This is such a different world from ours and there is so much to observe, if I don't write the date each day, I loose track. Tomorrow is a big festival here and everyone is traveling to see their families. We are lucky to get donkeys for our trek today, the group one day behind us will not get to start their ride until after lunch.
After breakfast-bread, some round bread made from semolina that appears to be last nights left-overs, coffee & juice-we piled in a local transport bus to go about 3 km up the road where our donkeys/mules were waiting. We had two pack animals to carry out lunch and seven others to carry the kids or adults who couldn't walk the trek. No saddle-just layers of blankets. Jilly and I rode 1, Jason claimed he was too big and walked, Kaitlyn & Griffen talked two members of the Scottish family into riding with them.
Our trek went straight up a mountainside into what seemed like nowhere. We had to stop along the while while locals made their way down either on foot or donkey's. Several times the donkey came too close to the edge of a drop for my taste. The trip back down is going to be a bit perilous.
About half way up we stopped to rest our legs (I think I'd rather be walking) and eat a snack of dates, figs and nuts. Our
resting spot was near a tiny Berber village and about 7 young boys aged 2-8 sat and watched us with great curiosity. One of them even looked like he could be the twin of my nephew, Logan.
About 40 minutes later a large village nestled into the mountainside appeared. The houses all built from the dirt and rock around them-all a saffron red color. The land in front of the village was all neatly terraced with bright patches of green all the way to the river. Some women were down by the river washing clothes, rubbing them against the rocks and laying them out to dry over bushes. As Jason was taking a photo of them from afar, one of the donkey guides stopped him and shook his
head no.
Our guide told us the village consisted of 1 tribe and the people all marry within their tribe. Most villages negotiate with the government for water (wells), electricity and a school.
Once we reached the village, we dismounted and were led to a house. We climbed up some very crude steps to an open area where we all sat on a mat. For shade could remove our shoes and go through a door to a room that had a carpet covering part of the dirt floor, pillows around the walls and a TV sitting in an armoire. The TV was tuned to Al Jazeera and we deduced that Saddam had been executed.
Back outside a gentleman was brewing mint tea for us and our guide was preparing lunch with some local women. The drink
of choice in Morocco is mint tea-90% mint leaves and 10% green tea leaves brewed and poured into a sort of shot glass with about 4 cubes of sugar. While in the Western World you tend see people sitting around have a glass of wine, beer or soda; here in Morocco it is mint tea.
We had to snatch our cups quickly as the youngest child of our group (not one of my kids) decided she would add even more sugar to the cups and then sample each one. The adults of her family thought it funny and didn't do much to stop her. Despite the primitive living, this turned out to be the most unsanitary moment of the day.
Me and 2 other women decided we needed the toilet. This turned out to be below the steps, through a door that led to some empty rooms that looked animal housing or storage. Through another door we found the actual toilet-a hole in the wall at the corner of the room that had a slight downward slant to the floor. As I sat, squatting on the floor and staring at the pile of potatoes in the opposite corner, I wondered where one had to go for a poo. I will be sure to step over the clear paths of wet coming from each house as well.
While we each waited for our turn to pee-a few local children gathered whispering and giggling at our marvel of their toilet. When we returned upstairs we found a teapot filled with water, a bucket and a bar of soap to wash with. Is is amazing to see that so many people still live off the land and nothing else. Nobody seemed unhappy with what they had or didn't have for that matter.
Lunch was simple yet delicious-fresh cut tomatoes, olives, red onions, green peppers, pasta, tuna and a spicy red pepper sauce. We had fresh mandarins and apples for dessert.
I put Jillian in the baby backpack and walked around until she fell asleep-I was then able to pass the backpack onto Jason and he started off down the mountain. I rode on the donkey with Griffen and Kaitlyn went with another adult from our group. The trip down was a bit spooky with the donkeys walking very close to the edge and all the locals coming back up with full loads on their donkeys or visiting family. At one point the donkey walking behind Griffen and I slipped and its hind legs went over the edge. Thank goodness no one was riding that one. After watching this happen, Griffen got spooked enough that we walked down the rest of the way.
At the bottom, the donkey guides surrounded us waiting for tips. I wish our guide had told us what was a fair tip or took all the money and divided it as each of us gave a different amount and it wasn't a nice way to end the day.
1 comment:
I really enjoyed your descriptions - particularly of the food and the loos! Midge
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