The saying goes ‘it is not about the destination; it is about the journey.’ Today it was about the journey. We are in Chefchaouen, our goal, Fes. We could have taken the bus, inexpensive and fast, travelling along the national highway. We could have taken a Grand Taxi, more expensive but still along the national highway. Or as we did, we hired a private driver, way more expensive but we used the route less traveled and stopped where and when we wanted. It was totally worth it. The landscape was amazing, very diverse, large rolling foothills mostly covered with some sort of agricultural pursuit.
As we leave Chefchaouen there are olive trees dotting the landscape. They look randomly placed not in rows like an orchard. After Bni Armed Gharbia more cultivated land appeared. A mixture of wheat, hay fields and olive trees. There were farmed fields all the way to Fes. The odd thing about the olive trees is the father south we went the more ordered and orchard like the olive trees became. They were in perfect lines and terraced all the way down the hill side. Closer to Fes, orange orchards appeared.
The most unusual crop we came across was marijuana. There are a couple of regions in Morocco the government has legalized the growing of pot for medical and research purposes. We passed through one of these areas and it was harvest day.
A full day of travel and I did not see one fence delineating property. There seems to be tall wild plants that look like bamboo defining a few fields and then there were a few stone walls, like you would see in England or Ireland between some fields, but not fences.
We pass by the olive groves and I see that the farmers have been burning the under growth under the trees. It is something I noted in Albania but did not know the reason for it. So, it helps to prevent massive destructive forest fires. It kills the pests that might affect the orchard. Olives are harvested by laying a tarp or some sort of blanket on the ground and beating the branches to knock the ripe fruit into the tarps. Burning the undergrowth allows for a flat surface to lay down the trap.
Some random facts. After olives, marijuana is Chefchaouen’s main economic generator.
Mules or donkeys are a mode of transportation still used in rural Morocco.
The school day here is about 4 hours each day. The schools work in shifts. So some kids start early and end around 11, when they are done another group starts. The teachers work all day.
Sheep walk with their head down like they are embarrassed or something. This is by observation and may not be factual but I have never really noticed sheep before.
The Aloe Vera that grows wild along the side of the Moroccan highways is not really Aloe Vera, it is most like the Agaves plant. It is harvested in Morocco to make cactus silk which is hand spun and used for Berber rugs and textiles.
If you are going to Fes and want to visit the medina do not arrive on a Friday. Friday is a holiday. The whole thing is shut down and really spooky. It is in fact uncomfortable to walk around the empty streets.