I’ve decided on the desert, but stayed one more day in Marakesh with the young couple I’ve been travelling with so far. While checking out bus times, we met ‘the fat man’ in Berber gear and allowed him to convince us to take a drive into the Ourika valley to see the Berber villages. When we agreed on the price, expecting this friendly man who spoke decent English to take us, he passed us on to another man. This guy lead us at a mad pace through the streets to the taxi rank where we were then passed to a man who spoke less French than me and no English. Each wanted their own tip.
Dressed in as many layers of thermals as we could, we drove up into the red hills, veering away from the road up to the ski resorts. Of course, the journey was a procession of shop visits, each with their own charm. The first had a rooftop with views of the surrounding village (clay) and the people going about their lives. We were dressed in blue headresses and photographed. Then of course, we had to buy a cheap souvenir.
Next was a Aagara oil workshop where local women shelled and pressed Aagara nuts to make a cooking oil. Flavoured with honey and almonds it made a great dip. They also used the oil to make perfumes and soaps and although I wanted to buy a mint soap, $10 per bar was out of my price range, so I gave them a donation for a photo.
We’d eaten on the way up, but when we reached the top, our driver directed us to a restaurant with beautiful views down the Ourika valley and a horde of cats. The set menu was about $25, but we agreed to buy a main for half that. Our driver disappeared just as I was about to offer to pay for his.
When we left the restaurant, he grabbed a local to guide us into the hills to see 6 waterfalls. We chose to walk ourselves and the guide followed us for half an hour, telling us that we’d never find the track and that we really should employ him. He gave up and went back as soon as we found the track entrance. We never bothered to find the waterfalls, but on the way enjoyed watching the locals with their donkeys, working the tiered fields above the villages, chilling out in the sun on the rocks and just going about their lives. It’s so much nicer when you find it yourself.