Wake-up call was at 6:30 am and after a saunter around the hotel for my daily exercise I boarded the bus with all the "oldies" and we left heading southeast for the Sahara desert. The landscape definitely changed as the Middle Atlas Mountains appeared on our left. Sheep farming gave way to goat farming, and apple farms appeared, then behives, and lastly date palm groves in eyecatching oases between vast barren mesas.
We first stopped in Ifrane, the home of a super affluent and American-style university, Al Akhawayne. The city was a replica of a Swiss mountain village built in the 1930s and the temperature was decidely cool. I finally pulled out the jelaba that I bought in Essaouira and went "native" for a little added warmth. The houses of the city had red-tiled, vaulted roofs and flower boxes in their windows. The roads were tree-lined and the city was uncharacteristically tidy and green for a Moroccan city. On our way back out of town we got a glimpse of the royal palace - a medival castle tucked among acres of idyllic gardens.
We first stopped in Ifrane, the home of a super affluent and American-style university, Al Akhawayne. The city was a replica of a Swiss mountain village built in the 1930s and the temperature was decidely cool. I finally pulled out the jelaba that I bought in Essaouira and went "native" for a little added warmth. The houses of the city had red-tiled, vaulted roofs and flower boxes in their windows. The roads were tree-lined and the city was uncharacteristically tidy and green for a Moroccan city. On our way back out of town we got a glimpse of the royal palace - a medival castle tucked among acres of idyllic gardens.
Another mile down the road the bus ground to a complete halt so that we could all hop out and ogle a pair of Barbary apes that were spotted by the side of the road. About the time the bus doors opened, a pack of 10 or so semiwild dogs descended upon the bus for snacks and cookies. Apparently this route is also taken by other cross-country bus services and the dogs are conditioned to listen for the roar of the engine which signifies kindly bus drivers tossing food out of the bus windows for them.
We popped in and out of other cities during our drive and then stopped in the town of Midelt for lunch. One of their agricultural specialties is farmed trout, so everyone else had tround and I was served a tasty dish of Moroccan tagine vegetables and nice & salty french fries, which seem to be popular in restaurants.
We then travelled through Er-Rachidia, stopping at an overlook showcasing and amazing green palm-tree filled oasis between two ochre canyon walls and in a region where we had not seen anything green for at least an hour. I recently discovered the yumminess of dates (these palms are all date palms) and was fascinated to see so many trees, all with alveoli-like clusters of dates sprouting from their tops. As we started to drive away, we came upon a couple of small towns with characteristic clothing for women. In one of them, women cover their hair, shoulders, and one eye with a large black piece of cloth embroidered in bright colors along the back bottom edge. In the next city where we traded in our bus for four-by-four toyotas, the women kept the cloth but lost the embroidery.
Thirty minutes after this town, and after our 4*4s bumped and skidded off-road in a sandless desert, we came upon Erg Chebbi and the base of an absolutely amazing gold sand dunes set against an azure blue sky. I just can't help but repeat the word amazing because that is what it was. I wandered around in the desert using my international phone bragging to everyone that I could get a hold of how amazing it was, and ended up in the camp as they were starting dinner in the dining tent. It was a wonderful couscous and vegetable tagine, and afterwards we all brought our chairs outside around a campfire and were entertained by Berber musicians with drums and clackers for about an hour. Of course I tried my hand at both dancing (I wore them out) and clacking (I wore my own ears out), and have most of it on video. Finally! Some dancing!
We popped in and out of other cities during our drive and then stopped in the town of Midelt for lunch. One of their agricultural specialties is farmed trout, so everyone else had tround and I was served a tasty dish of Moroccan tagine vegetables and nice & salty french fries, which seem to be popular in restaurants.
We then travelled through Er-Rachidia, stopping at an overlook showcasing and amazing green palm-tree filled oasis between two ochre canyon walls and in a region where we had not seen anything green for at least an hour. I recently discovered the yumminess of dates (these palms are all date palms) and was fascinated to see so many trees, all with alveoli-like clusters of dates sprouting from their tops. As we started to drive away, we came upon a couple of small towns with characteristic clothing for women. In one of them, women cover their hair, shoulders, and one eye with a large black piece of cloth embroidered in bright colors along the back bottom edge. In the next city where we traded in our bus for four-by-four toyotas, the women kept the cloth but lost the embroidery.
Thirty minutes after this town, and after our 4*4s bumped and skidded off-road in a sandless desert, we came upon Erg Chebbi and the base of an absolutely amazing gold sand dunes set against an azure blue sky. I just can't help but repeat the word amazing because that is what it was. I wandered around in the desert using my international phone bragging to everyone that I could get a hold of how amazing it was, and ended up in the camp as they were starting dinner in the dining tent. It was a wonderful couscous and vegetable tagine, and afterwards we all brought our chairs outside around a campfire and were entertained by Berber musicians with drums and clackers for about an hour. Of course I tried my hand at both dancing (I wore them out) and clacking (I wore my own ears out), and have most of it on video. Finally! Some dancing!
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