Moroccan Adventure #6 -- Days 8 - 14

Tuesday 15 May, 2012 and up-to-date

We are approaching the end of our trip in Morocco, so I am changing the format. I am going to leave out much of the less interesting details and focus on special stories. All the meals have been interesting. Moroccan food is lovely, and very different; end of that story! So instead of a sequence of events here are my stories that I think are worth telling:

The Ancient Berber village of Ksar El Bouiya.

Berbers are the original inhabitants of Morocco; Living there long before their land was taken over by the Romans, the Ottomans and the Arabs. Berber is actually a misnomer given to them by the Romans, meaning barbarian. There are many tribes of Berber, a northern group, a central group and a southern group. They are quite different from each other, not all one tribe. Today they are full citizens of Morocco and they seem to live comfortably side by side, all are Muslim, some are nomads. Like everyone else, some are rich, some are poor. A genuine effort has been made in Morocco to discourage extreme Islamists. I believe it is true to say they really try to live the positive way of the Koran.
Ksar El Bouiya is a poor Berber village where many live according to ancient traditions. As we entered the village seeing the timeless adobe houses, we had a nasty incident. Kitsy, one of our members, tripped over a hazard in the path and fell heavily. This was the beginning of an incredible experience. First I was aware that she was injured; there was a lot of blood. Within seconds Pam, a member of our group, who is a nurse-practitioner, and Ali, our guide, were at her side. They hurried back to the bus with her for treatment.

It was very hot, so the remaining group all migrated to the shade of a small alley to wait. We had not been there more than a couple of minutes when a young woman came to her door and signaled us to come inside her house. She led us through her small dark entry passage and invited us to have seats. Can you imagine inviting 22 strangers into your house so they could get out of the blistering heat? But, that is not all.

She began the process of making us local mint tea and offered us a tray of almonds. Her house was very small, the facilities were very primitive, but the sincerity of her wish to help was clear to us. We learned later that she is a widow with children, is extremely poor, and had asked us in because she is Muslim and believes in the practice of hospitality to strangers. Ali, our guide, returned and let us know that Kitsy's injuries were not serious, and even he was delighted at the courtesy of our host. He conducted the tea ceremony, (an ad hoc decision; we were supposed to go to a more professional demonstration later). He gave her a gift of money, and so did our group leader. Payment was not required or expected. I have to say that, though I have described many interesting sights and experiences, this was the highlight of the trip for me. I believe that woman did more for the cause of Islam than all the violence and restrictive practices making the daily news. The kindness of strangers is a powerful eye-opener. I will remember that primitive, but welcoming home, for the rest of my life.

After walking along the also primitive, but functional, irrigation system for the village, we visited the village school and gave gifts of school supplies, we enjoyed a lunch of Berber food in a restaurant, went to a fossil shop, were invited to tea in the lovely home of the head of an association, the purpose of which was never quite clear.

The Camel Ride

This was the event I had been waiting for and it met every expectation. We: (Don, Ron, Eric and I) shared a 4-wheel drive trek over the desert...NOT the desert roads, there weren't any! We arrived at an Oasis where our camel drivers were waiting for us. We were each assigned to a particular camel, and they were pretty comfortable on top. 23 of us were joined together in 3 strings. On our heads we wore traditional scarves arranged into coverings; I did a Gertrude Bell imitation, Ron did a very sexy Ali Baba, looking very stern and macho.

We began our trek into the Dunes D'or. There was a slight evening breeze and the ride was gorgeous. The camels were clean and friendly, except my camel was a bit too eager, and kept pushing his friend in front of me to move faster. Ron has one outstanding photo of our line of camels -- outlined upon the setting sun.(I will attempt to atach it). We gave the camels a bit of a rest as we walked to the top of the hill for the view. The whole desert was so clean and open.

After our rest, the sun began to set and the wind began to pick up. We set off for the oasis where we had started from, and the sky got darker and the sand began to move in our direction. We were so far into the desert that we could not see the lights of the building we started from, we plodded on keeping fairly quiet. We kept our sun glasses in place, and used the end of our scarves as they were intended – we covered our mouth and nose! We recognized the camel drivers concerns as the sand storm got stronger and the light was disappearing. I don't suppose any of us was in grave danger, but I, for one, felt very vulnerable and was delighted when the oasis popped into view.

