Chapter 5 - Morocco Part 2

Day 17 – Friday 20 May 2016 – Fes to Midelt

Another lovely Moroccan breakfast then in the bus at 9 am, saying goodbye to Fes as we started the 200 km drive to Midelt.

Very soon we started to ascend the Middle Atlas mountains, with local apples and honey available on the side of the road. The sloping countryside varied from lush farming land to rocky terrain. Many donkeys – very common in Morocco – were seen at rest (standing) or at work.

Our first stop was Ifrane, sort of a resort town around 1500 metres above sea level.  Coffee was double the normal price at 20 dirhams (around $A3).  Ifrane is popular when it snows and when the temperature reaches 45 degrees C in Fes. A new golf course is being built on the rocky terrain outside of the city.

                                                  Monkey & Aziz

About 20 minutes beyond Ifrane we stopped for a four km walk through a cedar forest.  As the bus stopped a number of monkeys appeared looking for food.  Aziz was happy to have his photo taken with one. The magnificent cedars have neighbours in the occasional Quercus suber (“cork” tree). We also scored photos of dung beetles and a spider ball-web in the tree. I picked up some cedar chips and could smell the distinctive bouquet of cedar.

In no time at all we stopped for lunch at a café in the middle of nowhere – a place called Timahdite.  We had a traditional Moroccan lunch of bread, lamb chops (2 each), shared a tagine and a great stack of mince beef sausage.  It was superb. With drinks and tips it cost about $A7 each.

            Nomad Tent

Onwards we headed through rolling planes with lots of rocks and rock fences, gradually going higher up the middle Atlas. Occasionally we passed a nomad camp typically using goat-skin tents for shelter. As we went over the Col Du Zad pass that peaked at 2178 metres the quality of the terrain became poorer. By the time we had reached the bottom of the valley the arid conditions reminded some travellers of central Australia.
Soon the High Atlas mountains came into view with snow peaks very obvious.

By 4pm we were in our rooms at the flash Hotel Taddart just before Midelt.  We were now in countryside that has few trees, lots of rocks, and land that does not look very fertile.  Having said that, the local apple trees (and there are plenty) look very good.

                                  Inside a Berber Village

At 5:30 we went for a short drive to the village of Brem to see how the Berber people of eastern Morocco live.  It was a sobering experience as we saw how basic – and happy – their lives were.

After that we had to visit a bottle shop to get 4 days worth of appropriate refreshments.  There were a number of different teams who worked together. My new mate and I made a good team.

Dinner at the hotel was a set menu and traditional Moroccan – and excellent.  Soup to start and tagine for the main – washed down with some fine Moroccan red (white for Shirley & Fay).  After dinner I “rescued” some photos of a camera memory card for my drinking cobber.  All was good. Tomorrow we head to the Sahara and a camel ride.

Day 18 – Saturday 21 May 2016 – Midelt to Merzouga to Sahara
Tour Day 7

We left Midelt around 9am and were soon heading up the High Atlas mountains. Soon we reached Tel Od pass at 1907 metres. Once we reached the valley at the bottom we started to weave between various branches of the mountain range. A river meandered along the bottom of the valley – with very little water. The landscape was very barren.
We stopped to stroll around a nomads market at N’Zala. It was a very small market and not unlike some smaller farmers markets in Australia.

               A Common View as we Crossed Morocco

Communities dotted the roadside, mostly with building constructed of packed earth. Some nomads added to the character of the valley. We arrived at Zizz valley, which contained a forest of date palms. The local communities make their living from agriculture – figs, dates, alfalfa, apples, etc.  Aziz advised us that there are 26 different types of dates, some very expensive.

We came over another peak and saw a man-made lake, that supports local communities.
Morning tea was at a place called Erachklda, where the cappuccino cost about $A1.35. Incidentally, petrol & diesel cost about the same as in Australia, with a litre of petrol costing about the same as a cup of coffee. A magnum ice-cream cost us about $A3.
We passed another nomads market – much bigger this time – then nearly constant date palm groves as we followed the bottom of the valley. Away from the valley bottom the land became more and more arid.

                          Berber Omelette

We tried a new dish for lunch, a Berber omelette. It was excellent, and was preceded by the obligatory bread and olives. Back on the bus at 2.15, more date palms on one side, and barren hills on the other.

It was getting hotter and we were all wearing camel-riding gear – long trousers.
It was around 33 degrees C as we stopped at a factory that made all sorts of items from rock that contained numerous fossils.  There was a wide range of fossils and items to purchase.

Moroccan Fossils

With 40 minutes to go we saw the first sand dunes. It was closer to 37 degrees as we stepped off the bus and into some shade to wait until the day cooled.

The Erg Chebbi dunes are the most stunning in the country and an experience essential of any visit to Morocco. An erg is a vast sea of shifting wind-swept sand that’s formed into picturesque undulating crests and valleys, and the Erg Chebbi is one of the world’s classic landscapes of towering dunes, up to heights of over 150 metres. Located at the end of the sealed road and just 20 kilometres from the Algerian border.

