After delightful hot showers, we headed to the breakfast room. When we got there, Hassan told us that Kathy had Covid and was self-quarantining. This was disturbing news! I felt so sorry for Kathy, but I was concerned for us, too, because I had sat next to Kathy in the 4 x 4 for hours. And while he was still taking Mucinex and Claritin, Nick was coughing and sneezing. We had brought Covid tests with us, and we were quite relieved that he tested negative.

Back on the bus, we picked up our local guide, named Mohammed. Our first stop of the day was at Atlas Studios, where many films  such as Gladiator and Game of Thrones had been made. In fact, Mohammed said he had been cast as an extra in some productions. The guards allowed us to enter and take photos.

We went to a mountainside village called Asfalou. There we were welcomed by a local family that was headed by another Mohammed, a farmer and brick maker, and his wife, a homemaker who tends to the needs of their family. Mohammed showed us how he makes bricks. I fed his sheep, and then his wife made bread. I found that making bread in a Moroccan village is similar to making pizza dough in my kitchen in Westport. The dough went into a hot oven, and when it was ready, we tore off pieces and dipped them into olive oil for a simple snack. Of course, we were served Moroccan mint tea as well. We sat outside, where our host was happy to answer our questions about his family’s life  by way of our translator.

Then the host’s wife showed us how she makes couscous, using flour, water, and a sieve with very small holes. When it was ready, which takes two hours, she placed  cooked vegetables and chicken that she had already prepared on top, and that was our lunch. For dessert we shared oranges.

After that,  we were on our way to Imik Simik Women’s Association for Rural Development,  which is sponsored by the Grand Circle Foundation. This organization was founded in 2012 by fifteen women who wanted to further their educations, and it now has forty-three members. There, girls and women learn how to read, sew and cook, as well as learning personal care. We met  the director, Fatima, who told us about the difficulties of reaching their goals in a male dominated area.

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”  The women  learned how to make cookies, and they served them at meetings with the townsmen. Then the townsmen granted them the right to build a woman’s center. There the women continue to make cookies that they sell. Jan and I volunteered to help make cookies, and when they were ready, they were served to us along with mint tea.

Before leaving, many of the women in our group volunteered to get a temporary henna tattoo, and I did, too. The tattoos last about two weeks. Back at our riad, several members of our group went to a hannan for exfoliation in the hottest room they had ever been in, so they told us. Hassan said he does this regularly.

NIck’s dinner that night was carrots and goat cheese followed by chicken. I selected  asparagus soup and  moussaka. For dessert we both chose apple pie. Nick bakes an apple pie at  home that  once won first prize in a baking contest. This apple pie was different from his, but like his, it was a pastry that had apples and cinnamon. It had been another meaningful day.

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