27th Jan, 2016
Kasbahs, Oasis’, Mountain Passes & a
Moroccan Campsite !
I think we have done almost everything
today – Except snow ski, maybe !! We
only drove about 180 kms in the day, but I am exhausted. We drove through the stunning Draa Valley, a
green oasis that follows Morocco’s longest river (The Draa) and contains some
incredible Berber fortified villages built as protection against raids by
Saharan nomads. But first we had to pack
up and leave our campsite that was walled with the common mud earth bricks, and
we decided to first walk into town and the local Kasbah.
The semi-ruined Kasbah of Toaurirt in
Ouarzazate is about the only real tourist interest apart from of course the
fact so many movies are made around here.
We walked the km or so through the town, and after paying our 20 Dirham
entry fee were allowed in, Many touts
are pushing to be your guide (for a fee !), but we decided to go it alone, and
enjoyed a leisurely ramble through the old buildings. The complexity of the building means you are
continually passing from one room to another, some with 5 ft ceilings, others
with 10 ft ceilings – It really is an absolute maze and how anyone every found
their way around in there (especially before electric lights !) is to be
admired ! After half an hour in there,
we went next door to the old souk – Where of course the enterprising traders
have set up their stalls and are continually trying to sell you a carpet or a
pot or a necklace ! We escaped with our
wallets intact !!
We then headed back to the camp site, got
the car, and headed out towards Agdz.
The first part of the road to Agdz is very barren and rocky, and on this bit of road we were flagged down
by two local lads on a motorscooter – They had run out of petrol, they said,
and needed to get a message to their cousin in Agdz who was expecting them –
Could we take a message for them ?
Seemed harmless enough – They weren’t asking for anything from us. Of course we had to supply the paper and pen
for the note, which seemed to take forever for them to write, but eventually,
after many Shukrans and other local niceties, we headed off. Agdz was still some 60 kms away and it was
already 1 pm, so bugger the boys stranded with no fuel, I wanted my lunch
!
The countryside had changed from the flat
rocky plain into a steep and winding pass that rises to about 1600 m, and we
stopped right at the top where we had a spectacular lunch time view. From there, the scenery got better, with some
amazing rock formations that looked more like the altitude lines on an Ordnance
Survey map - Quite amazing. The Draa River, which only flows when there
are good rains (and this year has been particularly dry), obviously can become
quite a torrent because it has certainly scoured through the rocks in
spectacular fashion.
I hope our boys had found some fuel by now
!
At one point we stopped for a quick photo,
and while Janet was out of the car taking it, a turbaned head popped up from
behind some rocks, saw us, and quickly came down to the road towards us. I shouted a warning to Janet, but too late –
He was there beside here, with a lovely big smile, holding out little baskets
of local dates, offering them for sale in a most persuasive manner ! Eventually we bought a little basket full for
about 30 dirhams (about $4), and after a few photos, and the giving of some
bonbons for his 4 children, we headed off again – And those dates were GOOD. Apparently they are renowned for being super
sweet around here – We must buy more !
After Janet’s Date encounter, we continued
on down the other side of the pass into Agdz, and once in the town, followed
the map provided by our petrol-less friend, found the shop, and asked for Ali,
as instructed. To cut a long story
short, charming man, spoke good English, said that he MUST return the favour
for us bringing the message by giving us tea as it is a Berber tradition. So in we go to his little shop which is full
of trinkets and clothing, and while he is preparing the tea, we look
around. Eventually he comes over and
offers to dress us both as Berbers, so we go through all of that, tying on the
turban etc and taking photos. By then
the tea is ready, and we go through the whole ceremony of pouring the tea from
a great height, doing it 3 or 4
times (ie tipping the poured tea back into the
pot and doing it again – to make it stronger ?), and finally we get our
tea. Kind of mint tea – not too bad if
you put enough sugar in it ! While we
are drinking, out come all the trinkets !
By now we are thinking “What is going on here ?”, and this continued for
about 15 minutes – While Ali kept pouring us tea so we couldn’t leave ! When Janet said “What about your cousin and
his petrol ?” and Ali said “No hurry, no hurry” we finally twigged – That note
wasn’t “Please send petrol” but more
like “Here are two tourists – Milk them for all you can” !! Very clever !!! Eventually we escaped with Janet just buying
a blue Berber head scarf – For twice the going rate, as we later found out
!
Anyway, back on the road towards Zagora.
This time with the wallet a bit lighter !
From Agdz, the oasis of the Draa Valley really is spectacular, with the
river (or where the river should be) beside the road, and the greenery of the
palm trees and the mud/straw walled buildings just amazing all along the road
for some 60 kms or more. A very
enjoyable drive through the villages.
Eventually we arrived in Zagora quite late, and the first camp site
wasn’t too nice, the second was full (some off road rally on over the weekend),
the third one was closed, so by the time we found the fourth camp site, I said
“We stop here” !! We were the only car
there, funny
little place but the man
couldn’t have been nicer, and we ended up being offered a room so we could use
their shower and toilets, and we set up.
They even had wifi there (OK for emails, but can’t upload photos etc),
and while Janet was in the room doing wifi, they offered to cook us a “family
tagine” for supper. What could we say
? So tagine for supper it was, and
delicious too including soup and bread and tea before and tea afterwards, all
served majlis style on a long couch with a tented ceiling !! And we then retired to bed in our private
Moroccan campsite !
Pics are here at last : - https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0407OuarzazateToZagora?authkey=Gv1sRgCPHVtZqI9L-Z8wE
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