                                 Chris & Shirley on Camels

Around 6:15 pm an amazing adventure commenced as 15 of us were taught how to get on a camel – and stay there. The next 90 minutes were spent atop these great “beasts of the desert” as we made our way to the desert camp.  The views were spectacular. It was nearly dark as we arrived at the camp, with the moon appearing over the horizon. It was dark before our legs started to work as they should, with many sets of sore (inner) thighs and rear ends.

                               “Glamping” in the Sahara Desert

The word camping was replaced with “glamping” as we each entered our tent complete with double bed, carpet flooring and full ensuite.

                                   Inside Our Tent

We had 45 minutes for a pre-dinner drink and a few olives, before we dined on lovely Moroccan food under the stars. It was an extraordinary situation – glamping in the Sahara desert a long way from anywhere, eating lovely food and sipping fine Moroccan wine – as the (blue) full moon rose higher and higher.

Two young children soon arrived (maybe 6 & 8 years old) with trinkets that were made in the family home. Shirley bought a memento.  Aziz explained that although school was now compulsory, these children were examples of the roughly 10% of Moroccan children who do not get a chance to go to school.  These two live in the Sahara desert and the nearest school is maybe 35 km away with no school bus support available to them.

After dinner our lead cameleer and our guide, Aziz, sat in the sand each with a set of bongo-like Moroccan drums.  One of our group joined them on a third set of drums, as the night got better and better.  The cameleer was also the vocalist and the resident comedian.

Above: Dinner being prepared

Below: Two Aussies & Two Moroccans - with music

After a shower, sleep came very easy.

Day 19 – Sunday 22 May 2016 – Todra Gorge-Dades Valley-M’goun ValleyTour Day 8

We were up soon after 5am, a cup of coffee at 5:30, then back on the camels at 6am.  Last night we rode into the sunset – today we rode into the sunrise. 

                        6:15 am Sunrise in the Sahara Desert

Again – it was extraordinary. Sixty minutes later we were back at base camp, where breakfast was welcomed – after we re-taught our legs how to work.  Some time was also spent washing camel DNA from clothes. Many of us had a friendly camel behind (they were roped in a chain of 7 or 8 camels), with a desire to rub their head on our back or rear end.

      Fay on Lead Camel. Chris & Shirley 2nd/3rd in Rear Group of  Camels

We were on the bus and moving about 8:15 am heading west.  As we drove parallel to the Anti Atlas mountain range, Aziz pointed out some connected wells.

        Wells for Underground Irrigation

When water is found in a well repeated well holes may be dug and connected to each other, hence allowing water to flow from its origin to where it is needed.  This is an effective underground irrigation system.

When asked about helmets for motor cyclists (which have been compulsory for two years) Aziz told us about the C90, which is a cheap imported motor cycle, and the hospital ward in Marrakech which has the nickname of C90 – because of the number of motor cycle accident victims in that ward.

At 10:30 we stopped for coffee at Tinejdad. I bought a Berber cap which had “Amazigh” on the back – the Berber word for Berbers.

We then made our way towards Todra Gorge, a massive trench that rises over 250 metres and one of the most dramatic natural sights in Morocco. We took a short walk in the picturesque area before having lunch nearby. Being Sunday a large number of locals were present either enjoying the water or making music and dancing.

Washing Clothes in Running Water

On our return we took a photo of the locals doing their washing in the running water of the river/creek. We then headed towards the M’goun valley – our stop for the next two nights. The terrain was flat and devoid of any quality vegetation, with rocks being the prominent feature.  We were surrounded, in the distance, by mountains. The situation improved when we went into a valley as the valleys seemed to have continuous greenery.

View from our Hotel Room

We arrived at our accommodation, checked in, and were amazed at the view from our room.  Dinner was excellent Moroccan soup followed by a couscous dish.

Day 20 – Monday 23 May 2016 – M’goun Valley
Tour Day 9

It was a memorable day as Shirley saw her second consecutive sunrise – maybe for the first time ever.

At 6:30 we departed on a round-trip walk of about 12 km. We left our hotel and loosely followed the valley for around six km.  Maybe 20% of the trip was along a made road, around 30% was through a village or passed local homes and the remainder was on very narrow unmade paths alongside the land of local people.

                                            Aquaduct

                 Crops

The local Moroccan people are very resourceful in that they have established aqueducts that irrigate their many small parcels of land that has been setup for selective irrigation. The parcels of land are all (that we saw) smaller than the average Australian backyard.  The crops that we saw included barley, wheat, alfalfa, poppy and vegetables. The vegetables included broad beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cabbages. In between all of the above were walnut trees, fig trees, roses and whatever else could be grown in the available space.  It was an amazing sight and the crops & veges looked very healthy.

The crops also seem to be staggered in time as many were at varying stages of development. They apparently do not use any fertiliser or chemicals.
Our walk through the village also took us past a school with three classrooms.
At the half way mark our guide took us into a Kasbah where we took lots of photos and had a glass of mint tea.  All along the walk we met local people who were mostly very friendly.  We also saw local ladies washing their clothes in the running water.
We studied the home construction methods and were amazed at the results with so little to work with.

                       The area through which we walked

We had a relaxing afternoon with just a casual walk through the local village and a couple of small purchases.  Another lovely tagine for dinner.

