Travelogue: Morocco [2006] – part 4 {middle Atlas & Fes}

See Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Tuesday 27 June (continued)

Once we arrived back in Erfoud, we stopped at a pharmacy to buy drops for my eye which by then was severely irritated and the pharmacist told me I had conjunctivitis, which did not really come as a surprise. However, thankfully, the antibiotic did wonders for my eye quite quickly.

We then commenced our journey back to Rabat, where along the way we continued discovering the beauty and diversity of Morocco. We first passed through Errachidia, where an ice-blue artificial lake among dramatic canyons particularly caught my eye. Our route took us through the Atlas chain and in around 5 or 6 hours since our departure from the Sahara, I became gob-smacked as we approached Michlifen. What a drastic change from our morning setting! From heat and sand to cool air, pine-trees and conifers and lush greenery, we were in a ski-station site! It was absolutely incredible that in a matter of few hours one could be in such totally different environments in the same country. The contrast would be even more astonishing in winter when this area would be completely covered in snow. These multiple facets of Morocco, which are all within considerably close reach of each other, are what make this country so appealing and unique. It is truly a country blessed by Mother Nature.

Here we came across a family of playful monkeys swinging from the trees and let us feed them Twistees. After Michlifen we moved to nearby Ifrane, which is very un-Moroccan in style and feels more like a Swiss or Canadian village, with its pristine avenues (where no horns can be hooted) and chalet-like houses. There we visited the American-style university where Zak had once spent a semester there. Feeling somewhat out of place in such an immaculate environment not having quite had the chance to freshen up from the desert, we couldn’t help wishing that our University of Malta resembled more this campus, especially with regard to the large indoor Olympic-size pool with a view of the mountains (ok, that can never happen!). There are plans to open an AIESEC LC there, and in fact an information session was to be held two days later.

In Ifrane we also visited a beautiful lake where a few Berber boys were riding colourfully decorated horses and mules. As we continued our trajectory, we passed through more beautiful green, idyllic scenery with goats and sheep dotting the scenery.

We eventually arrived in the well-known city of Fes, where the modern outskirts give way to the old city which somewhat reminded me of Malta and southern Italy with its stepped buildings. As dusk was fast approaching we unfortunately didn’t have time to visit the famous tanneries (some other time, fingers crossed) but we did get the chance to explore the wonderful Medina – a maze of winding alleys packed with tiny shops offering all sorts of visual wonders. This medina is much older than Rabat’s, and perhaps because of this I found it more endearing and full of character. It was also teeming with people and in Fes one can truly see the diversity of Moroccan people, with many of the locals having fair skin, green eyes and the like.

After a quick visit to Zak’s aunt, we were back on the road to Rabat. Here we encountered what was practically the only hiccup in the whole trip when we were randomly stopped in a police road-block. Road-blocks are a most common occurrence in Morocco and in fact I don’t think I ever saw as many policemen on the roads in any other country. Some police are corrupt and work on a system of bribes, and unfortunately for us, one of the lights was really not working. They also look suspiciously at a young man travelling with three young females. [Any sign of affection between young unmarried people is likely to be considered taboo and even an offence as in other Muslim countries.] After a long discussion with the policeman, when we were all worn out by then, we were able to proceed and finally get back home in Rabat.

I don’t think I had ever found a shower as wanted and as refreshing as then!