Morocco Day 6

 We woke up at 6:10 to try and catch the sunrise. It was still very windy and cloudy so there wasn’t much to see. I saw some flashes of lighting in the distance. The Atlas Mountains were getting lots of snow so the wind was residual from the mountain storm.

overcast and windy

some desert plants

enternace to our hotel

 We had breakfast at 7:30 before meeting up at 8:30 for a 4x4 Landcruiser excursion. First we headed to an irrigated farming area that took water from the ground and funneled it to a large enclosed area. It created an oasis. Vegetables, dates, and alfalfa are grown here for the locals who live in the area. 

on the way to the oasis

The water from this stream somes from the underground irrigation system, and is the main stream that is then pulled from for the differnt crops.

It goes a long ways

the date trees

lots of land!

some sun came out, but still windy and clouds building in the mountains

See those clounds!

Next we piled back into the van for a fun dune ride for more photos. 

Next we drove further towards the border of Algeria to visit a nomadic tribe, the Berber people. Hicham, our guide, is also Berber and gave us lots of insight to their way of life. Often they live in one area for a few years, and travel between the dessert and the Atlas Mountains. Their homes are a mixture of camel blankets, tarps and other old clothes. Most of the families have a cell phone, maybe even a small TV and a small solar panel to power it all. Sometimes they have a mule or goat to help them move, but because of the drought most animals got sold or left behind over the last few years. The family we visited recently got some goats that he is raising, as well as some rabbits for eating. This family also had 3 small children. The girl is about 8 off at  boarding school. Hicham said most Berbers choose not to further their education due to lots of factors. Being further from your family and language differences make it difficult, but the prejudice they face is the biggest barrier to their education. Hicham spoke a little on how difficult it was to put up with teasing and bullying from his classmates. It was also hard to come from such a small community with a small number of children to a larger classroom with 20-30 peers. Hicham was the first one in his Berber community to complete his education. His family stoped the nomadic lifestyle when he was about 15, so he also spoke about the challenges young students face when moving every 3-4 years. 

The man of the family offered us to sit for a little and served us some tea and biscuits. One of his sons same and said hello to us as well. 

Rabbits for eating, kept in a hutch underground. 

One of the main houses, it held the kitchen and a sleeping pad. I didn't take any photos of the inside to protect thier privacy. They had all the basic things, like a small stove top, cookwear, and food storage. 

This contraptions helps them to make butter. 

The man serving us tea

Not sure exactly what this was, wither it was a scarecrow or just a marker for thier camp.

After finishing our tea we got back into the cars and drove to some abandon mine and village. It was originally built after Moroccan independence by the French for mining of coal. They hired lots of Berber men to work, drawing them away from their families and villages. This has left a lot of abandoned houses throughout Morocco.

Some of the ruins

We are no longer in sand dunes

clearing up in the Atlas mountains!

 Then we went off to a restaurant to watch some men play music. These men were originally from other countries in Africa. Their ancestors were maybe were brought here as slaves or they fled their own countries due to droughts. Now they consider themselves Moroccan and proudly preform for people to come watch. 

After watching the music we traveled back to our hotel to grab our things, then we left for a 3 to 4 hour drive to the Todra Gorge.

At a veiw point

Usually people are selling things at these points

scarves, jewlery, trinkets, all sorts of things. 

some plants and flowers!

 Once we arrived we quickly dropped off our luggage then drove 15 minutes into the gorge for a hour hike. 

Start of the walk/hike

lots of items for sale

nice river

lots of people come here to rockclimb from all over the world.

some infrastructure for irrigation

If it wasn't for the palm trees, I would have thought I was in centeral Oregon!

Chicken! There were some houses and some gardens we wandered though

lots of stray dogs here

river!

Tracey wants a garden now

Unis our driver picked us up after our hike and drove us back to our hotel. Tracey and I took a longer walk from our hotel down the road along neighborhoods and the river. The rocks looked red in the sunset lighting. 

an example of some of the trash I was talking about from a pervious post. Again, its not that the Moroccan people don't care about thier environment, but rather that they simply didn't have a better place to put it. 

Tracey continued on and I turned back to shower before dinner. As I walked I heard a voice call down to me. I looked up and saw a woman and her older mother on their balcony. I said hello and kept walking. ‘Do you speak English?’ she called. I responded, and we had a light conversation about where I was from, where I was staying, and how I liked Morocco so far. Her name is Faria, and I learned it means joy and happiness in Arabic. She offered me some dates to break the fast, and invited me up to her house. I walked up and around the house and she met me with a large handful of dates and some Moroccan candy. She was so sweet and kind to offer a stranger some food. I was very touched by her actions. We said good by and wished each other well, and as I walked down the road the sound of prayer rang out through the street. 

the Mosque

The bounty I brought to share with my group. 

I hadn’t noticed but there was a mosque just down the road. All prayer calls are live, and each call sounds a little different depending on the man’s voice. It was such a magical experience to have a heartwarming exchange followed by the empty street and the call for prayer ringing out, mixed with other calls from further away. As I walked past the mosque another man walked towards it, giving me a big smile and wave before heading in. Every interaction I have had with Moroccans as been pleasant and welcoming, and I am glad to experience it first hand. It makes me sad that much of the world is scared of Morocco, calling it unsafe, when I have felt significantly more fearful in parts of the US and Europe. Of course every city in the world has safe and unsafe parts, but to generalize Morocco in that way is truly unfair. It’s small moments like this one that remind me of why I travel, to provide counter experiences and to hopefully disrupt the prejudice against these countries and communities. 

We finished the night with dinner at 7:30, then Brendan and I played cards before calling it a night. 

Sleepy after another long day

Wishing for the best on your adventures,

Cienna