Leaving Fez (See Slide Show)

The route from Fez to Erfoud was 265 miles, the most miles we drove on any day. Our trip took us through ever–changing scenery, much of it dramatic and also reminding me of places in California and the U.S. Southwest. We also drove through the Middle Atlas Mountains to reach Erfoud, which is near the Sahara Desert. I have put most of my photos of this drive on a slide show: Go to  Slide Shows, Morocco, “Morocco: Fez to Erfoud.” However, to make the slide show somewhat more informative, I have put some photos on below for explanation.

Leaving Fez (See Slide Show)

Ifrane

The town of Ifrane was built in 1929 by the French as a resort in the cooler mountains for them. It was built in the European style rather than the Moroccan one, so it does look somewhat out of place here.

Ifrane

The Macaques (See Movies)

Most of the Moroccan macaques live in the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas Mountains. To reach them, we had to drive up a one–lane mountain road. Before the entrance to the road there was a police stop, which I assume was there to tell buses and cars that another vehicle might be coming down the road and to wait for it before proceeding. The macaques came out to greet us and for treats. I fed the macaque in this photo and another one some salted cashews, which was a major mistake. I paused to take a photo and the first macaque ran toward me and grabbed my leg––it wanted more nuts right then. I screamed (my Moroccan adventure continues)––it really scared me––and dropped all the rest of the nuts on the ground. The macaque was happy with this result. I have put two videos of the macaques: Go to  Movies, Morocco, “Moroccan Macaques––1&2.” They really are cute.

The Macaques (See Movies)

Adobe Houses

We saw adobe houses in the desert that reminded me very much of those of the Pueblo Indians in the U.S. state of New Mexico. I did some research: countries all over the world from very early times have used adobe (a mixture of sand, clay, sometimes straw, and water). However, there is a Spanish connection between the adobe houses here and those in New Mexico. The Spanish learned the art of making adobe into bricks from the North Africans––using wooden molds. When the Spanish came to the New World, they taught both the Mexicans and Native Americans this process. The photo: the top adobe building is one I saw in Morocco; the bottom one is one I saw in Taos, New Mexico. The one in Taos uses wood as well as adobe. (The Taos adobe multistory pueblo was built before the Spanish came.) Incidently, the word “adobe” is a Spanish word derived from the Arabic word “atob” (also spelled “atub”), which means “sun–dried brick.”

Adobe Houses

The Kasbah Where We Ate Lunch

We ate lunch at the kasbah in the photo. Some of the kasbahs are very old ones, some have been rennovated, and others are newly built to serve as hotels. I think this one was newly built––it is quite beautiful.

The Kasbah Where We Ate Lunch

The Oases

There are many oases in the Moroccan desert, where they grow dates––about 20 something varieties. Some of these oases are quite extensive. Photo: an oasis.

The Oases