Day 9 - Midelt to Middle Atlas and Ifrane, Meknes - Fes

14 July

At 9am, the immodium mobile left Midelt for the Middle Atlas mountains. We drove through cedar and oak forests, a strange sight after the parched desert landscapes of Merzouga and the High Atlas mountains. The scenery was decidedly green and, as is usually the way, where there is hilly green, there are sheep. Lots of sheep - and goats too. Regaining consciousness after dozing, for a minute you could think you were back in the New Zealand countryside but then a handful of Berber tents would whiz past the window and you’d remember where you are.

We pulled into a small town and, uncharacteristically, our tour guide jumped out to buy some food. The penny dropped as we pulled into a picnic area later on and he began to cut up apples for the Barbary Apes who lived there.

We later arrived in Ifrane, a mountain town and, in winter, a ski resort. Over mint tea, we collectively wondered why the hell we stopped in Midelt for the night when we could have spent time in this picturesque little place instead. 30 minutes later we were back on the road to Meknes.

Tea with Nikki and Peta in Ifrane

Although eating was not really my forte on this afternoon, I did try miniscule amounts of the lunch served in Meknes and have added “Lamb Tagine with prunes and almonds” to my list of international foods to master when I get home. Without exaggeration, I told the manager as we were leaving, that this was the best meal we’d had in Morocco.

One of the beautiful restaurants characteristic of Moroccan dining.

Not the aforementioned tagine but a much loved Moroccan salad.

A brief city tour included the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail and the impressive Bab Mansour gate. Storks nested in high perches all around the city and were especially visible as we drove past the Agdal Basin. Without warning, we found ourselves in the food souks. Initially enthralled by the olive displays, we ran the gauntlet through stinking chicken, offal and unidentifiable fly covered meats and then into the Morrocan sweets section which (oddly the photos don’t show) swarm with angry black bees. With Hitchcock-esque psychoses, we high-tailed it out of there, trying not to splash too much filth on ourselves in the process.

Bab Mansour gate, Meknes

Best olives I've ever eaten - beautifully spiced, Moroccan olives.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz

We drove the short hop to Fes and gratefully checked into a hotel that was far more salubrious than our last residence. While it didn’t have a pool, it did have air con, a pleasant outlook, space and light, as well as traditional zellij (stucco) lobby.