post

On the road to the Sahara

Sweet almond oases, wind swept mountains, lute-playing paratroopers, Keith Richards lookalikes, a pyramid man and Billy The Kid Elliot – just some of the places and characters we have encountered.
Just outside Tafraoute is a picture perfect oasis – complete with a well, almond blossom and palm trees.
An idyllic watering hole - the well, almond blossom and palm trees make a picture postcard

An idyllic watering hole – the well, almond blossom and palm trees make a picture postcard

Well, well.

Well, well.

A traditional Berber village near Tafraoute

A traditional Berber village near Tafraoute

 

It was a beautiful and tranquil spot. The delicate blossoms were soon replaced with craggy windswept mountains as we crossed the Jebel Bani and head toward the desert.
The drama of the geography never gets old

The drama of the geography never gets old

Heat and sand in the foreground, snow-capped mountains in the distance

Heat and sand in the foreground, snow-capped mountains in the distance

The ever-changing landscape of Morocco is a daily delight, altering sometimes by the hour as we travel, from the high sided canyons of the Ait Mansour gorge….
The setting sun glints through the palms of Ait Mansour Gorge

The setting sun glints through the palms of Ait Mansour Gorge

Homes melt into the mountain in Ait Mansour gorge

Homes melt into the mountain in Ait Mansour gorge

 

A sweet almond welcome to the start of the Ait Mansour Gorge

A sweet almond welcome to the start of the Ait Mansour Gorge

At the end of the Ait Mansour gorge

At the end of the Ait Mansour gorge

to the surprising oasis in a gully barely visible just a few feet away…..
The desert floor above

The desert floor above

The oasis below, with houses and animal pens

The oasis below, with houses and animal pens

We found this lush oasis with three houses in the bottom of a canyon in the middle of nowhere

We found this lush oasis with three houses in the bottom of a canyon in the middle of nowhere

 

to the endless skylines of the Atlas Mountains.

 

The wind fashions the rock into great grooves and gullies

The wind fashions the rock into great grooves and gullies

Just one part of the Atlas mountains

Just one part of the Atlas mountains

Too cute - wild white baby camels

Too cute – wild white baby camels

 

More switchbacks to turn and mountains to climb en-route

More switchbacks to turn and mountains to climb en-route

In some parts of the mountains, women almost only ever wear black

In some parts of the mountains, women almost only ever wear black

Coming home from the market

Coming home from the market

History and hardship is etched on his face

History and hardship is etched on his face

Age, authority and groovy green specs

Age, authority and groovy green specs

 

Desert sands, mountains, palms, earth brick houses and a sat dish…. Sky Sports anyone?

Desert sands, mountains, palms, earth brick houses and a sat dish…. Sky Sports anyone?

 

We stopped for a couple of nights at Agdz – a pivot point from which you can head north toward Marrakech or, in our case, south to the desert.
Attached to our campsite is an ancient kasbah being renovated by the family who have called it home for generations.
It's hard to imagine the building is centuries old

It’s hard to imagine the building is centuries old

We have been confused about the difference between a kasbah a, riads, ksars and such like – so now we know, we can pass it on.
A kasbah is a walled private house.
This courtyard was oringally the kitchen, hammam and stables

This courtyard was originally the kitchen, hammam and stables

A riad is a walled garden with trees. It has become synonymous with a guest house these days, especially in Marrakech, but a night in a real riad will leave you outside hugging a fruit tree!

The riad - or walled garden. Sadly the orange trees around the fountain are gone

The riad – or walled garden. Sadly the orange trees around the fountain are gone
A ksar is a walled village.
The ksar (walled village) next to the kasbah (walled house)

The ksar (walled village) next to the kasbah (walled house)

In theory you can have a riad inside a kasbah inside a ksar….. but we digress.
So, back to the kasbah – built with earth bricks, baked hard in the sun and a richly painted interior.
The first level of bricks are always the same dimensions – 1mx50cmx50cm. They are built insitu and then left to bake in the sun and air until strong enough to take the rest of the building… no chance of a 12 week finish or your money back here.
What an entrance!

