Day 46: Gorging Ourselves

Day 4 of our 9-day trip

Plan: Merzouga to Todra Gorge to Dades Valley

We rolled out of the hotel at 9 in the morning because we had a long drive ahead of us. We drove for 5 hours through the hot desert in our van to the Todra Gorge. During the ride, I blogged, took photos, and listened to music. Alice and Ron sang in the back of the bus for four hours straight which didn't make them very popular with the four people who were reading and the three who were sleeping. 

We got to the Todra Gorge at 2 and had some lunch. The cliff walls stood on either side of us, over 500 feet tall with a width varying from probably 40 ft to 200 ft across. We had lunch at a nice restaurant situated right in the middle of it. After lunch, we had free time to explore the gorge and climb the big rocks for an hour. Marissa, Elle, Meredith, and I set out on an adventure and basically started hiking/climbing up the hillside. They went over to a path but I continued my way up in hopes of summiting the mountain. I got really far up and even had to free climb for some parts of it. Unfortunately, due to the time constraints, I only made it 2/3 of the way to the top. It was fun though scrambling up the rocks and then turning around and seeing the whole valley behind me. I took a lot of neat pictures, including some of the girls way down below me.

After our hour of fun, we got back in the van to drive to the Dades Valley. We got there at about 5 and stayed at a 4-star Xaluca hotel, the nicest one yet. The hotel was all contained within one post modern building but had staggered stories like small American office buildings. There was a pool on the third floor, a tennis court on the second, and a fitness room too. We tried to find a grocery store to buy alcohol, but couldn't find one. We ended up swimming in the hot tub instead and having another delicious buffet dinner. Winning item of the meal: stuffed peppers filled with rice, ground beef, and some spices. I've decided peppers are going to be my new big food when I get back to America and one of the items on the list of Andrew's Favorite Moroccan Things of 2012 (similar to Oprah's Favorite Things list but with better items).

Here goes:

Bell Peppers - Red, Yellow, Green. No matter the bell pepper, you're bound to have a good time. Stuff it with rice for some extra fun or grill it for a kabob.

Childish Gambino - Probably better known by his name Donald Glover, this American actor has been making waves in the music scene when he's not busy performing stand-up comedy or acting on the hit NBC show, Community. He has been producing mix tapes for a couple of years.

Blogger - This nifty little site is what you're currently reading this blog post on

Bose Noise Canceling Headphones - Help drown out that acoustic noise on big trips like the wheels hitting the pavement or jet propellers. These little doo-dads are also useful to help mitigate the noise of people singing the Beatles behind you for an hour during road trips on small buses.

Scarves - Keep yourself warm AND keep that pesky sand out of your eyes while you sit astride beasts of burden in deserts worldwide. Get your bargain on and get yourself a sexy scarf in a medina for under 60 dh while watching them make them for you by hand on looms in family-owned factories passed down from generation to generation.

Jacuzzi's - There's literally nothing better after a long day in the car than finding yourself at a 3-star hotel with a rooftop jacuzzi. Don't dunk your head or you might get diseases, but invite your special someone to wear their most conservative bathing suit and split a bottle of Sidi Ali with you while you get cozy together.

Genie Pants - Not for men, but they look comfortable and many of the women on the trip wear them almost religiously. Go for the kind that has elastic cuffs.

Pantene Pro-V - Don't expect every hotel you stay at to have basic amenities like shampoo or soap. You'll enjoy having a small bottle of Pantene in your bag to keep your fine hair full of volume. I first discovered Pantene back in high school on a weekend trip to Sarasota. Because of all the compliments I got that weekend, I've used it religiously ever since.

Get those for your friends and family next holiday season. Unlike Oprah, people who read this blog post won't get all these items for free.

That night, after the buffet dinner, we hung out on the bar over-looking the town and smoked hookah. I didn't smoke but opted to split a bottle of wine instead. Hit the pillows just after midnight.