Refreshed, we hit the road early for something called Ouzoud falls and the sun is shining for the first time in days.
Soon the road starts winding and rising steeply into the Atlas mountains. Unfortunately we are also rejoined by the familiar smell of leaking fuel. The top of the tank appears to be to blame so we decide the best option is to press on to use up as much petrol as possible until the level falls below the hole.
We are however rewarded with stunning views out over the flat expanse of the plain below, extending as far as the eye can see.
With few people and dramatic scenery these roads into the mountains are a stunning and immensely enjoyable contrast to the grim, stinking and chaotic cities.
Passing rivers, a dam and quite impressive lake we are suddenly encouraged to stop in an empty car park by a few excited parking attendents. We had apparently found the falls.
We quikly hired a guide who took us off down a muddy red stream. The dissapointing red earth colour of the water did not detract from the spectacle. We found ourselves on the lip of falls, water gushing past our feet and falling 100 meters to the valey below.
A shadey walk through steep olive groves took us down to a handfull of shacks in the valey floor. We drank a refreshing tea with a old Berber before crossing the stream and climbing a few hundred steps the other side. A few monkeys of the Gibraltar kind apparently – provided a useful excuse for a breather on the way back up.
I must have counted just two other family size groups of tourists in the couple of hours we were ther, completely outnumbered by the sleepy souvenir merchants.
At the top a cheerful youth asked to give our ‘rally’ car a spin. A few seconds later we stood nervously as we watched our panda bounce away down the road. Then dissapear!
Time passed as his friends laughed at our stupidity. Evevtually a revving engine and crunching gears announced the miraculous return of our car!
We headed off the mountains through impressive gorges and hit the plains for Casablanca.
The final couple of hours, hampered by poor visibility on the busy dark wet roads dodging suicidal bus drivers, donkey carts and mopeds witout lights was possibly the least enjoyable drive I have ever had.