What an entrance!

Traditional and modern design in the ancient kasbah

Traditional and modern design in the ancient kasbah

Treasure chest for women's secret things

Treasure chest for women’s secret things

The decorations are particular to this family

The decorations are particular to this family

Special windows for women, so they can see out, but they cannot be seen

Special windows for women, so they can see out, but they cannot be seen

A door within a door, leading to the summer room

A door within a door, leading to the summer room

 

Pitcher of water in a window alcove

Pitcher of water in a window alcove

Lounging

Lounging

Just a place to sit

Just a place to sit

The door frames are made of palm trees

The door frames are made of palm trees

 

It was an interesting tour, but we found the descriptions of the family dynamics much more fascinating. How do you sort out who gets what when there are nine brothers….. Not easily or happily apparently!

Inter-familia disputes are a far cry from the laid back attitude of brothers Abdulliah and Belaid, who greeted us and then oft- repeated their mantra ” take your time” as we pulled into their aptly named Prends ton Temps (Take Your Time) campsite in Zagora.
Abdullaih and Belaid

Abdullaih and Belaid

Zagora is known as the gateway to the Sahara in Morocco.
The wall says we are in the desert

The wall says we are in the desert

Belaid spent 21 years in the Moroccan army as a paratrooper, eleven of those years in the desert on the disputed Moroccan/Algerian border. He’s the size of a shed, with a sun-splitting smile and likes nothing better these days than playing his eleven-string lute.
Belaid Laalili playing the eleven-string lute

Belaid Laalili playing the eleven-string lute

Check him out on YouTube.
Abdulliah is pencil thin with more than a passing resemblance to Keith Richards and just as full of bonhomie as his brother. They make a great pair and were easy-going, charming hosts.
Take your time, boys

Take your time, boys

A fellow camper in no particular hurry was Dominique Routier ,an artist from Perpignan, in the process of finalizing a model for his latest installation.
This is just the working model size

This is just the working model size

Technical drawings

Technical drawings

A six-pointed star made of multiple equilateral triangles. The real thing will be about four- storeys high and if you like the look of it, he’s looking for sponsors.

The artist at work

The artist at work

The scale is ambitious, but rather appealing

The scale is ambitious, but rather appealing

Not taking his time at all was the camp goat.
Billy "the Kid" Elliot and his mum

Billy “the Kid” Elliot and his mum

For his constant dancing and prancing around the site, we named him Billy Elliot and delighted in his endless excitement and amazement of the world around him – we know the feeling!
As usual there are plenty more photos in the slideshow, so…kick back, take your time and enjoy the show.
post

The kindness of strangers

“It’s weird, he keeps coming along and giving us food” – a Canadian backpacker we had met anxiously and suspiciously complained to us one day about the generosity of Moroccans.
She and her boyfriend had been wild camping in the desert and a local man had dropped by with meat and fruit every other day.We tried to explain that he wasn’t expecting money or anything even more sinister, it is simply Moroccan hospitality at its finest.
We have seen the level of generosity first hand as well. In N’kob we stayed at the wonderful Auberge Ouadjou campsite – our favorite so far, partly because it was the first time we have camped on grass in months but mainly because of Mohammed, Idhir and Danielle.
Danielle is French and a regular visitor to Morocco and the Ouadjou campsite.  As a thank you for Geoff giving her a lift to the nearest ATM (70km away), we were invited to dinner with Idhir – part owner of the camp and a fine cook, Mohammed, who works at the camp and Danielle. It was delicious.
The next day, at Mohammed’s invitation we went for a picnic, weaving through the back street maze of N’kob, along the water channels of the palmerie and out to the shade of an acacia tree in a dry riverbed.
Guiding us through the back streets on the way to the picnic

Guiding us through the back streets on the way to the picnic

 

