This morning we bid a sad farewell to the dining manager at our riad. We headed south, away from the foothills of the Rif Mountains to the Middle and High Atlas Mountains.

The Rif (pronounce “reef”) Mountains are home to tribes of Berbers who have cultivated marijuana as a slightly illegal, high quality, supplemental cash crop for generations. Thus when you smoke marijuana from the Rif mountains you are smoking a “reefer.” The authorities most of time ignore the operation because it brings income to otherwise impoverished residents. The marijuana is sold throughout Europe and to Asia and the rest of Africa.

Our long drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains took us to green cedar forests inhabited by macaques (also called Barbary monkeys) and home of at least one ski resort. The village of Ifrane reminded me of Whistler.

After a quick snooze in the bus, I awoke in foothills of the High Atlas Mountains – a more barren landscape with snow remaining on the distant peaks. Issam spotted a nomad settlement near the road and asked the family if we could visit and ask them questions about their lives. When we joined Issam, the man of the house was off working so we chatted with his wife and watched her sweet little daughter play around.

This extended family of 10 stays in the camp during the summer when their 400 sheep are grazing. They also have a home in the nearby village for the winter months. Their camp accommodation is basic. Cooking is done over a wood stove inside the main tent though there is a larger oven for bread. The floor is covered with carpets. There was a set of shelves that held cutlery and pots and pans. The only other furniture in the large tent was a desk with a computer. A satellite dish was outside.

In the eastern High Atlas Mountains we saw green belts where (in this case) the River Ziz flowed through. The trees in this panoramic photo are date palms. Dates are the sole economic driver of this region of Morocco.

After a long day in the bus, we reached Erfoud, the start of our Saharan adventure.