Desert to Alpine to Forest to Farmland - in 100 miles!

(Photos in order from bottom up. Sorry!)

n.b. The smiling young man on the rock is Mouad, our driver. The smiling older gent with us (not me!) is Adbe, our guide.

We left Ouarzazate this morning after we toured the "new" (less than 200 years old) casbah of Thami-el-Glaoui. He was the head of a family with long-standing control of the area until Morocco gained independence from France in 1956. He had backed France. He chose poorly. The casbah is now open to the public for free tours. On the way out of town, we passed a couple of large (HUGE) movie studios. Famous movies such as The Ten Commandments, Gladiator, and Lawrence of Arabia were filmed here. Still looked like a cheesy Hollywood affair.

We left the flat valley of the Draa River and made our way toward the High Atlas Mountains. We took a 10 km detour to the small village of Ait-Benhaddou, the site of many of the scenes of Gladiator. This place was beautiful! The river separated flooded ruins from the newer town. UNESCO money is helping rebuild the ruins (flooded in 1985) and a few families have returned.

The landscape changed from the Mojave near Las Vegas to the high New Mexico forests within 30 miles. Cactus and little else gave way to aspen, walnut, cyprus, juniper and dozens of fruit tree varieties. The verdant view didn't extend very far upslope from the valley floors. What was really striking was how the land had been worked over the centuries. The valleys were terraced and fed by mountain water, hence the variety and lush character. As we climbed higher, vegetation gave way to snow and small streams. We reached Tizi-n-Tichka pass at about 7,500 ft. surrounded by peaks over 13,000 ft. The narrow switchback roads (in good shape) supported SUVs like ours, tour buses (gotta love that, Jan!) bicycles, and hundreds of people on foot. Where do they come from and where do they go?

We made a stop for caffe and some local nut product from the Argan tree. Not sure what the trees look like, but the nuts can be roasted and ground into a course paste that tastes like peanut butter. The entire fruit is used for something (animal feed, fire fuel, cosmetic base). Good stuff! The products were produced and sold by women. We’ve seen a few indications of all-woman cooperatives while here. We bought a few things to support them.

Our last leg today was through some beautiful pine forests set aside as a national park reserve. This reserve is off-limits to everyone unless you have explicit permission to enter. Give the respect Moroccans have for their king and authority, I would venture these forests are pristine. The forests gave way to flat, fertile farmland about 30 miles from Marrakech.

Ah, Marrakech! More on that tomorrow.

Very brief note from Wendy to Dad and Jan: one of the RVs we followed up the mountain had a chair tied to the back. When we passed them, they were definitely Arab so it seems that is a world-wide phenomenon!

Small World Alert!

Small world alert! A few days before I left, a friend gave me a copy of Delta’s “Sky” magazine to read before Wendy & I left for the trip. In the March 2010 issue (with a picture of President Obama on the cover), the article contains a big article on Morocco. On page 71, there is a photo of a Berber man having tea. He’s handsome with a winning smile.

Well, yesterday on our way from Erfoud to Ouarzazate, we stopped out in the middle of the flat desert (Utah-style) along side the road for a view of the ancient well and subterranean water transport system. The rest area was made up of a few gents who served us tea under a tent, played some local music and just enjoyed meeting us. This place was in the middle of nowhere but certainly not the only rest area to be found. These wonderful stops are located every few miles. The fellow who served us tea looked a little familiar (see photo). You guessed it (see other photo!).

Head West to Marrakesh

A quick update. We're in Ouarzazate today and continue on to Marrakesh. Yesterday, we left Erfoud and traveled just south of the High Atlas Mountains. The scenery was reminiscent of New Mexico or Utah. Enjoy the photos!

Ubiquitous Moroccan

We have now seen large cities, small villages, the desert, and the mountains. I've compiled this short list of things that we've seen everywhere in Morocco:

• bottled water (especially Sidi Ali)
• donkeys - when they are loaded down with greenery, Molly and her friends call them Chia Pets (perfect!)
• cumin
• mosaic tile: floors, walls, ceilings
• friendly people who greet us with 'Welcome to Morocco!' Probably the only English most of them know
• people sitting . . . in cafes (but mostly men), under trees, on the side of the road
• people walking . . . in the street, on the sidewalks, in the middle of the fields, on roads miles from a town
• Coca Cola
• Islamic arch architecture
• mint tea
• trash, particularly plastic bags, hung up on plants out in the fields and in the desert
• cell phone reception - my stepmom can't get a Sprint signal in my house in Bloomington but everyone has cell phone coverage everywhere here - even out in the Sahara Desert. There are no dead zones.
• cats - very skinny cats - it is considered good luck to have them around
• sugar - the sugar cubes aren't cubes but are small blocks of sugar
• stork nests on top of minarets
• the Muslim call to prayer ( 5 times per day)
• cooing mourning doves, chirping sparrows, and crowing roosters
• oranges and fresh squeezed orange juice - even in our desert encampment in the Sahara we had fresh squeezed orange juice (sorry about the pulp, Molly!)

Over the Mountains & Into the Desert

On Thursday, we left Fes and travelled south over the Middle Atlas mountains. On the way, we passed through a town called Ifrane which was most of the way up toward the summit. The Moroccans call this town the Switzerland of Morocco. Apparently there are a couple of ski areas nearby. As we made it further up, we passed snow covered peaks and saw what Moroccans call ski areas. Think Hyland Hills with fewer runs.

Our route took us along the Ziz River toward the Sahara. The Ziz valley contains the largest oasis in all of Africa. It stretches for dozens (maybe hundreds) of miles. Oases are marked by dense forest, lush ground cover and no buildings within. Humans figured out that if you build in the oasis, you kill it (not to mention that it can kill you when it floods).