Walking through the palmerie

Walking through the palmerie

Our acacia tree picnic spot

Our acacia tree picnic spot

Mohammed magicked a huge rug from his backpack, teapot, glasses, kebab skewers and turkey to stick on them; bread and olives, complete with acacia thorn toothpicks, plucked fresh from the tree. Hefty flat stones made tables and kitchen tops.
Olives with acacia tree thorns as toothpicks

Olives with acacia tree thorns as toothpicks

Our picnic under the trees

Our picnic under the trees

Moroccan salad was sliced and diced on the stone and turkey brochettes and a teapot were soon sizzling and bubbling on the fire.
Freshly made salad and this morning's baked bread

Freshly made salad and this morning’s baked bread

Just as we finish eating, the recycling arrives!

Just as we finish eating, the recycling arrives!

The big shaggy Moroccan goats liked Mohammed's cooking too!JPG

The big shaggy Moroccan goats liked Mohammed’s cooking too!

Just because he was a fine looking goat

Just because he was a fine looking goat

 

It was a lovely afternoon, topped off with an invitation to have tea at Mohammed’s mum’s house.

We heard another story of a German couple who are walking across Morocco with just day bags. Each evening they stop at a village and ask if anyone will feed and house them for the night for a few dirhams payment – they have not gone hungry or sleepless yet.
Much is said of how you might be endlessly hassled and possibly ripped off in Morocco. Not enough is said about how ready people are to greet you, chat, share what they have and to welcome you into their home.
“Ten merte and shokran”, Morocco!  (Berber and Arabic for “Thank you” – sorry about the spelling!)
post

Two go wild (camping) in Morocco

 

Our own camp fire, a night or two under the stars wild camping and then throw in some modern art as well –   it was an irresistible combination!

We posted one photo to Facebook a few days ago via our Instagram account, but it was such a lovely location and couple of days, we wanted to share some more of our experience.

The view from our terrace!

The view from our terrace!

 

Wild camping, or free camping, is not as easy to find in Europe and Morocco as it is in Australia, especially when you have a tent as obvious as Chubby Coleman!

One tent, one rock, one mountain

One tent, one rock, one mountain

But we found a spot in the valley of Les Roches Peints – the Painted Rocks – near Tafraoute and made camp.

The setting sun over some of the Painted Rocks

The setting sun over some of the Painted Rocks

 

The rocks were painted in 1984 by Belgian artist Jean Veran and apparently a team of Moroccan firemen…. They are dedicated to the woman he loved – she must have been bould(ered) over!

Pink, blue and black - not sure what that says about the artist's feelings!

Pink, blue and black – not sure what that says about the artist’s feelings!

She got painted rocks, we got sunset, stars, the moon and sunrise surrounded by the drama of the naturally red rocks. We think we got the better end of the deal – but check out the rest of the photos below and we will leave you all to be the judges – what do you think?

post

Around and about near Agadir

 

Our journey south brought us to Agadir and a few days rest in a Berber tent  at the Paradis Nomade campsite, a few kilometers north- east  of the city.

Everyone seems to like this particular watering hole,

Birds on the edge of the swimming pool at Paradis Nomade

Birds on the edge of the swimming pool at Paradis Nomade

 

and even the heavens were smiling down on us.

Rainbow over the Atlas mountains

Rainbow over the Atlas mountains

 

We took time to unload Charlie and then go exploring. Paradise Valley was strongly recommended by our friends Szabina Mozes and Rino Koop so of course we had to go.

Turning inland about 20kms north of Agadir, you take the road up to Imouzzer, through the Anti Atlas mountains, high canyons, river flats and palm trees.

The hills and valley above Agadir, doted with Argan trees

The hills and valley above Agadir, doted with Argan trees

Switchbacks along Paradise Valley

Switchbacks along Paradise Valley

The deep canyon road twists and turns

The deep canyon road twists and turns

The scale is huge

The scale is huge

The rocks are different colours at every turn and across the millenia

The rocks are different colours at every turn and across the millennia

Looking back from the head of the valley at Imouzzer

Looking back from the head of the valley at Imouzzer

Doing business Paradise Valley style

Doing business Paradise Valley style

Charlie Charleston has been breaking altitude records daily!

