In which we venture off road in the high desert

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Ginger

It may have been an outskirt of Boumalne that we circled back to, or more likely, it was another, smaller town we came to. Wherever it was, our guide Hicham made his way to a street where the paved surface disappeared.

We followed this, er, street? path? track? out into the wilderness.

We were keeping our eyes peeled for some Bedouin, whom Hicham assured us often came to this area. Sure enough, we did see their encampment, but the Bedouin themselves were not there. Probably tending their goats our somewhere…greener.

We took this stop as a chance to get out of the car, stretch our legs, and recover a bit from all the jouncing about.

Then it was back into the car, and more stunning desert scenery.

At last the outskirts of Bou Tgharar (also sometimes spelled as Boutharar) came into view. Time for lunch!

Market Day in the Desert

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Ginger

Just outside of Boumalne de Dades, we noticed some people walking through the desert. They seemed to be walking purposefully, all in the same direction.

Surely, it was not just their morning constitutional!

“Where are the people going?” we asked Hicham, our intrepid guide.

“To the market,” he replied.

Market? We hadn’t seen a market.

“It’s the weekly market in this place,” Hicham explained.

“Oh, wonderful! Can we go, too?”

Hicham must have been thinking something like, Crazy Americans, but being a kind and polite person, he didn’t say this. Instead, he took us to the market.

And here it is: A very well-attended, very local market, with lots of fresh produce offered by a variety of vendors.

Also, this would have probably been a very good place to buy a tagine.

From Todra through Tinghir

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Ginger

From the Todra gorge, we drove through Tinghir, still wending our way westward toward Ouarzate. The settlements are built of adobe, new right next to ancient, and all could have just grown from the soil. The beauty of Tinghir and its surrounding area arises from the harmony between these settlements, the mountains, and the green valleys.

In which we leave Fes and cross the Middle Atlas mountains

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Ginger

I am picking up the thread of this journey after a delay of several months during which the rest of life took a certain priority. But now…back to the Morocco story. As a reminder, this trip took place in December, 2012.

After our busy stay in Fes, Dan and I were picked up at our riad by our guide and driver, Hicham. Hicham is friendly, knowledgeable, and reliable. He works for Morocco Expert Tours, which helped us arrange our customized three-day trip from Fes to Marrakech through the high desert. Between Hicham and Youssef, who runs Morocco Expert Tours, we felt we were taken care of at every moment.

The Atlas mountains, running from northeast to southwest, roughly divide the country into a moist zone that gets enough rain to grow abundant crops and a dry, rocky desert punctuated by oases, which runs ultimately into the sands of the Sahara. We crossed the Middle Atlas mountains near the town of Ifrane, a pleasant town built by the French and with real European charm, that is a popular ski resort. (Yes. Really.) It was a day of mixed clouds and sunshine, even a flurry or two. The scenery in the mountain pass was beautiful.