DOUAR SAMRA

TAXI ARRIVAL IN TAMATERT

JULES CARRIES THE BAGS DOWN

DOUAR SAMRA

THE SIN ROOM

LOCAL ART

NEVER SAW IT OPEN THOUGH

CLIMBING OUT OF IMLIL

TRUCK IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

SHELTER FROM THE RAIN

SUPPER AT SAMRA

I managed to keep the destination for Rubi's birthday treat a secret for a while, but it was necessary to tell her when it came to getting the relevant immunisations. Morroco is certainly not rife with infectious diseases, but it is advisable to have jabs for Hepatitis A and Typhoid, and make sure your Tetanus is up to date.

It took us about 20 minutes to walk from Casa Sophia to the Grand Taxi rank, dragging our suitcases behind us. I had expected a local to offer assistance (for a price, of course) but nobody did. Perhaps it looked too much like hard work.

We explained to one of the taxi drivers that we needed a ride to our guest house, Douar Samra, in Tamatert. He didn't know where Tamatert was so I showed him the map. He said he could drop us in nearby Imlil, but from there to the guest house was just a rough track and we would need a horse to take us. Having done our research we insisted that the road was sufficiently good for him to take us all the way by car. After consulting his colleagues he finally agreed. Next was the question of price. After a little haggling we settled on what we knew to be the reasonable price of 400 Dirham - about £32.

The ride out of Marrakech was initially along wide, straight and well-maintained roads but as we started climbing the foothills of the Atlas Mountains the roads became narrow, snake-like and pot-holed. We enjoyed the magnificent views out the windows when we were not otherwise preoccupied with the precipitous drops that edged the road.

Rubi helped the driver to navigate the last couple of kilometers to Tamatert. An elderly local gentleman was waiting by the side of the road where we eventually stopped. On establishing who we were he disappeared momentarily before returning with a mule called Jules who would carry our cases for us. We thanked and tipped the taxi driver who seemed pleased that he had achieved what we had asked of him and insisted on a photo shoot before departing. We then followed Jules down the steep slope to the entrance to Douar Samra where we were greeted by the staff - Muhammad, Rashida and Omar - before being ushered to the lounge and given mint tea.

Douar Samra is owned by a Swiss lady called Jacqueline Brandt who built the house on the site of a previous ruin using local labour. The house is constructed in traditional Berber style with mud walls and bamboo ceilings. Furnishings are also traditional Berber with colourful rugs and seating cushions on the floor, and tables of a height that would suit people sitting cross legged.

Our room was called the Sin Room (don't ask me why) and it was furnished in a similar fashion to the rest of the house. The room had two balconies and the en-suite shower and toilet were in separate alcoves with blankets draped across the entrances to serve the needs of privacy. All lighting was provided by candles since there was no electricity. We quickly settled in and, having been advised when supper would we served, took a walk to explore the immediate area.

Supper was a communal affair with a family group from Salisbury, Wiltshire, and a Belgian/German couple. The food included beetroot, potato gratin and beef kofta.

The following morning we walked downhill to take a look around Imlil, and then we located the path that would take us south to Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco. We followed the path for about 4 kilometres and might have gone further had we not been deterred by the sound of thunder. We turned around and got as far as the village of Aremd before the rain turned from light to heavy. We sheltered for a while in what was probably a mule's stable before a young girl came out and ushered us into her home. We were sat in the family room and given blankets for warmth while her mother prepared mint tea for us.

When the rain stopped we thanked our hosts and left a small amount of money and some sweets for the children before continuing on our way. We finally got back to Douar Samra in good time for a shower before supper.