We stayed three days in Azrou before leaving the Middle Atlas and travelling south towards the High Atlas Mountains. We drove through the Cedar Forest near Azrou, an area very popular with tourists and caught a fleeting glimpse of the famous Barbary macaques (a sort of monkey).
We drove on through the bleak plains of scrub and desert heading towards the High Atlas Mountains.
We passed a road accident where a coach driver had misjudged overtaking an hay lorry and had his nearside widows all smashed in. It was the type of coach used by Moroccans for long distance travel, often passengers had to stand. We couldn’t tell if anyone was hurt.
We followed this hay lorry for many miles without having room to overtake, due to the overhang. We were delighted when he eventually turned off.
Driving through the desert we saw several tented settlements and flocks of grazing sheep. We had taken with us from the UK bags of clothes (mostly winter clothes that the grandchildren had outgrown) and when we spotted a woman with two young children we handed over a bag of cast offs. We were never quite sure how appropriate our gifts were but the climate there at 6000 feet was extremely cold in winter and their ragged tents would not have been particularly cosy. Anything we gave these folk was gratefully received – although they always asked for something more.
A Settlement where We Handed Out Clothes
