We left the Sahara just in time - the black clouds were bringing rain. Our journey for the next three days would take us through more varied landscapes, rugged mountains, windy roads and an occasional flat area.
Our first stop was Tata. We didn’t have an opportunity to explore the market town but enjoyed one night on our journey west.
Before arriving at the next location we enjoyed a couple of very interesting stops. First we visited a granary which is not like most of us expect. Each family has their own storage area to keep their valuable and in some cases grain. The 67 year keeper of the granary had lots of energy as he demonstrated how he could run up the tallest stairs. This unexpected visit was a real highlight.
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| The wooden lock |
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| Oats storage |
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| The writing is amazing |
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| The script on this was a land title - our lawyers were horrified |
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| Berber symbol for free man |
We enjoyed a lovely break at a local family home for our second Berber breakfast. A real second Berber breakfast would be goat milk and dates. Ours was significantly more - fresh breads, cheese, jams, a lovely Berber peanut butter (ground peanut butter with Argan Oil and honey), and of course sweets. The fellow at the home gave each of the women a yellow rose from the huge blooming bush.
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| The fresh honey was to die for |
Tafroute was our final destination for the day. The pool was great and really appreciated during our free time. Shopping in the local village was fun but bargaining is just tiring. I was told I bargained like a Berber woman - I think that was a compliment! After finally getting to an agreed price on a small tagine, I walked away happy only to have a dropsy accident - good bye tagine. After some rest time from the desert, we were off early for our final drive to the coast.
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| Can you see the lion head in the mountain |
Our route took us across country initially through many more mountains. Suddenly they were gone and we were on flat land where we could see a lot of agriculture - huge fields and even more huge green houses. A coffee stop took us to another local village where the shoes and colorful dress were the highlight.At last we reached Agadir where we spent a couple hours - just enough time for a delicious seafood lunch and a walk along the beach. It was a bit chilly although mostly from the wind. The sand in the sunshine WAS HOT.
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| Salad for one |
Continuing onwards to Essaouria, it was time to learn more about argan oil in one of the many local cooperatives.
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