though until we arrived in Ouarzazate for lunch.