After our 9 hour bus trip, we found place to lay our heads by an over zealous hotel manager. Omar appeared very anxious to separate us from our money, but time proved otherwise. As the only guests at the Hotel El Houda, we were invited to join Omar for a traditional Moroccan lunch of beef tajine and mint tea. We graciously accepted this offer, thankful for the opportunity to fill our bellies free of charge. Part of our afternoon was spent tracking down bikes to rent for our attept to witness sunrise at the Todra Gorge. Having secured 2 state-of-the-art mountain bikes from Kamal's Bike Rental, Kamal himself offered to take us on a tour of the medina. We learned quite a bit: natural healing with various spices, little light on the 1st floor of homes as to not attract flies to where the livestock live, and a lack of Jewish community due to the perceived embracing of Islam by the Jews (We knew otherwise.). We spent our evening with Omar and an authentic couscous meal. In fact, Omar thanked us for providing him with a good reason for preparing his favorite meal. OUR PLEASURE!!!! We turned in early in anticipation of our pre-sunrise expedition.

All dressed and ready to go, we made our way downstairs to where our bikes were stored. Much to our surprise, all the doors within the hotel were locked, leaving us nowhere to go but the roof to watch the sunrise. Disappointed, but still determined to bike the gorge, we went back to bed for a cat nap. We did not make it much further on our 2nd attempt, as Dana got a flat tire 5 minutes into our journey. Fueled by frustration and the desire for some arduous physical activity, we made it to the Todra Gorge on our 3rd try. The 15 km inclined route took nearly 2 hours, but along the way we witnessed some spectacular views. At the mouth of the gorge, dana and I took a much deserved break, primarily to rest our ACHING TUSHIES!!!! So much for gel-cushioned seats! As we were making final preparations for our afternoon of hiking, I accidently knocked our camera into a stream of water. Without a doubt, this was the most frightening moment of our trip thus far. Panic set in, but the hike went on. Dana and I were surprised with the large number of people playing loud music and dancing inside the gorge but were able to find the real beauty 30 minutes in. Scared of our trip back, we procrastinated for as long as possible inside the gorge and fiddled with our camera praying for divine intervention. Thankfully, systems were up and running just prior to our departure, and we both breathed a sigh of relief.

The morning of the 8th marked the beginning of our long journey back to western Europe and a rendezvous with my mom in Spain. We thanked Omar for his hospitality, and he first refused to accept the 12 dollars we owed for our 2 nights stay. I insisted he take the money, and he did so only after we promised to return and stay free of charge next time.