Charlie Charleston has been breaking altitude records daily!

Almond blossom and lavendar make delicous honey in this region

Almond blossom and lavender make delicious honey in this region

Agadir in the far distance

Agadir in the far distance

 

Higher than the clouds in the Anti Atlas mountains

Higher than the clouds in the Anti Atlas mountains

 

Back down the to coast and more of the increasingly common Moroccan driving experiences

 

If they aren't up trees, they're on the road!

If they aren’t up trees, they’re on the road!

 

The rider looks to be working harder than the donkey!

The rider looks to be working harder than the donkey!

Although we had been warned that driving in Morocco is a hair-raising venture, we haven’t found it to be so … yet!

Warning!

Warning!

The roads can be narrow, uneven and potholed in places, the traffic (human and animal) can be challenging and reluctant to give ground, but it is far from the motoring terror that we had been anticipating… watch this space and of course we concede the bit about getting stuck in the sand!

South of the dunes that sucked Charlie into their grasp is the seaside town of Tifnit, and it is about as seaside as you can get.

Tifnit is perched on a crumbling spit of sand jutting into the ocean

Tifnit is perched on a crumbling spit of sand jutting into the ocean

From a distance Tifnit looks idyllic, but it is slowly sinking into the sea

From a distance Tifnit looks idyllic, but it is slowly sinking into the sea

Walking through the village means walking through a sand dune

Tifnit - the village is losing its battle with the sand

The village is losing its battle with the sand

Tifnit - a village gradually being engulfed by the sand

They put a colourful face on it!

Even the boats are landlocked now

A ship of the desert and a beached boat at Tifnit

A ship of the desert and a beached boat at Tifnit

 

Agadir itself is a very modern affair – built almost entirely from scratch after an earthquake destroyed the original city in 1960. The new town has wide boulevards and a retro vibe from its 60s re-birth, but its still the same Morocco underneath.

 

The main road into Agadir - still full of sheep

The main road into Agadir – still full of sheep

Everyone loves Charlie Charleston

Everyone loves Charlie Charleston

It is a cosmopolitan place, where Saturday night promenading takes place under the dramatically illuminated hillside declaration “God, Country, King”

God, Country, King - inscribed on the hillside in Agadir

God, Country, King – inscribed on the hillside in Agadir

Come days end the beach is only good for one thing in Morocco – football is not a national sport it is a national obsession! Even high in the rocky mountains space will be cleared for a pitch!

Moroccans LOVE football!

Moroccans LOVE football!

But the countryside and magnificent long views are never far away

Carrying herbs to market
Carrying herbs to market
Working hard
Working hard
Kasbahs dot the hillsides
Kasbahs dot the hillsides
More modern Moroccan hillside homes and suculent cacti
More modern Moroccan hillside homes and succulent cacti
Just one of the long and winding roads
Just one of the long and winding roads
The road less travelled!
The road less travelled!
People still live here!
People still live here!

 

As you can imagine, every turn is a delight or fascination for the eye and the camera. If you want to see more of anything in particular, post a comment and we will be happy to oblige.

Our travels are now taking us inland from Agadir, further south and to the desert, there is plenty more to come!

post

A nomad’s life

What does it mean to be a nomad? We have lived for months with no home,  so it seemed fitting to try a real nomad tent for a few days..

The hillside view from our Berber tent

The hillside view from our Berber tent

The Berber tent we stayed in, at the Paradis Nomade campsite north east of Agadir, has a low mud wall on three sides, over which is draped the inner and outer skins of the shelter.

The inner skin – a white cotton cover called a haiti – is overlaid with a heavy woven drape, which comes down the the ground on all sides and is thrown back over the top of the frame during the day, to give access to the tent.

Tassles decorate the down straps of the tent

Tassels decorate the down straps of the tent

 

The down straps are what the front drape lies across when the “door” is down and also help to give tension to the tent. Often they are decorated with coloured tassels and embroidery.

