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Morocco and Spain 2023
  • Maree Crawford
Mac – Apr 2023

Morocco and Spain 2023

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  • Permulaan perjalanan
    13 Mac 2023
    Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    First flight with SharpLeaving my beautiful IslandTea with Dan, Taylor and Joe at Dan's

    Start of an adventure

    13 Mac 2023, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Flew out of Flinders on the last plane.
    Staying with Joe.
    Joe and I went to Dan's where Dan and Taylor cooked us tea for a quick catch up. Was lovely.

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Your leisure wear, ma'am
    Complimentary toiletries14 hours to Doha4 flightsSoup with my evening mealLaying backAll the things the seat could do!!Spanish omelette for breakfastDoha airport4th flight, 8 hours to goStill a long way to go

    Business Class?? Yes!!!

    14 Mac 2023, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Launceston to Melbourne on time 😊
    Melbourne to DOHA with Qatar. Yes, business class due to an upgrade. Happy 30th wedding anniversary present to me!!
    Easy check-in.

    Wowee!!! So special. Glass of bubbles, complimentary toiletries and "lounge wear". Heaps of room.
    14 hours of luxury.

    Excited!!

    Then a quick changeover at Doha and another 8 hour flight in cattle class. A reality check!! 😂😂

    We flew into Casablanca on a beautiful sunrise, then bussed off tarmac into the airport.
    Through passport control and customs easily.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Beautiful sunrise coming into Casablanca, dirty windows
    Airport busEven though it's rundown everyone had a satellite dish 📡Give wayMy roomInside my roomIn the Ryad foyerRooftop of my Ryad 91

    Into Casablanca

    15 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I made it to Casablanca with a beautiful sunrise. I got my accommodation driver to pick me up rather than try and get the train or convince a taxi driver to drive the quickest route!
    I'm glad I did as my accommodation is a Ryad ( guesthouse) in the middle of a Medina (market stalls) in the old town. Probably never would have found it!!

    Went for a long walk until my room was ready. I remembered how much I love exploring new places!!
    Casablanca is a port city and has 2 "people beaches".

    There's new clean buildings and lots of old rundown suburbs like any city, but they do all have a satellite dish!!

    Then I had an afternoon nap and fell into the trap of sleeping through so now it's 2am and I'm writing an update 😊

    This morning I'm booked to do a half day tour of Casablanca, we meet at Rick's Cafe of Casablanca the Movie fame.

    There's no Telstra roaming reception in Morocco so I can only communicate when there's wifi available. So via Messenger and email.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    My breakfast room, here at the Ryad
    Rick's CafeCasablanca is very proud of their soccer team so support them with "graffiti walls"There are sooo many cats. Hardly any dogs because "their barking chases the angels away"Massive oranges!!My old MedinaMiss Italy and Mrs San AntonioThe buildings with yellow are government buildingsHave you seen so many olives??In the new Medina

    The Medina and Beyond tour

    16 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today was supposed to be a 4 hour walking/ bit of car tour of part of the city where I am - the Old Medina and mosques, etc. Turned out we just kept on going further and ended up with a 7 hour tour instead!! No extra charge!

    We met at Rick's Cafe of the movie Casablanca fame.
    There were 5 of us on tour, - a couple from Italy and a couple from San Antonio, Texas. We all got on really well and was sad to leave them really.
    Our guide was called Mohammed.

    So we walked some and a taxi drove us lots as well.
    Our guide gave us an added extra of a tour inside the Hassan II Mosque. An inside tour wasn't the deal but he took us on a private tour with himself. The other couples had to pay, I didn't because I was on an Intrepid tour or something, still don't quite get it but ok thanks 😊. It was a bit special today also because the inside was all lit up because some dignitaries had just been in. There'll be 2 pages of just photos of this Mosque, it is very beautiful. The Casablancans are very proud of it because "it is built on the water" (reclaimed land) and it has the highest minuret in Africa.

    We visited other mosques and churches. A museum or 2. Saw the slums and the rich area plus the King's home when he's in Casablanca. Apparently he lives mostly in Rabat.

    We visited the old Medina near me plus the new Medina, including an olive tasting, mint tea, pastries. There was a local rug auction in the street.
    Medina means the old walled part of a North African town

    We didn't get lunch until 3.30! Imagine how hangry I was feeling, but so was my Texan friend 😂. So eventually we had a targine of choice. Mine was chicken with lemon and olives, very nice.

