December 14, 2014 
Capturing the essence of life centuries ago in Taroudant requires no imagination as not much has changed there in a very long time under many dynasties. Taroudant developed as an agricultural center far from the crowded cities. In this area they grow cotton, rice fruit, vegetables and sugar cane. The distinctive essence of this quiet town is found in its souks (markets) located in the Old Town medina area – among the most colorful in Morocco
The first place we stopped was a shop where they showed us how they made Argon oil by getting the seeds out of a fruit and hand grinding them to make oil. The oil was then flavored with herbs and scents and sold as cosmetics for the hair and skin, as well as to use in place of olive oil in salads and cooking, or to consume as an elixir that could cure or help you with just about every medical challenge you might have.
There is a quirky side to the Argon oil story. The Argania tree itself has rough, thorny bark and crooked branches. According to the articles from the Internet, “the tree produces an annual fruit crop and it is this delicious morsel that attracts legions of local goats that hop up into the branches to pick the fruit and nuts. The animals stand on the impossibly precarious branches and get down to their seasonal feast. Far from just a single ambitious goat climbing a single tree, the animals tend to swarm into the branches in number.”
Our bus did not go to see this phenomenon, but other buses did, so we wanted you to see what it looks like to have goats in a tree, so here is a glimpse of life that you will see only in this area of Morocco.
PIX Copyright Viralnova.com
PIX Copyright Viralnova.com
Back to our visit in Taroudant . . .
The streets in the medina were narrow and shared by pedestrians, horses, donkeys, bicycles, pushcarts, and motorcycles.
On the way to the souks we were fascinated by the pushcart hardware store. Seems he had everything there, but you just have to dig to uncover it.
Also many blankets laid on the side of the streets with very odd assortments of “treasures” that were hawked to the passersby.
We reached the village square to find the snake charmer was there, drumming up business for his snake-handling act. His unwilling participants were three or four cobras and a couple of rattlesnakes, none of which were friendly. We “stole” a couple of snapshots and went into the nearby souk.
The souks are not laid out on a grid pattern and you wander from one building to another and turn down aisles that are not straight at all. The sales people aggressively promote their goods and promise each and every one of us that “he” would give you the best deal if you just bought from him.
We left the souks with a few purchases, and worked our way back to the buses, encountering a number of interesting faces along the way.
We next stopped at one of the city’s ancient palaces, now transformed into a luxury hotel, where we relaxed for a few minutes and enjoyed a cup of delicious mint tea with honey before our drive back to the port city of Agadir.
Before reaching the port we made a quick detour up to the Kasbah high above the city that also overlooked our ship in the harbor.