The last part of this adventure was the difficulty in finding a road back to our hotel. In the storm and the dark, our driver received a cell call telling him that the track back to the road to the hotel was closed due to a political demonstration. Fortunately, it is the Sahara, and roads are whatever one is driving on. All the cars met and decided upon an alternative way home. Eventually, we were there!

AND SO TO BED

Our Home stay in ErfoudFinally, the last big deal event. We met our Friendship Force Hosts for that night at a coffee shop. Our host is an actor and artist, a vibrant personality and he seemed to be very happy. His name was Abdul Hak, and he spoke no English. We thought he was taking us to his home, but he took us on a tour of the local markets. It was hot, we had taken no water with us, and the markets did not offer anything we might want to buy. Neither Ron nor I had on our hats, and I had left my canes on the bus, not knowing I was going on another hike. This was exhausting.

Then we were taken to the place where the planned evening events were to be. We were told dinner at 7, we arrived at 7:30. A steep staircase led us to a small room where we were shown the awards the amateur acting group had won. Up more stairs, the roof was prepared for the party, and a lot of trouble had been taken in the preparation. Everything moved on Morocco time, which is not chained to a clock! The highlight of the evening was a really professional puppet show, and the friendliness and pleasure of our company showed by the local people. We were served tea, eventually, then a large plate of chicken and vegetable couscous was placed in the center of each table. We each ate with our right hands from the communal dish, on a roof-top after sun-set, as more and more people came to be greeted. It doesn't get any more exotic than this!

After the food, 3 birthday cakes were brought to a table, and the three members of our group, with birthdays during the trip, (one of them me) were placed on a seat in front of everyone while the traditional “Happy Birthday” song was sung in English and Arabic. We cut and shared the cakes after blowing out a candle. You must admit, that one has to be added to a long string of really unusual birthday celebrations! Much later the party ended and we must walk to our lodging for the night in Abdul's house. His wife, his father, his children were all waiting to meet us, though it was the middle of the night. The little ones were lovely and were delighted when when I played “hit the balloon in the air” with them. Then I played “This little piggy” with the baby, following which his daddy did the Arabic version of the same game! (SMALL WORLD.)

When we finally got to the bathroom and bed we found that the bathroom was a hole in the floor with a bucket and a low faucet for flushing. I managed a shower by taking a pan of water from the faucet and pouring it over my body. After all that heat and dust it felt just fine! The bed was a blanket and a sheet with 2 pillows on the floor of a room of our own. The windows were protected by wrought iron decorative grills, but no glass. Shutters could be closed, but, open, they provided a small breeze, and a lot of flies. These people live with flies; we were a bit discombobulated when we sat around a table that was black with flies......but it was just what we needed to see and understand. This family was close; they had many friends. With all of our hygiene and wealth, I have never seen a happier family. They gave us their very best; and we were humbled!

The Final Drive

The drive to Marrakech was long and fascinating. We crossed the Atlas Mountains via a road built long ago by the French. Our highest point of the drive was 7,000 feet. We stopped for lunch fairly close to that elevation. Ron and I were decorated by a snake charmer – yes real snakes around our necks! The scenery moved from very boring desert to lovely old adobe villages; from flat valleys to homes built into the mountain side. A river of melted snow flowed through all of these places. Irrigation and water-sharing were to be seen from the way the system was laid out. Wheat, alfalfa, vegetables, walnuts trees, and livestock were seen everywhere. We also saw agave plants from which tequila is NOT made, but the threads are woven into what they call vegetable silk. I hope to find a blouse made of it before I leave tomorrow.

The most important point that I noticed was the very clever use of land. There were no houses or buildings of any kind on arable land. Everything on which a useful plant could grown was irrigated and planted. Houses were tucked into hillsides or built on scrubby territory. I must admit that I missed some of the scenery. The road was cut into the mountain and the sheer drop at the side of the bus was thousands of feet more than I wanted to face! So, I closed my curtain.

Writing of which, this may be where I close the curtain on this part of the trip. Tomorrow we fly to London, where we will spend one night before getting on an early plane to San Francisco. Nothing very note-worthy will happen after that, though I may manage a lazy line or two from Kauai!

Until then, thanks for listening

Hugs,

Noreen