On the road from Amtoudi, we overtook a stray camel. Actually a dromedary, as our guide corrected. In Amtoudi (a Palm Valley with ancient fortresses) we were supposed to ride donkeys up to the Kasbah on a path teetering on the verge of a 'fall frightful', but none of us were up to it. My donkey was skittish and unpredictable, and the youth holding the reins was already wheezing after about a kilometer of ascent around the backs of village houses, so I decided not to bring my life to an end just yet, got off the donkey and walked back.
Below is a view of the rock on whose summit stands the Kasbah (the teetering path can't be seen). People would bring their treasured possessions to the Kasbah in times of danger. It also served as a granary.
To quote from a group who actually rode the donkeys to the top: 'The climb up the mountain is slightly scaring for all of us who seldom find ourselves on muleback. With a trail only 20-30 cm wide, and a fall high enough to smash your head, you soon find yourself repeating: "the mule and the owner does this thing every day, so they know what to do"'.
Well, God bless their trust, say I!
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