Road to Marrakech

One of the features of food shopping here is that there are few supermarkets. If you want bread, see the baker, vegetables then go to the market and if you want meat see the butcher. Meat from a male animal is more highly prized than that from a female. Sort of goes with the whole Male vs Female theme here. To prove the meat is male, they leave the dangly bits attached. It kind of makes you wince a bit when you see male eqiupment blowing in the wind like that...and no that long white thing hanging on the left is not a sausage.

Went on towards Marrakech over the Tizi-n-Test Pass (2100m). At the start there is a sign that says bends for 120km, and they mean it. In places the drop over the side are enough to make you drive on the other side of the road and most of steep parts are only wide enough for a single truck. Some of it has a good surface, some so-so and some is a work in progress. Great views..but I am betting blase about them now.

On the northern side of the pass, is the partly restored 12th century Tin Mal Mosque. It has its ubiquitous 'guide' with a key who will show you around for a small fee. The most striking thing about it is the symmetry of the arches inside. These have mostly been restored but quite a lot of the building is original. Worth a look.

Texted Nigel to see how he was and found out that he was holed up in a Riad in Marrakech so decided to join him. Nothing really prepares you for the lunacy of the Marrakech traffic. The Bastille roundabout in Paris is a doddle in comparison. They have the silly french right of way rules for roundabouts, pedestrians believe they have a forcefield which makes them impervious to injury, you will be overtaken, undertaken and bullied about by everybody including scooters....and still I didnt see many dented cars....It seems to work, bizarrely enough.

Pulled up outside the Riad and who was there but the entire family from Ourzazate and Nigel. They had come up to deal with the customs bureaucracy for Nigel. Found out thqt Nigel vas q very lucky chqp indeed. The surgeon told him he would have lasted probably another couple of days if he had not had treatment. So the coincidences are;
1) if I had not met him we had not decided to travel together
2) we had not decided on a whim to stop in Ourzazate
3) had not chosen Bikershome to stay in
he would have been much further south and nowhere near any medical facilities and they would have found his bones in the sand...Sobering thought. Nigel kindly posed with his before and after pictures of his stent surgery.