Kasbah Azalay is not only a magnificent hotel, it is also a cool friendly oasis to rest after the heat and dust of Lac Iriki and the dunes of Chegega, but it sits very close to two ancient wonders. The first is the village of Bono which has sat beside the Oued Draa for at least 700 years and possibly a 1000 depending upon who you are talking to. The second you can find in the foothills of Jebel Bani, where hidden away in amongst the broken rock are some remnants of ancient carvings that have a countless age stretching back to the distant past of our ancestors.

Theses carvings are a shadow of their former selves, now only one slab that is hardly a meter long sits forlornly on of a rise above the Oued Draa some 12km away from the hotel. In true Impala fashion we have made a roadbook to get our clients there individually, as and when they would like to during the rest day that we always have at the hotel.

This picture was taken by Ian Roy and Melanie McCall as they were on their way back from visiting this lone piece of art. The power of the sandstorm is awe-inspiring to say the least, more so if you have never experienced one before. Not only can you not see anything around you as its all encompassing orange light flows over the landscape but the wind is also very strong and the flying sand hits you with needle sharp jabs if you dare to venture forth from your vehicle. Eyes are very vulnerable to the flying sand, hence that is why the Moroccans have the chez (a big cloth scarf that can cover your face) and It is very easy to get disorientated in such a maelstrom.

Luckily our roadbooks have GPS co-ordinates as well as track junctions and partial distances so Ian Roy and Melanie just knuckled down and trusted their roadbook as they travelled through the orange landscape to eventually arrive back at the comfort of The Kasbah Azalay. Here they related their challenge to the rest of the group who were in the bar enjoying a gin and tonic as the orange wind raced around outside.