Our bed in the Berber tent was very firm, and pretty warm (it would have to be with the eight rugs piled on top!), although with only a flap of rug for the tent door, the air was freezing and we were both coughing a lot during the night. Stupid cold. Need more medication but we haven’t been past a pharmacie yet.
We woke up early this morning, and wandered around the surrounding dunes watching the sunrise. We were also joined by a black and white cat who had obviously turned up in search of somewhere warm. It gave the camels and us a wide berth though!
We saw lots of tracks through the sand, which were apparently desert foxes, salamanders and big beetles like the scary-looking creature we saw n the restaurant last night. Not quite as fearsome as the flesh-eating scarabs from The Mummy movie, but these were about the same size, just without huge pincers. Didn’t want one of them wandering into the tent in search of someplace warm to sleep!
One of the men greeted us with some hot mint tea while we were standing on the dune looking at the world like tourists – what a great way to combat the cold! Then we wandered down to greet the camels, who looked like they had slept well. Still grumpy though, and we found out this morning that this is probably because it’s mating season!
We returned to the hotel for breakfast (I said goodbye to my last gluten-free roll) and a hot shower, which was lovely for thawing out the toes.
Next stop was to return to the fossil factory, only to find out that shipping for the pile of goods we’d chosen was almost as much as the pile itself, at $330! We decided to put a few things back on the shelf and only take the “necessities”, such as R’s trilobyte paperweight and a stone platter which had called out to me on the shelf.
We dropped Tattah off in Erfoud to return to his family and hit the road again, this time to Todra Gorge where we were to have lunch.
The Todra Valley and Gorge is beautiful: sheer rock faces dropping down to a lush valley between. The Gorge is striking in a different way – scarily high vertical sheets of rock very close together! Looking at the rocks in the river below, I couldn’t help but wonder how often a rock falls from the cliffs!
The obviously doesn’t impede the locals. After a hair-raising drive along hair-pin bends on sheer cliffs, we were met by some local boys who began by giving us folded palm leaved woven into the shape of camels, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Then once we took them they followed us the length of the gorge, asking for “small money for school”, and then when that didn’t work, they wanted to swap their Euro coins for dirhams, notwithstanding our repeated statements of not being able to use them either.
Abdel told them off and we hopped back into the car, to find that one of Abdel’s colleagues had a van full of Australians as well – Queenslanders – who were staying at the same hotel as us tonight. So we aren’t the only tourists in Morocco, even though it seems like it at times!
Funnily enough, they came to the same restaurant for lunch, a lovely place with a terrace out in the sun, with three cats vying for our attention (and scraps). One grey tabby was especially vigilant, and even found a spot to sit in the framework of our table!
The food here was great, too. Obviously it’s another touristy place, but the food was fresh and well-cooked. I had an omelette to start, accompanied with harissa, which was fluffy and light, with a kefta and egg tagine to follow. R has been getting tagines which arrive sizzling in their pan when mine are merely normal-world hot. Finally, it is my tagine which is flourished with a fanfare of sizzle!
The Queenslanders seem very good company – a family of four including two teenaged boys, one of whom has just finished high school. They’ve been doing a similar tour to us, but without Chefchaouen or the camp night, and they are heading off to Spain after this. They’ve got great things to say about Iber Tours, if anyone’s interested in a Spanish/Moroccan combination holiday.
Next stop – Kelaa M’Gouna, the home of roses and daggers! There is a rose festival here in May, but of course, we missed it. We seemed to miss most of the town too, as Abdel took us to his favourite shop a few villages on, which only had rose water, rose hand cream, rose oil and rose soap. From reading the Lonely Planet review of one of the other cooperatives, I was expecting to see hundreds of different rose-scented things, perfect to bring home as gifts! As it was, I picked up some rose oil perfume, which smells lovely.
Out hotel for the night, Les Jardines des Skoura, is amazing! I was getting a bit worried, since the road to get out here becomes a dirt track a good kilometre or two of winding, bumpy road before the hotel! But the hotel itself is really gorgeous. We’re in a suite decorated with exquisite mirrors, rugs, lamps, you name it! Even the bathroom is divine.
There’s a salon next door to read or drink coffee, or we can lounge on the terrace (one of two, and since this is where we get wifi, this is where we are lounging, no matter that it’s freezing once the sun’s gone down!
The “Jardines” in the name are lots of gardens growing organic food for the kitchens, like pomegranates, herbs, etc, and some ornamentals as well. Instead of the usual cats, we were joined by an inquisitive dog while sitting on the terrace typing!
The food is amazing – dinner started with carrot and orange soup, then the “usual” Moroccan salads – spiced sautéed eggplant, tomato and zucchini, beetroot. The main course was the most diving tagine of beef with quinces – tender and sweet and gorgeous, followed by an unctuous chocolate mousse. Woah! The three groups of us (the Aussies we met earlier and a British couple and their young boy) were all melting with delight. No pictures – I was too busy eating!
Caroline, the Frenchwoman who runs the hotel came in to welcome us and assured me that the food would be gluten free – how fabulous! The mood was so convivial we stayed in the warm dining room swapping stories until past 10 o’clock! (how party-animal of us!)
Two Weeks Away 