HIGH ATLAS HIGHJINKS
The Todra Gorge is a gateway to the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, within view of a vast expanse of golden sand representing the western rim of the Sahara Desert. Two sheer cliff walls, three hundred metres high, rise out of the rocky river bed of a crystal clear stream, just ten metres apart.
In the pleasant chill of morning, before the scorching sun had touched our tent, just through the gorge itself, stomach cramps set in. Luckily I managed to get well away from our small encampment before the full effects took hold. Explosive stool syndrome is never a very pleasant start to the day.
We were obliged to retreat to the Hotel Restaurant les Roches, deep within the Todra gorge, to let nature take its course and experiment with local cures in the comfort of a hotel. During a three day recovery, our hosts talked of an unusual festival that was happening two days ride away, deep within the Atlas ranges, near the mountainous mudbrick town of Imilchil. A gathering of tribal folk for the sale of animals, and the exchange of wedding vows. 160 marriages performed over three days was a spectacle not to be missed.
