Morocco 2/16/2024 - 3/2/2024 |
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Saturday 2/24 - Desert ATV Ride, Lunch with Jamal's Family, Todra Gorge, Dades Gorge, SkouraWe woke up at 6 a.m. and got packed up to leave the desert. We went outside to watch the sunrise, but it was cloudy and there was no real color. We could see Shay, Jason, and Tony's silhouettes in the distance on top of the big dune, sandboarding. It was a shame that the sunrise wasn't better for them, but at least they followed through with their plan.We went to breakfast at 8:00. We had bread, fruit, cake, crepes, msemen (square Moroccan pancakes), cucumber and tomatoes, cheese, home made fried dough-style donuts, fresh orange juice, and coffee, and eggs in a tajine. They loaded up our luggage and we left at 8:49 by SUV to go on our ATV excursion in Merzouga. The quad bikes were blue Yamaha Grizzlies. We donned our helmets, got a quick lesson in how to drive them (which is really as easy as a throttle lever and brakes), and were on our way. We followed our guide across the tarmac road and into the dunes. It was great to ride up and down the dunes. The quads were really easy to drive and had enough power to climb straight up some of the dunes. We were happy to Have a guide to follow so we didn’t need to worry about what route to take. We were able to just let loose and have some fun. Before we knew it, our hour was almost up and we headed back to the road and then returned the quads. We could have stayed out there all day if we didn’t have such a long drive ahead of us today. Thanks to our guide for getting plenty of photos and videos for us! Riding ATV's in the Merzouga dunes We began another long day of driving, departing from Merzouga. We stopped in Erfoud at Macro Fossiles Kasbah Erfoud fossil workshop and showroom. This area of Morocco was once a prehistoric ocean. As water disappeared, the sea animals died and sank to the bottom, becoming fossilized in the sedimentary rock. These fossils date back 420 million to 530 million years. People mine the fossils as you would mine granite or other stone, cutting huge slabs which are then cut down and polished wit denim. They are used to make things as varied as table tops, sinks, coasters, plates, and jewelry. The fossils include ammonite (nautilus), trilobite, orthoceras (squid), starfish, and crinoide (like a jellyfish with a 40 meter long tail which attaches to sea floor). It was fascinating to see, and the showroom had things at all price points, from $6 to thousands of dollars. We did some shopping here, picking up a few small items, and then headed out.  After the fossil workshop, Jamal asked if we had interest in seeing the Todra Valley, where he was born and raised. The Todra Valley lies between the high Atlas and the Anti Atlas mountains. It is 40 km long and home to 45,000 people. Jamal's village is called Tinghir, which means Of the Mountain. It dates back to the 7th century. It was a little out of the way and would compress our itinerary for the day a bit, but we jumped at the chance. We love to get to know local people, and the opportunity to visit Jamal’s family home in Tinghir was an opportunity not to be missed. We were so humbled to be invited to meet his family and share a meal with them. We stopped at Jamal's family home, built by his grandfather in the 1960's and still home to the extended family. We met Jamal's lovely sister Ilham, who is a 7th year medical student. Ilham speaks wonderful English with very little accent (she credits English language TV shows in her formative years, most specifically Hannah Montana). We also met their friendly cousin Mustapha. We were led into a large room with a bench couch around the perimeter, perfect for entertaining an extended family. The family greeted us with tea (with absinthe herb in it), cookies, and nuts. After Majid parked the van, he joined the party as well. Then Jamal came around with a traditional Islamic wash basin (known as a tass or mghasel) for us to clean our hands before eating lunch. It saves all of the guests a trip to the washroom. Then we were served a delicious salad made with cucumbers, oranges, and beets, as well as eggplant puree with garlic and green peppers to be eaten with bread. Then they brought out a delicious tajine of beef, potatoes, and vegetables. We tried Hawai tropical soft drink, which was quite refreshing. Everything was delicious and we ate to bursting. For dessert we had apples, clementines, and oranges. We chatted with Ilham and Jamal about Moroccan culture (learning the proper way to eat out of a tajine family-style), medicine, etc. We then said hello to Jamal and Ilham’s mother and paternal grandmother (both named Zainib). It was a lovely visit and we will cherish the memories forever. We thank Jamal and his family from the bottom of our hearts for welcoming us into their home and showing us such hospitality. We drove to the nearby Todra Gorge to which Jamal and his siblings used to walk. There are some springs which source the river that flows through the gorge. The late afternoon sunlight made the gorge look beautiful, and, aside from a few rock climbers, there really weren't many other people here admiring the gorgeous landscape. After Todra Gorge, it was a 90 minute drive to Dades Gorge. We arrived shortly before sunset and the late afternoon light on the rock formations was gorgeous. There are interesting rock formations called monkeys' fingers. They also sort of look like people. Jamal told us a legend that they actually were people who had been cursed and turned to stone for neglecting to be hospitable to guests. We had assumed that the monkeys' fingers were our ultimate destination, but there was more. After taking some pictures, we got back in the car. We continued further up the gorge along the narrow switchbacks of the Tisdrine road (used in a 2012 Cadillac commercial). The views were beautiful and we could see water and vegetation in the gorge below us. Majid is an expert driver and handled the difficult Tisdrine with ease. We stopped to get some pictures and then continued on into the darkness, not arriving at our hotel in Skoura until after 9 p.m. The hotel, Ksar El Kabbaba, is absolutely gorgeous. It has a beautiful swimming pool and many other amenities such as small gardens, water features, and spas. Our room, the Elmenzeh suite, was gorgeous. We had a four poster bed with a chandelier hanging from the center of the painted ceiling above the bed. Dinner was included in our stay, but we were not hungry at all after the big, delicious lunch that we had enjoyed at Jamal's family home. The staff seemed very disappointed that we didn't want dinner, and they tried to convince us to eat. But we just weren't hungry. We did, however, make breakfast reservations for 9 a.m. So we retired to our room. It was a shame that we would only be here on this gorgeous property for about 12 hours. But we wouldn't change anything about the day today. We were very grateful to Jamal and Majid for adding Todra Gorge to our itinerary for the day. It meant a lot more driving for Majid, and we really appreciated his willingness to accommodate this extra excursion which was so special to us. I went outside to get some photos of the beautifully illuminated pool, but just as I did, the exterior lights were extinguished. I'd have to wait until daylight tomorrow to get a photo of it. I struggled a bit with the wi-fi but eventually got connected to a router that worked. I posted to Instagram and Facebook after having been offline for two days, and I typed up notes on my laptop. Craig took a shower and I took a bath. I then stayed up until 12:45 a.m. posting. I still wasn't caught up, and we felt awful going to bed without really taking advantage of the amenities of the hotel, but we needed to get some rest. It had been a long, busy day. Macro Fossiles Kasbah, Erfoud Tinghir Dades Gorge Ksar El Kabbaba, Skoura |
 ATV ride in the dunes  Taking a break on our ATV tour  Ilham, Steph, Craig, Jamal, Majid  Jamal, Craig, Steph, Ilham, Moustapha, Majid  Jamal's family's roof deck  Todra Valley  Todra Gorge (with Majid photobomb)  Dades Gorge  Dades Gorge See all photos from February 24 |
 Dades Gorge |
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