    Then hometime so had another wander in the Medina markets here. Bought a couple of pottery things. I also went to the train station to buy a Telecom Maroc sim card. The bloke at the shop activated it all for me. Google maps won't work without data

    Then a light tea of a lovely Moroccan soup with bread and olives with their Moroccan mint tea.

    Turned out to be a big day.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Centre of Interpretation (Museum)
    Languages here are Arabic, Berber, French and EnglishThe city's original name was AnfaPortugese pirates ravaged the Berbers for a whileThis beautiful fountain was rediscovered when old render was removed

    Old Medina Museum

    16 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    A visit to a museum in the old Medina area tells us the story of Casablanca's history.
    We were told the original people of Morocco are the Berbers. Their language looks similar to Greek , nothing like Arabic. It is taught in schools.

    The Old Medina area is slowly getting renovated and restored.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    The hidden entrance to Ryad 91
    Written instructions to next hotel in Arabic in case I used a taxiHotel Al Walid, back to civilisationTram ticketView from window Hotel Al WalidTrain station entranceModern train stationI bought the kangaroo in Melbourne airport thinking it might be handy.

    Moving house

    17 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today is time to leave my Ryad and move to a hotel to join the first tour.

    Before I left I found a post office and posted some souvenirs and an excess drink bottle back home......already!!!
    I've tried to pack light but still don't have room for any excess stuff. So as I had decided to post a box, I found another nice souvenir and actually found a lapel pin with the Moroccan flag. I collect one from every country so now I have the obligatory Moroccan souvenirs, so if I don't get anymore ( no room) I'll be happy.

    My lovely reception lady at the Ryad suggested I get the tramway to my next hotel. It's only 3 km away but a bit of a trek with luggage.
    Turns out it was a great suggestion as both ends of the journey are very close to the hotels. And only 8 dirhams or about $1 AUD. I had a very helpful tram assistant show me how to get my ticket. It's a cardboard ticket but must have a microchip or something in it because you tap on and off like in Australia. Felt right at home. Followed Google maps so I knew when to get off. Hotel Al Walid was right there.
    If I'd taken a taxi I could have ended up anywhere!!

    There's also a major train station here so went to Starbucks for a salad lunch. A bloke came in and looked at me twice and said " you were at the Ryad yesterday weren't you?" I looked at him twice and answered "yes, that's right you were at breakfast!" Nice to be noticed 😂 He's on his way on the train up to Tangier.

    Casablanca has been a cultural immersion for sure. Not just the cultural expectations but the fact the English is not a first language, it's probably a fourth. I was told that there are now more English speaking tourists than French ones now so that might change. English is taught in high school apparently but not high on their agendas.
    I feel comfortable pretending I'm a local and so don't tend to get picked on too much if I look like I'm "on business". Have learnt it's ok to be rude (with a smile) to the men who hassle you for a taxi ride or go into their market stall.

    When people ask where I'm from I show them my kangaroo key chain on my bag and say Australia!! Most people know the kangaroo. "You from Sydney?" Ummm, no.

    Traffic is chaotic with lots of horn bipping. There are many pedestrian crossings but driver's ignore them so crossing a road can be perilous. I generally go with the thought that there's safety in numbers so usually cross with others or if a car actually stops!

    I'm ready to move on and be a part of a group now.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    RabatRockin' the KasbahI thought I was in Australia! Eucalypt plantationThere's my back pack on the muleWe have 1 Aussie, 1 Israeli, 2 poms, 8 Canadians, 3 Americans and Hassan from Marrakesh

    Day 1 North Morocco tour

    18 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Up early to catch the 8.30 train to Rabat. It takes 1 hour.
    Rabat is the capital of Morocco and is very clean and more European/Greek looking.
    We have 4 hours to walk around a bit of Rabat and have lunch. We walk through market streets to go the Kasbah des Oudaia which is very pretty. White walls and blue paint, reminding people of Greece. It's like a little village with tiny stepped streets. There are stalls here too, a small botanical garden.
    2 of us have some Moroccan biscuits and a thick Moroccan coffee.
    My Moroccan sim card came in handy today. I was the only with reception so it was my phone we used for our self-guided Googlemap walk