The bowed span, held up with two struts, keeps the classic Berber shape to the tent

The bowed span, held up with two struts, keeps the classic Berber shape to the tent

Rose in front of our Berber tent

Rose in front of our Berber tent

Close up of the woven cover of the berber tent

Close up of the woven cover of the berber tent

A main bed and plenty of day beds means one tent can sleep up to eight people

A main bed and plenty of day beds means one tent can sleep up to eight people

 

Of course true nomads don’t settle for long and even though it was a pure indulgence for us to sleep in a bed and not have to raise our own tent each night, it is nothing like the real thing – which we have seen, shielding families from the sun and wind in the most barren of places.

Berber tent in the desert region

Berber tent in the desert region

Like the Berbers, we too have already moved on.  Check out the story and pictures from our travels in and around Agadir.  

 

 

post

Flying goats and magic nuts

“Goats up trees!”- the shout that brought Charlie Charleston to a rumbling stop on the mountain road, as a shaggy white billy hopped onto a branch in the valley below.

They climb for the tender leaves

They climb for the tender leaves

Their shaggy coats manage to avoid getting tangled in the spikey branches

Their shaggy coats manage to avoid getting tangled in the spikey branches

We had been on a mission to find goats up trees since we were told that our hoofed and horned friends were the only creatures allowed by law to climb the fabled Argan trees. Not humans – just kids!

Sure-footed on the smallest branch

Sure-footed on the smallest branch

They are happy to share a good tree!

They are happy to share a good tree!

 

Argan trees are protected in Morocco because of the immense value of the oil that is produced from its nuts. The oil can be used for cooking, medicine and cosmetics for nails, hair and skin – anything really, it is magic stuff.

The much-prized Argan nut

The much-prized Argan nut

 

But it is the collection of the nuts and the relationship with the goats that we found most interesting and entertaining.

Save some for me

Save some for me

This was a popular tree

This was a popular tree

 

Originally the nuts were harvested as a  “post-goat” production, if you get our meaning – much like civet coffee. It fell to the women of the villages to sift through the goat droppings to retrieve the partially digested nuts.

 Argan trees grow wild, even if they looked cultivated and organised


Argan trees grow wild, even if they looked cultivated and organised

They say only goats are allowed to climb the Argan trees

They say only goats are allowed to climb the Argan trees

No kidding - we climb trees

No kidding – we climb trees

 

Thankfully for the women, times have changed and not only do they no longer use that particular method of softening the fruit, but there is now a high chance that the enterprise selling the oil, soap, powder and other much-prized Argan nut by-products, is a women’s co-operative and not a corporation. Apparently the old Yorkshire saying “where there’s muck, there’s brass” is very true in this case.

 

Lunch

Lunch

Argan trees only grow in a small area of Morocco, in the Anti Atlas region and among the many things we were told about this fabled tree, was that only the nuts that had fallen from the tree can be taken – to maintain the trees protected status and in order to avoid them being over-exploited.

These trees only grow in a small area of Morocco

These trees only grow in a small area of Morocco

The thorns on the Argan tree are a good deterrent for most creatures

The thorns on the Argan tree are a good deterrent for most creatures

 

They manage to pick off the leaves and avoid the thorns

They manage to pick off the leaves and avoid the thorns

Eyes on the prize

Eyes on the prize

 

The women collect them from around the base of the tree, pack them up and take them off to be processed. We have passed many patient donkeys shading under the Argan trees, waiting for their panniers to be filled.

The donkeys shade under the Argan trees between carting the nuts to be processed

The donkeys shade under the Argan trees between carting the nuts to be processed

 

Obviously if a herd of goats has just been tap-dancing through the branches, there’s a good chance they won’t have to wait too long.

So, next time you see Argan oil on the shelves – you have the flying goats of Morocco to thank for it!

We love goats up trees

We love goats up trees

How many goats can you get into an Argan tree?

How many goats can you get into an Argan tree?

 

They can get down as elegantly as they got up

They can get down as elegantly as they got up