Day 21 – Tuesday 24 May 2016 – M’goun Valley to  Aid Benhaddou
Tour Day 10

After a 40 hour break we were back on the bus and a 25 km drive out of the M’goun valley back to the main road. We stopped for a few photos along the way to record some of the beauty of the valley.

                            M’goun Village and Valley

Aziz explained the importance and value of the Moroccan family group where those not so fortunate (e.g. unemployed, disabled) are supported by other members of the group.

We stopped for an early coffee and enjoyed the excellent Lavazza cappuccino. The chocolate on top usually came out of a Quik container and was administered by a teaspoon.  We had left the valley with the lush bottom and arid sides and top and headed west through an arid plain. The main form of vegetation was olives and they were few and far between (but looking healthy).

Again, there were mountains in the distance on both sides of the road.

    Kasbah Amridil

Around 11:30 we stopped at Kasbah Amridil, famous for its role in movies like Ali Barber and the Forty Thieves, Lawrence of Arabia and Hanna.  It is situated in the large Skoura Oasis. Our guide was an excellent ambassador for the Kasbah as he included a lot of humour in his commentary. The Kasbah has been in the same family for over 300 years, and is now going through a period of restoration.  The Kasbah is principally built of large mud bricks (up to 1000 mm by 1000 mm by 600mm) which are actually made in-sitsu.  Being near a river the Kasbah has good drinking water from its wells whenever there is water in the river.

                                           Inside of Kasbah Amridil

From there we moved to Ouarzazate – the Bollywood of Morocco – where we had lunch.  We went for a small option of soup and it was excellent.  We visited a type of essential oils  place where we had an explanation on many herbs, oils & spices that are available to fix everything from snoring to sore big toes.  We came out smelling like hippies.

It was getting very hot as we weaved our wave through arid mountainous terrain to Aid Benhaddou, where we are staying the night in a riad.  Nearby is a kasbah where the movie Gladiator was filmed. About 15 minutes after checking in about 6 of us were in the lovely pool.

                              The Pool at our Riad

An hour after that we were listening to a local carpet guy expound the qualities of local carpet, followed by hand bag bartering, followed by pre-dinner drinks, followed by tagine dinner.


Day 22 – Wednesday 25 May 2016 – Aid Benhaddou to Marrakech
Tour Day 11

We had a quick breakfast and went for a 2km walk to the top of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. It is on top of a hill and has a great 360 degree view. We admired the view and bought a painting from an artist who dries his paintings with a blow torch.

           Town of Aid Benhaddou from Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou

It was back in the bus and off to Marrakech. We followed the winding road along the valley. We could always see the arid/barren/rocky mountains on one or both sides. For most of the way we were near the bottom of a valley, usually with some form of habitation and agriculture.  Never was the road straight. In some places there was terracing up the sides of the valley, with some form of crop growing. 

According to Aziz this usually only occurs where this is a spring that allows the terraces to be irrigated. The springs in turn are fed by the snow that is further up the mountains.

          

                       Terraced Crops Irrigated by Spring Water

It is amazing to think that we were travelling through arid country that will get to 35 degrees today, but we could see snow on the mountains peaks.

Around 10:30 we stopped for coffee and a talk on Argan trees, their nuts and the oil and products that come from the argan nut.  It was very interesting.

We continued west and started to climb the High Atlas mountains – often with majestic views down the valley. The road peaked at Col du Tichka pass which was 2260 metres above sea level – which is the highest stretch of main road in Morocco.  We stopped to take a photo and were nearly blown over by the wind.

            Great Example of a Strip of Green at the Bottom of a Rocky Mountain

As we descended from the pass the landscape changed from arid rocks to slopes with a tinge of green grass – a similar change to that seen some days ago before we reached that Sahara. The gradual climb to the pass contrasted significantly to the steep descent as we traversed a number of hairpin bends – made worse by the amount of road works in progress. However, the views were mind boggling.

         Steep Rocky Terrain and Winding Road

When nearly at the bottom we stopped at a small eatery on the side of the road for lunch.  This time Berber Omelette was popular.  The fresh orange juice was squeezed by hand just near our table.

As we headed west (i.e. further from Sahara and closer to the ocean) the grass became thicker and the trees and bushes were larger.  Olives trees became more and more frequent as we reached the flat plain away from the mountains.

On arrival in Marrakech we checked in to a beautiful Riad hotel. Later six of us headed to Jemaa el Fna, the great square, one of the largest public spaces in the world and unique to Marrakech. Every night it comes alive with snake-charmers, musicians, story-tellers, fire-eaters and hundreds of small outdoor restaurants.

                                Marrakech Souk

It was too early for action so for an hour or two we wandered around the souks (markets).  By the time w emerged we were down to four people.  We found a watering hole (Hotel Tazi) and had a cold drink and a rest.

Then we returned to the square and found stall number one – our recommended dining place. It was good Moroccan food. Food and soft drinks for the four of us coats about $A15.

                                   Dining in Marrakech

Sleep came easy.

*** This Post is Now Complete ***

Post Updated 8am Thursday 26 May 2016
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