    Then back on the train for 2 hours to Meknes. Catch 3 taxis to get us to our overnight accommodation up in the hills. Moulay Idriss
    Our luggage is taken up the steep steps by mules. This place also has steep narrow streets, only a mules width.
    We stay in a family guesthouse and have a very scrumptious Moroccan meal.
    Before dinner we had a walk around this village and watched the sun set.
    There is a mosque here too we aren't allowed to visit. Also a village square with stalls, food stalls, kids playing soccer. It looked like families came out to have a nice time.
    The guesthouse is very nice too.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Typical Breakfast
    They have wattles here tooRoman ruinsWhen they excavated centuries later they found well preserved mosaicsSparrows enjoying a stork nestSheep on the road!!!Royal Kasbah at MeknesRevered water carrier. They used to carry water to houses in goatskin bagsInside the MosqueSilver craft particular to MeknesEmbroideryMint teaCamel burger for lunchTraditional Harira soup and Chicken Bastilla

    Day 2 Off to Fez

    19 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Today, we take a guided tour of the World Heritage-listed site of Volubilis, one of the Roman empire's most remote bases. The remains make an undeniably impressive sight as they come into view on the edge of a long, high plateau. We had a tour of the ancient hilltop ruins with a local guide who was very good. The ruins were amazing, they had been re-discovered by a French archaeologist. The site had been covered in soil and many mosaic floors had been preserved.

    Then we return to Meknes and take a few hours to explore with another great local guide.
    Meknes royal Kasbah has 40 Km of walls made of clay, earth and lime packed down.
    He takes us to a mosque, Medina markets and the Royal golf course. Morocco is encouraging golf to be played by everyone not just the elite. Even have golf schools for kids now.
    The Medina is the 3rd largest in Morocco.
    We have a camel burger for lunch at a local restaurant in the medina. Some people chose not to but most had it and enjoyed it. I did, of course.

    In the afternoon, we take a 1-hour train to Fes, where we'll spend the next two nights. Fes is the most complete medieval city in the Arab world, and the most ancient of Morocco's imperial cities.

    I'm noticing more dogs around. There are many cats in the Moroccan cities, dogs are generally not liked. According to the guide on my first day " they bark too loud and scare the 2 angels of your shoulders"

    The Meknes area is very fertile agricultural land. Crops I've noticed - garlic, rape seed, olive trees, others.
    The guide said today they are gearing up for an agricultural expo which is very big.

    For tea we go to a private house, a friend of Hassan's who feeds us (for a price, 130 durhims, ÷7 for $AUD) which is very authentic and lovely. We had a soup with lovely bread and sides then a chicken pie Morocco style. It's called a pastilla.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Fes Royal Palace, complete with Royal Guards we aren't allowed to photograph.Sparrows sitting in the wall holesTranslation of the previous photo

    Rock the Kasbah

    19 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    What is a Kasbah?
    It is a fortress, commonly a citadel that protects a city or settlement area, or that serves as the administrative center. A kasbah citadel typically housed the military garrison and other privileged buildings such as a palace, along with other amenities such as a mosque and a hammam (bathhouse). Some kasbahs are built in a strategic elevated position overlooking the city, like the Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat. It could also be a large purpose-built royal quarter, protected by its own set of walls, that housed the palace of the ruler and the administration of the state. Examples of this include the Kasbah of Marrakesh and the Kasbah of Tunis, both founded by the Almohads, who built or redeveloped similar palace enclosures in many important cities of their empire.  In some cases, kasbahs could be simple fortified enclosures around a city that housed military garrisons, without being the main citadel. In Fez, for example, there were up to 13 kasbahs built throughout the city in different periods, including the Kasbah an-Nouar and the Kasbah Cherarda.Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Jewish cemetery, graves have "oven holes" to put your candles in
    Orange BlossomHuge Medina, old townCan I take this home? Apparently, I could've had it shipped home.Narrow streetsDye sectionThe old style tannery still in useThe workers actually work in the vatsSkins hangingThey gave us mint to help mask the smell!!The roof of our lunch ryadGold thread tableclothLamb and prune targineCloth. They make their silk out of aloe vera cactus innards

    Day 3 Fes Walkabout

    20 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    A local guide joins us and we explore Fes. Mainly the Old Medina. On the way we pop in to the Jewish cemetery, the royal palace and some market streets.
    Then we go on the minibus to "the panoramic view" which certainly let's you see the green countryside and the huge old Medina.

    We also go to a pottery co-op where we get shown how the pottery and mosaics are done with the option to shop. I bought a donkey for my toilet wall!! 🤣🤣
    There was so much beautiful stuff I could have bought but I have to cart it with me so restrained myself.

