Travelogue: Morocco [2006] – part 2 {Ouarzazate, Dades Valley, Todra Valley}

You can read about the start of this trip here: Part 1

Sunday 25 June

It was time to say good-bye to Hamza. Although language was a problem since he didn’t speak English nor French and we didn’t understand Arabic, we still somehow managed to communicate. The only pity was that we couldn’t understand his jokes which would have Zak and Mayma cracking up most of the time, although they were usually translated for our benefit, but the laughter in Hamza’s eyes was enough to make us smile.

As he waved us off, we recommenced our journey. We drove up towards the Atlas through dramatic scenery with mist and the cool mountain air enveloping us. Like the colours of the Moroccan flag, red and green are the colours which dominate southern Morocco’s landscape. From the terracotta red of the buildings in Marrakech to greenery dotting the rugged land and the rich, deep red slopes, staggeringly beautiful is probably the only way to describe it.

Standing alone, a fruit stall in the midst of this beauty, invited us to stop and visit. A shy, young Berber boy quietly squeezed some fresh orange juice for us. Delicious – there’s a phrase in Maltese which befits the moment perfectly: niżilli għasel

The ever-winding mountain roads were surprisingly good (better than the majority of Maltese roads, alas). Although still high up, the air started getting hotter and the land dryer as we drove deeper into the south. In fact, a few hours later we were approaching Ouarzazate, one of the best known locations in this part of Morocco. Once there we managed to catch a flight to visit a Tibetan monastery, then stopped at a Jewish village and slaves’ quarters, and finally, Luxor in Egypt. No, I’m not being delusional and neither was it a mirage due to the heat. We were simply visiting one of the major film studios there which has been used for various Hollywood productions such as Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, Gladiator, The Mummy Returns and Kundun.

We then moved on to the actual town of Ouarzazate for lunch and then were back on the road passing by Kasbahs, imposing desert dwellings, and hills and canyons, namely the Dades valley. Two villages we passed through were Skoura and Kelaa-M’Gouna. The latter is well known for its rose production and in spring-time it must be a tremendous sight with all the rose bushes in bloom. We went into one of the many shops selling rose-products which include rose-water, perfume, soap, perfume sticks – well any cosmetic I suppose, and bought a few bottles of rose water.

As we drove by, while observing and taking in all the incredible sights, I was frequently impressed by children, solitary travellers, in what seemed deserted land for miles. Inside the villages they would be flocked together sitting on doorsteps or (if boys) running around playing football in their Barcelona t-shirts. Most often I would wave and they would wave back, their faces glowing with a smile, consequently lighting up a smile in my heart.

Sunset was fast approaching and we needed to find a place to sleep. We were close to les Gorges du Toghdra and so we proceeded, driving close to precipices beneath which lay villages surrounded by palm trees, and in ever-narrowing roads. Finally we reached the Gorges, towering columns of rock with a winding shaft in between acting as a road. Impressive is probably an understatement. I had seen pictures before but being within, literally engulfed by the majesty of nature, is indescribable. We progressed further in where a couple more hotels were situated across a flowing stream. All you could hear were the frogs, hundreds of them, murmuring their drone. Mayma and I spread a towel on the ground and just lay there gazing at the slit of black sky with thousands of glistening stars, listening to nature. All four of us repeated this on the roof of the hotel – just staring up to heaven and talking about life and our dreams. I don’t think I had ever felt as peaceful and as thankful as at that moment.