Morocco's Atlas Mountains - Imlil

After the manic activity of Marrakesh, we were ready for a little time out in nature and headed to the Atlas Mountains for a few days. 

We chose the little town of Imlil, the starting point to ascend the rather stunning Toukbal Mountain, which is the highest in Northern Africa.(We didn't have time to try and ascent, but it was tempting!) The road trip only took about an hour and half and we arrived outside the small neighbourhood that housed our riad. Like all things ancient in Morocco, there was no getting to the hotel without walking a narrow winding path.

Imlil (and, indeed, most of Morocco) hadn't seen rain for several months, so the dirt paths were little more than dusty slides. We made it to the riad without incident (Mohammed carrying our two suitcases) and were pleasantly surprised to find a comfortable, well positioned hotel waiting for us. The terrace had stunning views of the mountains we'd come to explore.

Chillin' on the terrace of our riad

The first day we hiked up to the waterfalls near the town. The altitude only affected us slightly, even though we'd been away from Cuenca for a while. The falls were lovely and we can't quite decide whether the enterprising man with his orange juice stand marred or improved the setting.

Of course, along the route were vendors selling all the traditional Moroccan wares. We're lucky we got away from the country without having our entire house carpeted.

On day two we decided to tackle one of the nearby peaks (Douar, I believe). We hiked through the village and a pine forest, before hitting the barren slopes of the peak. The dust was at least an inch deep and was scattered with scree. Going up wasn't all that bad, despite me gasping at the altitude and steep incline. The views at the peak were stunning and our guide, Mohammed, offered to take us up a more technically challenging peak next door, once we'd had our lunch. Of course, we couldn't resist, even though my legs were starting to feel like jelly after the weeks of inactivity. Hard scrabbling over rock face, we made it to the peak and had sweeping views of both the plains that headed to Marrakesh, the soaring peak of Toukbal and the town of Imlil. 

I think the most surprising thing, on arriving in the mountains, was that the leaves were changing. Of  course, it was November, but I hadn't anticipated signs of autumn in Morocco, for some reason. You could feel it in the air, though and once the sun was down there was a decided chill. The temperatures might have also accounted for the unnaturally blue sky. Sometimes, we'd look up past the mountains and the sky looked fake, but it wasn't. The azure was almost blinding in the depth of its blueness.

Mt Toubkal

Mohammed and Danica checking out Imlil

The descent was brutal, I confess. The dust was like walking on ice and I fell several times, taking some skin off my palm and landing on butt. I managed to slip my way down the mountain, exhausted by the effort. Ron's shiny black boots looked matte brown by the time we reached the riad. If you decide to hike in the dry season, I'd recommend poles, which I don't normally use, but they would have come in handy there.

We had our final dinner in Morocco, enjoying a simple cous cous and packed our bags in preparation for the long journey home.

Some final thoughts on Morocco: it's apparent to me, that the women really do have a choice about how they dress. We saw very traditionally dressed girls hanging out with Western dressed girls, non-traditional parents with girls in scarves. No heavy judgement, which is pretty cool. If you don't like mint tea, Morocco probably isn't for you, it's also known as Moroccan whiskey, as alcohol isn't widely available. Ironically, if you go somewhere that alcohol is available, they think you're quite mad when you order a non-alcoholic beverage. They're almost proud to be able to provide something that they feel you might be deprived of. The final thing of interest is their use of "you're welcome", they mean it literally...you are welcome (in our country, in my establishment), but it does take getting used to. "Where are you from?" "Canada" "You are welcome."  Quirky and charming. Go at least once and enjoy the madness, hospitality and incredible history.

Mind Boggling Marrakesh

After our experiences in Fez, we were feeling a lot more confident about heading into the madness that we'd heard is Marrakesh. I mean, how much crazier could it be, right? (Aren't I naive?)

Marrakesh is like Fez on steroids. I think the largest contributing factor to this is that scooters, motorcycles and small delivery trucks are allowed in the Medina and souks. Of course, it didn't help that one of the very first things we saw was a pedestrian, laying flat in a crosswalk, head bleeding and half-addled. He'd been hit by a reckless scooter driver that had made a crazy manoeuvre around our transport just moments before. (At least, this is my theory, I didn't actually see the accident.) The most distressing part was how the traffic just went around him. (There were people at the scene helping him, but most drivers just merged around, like he was a fallen box or something.)

