Taroudant

It felt good to leave Agadir after two weeks, and the bus ride to Taroudant wasn’t bad.  We soon found ourselves in an old Royal Palace, converted into a luxury hotel. We enjoyed a nice lunch of grilled chicken by the pools and fountains in the incredibly lush courtyards, replete with scurrying wait staff in white coats, rushing around trying to keep all the tourists happy. 

The fountains were inhabited by turtles, the trees with lots of birds and lizards and the lush foliage was fabulous. We had orange, loquat, banana, date palm, hibiscus and bougainvillea outside our room in the courtyard. The ceiling and woodwork of the rooms are painted with some of the most colorful traditional Arabic graphics, bright colors on a white background. 
 

The Walls of Taroudant Taroudant is called the "Grandmother of Marrakech" because it is a scaled down, slowed down town that resembles Marrakech with it's surrounding ramparts.  Unlike Marrakech, Taroudant contains almost the whole city within it's walls.  A good place to visit on your way to the desert or perhaps a day trip from Agadir.  Taroudant is known for it's jewelry and carpets.  It's a much more relaxed place to purchase these items.

Our room had two levels, with beds up and downstairs. The stained glass windows of mostly red and green let in enough light to see, while you relaxed on the sofas in the cool downstairs area. A large brass and glass chandelier dominated the room providing a bit more light. The huge bathroom had an enormous tub, really old style and opulent. The place even had air-conditioning.
 

Passageway at the Salam Palais Hotel This hotel is the cool place to stay in Taroudant.  Situated in the old Kasbah it is full of atmosphere.  Lush tropical plants abound and provide shade in the garden, by the swimming pool and in the courtyards.  You will feel like a prince or princess here.

We enjoyed getting lost in the maze of streets and alleyways in town that afternoon. Shopping is centered around the three main squares in town. Off one square were a bunch of jewelry vendors.  The local metal work is superior to the rest of Morocco’s. We should have bought a few more pieces as the prices were great! 

The town itself is entirely within walls, painted a dusty red and topped with crenellations where warriors once defended the place from the barbarians. It was really nice to take a walk along the top of the old walls and see the traffic and bustle of humanity below. 
 
 

Sheepman This fellow wearing sheepskins is celebrating the Moroccan holiday which commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Issac.  Of course he killed a sheep instead, and this important ritual is carried out by every family with sheep to spare.  The skins are then put in a place of honor.  (Tip: take your shoes off before walking on one of those sheepskins.)