0222. Up into the Mountains (Mor 070--new)

After Bou Fekrane, the terrain continued to be flat for a bit longer--but we were getting closer and closer to the mountains... Then, suddenly the bus veered off to the right and up we went...

Instantly the whole "feel" of the country changed--now there were pockets of pine forests here and there, jagged cliffs with mysterious caves--and even the houses with their angled tile roofs had a different--more European feel to them.  The air was crisp and a sparkling, clean stream ran right through the center of town...

This looked like a very fun town to explore--on one side, the houses are pressed right against these rugged cliffs and caves... I tried exploring a couple of caves, but they were all booby trapped with "organic land mines"... so I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

.. On the other side of town you'd come to a ledge where you get a great view of the vast Meknes valley below... Then there's a little pine forest on a steep hillside where you can follow a footpath to another section of town built along a steep hillside.  From there you get another fantastic view of the valley. 

It's all very Moroccan... but different, somehow... Folks are all bundled up in warm coats--even though this is still September...

And the tiled roofs... normally when you see tiled roofs in Morocco, you assume it's a building built by the French during the colonial period... but here, everyone has them.  I wonder how that fits with Moroccan culure... See, flat roofs play an important role in Moroccan everyday life--their used to scrub rugs, relax, and even host weddings.  I notice that some of these buildings "cheat"--they look like tiled roofs on the front, but they're actually flat on top...

Great vibe, great old alleyways to explore, great views--overall, great time in El Hajib...