From Azilal, it's a ride of two parts back into Marrakech....40 or 50 miles of fast sweeping nicely surfaced tarmac with dips to Demnate, then some long flat and quite boring open roads across the wheat plains into Marrakech itself
We made the most of the fast section, and after regrouping and topping up any tanks, pushed on into Marrakech and arrived at the Hotel Imilchil mid afternoon
The guys who had gone to Marrakech directly from the Hotel Paris next to the Cascades d'Ouzoud were still out, having spent the day riding over the tizi N Tichka to Ouzazarte and back, so we got ourselves into the rooms, peeled off our stinking clothes and showered, arranging to meet in the lobby later on to go for supper in the Square.
they are happy, honestly, they're both just a bit tired
Sondre and Swedish Anders outside the hotel
Just around the corner from the hotels we use in Marrakech is a petrol station that does great coffee and Oain Au Chocolates, so we're often to be found there if we have half an hour to kill and chill
Geir having a relax and a drink at the petrol station
Very often, the air in Marrakech is hazy with pollution and you can't see the mountains 50 miles away....today though, the aior was clear and we pointed the High Atlas out to the guys, promising a day of the most spectacular views and awesome riding the next day.
Spectacular views
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Everyone knows what the Jmaa El Fnaa looks like with all the smoke, food stalls, flashes of flame as fat explodes and the joslting crowds, but its not often you get to see the stalls being set up.....it's as if they just appear in an empty square magically, but if you time it right, you can catch them setting the stalls up
There are lots of dried fruit stands as well, and the almonds, pistachios, apricots, figs dates and various raisin type thingies are very nice, although a wise person will buy the same produce exactly (it all comes off the same trucks) for half the price from a more 'local' and less touristy shop just off the square for about 2/3 of the price of the stuff out in the square.
The carts in the lower half of this pic will be miraculously turned into purveyors of Snails in pepper sauce very soon.....10dh (80p) buys you a small dish of ikkle snails in the juice....very nice they are too!
The corner of the old city, as seen from outside the hotel Le Menara that we used to use..The holes in the pise built walls are from where they were built up, the exterior and interior walls held to gether and stable while further earthen blocks were laid and compressed, then when everything was dried and finished off, the wooden poles were removed leaving the holes.