Morocco Day 11

We had a 9 AM start today with 4x4 vehicles. The red rocks in the area are quite dramatic and beautiful. Our first stop was at a rock formation known as Le Chapeau de Napoleon (Napoleon’s Hat).

We also stopped by a Berber camp for a brief visit.

Then we went by the Painted Rocks. These were first painted in 1984 by Belgian artist Jean Verame and a team of Moroccan fireman who hosed a large area of rocks with 18 tons of paint. It was similar to a project he did in the Sinai. The rocks were redone in 2010 by a local man. I had read about them and wasn’t too sure wasn’t too sure what to expect. But they were actually quite interesting and beautiful. My camera and I would have liked to explore them further but we weren’t given all that much time.

Onward and upward. Oh my gosh - the switchbacks, curves and turns! There was very little traffic on the road and the area was vast and stunning.

We drove quite awhile then got out for our hike. It was an easy one, on pavement, amongst the palm trees which provided some shade. We were surprised to see so many homes along the way, even a store.

Our destination was our lunch stop – a Berber home in a small village. After about an hour and a half or so, the road forked and some of us decided to hitch a ride the rest of the way with the 4x4s. Apparently we missed ‘the best part’ of the walk. Oh well, c’est la vie!

The small village had a church but we didn’t see many people there at all. We were welcomed into the host home and sat down on cushions on the floor. It was so very cool and quiet and some of us nodded off, me included.

When the rest of the group arrived, we were served a delicious chicken tagine. There was one very large plate of tangine for every 5 of us to share. We were given a large spoon and ate it directly from the same dish. Traditional Berber style is to eat with one’s hands.

Afterwards we had some traditional Moroccan mint tea with sucre – so good. The family had an enchanting 2 year old son who visited with the group.

Bertha, a real people person, wanted to meet the woman of the house so I followed her upstairs. I was amazed at the sparseness of her kitchen and home, and the fact she prepared such a delicious meal for so many people with so little.

She was a very beautiful woman and let us take photographs, including her hennaed hands.

The trip back was via another route. Different road, different scenery.

At one point along the way back, our drivers stopped and parked by the side of the road and stopped to pick various wild herbs for tea and perhaps for cooking as well.

When we got back to town, we had a little tour. Tafroute is known for a particular type of Berber shoe/slipper and several people bought some. 

Three of the guys, including Mike, decided they needed a shave and headed off to find a barber – a Berber barber, haha! Mike couldn’t remember when his face has felt so smooth! The group wanted to walk back but I didn’t so I wandered around town. I bought a Coke Zero and some argan soap. Some was lavender scented, and some was mixed with olive oil. I can hardly wait to try it!

Supper was delicious again. This time I had spaghetti and Mike had the chicken, the opposite of last night. I also had Moroccan wine with supper, which generally comes from the Meknes area.

Morocco Day 4

We said goodbye to Fes at 8 AM and began to travel through farming country. There are lots of olive trees and it is quite green due to the many rivers in the area. I noticed a few red poppies growing wild in the countryside and there are many trees in bloom with white flowers.

Some of these are almonds and some are apples. Apparently this area is also good for cherries, plums and other fruit as well.

We are going through the Middle Atlas Mountains, and we are climbing a lot. Our driver is very experienced. He speeds when he can and crawls when there is lots of slow moving traffic especially going up hills. He sometimes waits until we reach the top of the hill, but occasionally he just passes. We have many near misses with other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, trucks and tractors. Abdellah advised us when we first started out, “Just don’t look!”

We stopped in Ifrane to stretch our legs. Irfrane is the Switzerland of Morocco. The town’s claim to fame is a lion statue. It is a summer resort with many villas owned by well-off Moroccans. The roofs are very long and steep as they get a lot of snow in the winter.

As we drive (and today is about a 9 – 10 hour day on the bus) it is rare to go very far without seeing people. It’s not just in towns that we see people, but the countryside as well. People are walking, working, sitting, standing, riding and waiting. Men are sitting in cafes drinking tea, coffee or water and women are walking carrying bags, often with small children in tow.

We stopped in a small town and had lunch at a local restaurant. We were the only tourists. The meat was hanging from on high and it was either grilled or cooked in a tagine.

I ordered a lamb tagine. There wasn’t much meat in the dish but the vegetables were very tender and nicely flavoured. I found lots of photo ops while I was waiting.

The drive to Marrakesh was a long one and we made a few pit stops. One place had some lovely rose gardens behind the buildings. I did something I haven’t done before at one of the rest stops – there was no other choice. There were only squat toilets in each stall – porcelain ‘bowls’ on the floor with slightly elevated spots to place your feet.I was a little afraid of slipping but I survived!

There was a whole lot of napping happening on the bus especially in the afternoon. 

We arrived in Marrakech around 6 PM and got checked in. Then we headed to the Jemaa el Fna Square. The traffic was unreal and when we finally arrived, I understood why. The crowds were also unreal!

It took a lot of concentration to keep up with the group, not trip, watch our belongings, and not lose sight of the person ahead of you. We headed to the stall where we were to have supper but they weren’t ready for us yet so we took a walk around. It was hard to see anything really, because of all the people and I think our guide worried for our safety. It reminded me of a very, very busy fair grounds back home.

We sat at long benches with sheets of paper for placemats. When our meal came, it was very good – cooked vegetables, meat skewers and of course bread and water.

Rather than make the bus negotiate all that busy traffic after we were done, we walked back to the hotel, about 20-25 minutes away. Crossing the street was an adventure and it took quite awhile before the sidewalk traffic thinned out enough that our group didn't have to walk single file.

We have a late start to our day tomorrow so we get to sleep in, yeah!