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We were able to have a lie-in this morning! However, I still woke
up at 6:50 a.m. as it was so light. Well, after a light breakfast of croissant,
cake, a pancake and coffee, I had a quick look in the hotel shop for postcards,
and then we were on the coach at 9:15 a.m. to go to the Dades Valley to
see the rose fields. It was wonderful to see the roses growing, and we
walked all the way to the river, which was surprisingly big, for saying
we were in the desert! The whole area where the roses grow is actually
called an oasis, and it is green and lush due to the irrigation
of the fields. The oasis is 35 km long and 16 km wide, and it is situated
at an altitude of 2000m. The maximum amount of blooms cropped was 4000
tonnes one year, with 1600 tonnes being the most processed. The travel
guide offered a clue to what happens to the remainder - dried rose petals
can be found in many spice souks throughout Morocco. While the roses
are there to protect the wheat, they also grow almond, apricot, and olive
trees in various positions, and these protect the roses from frost. There
are usually seven buds to be cropped from each stem over a period of about
4-6 weeks. This year there was a bumper crop, because the stems were producing
9-10 roses each, so this is a 20% increase! Paul joked that we would expect
a 20% reduction in the price of the rose absolute! We then briefly returned
to the factory and saw more roses being loaded for solvent extraction. |
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The road through El Kelaa des M'Gouna only has tarmac wide enough
for one vehicle, with a dust track on either side, so when vehicles need
to pass each other they have to drive onto the dirt! Dominique said that
as recently as ten years ago there was no tarmac at all, it was all just
a dust track! |
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We then went back to the hotel for our "couscous
lunch in tent" that we had been told would be one of the highlights of
our trip. Dominique told us to bring our cameras, and I debated whether
to take the camcorder, as my only tape was filling up fast, but after not
taking it to Chez Ali that first night and missing all that excitement,
I decided I must not go without it! I am glad I took it after all that,
because our surprise was a group of folk dancers who came to dance for
us while we had our meal, and I found out this same group come to dance
the following week for the official Rose Festival at El Kelaa, which takes
place at the same time every year. The tent was amazing, all sumptuous
and richly coloured fabrics inside, with bright carpets on the ground,
and fabric couches and cushions for us to sit on. We ate a salad of tomatoes
and chillies, followed by mechoui, couscous, and a celebration cake.
Then there was more dancing, and we even had a go ourselves, which was
great fun! |
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After lunch we took the coach out to the Gorge
du Dades, through a small town called Boumalne, following the river right
up into the mountains, to see the breathtaking view over the Dades Valley.
There is a stark contrast between the lush greenness in the basin of the
valley, then up above the water table the land is very dry and nothing
grows up the mountainsides except hummocks of grass or wild herbs.
We returned to have dinner at the hotel, and we had harira,
more spicy and deeper in colour this time, a rice-stuffed pepper, lemon
chicken cooked and served in a tajine, and melon. After dinner when I looked
for the comet again, this time I could see it quite clearly, although as
it was now travelling away from the Earth, it was becoming much smaller
and lower in the sky. |