Gess Where Travels: Berber Culture

So much to learn and way too much to remember! Bread is indeed an important part of the Berber culture. It comes in all sorts of shapes and ranges from flatbread to more of a round loaf and everything in between. No fancy ovens here for the bread as we watched and sampled our breakfast bread being made. Once the oven is heated the dough is flattened and attached to the walls inside, cooked and then scraped off.

Bread oven

One of the beautiful Kasbahs along the road of 1000 Kasbahs is Kasbah Amridil. From different locations it looks like a giant sand castle. It is in constant repair as the natural products break down - a natural recycling process. Our guide, Abdessamad, was an amazing story teller with a great philosophy of life that really promoted getting along with each, promoting respect and living for the day not the future. Sitting down over tea is the Berber way of problem solving and developing friendship. We learned so much! The world could use a lot more people with his beliefs.

This is the model used to repair the walls

One of the most interesting facts about most Moroccans is how much they respect and love their king. He is seen to be progressive, responsive and supportive of the people. Within just over a week after the earthquake he had announced how much each family would get to rebuilt. Imagine if more countries could speak that highly about their leadership.

Ait Benhaddou is a lovely spot that I have visited in the past. We have seen the first signs of earthquake damage in the Kasbah and did not climb to the top although there were people up there. Intrepid has been very clear that safety comes first. Despite that we climbed the smaller hill for some great views, some of us jumped in the air, shopped and enjoyed a walk along and through the dry river bed.

Abdullah, our leader

And a jump from one of the group

Ait Benhaddou has been the stage for many movie shoots

One of my favorite art pieces - painted with saffron and water for yellow, indigo for blue and green tea and sugar for brown, held over gas heat and this is the result!

Berber alphabet

If it’s high there must be a stork nest

Or a stork made of chicken wire

We also had a chance to support a local women’s cooperative with a delicious lunch and some carpet shopping. There will be a new carpet in my place! It is beautiful work.The cooperative is called Tawesna and in addition to our two stops they have another restaurant that serves coffee and pastries. Intrepid does a great job supporting local initiatives and as travellers we certainly benefited.

Our Berber bartender

Our hotel for the evening was another simple guesthouse with a cool pool that was enjoyed by most in the heat of the day. When we first arrived in the town it was jammed with tourist buses which do day trips from Marrakech. By waiting until later in the day we were able to enjoy less crowded conditions, cooler temperatures and great picture lighting.

And of course the evening was topped off with the full moon.

The journey to Marrakech is scenic and on a very modern highway that eventually takes you through the highest pass at 2260 metres - that is about 500 metres than any of the BC passes. The Tizi Ni Tichka pass is a wonder of switchbacks that take you over the High Atlas Mountains from the south to Marrakech. For those wondering, it was to the west of this that the earthquake hit the hardest. Our original itinerary had us staying in a town in the area but it did experience significant damage leading to a changed itinerary.

Besides the pass we had a number of small stops for more views, shopping, and lunch before arriving in Marrakech. Our itinerary was changed and we were unable to stay in the riad in the Medina. We are staying in the new area in a modern hotel. When we left we were uncertain if we would be able to visit the Medina and the good news is yes we will. Three weeks later repairs are already underway although a few stops will be closed.