Street to our Riad

We were now used to the idea of abandoning the vehicle well before we arrived at our hotel and following someone through narrow little streets to find our riad. What we weren't prepared for were the Kamikaze drivers driving their bikes and scooters at full speed through said narrow streets. The way to our riad was actually quite serene, but when we headed out into the lanes of the souks, we were accosted by all number of two-wheeled vehicles, donkeys and mules, not to mention the general crush of humanity. I can't quite describe how completely overwhelming it is. It felt a bit like I was flirting with death. but after a couple of days, I got used to it (so to speak) and didn't feel quite so terrified to step out of doors.

The souks in Marrakesh are definitely tourist oriented, they don't have that normal "day in the life" feeling. Of course, there's tons of fascinating things to see, various qualities of ceramics, textiles, leather goods (the slippers!) metal work, jewellery and clothing, both western and traditional. Then there are the tea shops, restaurants and treat shops. More lacking are the household goods, hardware stores and other normal shops. While it's intense and amazing, it can occasionally feel a bit overdone, at least compared to Fez. 

One of the wider avenues

If you like stuff, Marrakesh is the place for you; the amount of stock is monumental. I can't imagine that it gets turned over with any regularity.

Yup, they have everything

On our second day we decided to try and find the Saadian tombs. It only took three hours to find, including an erroneous trip to the tanneries.

We took a day trip to the seaside town of Essaouira, a pleasant diversion from the buzz of the big city. On the way we stopped at a famous spot, where the local goats have learned to climb trees. It's quite the thing to see.

The fort walls meet the sea and I imagine it was an important fortification for protecting the port and struggling agriculture that exists nearby. 

It's quite famous for its blue doors.

On our way home, a three hour drive, Morocco's football (soccer) team managed to secure a place in the world cup for the first time in 20 years. Complete madness ensued. The streets thronged with people, lined three and four deep on the sidewalks; scooters wove through the stalled traffic some with passengers standing upright on the back, flags flapping off the riders shoulders and groups of cheering fans running through it all. I can't say that I've ever experienced anything like it, not even when Canada won the gold medal in men's hockey in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics...and that was something in itself. Just when we thought Marrakesh couldn't get any crazier.

Our time in Marrakesh came to an end and we went off to the peace of the Atlas Mountains, to a town called Imlil.

Fabled Fez

Our sojourn in Rabat was relaxing, but we were still searching for the mysterious feeling that we felt Morocco should hold. (Funny how you can get such ideas, when you've never been to a place, yes?) With that in mind, we boarded a train and headed to Fez.

We took an early train and spoiled ourselves by booking into a higher end riad in the city for two nights. The riad was placed right on the edge of the Medina, making it fairly easy to find, if you stuck to the inner wall. (That sounds easy, but with all the wendy little streets you can still get turned around.) Armed with a map of the Medina, we ventured into the maze all alone, looking for the tanneries, weavers and metal workers. The upside of the Medina in Fez is that it's on a hill. Our riad was on the upper side and the artisans were on the lower side, so getting down to the souks was fairly easy. (Of course, the map helped, too.) 

Our Riad

Eidy, the Riad Mascot

Metal Workers

Dye Vats

Weavers

Unlike shiny new Rabat, the Medina is one of the most ancient in Morocco. The narrow little lanes have no space for modernity, so only mules and donkeys are allowed in the old town. (And hand carts.) The downside is that the lanes are so narrow that you can't get a data signal, so if you're trying to use your network for maps, they don't always work. 

Donkeys taking treated leather to
the artisans

As we entered the heart of the Medina, where the souks are, we got swept back in time. While some of the wares were definitely modern (cell phone stores, for example), the stalls and people could have come from any period over the last 1000 years. Both women and men seemed to have a preference for traditional dress, sporting caftans and djellabas (a traditional Berber long tunic with hood). We had found the very essence of Morocco. 

One of the main entrances (babs) The Blue Gate

Meeting of the Minds

Needless to say, we enjoyed our time in this authentic and mesmerizing city. We felt like we'd turned a corner, somehow, in this strange land and were ready to take on Marrakesh.