We passed through the town of Erfoud, about 240 miles south of Fes. We switched vehicles at the Xaluca Resort for an hour long 4x4 trip into the dunes. By the time we arrived at our camp, it was dark so it was pretty hard to figure out what the landscape looked like. The air was clear and cool (mid 40s) and the stars were like those seen in Boundary Waters. We settled into camp which was made up of 4 "tents" surrounding a center area about 40 feet in diameter. We've never slept in a tent with wall-to-wall oriental rugs, king-sized bed, hot shower, and flush toilet. Yet the camp is taken down during sand storms! The tents are connected around the perimeter by a carpet wall. The camp floor is carpeted except for a fire pit in the center. One tent is opened toward the center of the camp - the dining tent. After another wonderful traditional Moroccan dinner with our guide Abde, we settled in for the night.

The next morning, our camel driver, Emil, woke us at 5:30 AM. We mounted camels and climbed along dune ridges about 3/4 of a mile to a dune crest. From there, we sat on a blanket and watched the sun rise over the Moroccan-Algerian border. Incredible sight! Behind us were about 100 or Japanese tourists. Fortunately, they were at least 1/4 mile away so they weren't too noisy.

We're now back at the Xaluca Resort in Erfoud for a relaxing day poolside. Tomorrow, we head west to Ouarzazate at the foot of the High Altas Mountains. It's almost hard to remember what Minnesota is like anymore! Hope you enjoy the photos. We have about 500 more! Tim and Wendy.

Sightseeing in Overdrive

Just a very quick post before I head to bed and Tim can try to add more tomorrow, although I suspect once we get to the desert near Erfoud we will have no internet connection for a few days.

I said we would sightsee in overdrive today and indeed we did! Both Tim and Molly felt better - well enough to head out of the riad at 9:30 after breakfast. We visited several museums and gardens, the seven gates of the king's palace, and the Jewish quarter from the 15th century, before heading into the medina (old city) for several hours of wandering pathways full of shops selling anything you could think of to buy - and plenty of things you wouldn't think of (like a camel's head, ew!!). Within the walls of the medina, we visited the tomb of Moulay Issidri, a relative of the prophet Mohammed. Moulay Issidri is credited with bringing Islam to Morocco. We also visited a leather tannery, the oldest madrassa (school and university) in Northern Africa, and a hotel from the 14th century, that housed horses and camels on the main floor and the people accompanying them on the upper levels (now a museum). Whew. Thank heavens for our guide, Abde, or we would still be in there - what a maze!

We put Molly on the train back to Meknes about 5:45 and Tim and I headed back to the riad in time to relax a bit before our dinner at La Maison Bleue - where we had a traditional 4-course Moroccan meal. Every bite was fantastic - the mixtures of food and spices are so unexpected but delicious. I'm definitely looking up Moroccan recipes when I get home, assuming I can even find the necessary spices. And I'm planting spearmint in my garden this summer so I can make mint tea. You have to taste it to believe how good it is.

Tomorrow we'll have lots of car time - 6 hours to Erfoud plus stops - so our feet will get a much-needed break.

Tim's note: It's now Thursday morning and we were scheduled to head to Erfoud but Wendy has been taken by the stomach bug that hit Molly and me earlier. She's sleeping in a bit and should be good to go. Our wonderful guide, Abde, is so mellow about our tweaks and foibles. He assured me a delay is "not important, you must travel as you like!" Now that pretty well sums up the great attitude people have here.

As Wendy mentioned, we'll probably not internet connection for a few days so the posts will lag but we'll get caught up when we can! Thanks for following our silly escapades. T

Hello from Fes!

Hello from Fes, Morocco!! It's Tuesday afternoon (about 4:30) and I'm sitting in the courtyard of the riad where we are spending the next two nights. Some sort of stomach ailment hit Tim about 3:00 this a.m. and Molly around noon today so currently, I'm the last one left standing. We hooked up with our driver and guide this morning in Meknes and were driven to Fes, about an hour away. We had a light lunch; Tim and Molly are currently napping and hopefully will feel better when they wake up.

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying a little slice of heaven, here in the riad open-air courtyard. Outside it is warm, noisy, and dusty, but there is a peaceful oasis just inside the riad door. There's a small swimming pool in the center, surrounded by gorgeous tile floors and columns with the typical keyhole style Moroccan arches. Small tables and settees with silk and velvet cushions provide comfortable seating all around the pool. There are orange and limquat (our guide said 'like kumquat but limquat', whatever that is) trees growing around the pool and up towards the clear blue sky. A bird that looks like some sort of catbird flies from window to window, perches on the grillwork and taps its bill on the glass, trying to chase off that ‘other’ bird.

This riad used to be the private home of a prominent judge and philosopher in Fes. I get lost each time I go to our room - there are multiple winding staircases, hallways, little sitting rooms, etc. But I find a new enchanting place each time I go exploring. There are chaises on the rooftop and you can sit up there and see the old city (from the 14th century) for miles and miles - also the Royal Palace, one of over 30 used by King Mohammed VI and his family when they travel around the country. I do feel like I’ve stepped backwards in time and that Aladdin will show up at any moment with his lamp.

Our plan was to spend yesterday in Meknes with Molly and then for Tim and I to go on to Fes today. But it was too hard to leave Molly behind so she came along! She planned to take the train home this afternoon but is now going to spend tonight and tomorrow with us here in Fes. She will go home tomorrow evening - hopefully she will feel better by then! It’s a good thing she has only one class a day so she is not missing too much. I never thought I’d be encouraging her to skip class but am very happy she’s spending a few more days with us. We will have to sightsee in overdrive tomorrow to make up for lost time today J