    Then into the Medina, we have 1 guide at the front, and one at the back keeping all 15 of us from getting lost. Again this is a place with very high walls and very narrow streets. It's easy to get lost. It claims to be the biggest Medina in Morocco - it is huge and jam packed.

    We visit a tannery that is done the ancient way in big vats and the opportunity to shop. I don't.
    When you walk in here they give you a sprig of mint - it's meant to cover the stink of the tannery, it doesn't!!

    By then it's lunch time in a beautiful Ryad. I had lamb and prune targine. Yummy.

    Then to a weaving display and opportunity to shop. I didn't.

    We passed a few other places along the way as well as all the market stalls.
    Orange blossoms are out at the moment and they're selling the blossoms or flower water. It smells beautiful.

    We get back around 5.

    Fes has never been invaded or had buildings destroyed so they claim they are one of the oldest continuous cities in the world.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Bus rideBroad bean or fava bean cropCanolaBarley and wheatSome quite nice farm housesAnother stork nestPossibly the massive strawberriesWater chutes for irrigation old styleStock are shepherdedOut of the farms for a whileOur cute accommodation2Tonight's bedroomSardine targine

    Day 4 Bus ride to Chefchouen

    21 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Late morning start for an 11 am coach bus ride to Chefchouen. It takes 4 hours with a lunch stop after 2 hours.
    A comfortable coach with plenty of room and big windows.
    We drive up into the Rif Mountains on a good sealed road highway.

    The countryside is very fertile farm land.
    Wheat and barley, crops not usually irrigated. Enough rain and moisture. Donkey tilling plus tractors. Some farms have forms of irrigation. I did actually see a modern irrigation system once. A few dams are being made

    All farms are privately owned by families.
    A few cows, mainly sheep with their shepherd. Some goats in amongst a sheep flock. A few chooks.
    Soil varies white to lovely chocolate.
    Large hay or silage stacks covered with plastic. Quite a few people with spray packs.

    We get into Chefchouen about 4 pm.
    This place is beautiful, lots of blue buildings , it is called "The Blue 🔵 City". We go on a quick "orientation walk" with Hassan as we have all day tomorrow to explore.

    Then to a restaurant Hassan knows for a sardine targine. It is very nice.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Olive tree over 300 years oldDifferent decoration of water fountain hereWhat's behind the blue door?Their natural dyesCat guarding the sardinesLots of dogs here. Vaccinated dogs have an eartag similar to our sheep tagsGood way to keep your oranges cool and cleanQuadruple shot coffee? Was good

    The Blue 🔵 City

    22 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    No-one actually knows why or how the blue paint started but they're famous for it now.

    A guided walking tour this morning then after a lovely salad lunch and a much sought after (by me) Earl Grey tea, I took myself off to explore the blue streets.Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Rif MountainsVIP minivan, nothing but the bestHola Spain!!Look like home?Camel rides on the beach are a thingWe spent some free time in a 5star lobby.Our special mealBeautiful silver threaded tableclothAll aboard to MarrakeshNot to squeezyIn my bunk

    To Tangier by minibus

    23 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today we leave the Blue City by very comfy minibus for a 3 hour trip to Tangier. We go through the Rif Mountains again, very spectacular. More very fertile farmland.

    Tangier is on the coast, you can see across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain.

    We go to a supermarket to pick up food for "a picnic" in a national park.
    Then drive to where the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea meets. A lighthouse. Here are many eucalyptus trees!

    We spend a few minutes at the beach, by popular demand. It was going to happen but people got quite loud as they wanted the beach.
    I put my feet in the Atlantic.

    We then have 3 hours free time but that's between 5-8pm when most things are closed. It is now Ramadan too so not everything is open.

    We then minibus to a private house where the woman cooks for us (for a fee) then we board an overnight train to Marrakesh at 11.30 pm.
    Very long day.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Farewell dinnerLovely steak and mushrooms French styleA very tall Ryad we are staying in

    Marrakech, the Red 🔴 City

    24 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Got into Marrakech about 9 am. Had an adequate sleep in the bunk.

    Got to our Hotel Morocco by taxi, then went to another hotel for breakfast while our rooms were getting ready.

    Settle into room then I head off on my own to explore. Walked 3-4 K to the Medina where town centre, Souks and markets are. 30degree heat now so pleased I brought my hat and drink bottle. Walked back as well.

    So now I can say I'm over the markets and ready for my next tour to "go bush".

    We have our farewell dinner at the same hotel we had breakfast in. It was a very nice meal.

