3 hrs, 5.0 kms



I have two priorities once I reach Tafraoute: First, to find something to eat before the restaurants shut down, and second to find a place to stay . I do find a grimy little back alley place that still has some chicken and vegetables left over. I know I'm pushing my luck here—who knows how long this food has been sitting out… but it seems to settle OK.

Lodging is a bit more of a problem. All the cheap hotels—and even some of the mid-priced ones are booked. It seems like here I’ve got competition from other budget conscious travellers. Fortunately there are no hustlers stalking me as I wander from hotel to hotel, just helpful people pointing me in the right direction. Finally I head to a dairy shop for a raib, figuring I’ll just have to settle for a 15 euro hotel rather than my typical 5 euro one.

Then a fellow approaches and tells me he has a house out in the Ameln Oasis just 8 kilometer aways where I can stay for 10 euros a night. I do some quick thinking… that’s cheaper than what I may end up paying if I stay here in town—and it would be kind of cool to stay in an traditional house in an oasis rather than in town—even though it’s more of a touristy thing… and I was planning to head that direction tomorrow anyways . So I hop in his SUV and we head north for a couple of kms… then off a a side road for a short ways towards the mountains. Then he parks his car and we follow a path to the old kasbah.

His house is actually the only one left in the old village—all the others are ruins. He tells me that he bought it and restored it—which sounds a little strange, because he’s from El Jadida, and I had the impression that folks from Tafraoute wouldn’t sell their homes to Moroccan outsiders.

"You need connections with people to buy a house here" he tells me. He actually lived in France for a number of years and is married to a French woman—but now prefers the peaceful life of Tafraoute over city life. He’s done quite a good job restoring the house, giving it a really earthy traditional feel—but with a clean, modern bathroom! You enter the room at the top level where there’s a rooftop where you can gaze out over the valley, then downstairs is the main floor, then down another stairs is a couple of windowless rooms where people used to sit to escape the heat in the summer…  then through a sqeezethrough entry is yet another set of stairs deep into the bowels of the mountain where animals and provisions were kept . Quite a fascinating glimpse into life in Tafraoute, how it used to be.

We chat a little while over tea, along with two fellows that are doing the finishing touches on restoration. I enjoy this sort of “semi-hospitality” where I can stay in a home and discover the culture—and not feel like I’m freeloading and taking advantage of people… or being taken advantage of. This experience is definitely worth 10 euros…


Then I head up to the roof with my guitar with a vast fertile valley in front and steep rugged mountains right behind me. Total silence. I feel a bit self conscious knowing that everybody, not only in this village, but in neighboring villages as well is going to hear me… hope they don’t mind the evening serenade.

It’s one of those unforgettable musical moments, belting out some of my favorite tunes, hearing them echoed across the Amenad Valley. Perhaps the first time that I’ve played a concert for several villages—at the same time!