Atlas Mountains in Morocco
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
One of the many things I learned about Morocco on our tour there several years ago was that it is far from being a country of hot deserts and sand – lots of sand. Sure – we saw plenty of sand on our tour, but I will write more of that in a few days’ time.
Morocco is also a country of great beauty, not just in the stunning architecture, but also in the grandeur of its mountains. Several times we passed through and over the Atlas Mountains which divide the east from the western parts of the nation. These mountains are truly immense and grand, and being the middle of winter when we were there (December) the highest passes were very cold.
While we didn’t actually see it snowing while we were there, we saw plenty of snow on the higher peaks (see photo below). Whenever we emerged from the tour bus to stretch our legs, or grab a coffee or take a few more photos, we would always grab our coats against the bitter mountain air.
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Atlas Mountains, Morocco
In a spin in Morocco
My wife attempting to spin wool
On our visit to Midelt in rural Morocco we visited a farming community where we were shown how some of the local women spun the wool of their animals. When invited to attempt to have a go at it, my wife eagerly volunteered. She has had many years of experience spinning the wool of our own sheep but was a little out of practice because we don’t have sheep any more. She was used to using a spinning wheel which is relatively straight forward once you have mastered the basics.
The Moroccan style, however, was very basic and the local women used only a very simple device shown in the photos. It may look very simple, but it would take much practice to use such a device to spin the wool. This my wife found out very quickly. The local women were highly amused by her attempts and were probably quite impressed that she even had a go – and seemed to know what she was doing.
We didn’t stay long enough for her to spin enough to make into a garment.
My wife attempting to spin wool
A walk in the Moroccan farmland
Farming country near Midelt, central Morocco
After our overnight stay in the central Moroccan town of Midelt our tour bus took a short drive off the highway and through some of the local farming districts. We stopped and then went on a short walk through some farms. I always found it interesting on our tour of Morocco and Spain to compare these countries with the rural areas I know so well here in South Australia. There are many similarities except for the style of houses and the imposing Atlas Mountains shown in the photo above.
And you don’t see too many donkeys here in South Australia.
Farming country near Midelt, central Morocco
Farming country near Midelt, central Morocco
One of the farms (shown below) was obviously an orchard of some kind. I am guessing that it is likely to be apples growing here. The area around Midelt is a plateau between the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas Mountains. The higher altitude – over 1500 metres – would be most suitable for apple growing.
The final photo today is of our tour guide, Said. He was a wonderful guide willing to share his local knowledge of all things Moroccan. He lives in Marrakech with his family. He actually left his wife with a week old baby to go on our tour.
Apple (?) orchard near Midelt, central Morocco
Our guide, Said, in Morocco
A comfortable hotel in Midelt, Morocco
Hotel Kasbah Asmar, Midelt, Morocco
It has been quite a while since the last time I shared some of my photos and experiences while travelling Morocco. Over coming days and weeks I intend continuing with this series subject to my health. For all of the old photos and articles go to my archives (see task bar under the title).
Our overnight stay in Midelt was a memorable one. One of the more beautiful places we stayed in was the Hotel Kasbah Asmar. As usual in Morocco mosaics feature prominently in the buildings. Our hotel was no exception as the photos below illustrate. Our room was comfortable and spacious and we slept well. We did try to do a bit of hand washing in the bath tub and we were worried that it would not dry overnight. Hanging it in front of the heaters certainly helped in this. The food was also a feature and was delicious – like everywhere we stayed in Morocco. The sumptuous spread for breakfast was one of the best.
Midelt is an easy drive east of Fes and is situated between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas Mountains on a high plateau making it one of cooler towns in Morocco. There is often snow on the surrounding mountains in winter. It certainly was cool when we were there in late December.
Midelt is a relatively new town of some 45,000 population. It is a commercial centre for the local mining industry with gypsum, lead and other minerals being mined in the region. Fossils are also mined in this area and these are made into all kinds of objects for sale, mainly to tourists. The town also supports a large agricultural industry. Farmers bring their produce into the local market. Locally grown fruit and vegetables as well as goats and sheep for meat and wool are the main farm products.
Hotel Kasbah Asmar, Midelt, Morocco
Hotel Kasbah Asmar, Midelt, Morocco
Hotel Kasbah Asmar, Midelt, Morocco
Cheetah encounter, Monarto Zoo
Cheetah at Monarto Zoo
The cheetah is one of the most admired animals on display at the Monarto Zoo in South Australia. Currently there are eight cheetahs in the collection at Monarto. Over recent years they have been very successful in their breeding programme. I applaud this , and is one of the reasons I am a life member of this and Adelaide Zoo (membership covers both zoos). For example, Monarto Zoo has been instrumental in the reintroduction of the Przewalski’s Horse to its natural habitat in Mongolia where it was once listed as extinct.
In its natural habitat the cheetah of Africa is highly endangered, though there are still about 7,000 in the wild. Their numbers are declining rapidly due to a combination of hunting, environmental destruction and disease. I hope that it will never get to the point that the only place to see this amazing animal is in places like Monarto Zoo. Successful breeding programmes go a long way ensuring that this will not happen, but if the worst does happen, there is a viable gene pool in zoos around the world.
I have not experienced the thrill of seeing any of the cheetahs at Monarto at full speed, but one of the tour bus guides once informed us that they are very quick, able to catch the cunning local ravens before they could fly away. This was even in their relatively limited quarters. Their largest enclosure is some 200 metres long, and this seems to be enough to stalk and catch the birds. Any rabbits which have foolishly made it into the enclosure never last more than a few seconds either.
On our most recent visit we timed our visit to coincide with the feeding time of one of the cheetahs, as shown in today’s photos. This individual was hand reared and is therefore quite tame. While it was fascinating to get this close to this cheetah, there are almost daily opportunities to actually interact with the cheetah. (Check the web site for details.)
Further reading:
- Monarto Zoo Cheetahs
- Cheetah interactive at Monarto Zoo
- Monarto Zoo – general information about the zoo
- Adelaide Zoo – South Australia’s main zoo site
Cheetah at Monarto Zoo
Cheetah at Monarto Zoo
Cheetah at Monarto Zoo