5 hrs, 7.1 kms

Day Totals: 16 hrs, 26 .1 kms



As the road gradually climbs up the hillside I'm greeted by an even grander view of the valley. From here the sea of green seems to stretch on forever. And Meknes, perched on a hilltop is clearly visible some 16 kilometers away. The road continues on around the hill, past a scattering of houses, shops and a mosque which I decide don’t merit being considered a "town". On up ahead is yet another vast fertile valley… and at any moment now I trust the ruins of Volubilis will come into view… the remains of a great Roman city—one of the highlights of my 2008B tour of this region.

Sure enough, there it is… and soon after the ancient city of Moulay Driss, the oldest Arab city in Morocco appears, built on the steep hillside and cliffs, right as the way valley narrows into a canyon.

I remember falling in love with this history-rich town back in 2008 . But now as I approach it, my first thought is that most of the homes are shabby, cinderblock structures.   At first I think that maybe a lot of them were built before I was here last… but then I realized that I’ve been spoiled by seeing so many picture perfect ancient cities over the last 4 ½ years, so I’m a little harder to please.

But there are some cool things I missed on my last visit. There’s an ancient bridge right below the city which I’m determined to get a closer look at. But I’m hampered by a deep gully, a stream, thornbushes, and thick carrizo cane. After a couple attempts I find myself trapped in someone’s farm plot with a dog barking at me from a nearby house. If I were in the USA, I’d be feeling pretty nervous about now… but this is Morocco… people don’t mind folks trespassing on their property… right?

As I look for a way to squeeze through the thick carrizo cane, I spot a farmer on the other side. “Smahleeya… kayn shee trek bashntla el foq?” (excuse me, is there a way to get up to the top?) I ask, hoping for sympathy, not anger . He suggests I go to the house and ask them to open the gate for me… I decide to keep trying to look for a way through, until I find one… He sees me again…

“You can go through the gate there” he tells me nonchalantly “just close it behind you”  Yep… I’m glad folks here aren’t such trespasser haters as Americans…

I finally find a path, but instead up going straight up to the city, I decide to follow the base of the cliff in hopes of getting a couple good photos and a video clip. But strangely, once viewed from up close, this city-perched-on-a clifftop doesn’t seem very photogenic at all, and I’m feeling a bit awkward wandering around its scruffy edges… so I take one quick photo and head on into town… where I finally connect my Fes-Meknes Superhike with my Moulay Driss hike of 2008.

Not wanting to rush things, I opt for a celebratory meal of grilled meat on the square, along with daytrippers who probably come here from Meknes to relax… Then I hop on a bus back to Meknes… onto another bus back to Casablanca… and my 3^rd short trip of 2013 comes to a close…