Today we are to drive to the Todrha Gorge. Louise had fallen ill during the night and she stayed at the hotel. Before arriving at the gorge, we stopped at a date palm oasis. We had to walk down a steep embankment, but were helped by some of the town children. These kids are very enterprising. They showed us around, pointing out the female and male trees and even climbed high up into the treetops to pose for our pictures. They make little souvenirs out of palm leaves to sell to the tourists. We got four camels and an ingenious car with a trunk that opened and had wheels made of figs! Oh yes, there were numerous fig trees in the area as well. We left the kids with a few dirhams and continued our trip. We made one more stop at an impressive overlook and took photos of the lush scenery and one “touristy” shot of a local man and his camel. He has on the traditional garb worn by the Bluemen of the desert. Once at the gorge, the bus had to drive over some low, flooded sections on the one-lane road that served as the only passage into and out of the area. The Gorge is a narrow cut in the towering mountains with a river running along the floor. We walked along the water and I picked up a stone or two for my collection. We then returned to the hotel for lunch and to pick up Louise. We drove into the town and stopped at another rug shop. We were served tea, sprinkled with rosewater, and then shown a large variety of kilim-type carpets, which are woven rather than hand knotted. After the usual bargaining sessions, Martha and I purchased a small carpet, as did Marian and Phil.
The next place we stop is called El Kelaâ M’Gouna. This small town is famous as the center of rosewater production. We learn that it takes over 1 ton of rose petals to produce around 2 pints of rosewater extract. Every year, 5,500 tons of petals are processed in the two distilleries here. We were not able to visit either of the distilleries, but we did wander among some of the rose bushes. There is a rose festival held here each Spring. In retrospect, I regret not purchasing some of the rosewater to bring home!
We continued our drive to Ouarzazate, passing many interesting areas along the way. Larbi tells us about the irrigation systems and the series of dams, which have been built over the last 42 years. The goal of the present government is to build one dam each year. To date, there are a total of 90 dams and 600 lakes. Entering each new area, we pass stone gates and/or arches, which mark the boundaries of individual communal regions. Wheat is growing in many of the fields. We see large herds of sheep, goats, and a few wild camels; there are also donkeys burdened with produce, or pulling a loaded cart, or providing transport for weary people. Women wash clothing and carpets in the streams we pass. We saw several marabouts (tombs of holy men), which are also places of worship. Cars pass us on the road bearing ribbons of red, white and green, signifying the occupants are on the pilgrimage to Mecca.
We stopped to see the Kasbah Taourirt, which once housed members of the Glaoui dynasty and their hundreds of servants and workers. This is a very beautiful, very large complex. It has been used in many films made in this country, most notably, “The Sheltering Sky” (1990). The rooms are lavishly decorated with zellige mosaics and carved stuccowork. The ceilings have huge wooden beams with colored wooden dowels that appear to be woven into interesting patterns. We looked out from the building through windows decorated with moucharabieh, a type of grill or latticework, which keeps the rooms cool. This also allows the women to watch displays in the courtyard without being seen. UNESCO has carefully restored various sections of the buildings.
We eventually arrived at the Hotel Berbere Palace in Ouarzazate, a nice improvement over the two previous hotels. I started feeling sick and attended dinner but ate little, retiring early to our room. I spent most of the night in and out of the bathroom!