Day Six Fes - Midelt

Day Six

Date:     3 May 2013

Place:    Fes - Midelt

Weather:   Warm and  fine.

Accommodation:   Hotel Kasbah

Today we were headed to the Middle Atlas Mountains.  As we drove from Fes the landscape was filled with lots of poppies and olive groves. 

Our first stop was at Ifrane, a well-known French inspired ski resort where we had a coffee break.  The town is known as ‘Switzerland’ because of its sloping roofs however it goes far beyond that as the appearance is very European.  Ifrane has the Moroccan Athletic Training Centre which I’m sure has trained some of their brilliant athletes at this high altitude facility.  As we left the town we saw quite a few runners out training.  Ifrane is also noted for a lovely sculpture of a lion shaped from the local stone of the area.

A little way along in the bus at Azrou we had close contact with Barbary apes.  The wonderful little creatures were in a cedar forest and obviously quite used to tourists.  They accepted and devoured bananas very quickly.

The landscape was varied today but as we neared the mountains the environment became much harsher with less trees and more rocky outcrops.  Nomadic Berber homes could be seen from the road and herds of sheep were roaming for food.  The homes were made of rocks and some had tents.

Today we did quite a bit of driving so it was great to get to lunch time for a chance to stretch our legs.  The restaurant seemed to be in the middle of nowhere!

Half an hour down the road we stopped and ambled down to Burrum Gorge.  It was spectacularly beautiful in its starkness.  We could see down to the flowing stream way below framed by the tall layered sand-coloured cliffs with outcrops of small stubby green growths and blue tinged mountains in the distance.  Breathtaking!

Isn't it wonderful!

I'm sure you've heard of tourists being dumped in the desert!

 

We continued on further walking over the rocky landscape to the nearby kasbah (mud homes joined together to look like one house).  From a distance it is difficult to make them out as they are the same colour as the earth from which they are made.  We wandered down the main street and our guide pointed out that people in towns have a car for each house – in a Kasbah it is important to own a donkey for a means of transport.  As we made our way through several donkeys passed us with women and children seated on their backs.  Other donkeys grazed nearby.

In the Kasbah!

 

We picked up some supplies in Midelt, particularly water, as tomorrow night we are heading into the desert for our camel ride and overnight Berber tent experience. 

It was time for the hotel and it is such an extraordinary building as it looks like a giant sandcastle!  Inside transported us back in time to Rick’s Café – internal mosaics, a riad style centre and heavily ornate dining rooms. 

David and I quickly had a wash and headed downstairs for a couple of glasses of red – we just wanted to soak up this truly incredible experience!