Storyline: Highlights of Morocco
Shortly after breakfast on Jan 16, we said goodbye to the Blue City, still asleep in the blanket of fresh crisp blue air, and hit the winding mountainous roads descending from the Rif mountains.
We settled in the comfort of our minibus, alternately enjoying the countryside and catching up on sleep while Larbi drove us through lush green farming fields, river valleys, reservoirs and distant mountains.
Today we’d learn a bit about the rules Larbi and other professional drivers have to follow. Often the road is semi-closed with traffic police stopping vehicles apparently randomly.
We were stopped and Larbi’s documents were checked. It took no more than 2 minutes; however, we were curious about a small disc Larbi pulled out of what looked like a CD unit installed low in the dashboard. Said pulled another disc from a storage compartment. It was from our previous day.
This disc, called a tachograph card, contained all the information on the driver’s behaviour. Speed, stops, length of breaks etc. The police were ensuring that Larbi had followed the commercial driver rules governing hours of driving, frequency and duration of breaks, and maximum speed. The officer can see this information at a glance by the lines inscribed on the card. We were stopped several times over the next two weeks: Larbi, being the consummate professional, passed easily every time.
Around noon we reached the Roman ruins of Volubilis, situated on the slopes below Mount Zerhoun 32 km north of Meknes. We met our local guide there, and he took us through this ancient city, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were told that these were the best-preserved Roman ruins in this part of Northern Africa.
Dating back to the 3rd century BCE, Volubilis grew in its heyday under Roman rule to cover over 100 acres (42 ha) and was a centre of olive production.
After the Romans’ exit, the city slowly declined until it was almost deserted by the 14th century, after which the town was looted over time for building materials and it fell into ruin. An earthquake in 1755 destroyed many of the then-remaining buildings.
The larger structures we saw, our guide told us, were rebuilt based on pre-earthquake sketches and descriptions.
We peered into old bathhouses, marveled at the well-preserved mosaic floors, gazed up at the towering marble pillars while our guide presented the story of life in this city. There were galleries, communal toilets and a vomitorium (yes, it’s exactly what you think it is) across from a banquet room. Pictures of these are in the gallery below, however Alex and I could not agree on which is which from the distance of a few weeks time.
Fascinating just how far the Roman empire stretched.
By the time we finished with the ruins, we were hungry and our next stop was well-anticipated. After about 45 min we stopped in Mhaya Village, where we had the G-Adventures-supported traditional lunch. The women’s collective here benefits the rural Moroccan women and children in the area by providing access to education opportunities and healthcare services. The proceeds from this lunch program help support vocational training for rural women, allowing them to support their families and children.
We really enjoyed the traditional home-cooked meal served by some of the women who were part of the program. Said helped serve the mint tea after which one of the women taught us the Arabic alphabet, and wrote each of our names in Arabic script.
We left the village well-fed and enriched with the experience of local life.
Shortly afterwards we reached the imperial city of Fès, one of Morocco’s most interesting cities, and checked into Hotel Mounia in the Ville Nouvelle. After a drink or two in the bar of the hotel it was time for us to call it a day.
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