Into the Atlas Mountains

On day three we packed up and headed for the Atlas Mountains.  This range runs 1,600 miles east to west and separates the Mediterranean from the Sahara.  There are three ranges, the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas and the Dark Atlas.  This area is mostly inhabited by Berber families and holds some of the most remote villages in Northern Africa.  Berbers are the indigenous people of the area and have their own language, culture and religion though many are Muslim they keep some of the traditions of their ancestors.  The women sport facial tattoos and we saw lots of them in this part of the country.

Typical hillside image- it means "God, Country, King"  Later we saw one that said "Stay out of my almond orchard"

After a lengthy drive we ended up in Bin el Ouidane which sits on a lake formed by the dam that shares it's name.  The dam was built by the French in the late 40's and supplies much of the power to the country.  We had a great room with an amazing view of the lake but sadly it rained almost the whole time we were there.

The next day our plan was to hike a few hours to a local Berber house and have lunch.  Since it was raining we hooked up with another guide (and his 2 travelers) and toured the weekly souk (market) one town over.  The guide grew up in a village about 2 hours from there but went to boarding school in the town so he knew everyone.  In small towns the souk only happens once a week - this is where locals (including people from villages up to 2-3 hours away) get their fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains.  We toured the fruit and vegetable stalls set up in a muddy lot and saw the butchering of sheep and goats.  We were surprised that the butcher was so welcoming and was honestly excited for us to take photos of him working.  I am not a huge fan of seeing butchering but it was interesting since the animals had just been killed and were still steaming in the cold air. *Spoiler- scroll fast if you don't want to see a butcher picture*  The local dogs and cats were also present waiting for the innards to be tossed aside for their lunch.  The locals were not quite sure what to make of the 4 foreigners touring their souk in the rain but they were very kind; stopping our guide and speaking to him in Berber to invite us to their shop for tea.   The souk is very social and includes some makeshift restaurants and tea shops.

Around 11am we ran into our guide's brother and his wife and they invited us over for tea!  They ran ahead to get set up and we followed a few minutes later.  After trudging in the rain we were pretty muddy and wet- they welcomed us in to their home, took our coats and shoes and offered slippers.  The women were invited into the kitchen to help make mint tea and learn how to make M'smmen (crispy pancakes) - we couldn't speak the same language but we learned and it was such fun.  We had a tasty snack and warm tea and spent a few hours in a local home.  I was really blown away by this since I truly felt it was by accident we ran into them and nothing was planned.  We were so warmly welcomed even though we couldn't communicate, it was a very sweet gesture.

After tea we headed to the Berber family for lunch.  Again we were wet and muddy and welcomed in.  The women were sent to the kitchen to learn how to make couscous - it is a ridiculously long process requiring 3 separate times in the steamer (it is not cooked in water) and lots of fluffing by hand.  Couscous making is a rite of passage for Berber women- once they can do it correctly they can get married.  The men learned how to make mint tea with fresh mint and lots of sugar.  One secret to mint tea is aeration - you need to pour it in cup then toss is back in the pot several times and then do the final pour from a height.  After some tea we finished plating lunch of couscous, chicken and vegetables.  It was tasty (although a little bland) - we did learn Berbers' don't really do bread with meals and eating is a communal activity - we were all handed spoons to dig into the community plate (no plates!) and we were told they only used spoons because we were there.  Interestingly the women never joined us at the table to eat. Another thing I learned today was that most of Morocco has access to fresh running water and electricity.  These people lived in a pretty remote area and had municipal water - something Angolans could only dream about.

Our Berber hosts Fatima and her son (along with our fellow tourist Ronie on the right)

The next day was a disaster but reminded us were are in Africa.  We set out on what should have been a 5-6 drive to the next spot. First things first we helped out a stuck car - we pulled over and promptly a mountain taxi (all are 1980's Mercedes Benz) pulled over where 6 men jumped out to assist - sense of community here is very strong.  After 3 hours on the road we came to a raging river that took the road out - so we turned around and headed to the nearest town - turns out we could take a back road so we did that and spent about an hour in 4X4 on a wet muddy road to bypass the closure.  Another 2 hours and we come to another river crossing that required 4X4 and up to a mountain pass that has active road work- when we approached our driver is informed the road is closed until 5pm - it is 2pm now!! Ugg - so no bathroom, no lunch and 3 hours wait, fun times!  The best part was they were drilling rock out to make a wider road and we are on top of the action, no safety barrier or anything.  By the time they are ready to clear the rock off the road there is about 50 people around following the construction vehicles on foot watching the work.  Now another 2 hours of driving to the hotel - after a pit stop in Imichil for a super later "lunch" of kebabs and more tea.  This is was the first place I felt the desire to cover my head- I was the only woman in the restaurant and maybe the only woman in 50 miles without a head covering.  Got to the hotel super late- 5 hour trip turned to 11 hours!

Daily good deed

Washed out road

Second river crossing

Roadwork delay- 3 hours