Morocco Part 2: Volubilis, Berkane and Mike

We hired a car and driver for a day long trip to Volubilis, Roman ruins located just north of Meknes, about 1.5 hours from Fes. Our guide in Fes, Najib, wanted to go along with us as he had business in Moulay Idriss, a town a short distance from Volubilis, so we had a congenial party of four and the driver, Hishan, had Najib to talk to. Hishan was a great driver who I came to appreciate more after experiencing Berkane taxis.This was a very pleasant, convenient and inexpensive way to get to Volubilis and back.

The countryside between Fes and Volubilis was varied; a beautiful lake, wheat fields, olive orchards interplanted with wheat, and acres and acres of blooming wildflowers. Morocco was an unexpectedly rich country agriculturally. I never saw chemicals being used but did see farmers spreading manure in the olive groves.

Then came the unique beauty of Volubilis.  Volubilis represents almost the farthest outpost of the Roman empire. It was founded in the third century BC as a Phoenician/Carthaginian settlement but was taken over by the Romans during the first century BC. Due to the abundance of olive groves and oil presses, it became very wealthy and rose to prominence in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, when it had a population of 20,000. Volubilis was the capital of a larger region that was ruled by Juba II and his wife, Cleopatra Selene, who was the daughter of Cleopatra of Egypt and Mark Antony. By 300 AD Volubilis had fallen to local tribes; it was never retaken by Rome as it was deemed to be too remote to control. It continued to be inhabited until the 8th century. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, it is noteworthy for its mosaics, the grandeur of the ruins and the beauty of the surroundings, although it should be noteworthy for the wildflowers, too.

Berkane was our next stop in Morocco, because that's the Peace Corps site where our nephew Mike is stationed. Thru the interpretation efforts of Najib, we arranged a ride with Hishan from Fes directly to our hotel in Berkane.That meant that we didn't have to buy train tickets, didn't have to change trains, didn't have to take the bus from the train to the gran taxi in Nador and didn't have to negotiate the gran taxi from Nador to Berkane. All these actions would have had to take place in Fractured French (memo to self: start classes with Helen Lancaster!) so it was a great relief and didn't cost much more than the alternatives.
The countryside alternated between brushy desert and fertile fields, with the snow-capped Atlas mountains in the background. Hishan stopped so we could take photos of the camels (actually dromedaries, according to him.) Cool!

It was grand to see Mike and to meet his girlfriend Krista. They are real troopers, teaching life skills to Moroccan youth using English courses as a vehicle. They were so warm and welcoming and we couldn't have done it without their translation abilities. Berkane is a tough assignment; gritty, poor, culturally very Islamic, and pretty isolated. I thought about calling it rundown but that would imply it had a apex of beauty and success and I'm not sure it ever did. Maybe Berkane is more like the 'real' Morocco than Fes. I loved seeing Mike and Krista and hearing about what they do. This is what the main street looks like:

The cafe society in Berkane is limited to men; there were very few women in cafes and the women you saw were usually cooks or cleaners, not customers. It appeared that the society was very traditional and that women lead very separate lives, but that is my opinion based on less than a week in Morocco.
Mike and Krista were able to take us on a couple of day trips. After the cold and damp of Bilbao, the beach was like heaven. Krista was a sensation; a beautiful blonde woman in a swimming suit. Even I got some unwelcome stares. There's a definite difference between checking someone out and leering.
What do Moroccan women wear to the beach? Djellaba and head scarf. What do they wear to swim? Djellaba and headscarf. And if you ask a woman if you can take her picture, her husband will respond for her. Krista had a wraparound swimming skirt that she let me borrow so I wouldn't be such a target for unwelcome stares as I made the trek from the blanket to the water. I was very grateful to be able to swim. Thanks Krista! Thanks for making us a fine dinner, too.

Tom enjoys the waves

Mike and Krista at Ras El Ma

We also went on a small hike through the mountains, where the wildflowers were still in bloom:

The morning before we left, Mike took us on a tour of the Berkane weekly market place. Picture this: The Santa Cruz Farmers' Market doubled in size and combined with the San Jose Flea Market, doubled in size too. The combined market is placed with the old Santa Cruz Dump (lots of plastic bags) on one side, and high priced West Cliff Dr houses on the other side. That's what the market in Berkane is like.

Mike was instrumental in getting us safely to the airport.  Farewell Mike and Krista! Thanks for all your help. Sadly, we have less than 2 weeks left in Bilbao and 30 days until we return to Santa Cruz. Just enough time for friends to visit, a road trip to Asturias and a longer drive through the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean. Stay tuned!