March 9, 8:57 AMI'm on the bus leaving Tinghir, so this may be sloppier than usual. Yesterday morning we went out to the gorges, a 10-minute taxi ride from town. Totally breathtaking-- we started out in the gorge-- huge rock walls rising almost vertically on both sides. We saw some serious climbers scaling them-- crazy. Hiked up a trail that took us out of the gorge and up a scenic, rocky path to the "top". Amazing views. Ran into a few groups of tourists walking with guides, one of which had a friendly yellow dog tagging along. We passed and went ahead of the group; the dog led the way, eager for us to follow. We lost our intended trail and then all trails whatsoever, eventually wandering upon a nomad encampment built into the rocks and dirt. Looked like a meant-for-tourists "native settlement" recreation one might find in the American Southwest. Except this is Morocco and there are really people living up there. Seems like such a harsh environment. Surreal. Had lunch a little further on, giving some water and food to our new companion. About six or seven wild dogs came around, probably smelling the food. Our dog protected us, positioning himself between them and us, snapping at those who tried to advance. Good boy. We headed down toward some far-off paths that we thought might lead to civilization somewhere below. They did eventually. The dog would stop and howl into the canyon-- a pretty moving thing to see. At the base we walked through an old neighborhood built from mud (people still living there) and then back to our starting point through nearby fields. The juxtaposition of the lush green "palms", purple flowering trees, freshly tilled dirt, sand, and rushing water against the harsh, dry, red and rocky surroundings made for an incredibly beautiful place. I have a long trip home. The bus is almost empty. In all directions vast, rocky expanses stretch toward distant red plateaus. It feels like we are driving across Mars.
