Ourika Valley

Growing up in Merced, I still remember learning about the California gold rush during 4th grade social studies. Referring to the discovery of gold in the rivers and streams of the Sierra foothills not far from my childhood home, the word "Eureka!" (I have found it!) is emblazened on the California State Seal. So I have always associated "Eureka!" with mountains and history.

Our current home in Marrakesh is very close to (we can see them from our back yard) the foothills of another important mountain range; the Atlas Mountain chain stretches across North Africa through Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The mountain community closest to our home is the Ourika Valley (pronounced OY-REE-KA) which roughly translated from Arabic means "river passing through foothills." Eureka, Ourika - I marvel at the similarities! And the differences...

The Ourika Valley is a popular destination in the summer partly because they offer a unique dining experience for heat-weary Moroccans and tourists. There are many, many restaurants and cafes along the Ourika River that give customers the chance to cool their feet in the water during the meal. Yes, the tables and chairs are sitting in the middle of shallow places in the river! 

The weather was cool on the day of our excursion, so we enjoyed sitting near rather than in the water. We enjoyed our tagine and local entertainment with dry feet this time, but we will definitely go back sometime for the full experience.

But I've gotten a little ahead of myself. On our drive up to the Ourika Valley we stopped at a little museum to learn more about the rich Berber culture of the area. Finding our way to the museum was not easy as it is tucked up in a little village and not obvious from the road. Fortunately we received assistance from these little friends who were happy to lead us through rugged streets and stairways to the entrance. The children here are precious and happy to pose for pictures if you tip them a few dirham. 

These are some views of the village where these children live from the top of the museum. It's very humbling.

After our tour of the museum we stopped in at a women's cooperative at the base of the village to check out their argon oil products. 

Argon oil is a natural plant oil derived from the fruit of argon trees and is quite expensive; roughly $20 for 1.5 cups. It is very difficult to extract and supposedly has both medicinal and cosmetic properties that make it highly desireable, so of course I bought some! Have you ever seen a picture of goats in a tree? I always thought it was fake, but in fact it's REAL, and the goats are eating fruit in an argon tree. I had no idea! This is in another part of Morocco so I didn't see it firsthand, but it's the truth.

After our visit to the museum and argon showroom we drove on up to find a place for lunch. What amazed me most were the rickety footbridges that went straight from the road across the river to homes or compounds. 

After our lunch on the river we drove a little further up the mountain and explored some of the village shops located right on the main road which in most cases is just one lane. We made some more new friends including Omar who sold us a beautiful Moroccan carpet. We promised to bring all of our American friends to his shop when they come to visit us so he gave us a VERY GOOD PRICE!

On our drive back down the mountain we observed a large group of village women working together in the river. At first I assumed they were washing clothes, but as I looked more carefully I realized they were washing and scraping large quantities of freshly slaughtered chickens, probably headed for the cafes downstream to use for that night's tagine. Hmmmmm. 

Truly, the world is a wonderful place, isn't it? Until next time,

Sue

What's New?

If you were to ask what's new for us in Morocco we could answer in one word.  EVERYTHING! 

We're living in a private community located south of Marrakesh. Several of Rob's co-workers and their families are living here as well. Our villas are on the perimeter of a golf course and it's quite lovely. There are bougainvillea and olive trees everywhere.

In addition to the golf course, the community is home to a cable Water Skiing park aptly named "Waky." We haven't tried it yet but maybe we've still got a little cutting and spraying left in us! 

Driving is really different but I think I'm getting the hang of it. You just have to remember that lane lines are just a suggestion and there are no formal rules about who gets the right of way. They're also pretty lax about passenger safety. 

The hardest thing for me is to see little children riding on motorcycles with their parents. In this case the child was on his mom's back. I guess you just have to do what you have to do.

We see camels all over town. They're strictly for tourists who want their picture taken. 

We also see cats everywhere - including restaurants, businesses, and our backyard patio furniture. As we are dog people this is not necessarily a good thing. I even heard Rob quote his mother the other day... "Damn cats"! (Mikkelsen inside joke.)

The food here is quite different than any place else I have ever visited. Tagine (I always thought it was tangine but this is how they spell it here) and couscous are two very common traditional Moroccan foods. Tagine is chicken, lamb, or beef cooked in a special pot.

Couscous is a small pellet pasta made from semolina, mixed with meats or vegetables. You can eat it any day of the week, but similar to our "Taco Tuesdays", the Moroccans have "Couscous Friday" which coincides with the day they attend mosque. 

My favorite traditional Moroccan dish so far is called B'stilla. It's a savory chicken pie with a hint of cinnamon and sugar. Really yummy! 

In general, the food is pretty good, but I'm finding it difficult to find what I need at the grocery store, partly because I can't read the labels (thank goodness for pictures on most items!) and partly because things just aren't available. I'm still trying to find vanilla extract, regular mustard (not dijon), sour cream, crisco, and broccoli (I had to put in at least one vegetable!) When I'm feeling homesick and hungry for something familiar to eat I head for the nearest fast food place at the mall about 10 miles from our house. Any guesses? I've been there 4 times in 3 weeks!!! 

I could write lots more but this is getting long. Next time I will write about a memorable trip to the Ourika Valley in the nearby Atlas Mountains. 

-Sue-