Blogs from Taroudannt, Souss, Morocco, Africa

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Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt November 14th 2023

Medina's and souks are all very atmospheric, but it was time to leave the winding alleys behind us and enter the wide open spaces. The mountains and the plains, but mostly the mountains. With its little towns and villages, its sheep herders and friendly donkeys, where it isn't the sound of traders you hear, but of the wind, and goats. The call of a donkey echoing through the valley, a dog barking in the night, and birds twittering in the mornings. Where the nights can be freezing, but the hearth in the kitchen offers warmth and comfort. Thick blankets ward of the cold in the bedroom. The people laugh and smile, worn faces from the harsh conditions, but full of lines of mirth and friendliness. This is a different Morocco. Our first stop was Gite de ... read more
Fes to Boulmane
Fes to Boulmane
Fes to Boulmane

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt April 16th 2019

Three things cause sorrow to flee; water, green trees, and a beautiful face ~ Moroccan Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling west from Sahara Camp to Taroudannt. Cramped in the back of a speeding 4WD, we emerged from the stony parched Sahara into the sleepy market town of Foum Zguid. Our minibus was parked at a local cafe (Restaurant Chegaga), so we bid farewell to our Saharan hosts, refreshed with a few cold drinks and continued our westward journey through the sandy Moroccan terrain towards Taroudannt. While the journey out of the Sahara had been breathtaking, it was great to be in the relative comfort of a minibus on a bitumen road. Every so often we’d pass a tiny oasis of palm trees on the side of the road. However, the landscape we were traversing ... read more
goats climbing trees
goats climbing trees
argan tree

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt April 2nd 2015

Geo: 30.48, -8.88During a fitful nights sleep (the beds were titled on the sand, giving you a perpetual feeling of rolling out of bed, while the pillows appeared to have been constructed from excess sand from the floor,packed tightly into a pillowcase), we took a trip to the outhouse of the camp. The moon illuminated our path, the millions of stars above creating a diamond drenched ceiling above us. We woke again before dawn ready to witness the sunrise in the desert, eager to see and photograph how it would change the faces of the dunes. Grateful for the relative cool of the morning, we mustered our strength and scaled the high dune, settling down on the cool sand to enjoy the sunrise. From where we were sitting, we could make out narrow, twisting tracks in ... read more

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt March 2nd 2014

Taroudant from 11/06/2013 to 12/06/2013... read more

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt January 3rd 2013

Renting a car for a day in Agadir turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. Because it was a very busy time of year, nobody wanted to give us a car for just one day but eventually we managed to persuade one of the local firms. Morocco's roads have a treacherous reputation and the accident statistics make grim viewing, but it was the only way to have the day out that we wanted. First of all was a trip to the Souss-Massa National Park for a bit of birdwatching. That meant driving out of Agadir and finding the coastal road that runs to the South. The roads were busy and it wasn't easy to read the signposts but eventually we left the urbanised areas behind us and were driving through the countryside and negotiating the ... read more
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Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt April 1st 2011

Wlasnie przymierzalismy sie do Atlasu wysokiego, ale prognozy mowia nam "Nie jedzcie tam!" Wiec chyba znow nam przyjdzie salwowac sie ucieczka na pustynie. I chodz przed nami jeszcze Marakesz,Fez itd. to coraz bardziej dokuczaja nam duze miasta. Ten orientalny zgielk z upalem i uporczywymi przewodnikami przegrywaja ze spokojem i beinteresownoscia malych malowniczych osad. Wczoraj zabral nas z okolic Tafrautu mily starszy pan ktory nie tylko glaskal piesa,ale zatrzymal sie po drodze rozlozyl dywanik i rozpoczal modlitwe; dzieki czemu moglismy spokojnie sfotografowac kazbe ktora rownoczesnie pelnila kiedys zadanie agadiru tzn spichlerza. Niestety niektorzy ludzie uwielbiajacy podrozowac paradoksalnie cierpia na chorobe lokomocyjna i my sie do nich zaliczamy, wiec liczne zakrety i zmiany wysokosci utrudniaja delektowanie sie pejzazem. / niektore przewyzszenia w tych okolicach to... read more
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niedojrzaly jeszcze migdalowiec
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Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt October 3rd 2010

Question:What do you get when you put two women in a car after they have had minimal sleep in the desert, its 38 degrees and the next leg of the trip is going to take around 7 to 8 hours ? Answer: Very cranky women with no tolerance for any thing, with a tummy bug for one of them thrown in for good measure. NOT HAPPY JAN! Apparently the Todra Gorge is beautiful, absolutely amazing we have been told by someone who recently saw it, so believing we are soon to be marveling at the power of nature we suck up our complaints and pin our hopes on our destination being worth the effort. After hours of driving windy roads in a car so hot that we could have cooked a tangine we arrive at the ... read more
Window in Kasbah
Kasbah
Figs drying in the Kasbah

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt May 17th 2009

So I believe my suspicions about Muhammad Isa were at least somewhat correct, as the place he wanted to take me last night for the souks apparently has no souks at all. Fortunately I did not have to deal with him again today. I woke up later (9ish), with the exception of the crazy call to prayer at 4 am! Don’t remember any dreams caused by the Malaria meds. Went shopping and bought a hat. I have agreed to go with the old Moroccan guy from the bus named Ibrahim on a two day tour of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. I think I can trust him. Going to Tafrout and then Tiznit, where I will continue down the coast alone to Layoune and beyond. As I said, Ibrahim seems trustworthy and only wants me to pay for ... read more
Taroudannt Town Square
Taroudannt Town Square 2
Ibrahim

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt May 16th 2009

The Imam is having some technical difficulties for the 7:30 pm Call to Prayer. I'm sitting on my roof terrace watching the main square in this authentic Moroccan town. A long day --- last night I downloaded pictures, chatted with Al, and had snails in the central square of Marrakech. Woke up at 7:30 am, for breakfast soup (no spoon given this time) then off to the bus. Met what I thought was a couple from Switzerland named Jean-Claude and Noemi. It turns out she’s his 20 year old daughter. Eight hour bus/taxi ride to Taroudannt through the High Atlas Mountains. I later found out that these weren't the High Atlases (People here don’t seek their own seats on the bus when many are available. I guess personal space isn’t as valued. Also most aren’t 6’4’’) ... read more
En Route2

Africa » Morocco » Souss » Taroudannt November 20th 2008

Morocco is not a place ideal for diabetics. Drink of choice is 'berber whiskey' or mint tea, a drink which contains about as much sugar as tea by default. The moroccans use a solid aubergine or marrow sized block and chip away with a hammer, and often the lump has trouble fitting into the neck of the teapot. So the opportunity rarely comes around to see just how much sugar goes in. Today at the bus station waiting to go to taroudannt I got my answer. I was given 9 cubes for what in the uk would be a single cup of tea (moroccan tea cups are a lot smaller). The unfortunate thing is that I am now so used to this particular tea being so sickly sweet that it just doesn't taste right if you ... read more




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