Morocco Day 12

Before we left the Tafroute area, we went for a short walk to see a rock carving dating to 400 BC.

It was a pleasant walk on a clear, sunny beautiful morning before we headed out on a long bus ride. We are heading west to Tiznit, then north along the coastline to Essaouira.

As we approached Agadir we began to see the Atlantic Ocean! We stopped at a very large grocery store chain called and it was in a small mall – the first we’d seen in Morocco!

I couldn’t believe the vast selection, huge quantity, and excellent prices! Mike and I got prepared sandwiches, a pastille, fruit salad, cheese and black forest cake for about $10 CDN.

Our driver took us to a nice spot where we had a picnic lunch. The beach at Agadir is gorgeous!

There was a fairly strong, warm breeze blowing and I took the opportunity to walk in the water while looking for interesting shells and rocks. The city of Agadir is very modern, touristy, and expensive to live in.

After lunch we had nice views of the ocean for awhile and saw people playing beach volleyball, picnicking, motor biking, and even riding horses and camels! 

Soon the hot sun put most of us to sleep until we pulled over to photograph goats in trees again! A short while later we stopped at a women’s argan oil coop. Amazingly, argan trees only grow in Morocco. They have been using it for years but it was only recently discovered how beneficial it was. It is used not only in creams, soaps and lotions but in food products as well.

We watched them cracking and grinding the nuts and then looked through all of the many products they had for sale. The money they make goes to improve their situation – money well spent instead of in the shops.

More miles, more naps, then Essaouria. I just love the name of this place! Our bus parked close to the ocean then we followed our luggage carried in carts by porters to our lovely hotel, down a main street then into a souk-type of alley.

There was mint tea and yummy cookies waiting for all of us in the lobby, together with an envelope containing our room keys. What service!

 Our room is very nice and we had a terrific supper. I had chicken and vegetables; Mike had pigeon pastilla! Yum!

I am surprised by the amount of French spoken here in the southern part of Morocco. I don’t think I have heard much Arabic for several days now. My ear for French is becoming more tuned in. It’s only the second time since high school that it has come in handy!

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.