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Morocco, Africa’s Door
February
26, 2007 – Day 622 |
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Gardian of Volubilis |
The african continent
February 2007, after a two month rest in Quebec, we set foot on
African soil… but it’s only two weeks later that our heart
arrives with us. In Morocco, for the first 14 days, we do our
old good tourists, visiting incontrovertible sites like the
Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, the ancient roman city in
Volubilis near Meknes, and the famous tannery of Fes. |
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A destabilizing hospitality
It’s only in Midelt, a city of 40 000 people, that we seriously
begin to travel. Traveling in the sense of human, self and
others discovery, and of a culture so friendly that it would
destabilize even the most altruist North American. We are
welcomed like a brother and sister that have been absent for
years. Our host, met in a coffee shop, and his mother make out
of their home our own. We share meals with them, they initiate
us to the hammam (public baths), and they integrate us to the
community. |
Hammid, Patrick, Caroline, Fatima and
Hmad |
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Women Center |
the joys of sharing
In Midelt, our new friends, Hammid and Ahmed, introduce us to
numerous people responsible of diverse associations like the
Women’s Centre of Education and Training, Morocco’s Association
of Solidarity and Orientation, and the Youths’ House. |
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We spend an evening with these kids to show them the basics of
photography, but most of all, we do it to have a good moment
with them. For that, we are welcomed and thanked with French and
Arab songs. The wellbeing feeling we have at that moment
confirms our choice for the DignImage project, and most
importantly, it confirms the choice of our lifestyle.
Our first steps with the DignImage project |
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Jaffar Circus |
Atlas mountains
On sunny days, opposed to cloudy days where it snows on
us, we enjoy daylong hikes in the forest and mountains
around the village. We share our bread with stingy
monkeys that surround us in the cedar forest of the
Azrou region, and tea with the generous Berbers living
in the Mid-Atlas mountains. We let ourselves be guided
in the narrow alleys of the Fes market, and we are
seduced by the smiles of curious and lovable children. |
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Heading towards Sahara
Each day, we are invited to participate at new activities. It
appears as if our new friends arranged for us to never leave
this region so hospitable. But we must hit the road again. We
are heading for the south-east part of the country, to the dunes
around Merzouga. Next, we will go to the gorges of Dades, after
to the inevitable Marrakech and then to the sunny beaches of
Essaouira. |
Midelt region |
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