    Still have a day in Marrakech tomorrow but change hotels to meet up with the next tour tomorrow night.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    The red city, not as impressive as the Blue CityFarmers marketMarjorelle GardenHuge carp in that pondNew flash hotelView from my window

    Switch tours today

    25 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Another 30 degree day today.
    This tour finishes after breakfast so then I pack up, say goodbye to Debbie, my Israeli roomie and move to the next hotel.
    Hotel Meriem is 4 star and very flash!!
    2 swimming pools with bar, comfy beds and the hotel shiny😂

    The room isn't ready yet so I make my way to the Yves Saint Laurent Berber art museum and Marjorelle Garden complex I have booked for 11.30.

    On the way I get an iced coffee at Starbucks and call into a small Berber farmers market. I buy some lip balm made from the "famous" Moroccan Argan oil with orange blossom. It's good.

    The museum and gardens are interesting.
    I also have lunch in the garden cafe.

    I head back to the hotel, calling into Starbucks again for a bottle of water and can Earl Grey tea.

    I get my room, get changed into my bathers and have a lovely cool swim. Just what I needed to cool the body temp down.

    I meet my new room mate for this next tour. She is German Swiss, lives in Switzerland near the German border. Her name is Marion. Nice lass

    At 6 pm we meet in the lobby to introduce ourselves to the group and tour leader. There are 11 women and Chama our female guide. This is a women's only tour. The majority are from various places in the US, 1 from Quebec Canada, 2 from UK, and us.

    After the meet and greet Chama takes us to a restaurant to have Ftour, which is the meal they have to break their fast during Ramadan. It's good, a cross between breakfast and lunch.
    Then to bed, we have to leave tomorrow at 7.30 am    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara

    Start of new tour

    26 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today is a big drive day in a very comfortable minibus.

    We start at 7.30 am with a few stops and a lunch stop getting to destination around 5 pm.

    We go into the Hi Atlas Mountains. It is still high 20 degrees but the mountain tops have snow on them.
    The road is narrow and winding most of the way so some people didn't like that much.

    We stop for lunch where Game of Thrones, Gladiator and a few other movies are filmed.

    We are staying at a gite tonight then get joined by a "team" of other people and mules to hike with us the next 4 days.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Breakfast
    Heading out through the streetsClassroom we popped intoWater channelsLocals washing clothesToadMama BiaChaman pouring tea the Morrocan wayOleanderPlaying soccer with the Agouti kidsOur gite entranceBedroomNight-time songs

    Walk to Agouti

    27 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we start our walks. Only 12 km today apparently.
    We leave at 9 am having given our luggage to the mules to carry, and get to our lunch picnic spot under the trees a bit before 12.

    We are led by local Mama Bia.

    Not sure of the temperature but it's a bit of a sweaty walk so I drink plenty of water and wear the hat.

    We walk out of the village popping into some school children's class to say hi. We walk along the small river sometimes in the dry bits of the river bed, sometimes in their fields/ garden plots. Sometimes through a small village.
    People are out washing their rugs in the river while it's hot enough for them to dry.
    Most people don't want their photo taken, you have to ask.
    It's interesting to see close up their plots and crops and how they water them. They are quite the engineers making water channels and then divert some to flood a field.

    The villages are a mix of falling down ruins and new concrete buildings that haven't had the red render on it yet.
    The old buildings are stone and daub, coloured with their local ochre dirt.

    We have a lovely salad and sardine lunch prepared by our "team", the mule drivers and a rest under the trees.

    We walk another 15 minutes to get to our gite (guesthouse). About 1.30.
    We then relax and have a shower.
    Some ladies go out and find some kids to play soccer with.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Breakfast
    Loading up the mulesWalking through the figsRock hoppingOur 4 mules down belowThe 4 mules beat us to the gorgeOleanders lining the riverbedSnow capped mountains in distance but we are still warmLunch of sardines, salad and riceThis is how they irrigate their plots. By damming and undamming from the main channelNotice the buildings camoflauged in the hillside?Walking up to our gite

    Another 12k hike to Amejgag

    28 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Last night's accommodation was on sleeping mats and in our sleeping bags. The mats were really comfortable and sleeping bag was plenty warm enough.
    One of our ladies woke up with gastro, so another lady who is a nurse and is a walking pharmacy dosed her up. She then was able to walk with us today.

