Morocco Day 6
Morocco
Day 06 - Sunday, March 15, 2009 – Free Day Optional - The Route to Tahnaout, Asni National Park, Toubkal Range, Ourika Valley -
Good Morning Sunshine! We had a later departure this morning so the alarm did not go off until 7:30.
After our breakfast we met Jamal and our driver, Rashid at 9:00. We got into his 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser for our trip to the High Atlas Mountains.
From the low flat plains the mountains were majestic as they suddenly rose to a height of over 13,000 feet. We traveled southeast from the city up through the tiny villages in the foothills.
The narrow winding road was carved out of the mountainside overlooking a rushing stream. Thank goodness there was at least a low guardrail.
Following the French culture, the Moroccans enjoy Saturday afternoons and Sundays as family times. We saw many vans of families and tourists from Marrakech enjoying the day out of the city.
We made a brief stop at Asni just to get a feel for more Berber culture. We crossed the Asni River on a rough rocky road that would have been impossible without a 4 wheel-drive vehicle.
Our first Discovery of the day was a stop at a Berber home on the top of one of the barren hillsides. We were treated very generously to bread, an omelet, crescent cookies, and of course, mint tea.
The father was not home, but the mother and their 7 children showed us their humble home. The 10 year old twin boys and their younger brother were intrigued as I taught them how to whistle.
We thanked them for their gift of hospitality and we were on our way on the steep one lane road that continued up the mountains. There was some construction but most of the roadbed was there and they were just now grading the road.
On each next curve there was another “pueblo” like community. We hiked down the hill for a few hundred yards with many children following us looking for candy and/or money. It felt great to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh cool mountain air.
There were several times along the route where we had to go through rushing streams from the snow melt. Village women were washing their laundry in the icy water and then spreading the clothes on the rocks to dry in the sun.
We reached the summit of the road at 6077 feet. We had a chance to get out, take some pictures and take a weather reading - 77º and 26% humidity. Our descent was just as spectacular as the climb. The emerald green valleys, the red clay villages, and the snowcapped Atlas Mountains overlooking the valleys were incredible.
The wedding ceremony of the Oliver Stone film, "Alexander the Great" was filmed in this area. Jamal was an extra as a wedding guest in the movie.
We drove through the resort community of Settifatma and saw all of the families at the small cafés and picnic areas of Toubkal National Park. The Ourika Valley is a popular drive for Moroccans to enjoy their Sunday holiday.
Because of all of the people there was a terrible traffic jam. People had parked on both sides of the narrow road, some not as close to the curb as they should. A huge tour bus somehow had made its way into this “parking lot”.
After about 45 minutes time and more than 20 animated Moroccan men were trying to solve the conundrum, we thought we would be boxed in forever.
Several men, including Rashid and Jamal took charge of the situation and before long a car would move up, and one would move back in order for the bus to move out of the way.
We all laughed and wondered at these Moroccan drivers who were too selfish to move an inch so they could get on their way. In only another 5 minutes, we were on our way up the mountain again.
At 3:30 we stopped for lunch at LaVall’ee. Gennie, Barbara, and Vilma had salads, but I decided to wait for dinner. By 4:30 we started back to the city, the traffic was bad but most of the time we kept moving.
We took a different route once we reached the main road so we could see even more of the people and their activities. Many were picking the daisies, poppies, and yellow straw flowers in the fields.
It was 7:15 by the time we got back to the hotel. We thanked Rashid and then spent about 30 minutes in our rooms. At 8:00, the four of us went out to eat a light dinner.
By 9:00, we were back at the hotel trying to pack for our flight in the early morning, get the journal written, and go through our photos of the journey to the Atlas Mountains.
Accommodations: Moroccan House Hotel - - - Meal: B
Please see our Trip Evaluation -- Click Here -- A Complete Review of Overseas Adventure Travel Pre-Trip to Marrakech, Morocco.
If you are traveling individually may we recommend:
Jamal Boularhbar, Tour Leader
recommended by National Geographic Adventure Magazine
j_boularhbar@hotmail.com
+212 611 320 874
If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.
To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062
A CD OF EACH TRIP IS AVAILABLE.
These CDs are compilations of slide presentations of each day (pictures of the events during the day) accompanied by music reflective of the nation and day.
On most CDs there are presentations on the people of the country, people traveling with the group, flowers, and panoramas.
On more recent trips, short videos have been included on the web pages and these videos are also available in the CD.
The CD is available for $20 US. Shipping and handling is included for US addresses. Slightly higher for overseas shipping.
To view an example of the presentations Click Here
As it is an 8:13 presentation, give yourself time to see it in its entirety.
Please contact garciatrips@gmail.com for more specific information and a screen capture
of the CD menu.
Comments
Mountain top village shot is super. Little bit of Italy?
Post a Comment!Loved the traffic jam picture; were the drivers being paid by the hour?
Hand Washing Ceremony in Berber Home (0:46)
Mint Tea at Berber Home
Mountain Road
Mountain Top Village
Toubka Mountain - Highest in Atlas R...
Traffic Jam
Featured Journal
Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos
Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
