Back from 3 weeks in Morocco in April (page 2 of 10)

The palm trees in bloom—I haven’t seen that yet, but it’s gorgeous. And thanks for all the info that goes with the photos. It’s really interesting.

I'm glad you like it. That's great. That's the goal... As for me, I'm also enjoying reliving this trip that truly dazzled us. Such a green, flower-filled Morocco—we hadn't seen that before. And it bodes well for slightly easier days ahead for the population. This year, there will be olives, almonds, grains, vegetables, honey...

Yes, that's what I remembered—palm trees are either male or female. But they're not the only trees like that.

Hi there, Like many things in nature, there are indeed males and females, so the male has to fertilize the female. And for palm trees, that’s where human hands come in! ;) Here are the male seeds that are implanted into the female

To me, it’s a bit like grafting! This "graft" is connected to the "lady," and they’re forced to "love" each other because they’re tied together... Here are the photos I took in Merzouga... Given my flexibility, I couldn’t climb the tree :P It reminds me of vanilla, which also needs human help to be fertilized... Otherwise, for many plants, bees do the job—let’s take care of them because they’re disappearing! Have a great day! francia

Yes, that's what I remembered—palm trees are either male or female. But they're not the only trees like that.

Right, it's a bit like papayas in Guadeloupe. Over there, they call someone who doesn’t do much with their ten fingers—a lazy person—a "papayer," like the male papaya tree. And yeah, you’ve gotta laugh a little...

That’s Guadeloupean humor for you. Kudos to them.

The next day after breakfast on the terrace under the pergola, the children of the house come to fetch us to pick roses from the garden. We’ll put them in a little basket to scent the living room.



In the morning, a group of musicians arrives, going from house to house to play a tune and earn a living. Mohamed explains that they’re descendants of the Abids, Black slaves who, once freed but owning neither house nor land, traveled from town to town and house to house to make a living. Fascinating.



In the afternoon, with friends who came to join us for a few days, we visit a kasbah. From the terrace, we overlook the palm grove and the wadis, and discover the riad that welcomed guests...







We head back leisurely, strolling through the palm grove.







And we settle in the garden under the tent to share some tea. The orange trees in the garden surprise us—they still have fruit but already blossoms. And what a scent!

I’m learning so many interesting things from your holiday report. It’s great—thanks! And I can’t wait for the next part, if there is one.

The next day, with our friends and their kids, it'll be "beach" and swimming in the Dadès River, at Sidi Flah—a charming little oasis about 7 or 8 kilometers from Skoura. It's peaceful, and we'll be the only vacationers there. But for the first time since I've been crisscrossing Morocco in all directions, I'm going to see Moroccans fishing with rods in the river. The oleanders are in bloom, as are the pomegranate trees, just like the prickly pears, and even though it's not very deep, everyone has fun and cools off.







We take a little stroll through the gardens. The almonds are already a good size. Everything grows here—water is always present, no matter the season.







When we made our way back to our cars by the roadside, dozens of Barbary ground squirrels were jumping from rock to rock, looking for food, playing hide-and-seek. Quite a show, but not easy to photograph.



Back at the guesthouse, the kids join other children to discover the secrets of pottery. They'll come back thrilled to have tried their hand at being potters. And in the evening, surprise—Ghizlane prepared a huge birthday cake to celebrate the 7th birthday of one of their little potter friends. And "Happy Birthday" will be sung in just about every language. Or almost. Isn't life beautiful?

Oh, life is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing these photos.... can't wait for September, I'm going back (well, back there: to Morocco 😊).

We’re going in October... hopefully.

Thanks for this trip. April really is the best season to enjoy the full palette of colors in Morocco. Yeah, it was so lush and blooming that we’ve never had such bad allergies this spring (we were in Marrakech at the same time as your trip, and this has been going on for 26 years!)

Everyone sells what they have or fixes what they can.

That’s so true...

Thanks!

hi Daniel it’s been over 20 years that I’ve been traveling this country, and I still haven’t discovered this Sidi Flah oasis 😕 oh well, guess I’ll just have to go back !😏 have a great weekend francia

We also have great memories of Sidi Flah. And it's close to Skoura. It's an outing you can do in half a day.

I didn’t know about this either

https://youtu.be/AFP6gEA8y04

Gotta check it out :)

Lovely slideshow. Photos are totally true to my memories. It was with Mohamed from the Palmeraie guesthouse that we took this walk.

Thanks Béatrice for these photos of Sidi Flah. Lovely destination.

What beautiful images of Morocco you’ve shared in this travel journal. On the eve of our two-week trip to explore the oases and Atlas Mountains, we’re dreaming of coming back with photos just as stunning.

hi Jean is it a dirt track or tarmac to get there? thanks francia

It’s a track, but an easy one in good condition. It’s about 8-9 km from the center of Skoura.