After a few weeks travelling we were glad that Eid was announced as it meant Morocco would come back to life again. We planned to be somewhere special and celebrate along with them, but somehow ended up in the middle of nowhere at an incredible canyon lined with palm trees, dwellings, and a small irrigation system with water running through. In the end, it truly was the most magical place to be.
We stopped at the start of the gorge after a long hot drive, so we didn't even see what was coming until the next day. It was lovely camped in the shade of the palms and I got to enjoy my new cushions whilst Jamie topped up the oil on dear Butters.
The next morning we had a wee walk around to stretch our legs. There was a small amount of water in the oasis, and water trickling down irrigation channels, something I would come to admire in the following days as I began to understand more about agriculture here.
Along the valley were various accomodation and houses, and the occasional small cafe. Apparently they do good Berber omelette - eggs cooked in tomato, cummin and parsley with bread and often olives.
Jamie checked the engine of course. Good maintenance is important. More on mechanics soon! We will have two garage related posts coming up.
Partly this valley was so quiet due to labour migration. One guy told us even he moved away to Marrakesh for a time. It was difficult growing up there in the 70s, he said, completely isolated with no electricity.
We had hoped to see more stars, but there was a lot of sand haze about sadly. There was, however, a lot of bird life, including an owl. In fact, a lot of these oasis resound with frogs and birds which is a good sign I think.
The Morning of Eid
For the few weeks, the Muslims have been observing Ramadan, so this can mean not only is is hard to get lunch, no one shares tea with you when you arrive or visit and a lot of cafes are shut or only open for a short time. On top of that, the Moroccons can often be tired and hungry, particular in the afternoon, so they can be grumpy.
Thus everyone was happy when Eid was announced. We planned to be somewhere to join in the festivities but ended up in the quietest spot ever. There was hardly a soul to be seen!
In the morning as we drove along the valley, we saw a lot of people dressed in their finest robes ready for mosque, often with big smiles on their faces, ready to enjoy celebrations and a short holiday with family and friends.
When the prayer started, we had to stop and listen. We stood in the middle of the road and listened to the sound echo from the valley walls. I cried. There was just something so, so beautiful and powerful about it. If you put all the crazy shit about religion aside all that's left is a song to the divine.
The drive out of the valley was equally stunning. We will see a lot of this in Morocco - a country formed by the collision of tectonic plates is bound to be pretty cool.
With Love,
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OMG that is literally the oasis that we used to see in the 1950/60's Hollywood movies! They actually exist, but sooooo much more gorgeous IRL!
Soooooo Jelly of you guys!
Well it's not too far from the Morocco Hollywood at Ouarrzazate!
Never heard of that! Will have to google map it.
Be safe and adventure on! Lucky you!
I really don't know these Moroccan landscapes. Well, I've never been there. But one thing's for sure, it's magnificent.
Thank you for letting us discover it. Always behind your biggest smile of course!
Oh it's amazing. Wish we could stay longer. You must roadtrip here in you van.
It's not in my future plans yet, but yes, I intend to schedule it for myself one day!
OMG what a place!! I felt like i was looking at pictures of Jurassic Park, hehe. Amazing! That looks like a real adventure!
Just wild!
Hiya, @livinguktaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Travel Digest #2185.
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This is such a picture-book image of an oasis, just like I have imagined it. Incredible, that these kind of places actually exist!