    We set off on a morning walk through Agouti M'gouni Gorge, crossing through Almdoun Village to get to Amejgag. The red walls of the gorge remind me of the Aussie outback gorges.
    At some points we need to cross a river, multiple times so we change to sandals or "water shoes".
    Last week the water in the river was still up to the women's knees but today it was nearly dry. It was nice to walk in the stream anyway.
    Many oleanders line the river.
    We saw a herd of black goats on the gorge walls.

    Lunch is again supplied by our mule team under some Silver Birch trees.

    After arriving in Amejgag Village we relax and shower until we go downstairs to a weaving workshop run by the lady owner of this gite who sells her rugs to a ladies' cooperative.
    They also give us an afternoon tea of Morrocan coffee and Moroccon tea with a friend donut thing, no sugar.
    The coffee has star anise, rosemary and ginger in it.

    Then another free time and tea at 8.30.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Bougainvillea
    EuphorbiaAdonis or pheasants eyeOsteospernum or African DaisyWattleMarigoldPoppyHibiscus 🌺Peach 🍑Broadbeans, they call hava beanBarleyPigface and succulentsAlmondOranges

    Plants that are the same as home

    28 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    I'm surprised how many plants here are the same as at home.
    Marigolds
    Daisy
    Wattle
    Many varieties of eucalypt
    Rapeseed/Canola
    Poppy
    Oleander
    bamboo
    Sugarcane
    Variegated thistle
    Broadbeans or fava bean
    Corn/maize
    Wheat/Barley
    alfalfa/lucerne
    Olives, some very old trees but also planting new ones
    Oranges 🍊
    Peaches pink blossom 🌸
    Almond
    rock rose
    Lantana?
    Fig trees just starting to leaf up
    Massive strawberry 🍓
    Pine
    Pandanas
    Geranium
    Wild fennel
    Date palm🌴
    Euphorbia
    Bougainvillea
    Aloe
    Grass with the purple flower
    Hibiscus 🌺
    Pigface    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara

    Big 21 km hike up through the mountains

    29 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Early start. 5.30am breakfast for a 6am start.
    Saw the sun rise.
    Hiked through nomad country. Met some herders with their sheep 🐏 and goats 🐐. I had to tell the city folk the difference! 😂
    We made really good time so got to our lunch stop by morning smoko but we were still very hungry due to the early breakie.
    Had lunch in a nomad's cave.

    Up and down big mountains and gorges. Reminded me a lot of WA Kimberleys. The mules were walking with us most of the day.

    Terri got sick and had to go last few k's on a mule. We think it was dehydration with maybe a bit of heatstroke. She was getting double vision too which really scared her. Between 3 of us nurses and the mule she got to our accommodation and recovered well. I told them the Aussie trick of cooling yourself down by pouring water on your whole head, not just your face. That helped.

    Afternoon tea then Berber henna session.

    Late tea because the people who were supposed to be feed us forgot about us as they were doing their end of day Ramadan stuff. Can't really blame them.    Baca lagi

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  • Maree CrawfordMorocco and Spain 2023Pengembara
    Loadin' up
    The Berber flag, except the white is usually blueChaman handing out pens to the local kids that one of the ladies brought to shareThe Berber BarberDrawing water from a wellNew bridgeUp ya get, MuhammadUp, up, upThe farm at the back of the gite

    12k's back to Bou Tharar

    30 Mac 2023, Maghribi ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We left at 9am to hike back to Bou Tharar.

    We went through the village and fields following the M'Gouna River again.
    We go through narrow trails with bamboo or Oleander or White Willow on each side.

    We go over a brand new bridge still being built, we are the first to go over apparently.

    We also ford the river a few times on wooden posts.

    We also get our water shoes back on and cross the river a few times to get to lunch. The river is quite strong and we make a human chain by holding hands to cross. Up to our knees.

    We have a lovely lunch under some trees by the river.

    Then a steep climb up to get to a plateau, walk across the dry plains to just above Bou Tharar. We can see the green fields amongst the red rock and red buildings. We also see our gite we are heading for, the same one we stayed in (was it only 4 days ago??).

    We walk down a steep trail like mountain goats 🐐, then through the sealed streets of town to our gite.
    Shower and rest then into a room built like a cave for a yummy afternoon tea.

    After that we get dressed by the local ladies in traditional Rose Valley Berber dress and have our last dance with Mohammed (nickname Moumou).

    Another rest then dinner at 8.30 after our locals break their fast and have prayers.    Baca lagi

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