6 September, 2014
Travelling through Morocco
in areas where mud-brick construction predominates, it’s difficult
for a stranger to tell what different buildings and clusters of
buildings might be, construction and design are so similar. But you
always know a school. Schools are colourful, either because the
buildings themselves are painted in rainbow colours or because there
are bright murals on the walls.
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| Typical school |
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| School gates |
Before heading into the
desert, time was spent visiting what the tour programme referred to
as “the Merzouga oasis area”. On the whole, it looked more like
desert than oasis! Although we did see what most Westerners (I think)
would regard as an oasis: the little circle of palm trees and a
dwelling or two in the middle of “the desert”.
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| The Western idea of a desert oasis |
In reality, an oasis is bigger, sometimes much bigger, than the Western idea of one.
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| The desert-edge oasis village of Merzouga |
While we’d seen camels
before now, this part of the world is really their home. I’m not
sure how it works. Some seemed to be restricted in one way or
another, others seemed to be quite free to wander at will without
straying from the general area where they’re supposed to be.
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| Camel country |
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| Tucker time |
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| Time for a rest before work |
There is little water to be
seen but it’s there somewhere.
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| Wells in the desert |
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| Looking down a well …. although I couldn’t actually see any water! |
You can take “heat
treatment” …. not sure if this is supposed to make you more
healthy, more beautiful, or both. But no way that I’d give it a go.
Just too hot!
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| Preparing the treatment area |
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| Taking the treatment |
Then it was off to the black Moroccan village of Khamlia. I was interested that Hami referred to these people as
Africans. Was he not African himself? Interestingly, “Africans”
to him are what “Africans” are to Australians, the very
dark-skinned inhabitants of the continent who live south of the
Sahara. Khamlia was the home of Africans who had migrated north so this was a different experience of Morocco.
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| "African" musicians - Groupe des Bambaras |
The music of Groupe des Bambaras at Khamlia was percussive for the most part, accompanied by
some singing. There was also dancing when a larger tour group arrived
…. but I refrained from giving my two left feet an outing!
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| Only one stringed instrument |
We were served mint tea ….
I love that drink!
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| Mint tea …. and a most beautiful musician of the future 🙂 |
I bought a CD but like the
band in the Paris Metro and the choir at a church in St Petersburg,
the CD doesn’t completely capture the vivacity of the group, the
vibrations that you can physically feel.
***
Not an occasion
for photos was a visit to the home of a local Merzouga family, well known to
Hami, for morning tea/lunch – more mint tea plus Moroccan pizza. I felt
a bit awkward about this, as though I were invading someone’s home.
But then, such ‘invasions’ are a part of the tourist industry
that brings income to the area. I experienced the cultural divide at
first hand. I was a guest but all the other people in the room were
men. The wife of the head of the household, plus some young children,
only came into the room to serve us.
I also had one of the
loveliest experiences here. There was no “here’s the bathroom”
to wash your hands before eating. Instead, a basin, jug and hand
towel were offered. You held your hands over the basin and water was
poured over them. It was such a personal, intimate experience. Quite
sensuous really.
Afterwards I learned just
how well Hami knows this family. We got outside and he pointed to the
house next door. “That’s mine!” Still being built and where he
will eventually live with his wife and daughter (both clearly adored
by him), moving out of his father’s home.
And then it was back to base
at Kasbah Dunes D’Or.
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| Approaching Kasbah Dunes D’Or |
I’d been warned that
electricity supply could be intermittent but in fact had no trouble.
Places this isolated don’t have mains power. There must be
generators but they weren’t noticeable, either visually or aurally.
Just how many had solar power as well I couldn’t guess as panels
were unobtrusive. I didn’t notice these panels until I got home and
looked closely at the photos I’d taken.
(On the other hand,
satellite dishes grew like topsy, only too obvious on roofs
everywhere!)
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| Rear of the Kasbah |
In the photo above, my
terrace is immediately left of the small room protruding from the walls.
Solar panels are above that.
Before heading off for a night in the desert there was time for a very
welcome dip in the deliciously cool pool ... the pool fringed by gums!
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| The kasbah pool |
