Through the Anti Atlas to Taroudant

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Today we drove from Ouarzazate to Taroudant, a 5 hour drive through the Anti Atlas. We thought this might become boring, but the scenery changed constantly. One minute we were driving through blackened outcrops of rock, eroded into layers and small boulders, next we were crossing semi arid plains with the occasional mesa rising above the level. It was dry, but there was scrubby vegetation in even the most desolate places. We passed ashepherd tending a small flock of sheep, and wondered where on earth he lived, given there was no sign of habitation for a good ten miles in either direction. We saw an old movie set of a gas station as seen in innumerable American films and TV series. On the other side of the road was a coal mine, who knew they mined coal in Morocco?

We then moved into an area with argan trees. They grow only in Morocco and Houssain told us they grow naturally rather than being planted. They are spread by the goats that eat the fruit (rather like an olive) that falls from the trees, then poo out the stones the next day.

After three hours we stopped at a café in the middle of nowhere, so the driver could have a break. We settled down with a mint tea and found to our amazement that our emails had finally downloaded after two days of no service, with endless messages to “enter credentials” only to be told they were incorrect!

We stopped at a saffron cooperative in Tellouine which turned out just to be an overpriced sales office, and then for lunch. Houssain had said in the morning he would take us to what turned out to be a café run by his in-laws. We had said on the morning that we just wanted a light lunch. Bread arrived, then a plate of mixed vegetables. Then chicken kebabs with a bowl of lentils, a tomato and onion salad, and finally chips. It was delicious but very far from light! The local cats arrived from far and wide, and spent the entire lunch peering longingly at the table and occasionally jumping up to see if they could steal some chicken. As if! They moved on to the weird Spanish hippies at the next table; one of the girl hippies had bare arms and legs, which were completely tattooed with black ink. It was also all around her neck and who knows where else? Very odd.

It was another couple of hours to Taroudant, but the scenery changed yet again as we entered a more cultivated region, with wheat, orange trees, olive trees, melons growing almost hidden along the ground and polytunnels housing banana trees.

Once in Taroudant, we spent a while trying to find our hotel, which was in the old town, hidden down a narrow lane. A modest door with a sign on it hid a beautiful hotel with a pool and garden.

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