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rooms . That evening another fantastic meal was served on the terrace . Beef tagine freshly prepared by the lovely staff and then time for bed . The following day was less intensive , and there would be time to take in a bit more of the local culture .
Howling dogs meant little sleep . These wild , feral dogs breed , breed , and breed , scavenging like foxes . There are hundreds of them in the town and surrounding area .
After a hearty breakfast Julie , Martine , and I went for an interesting walk with a local guide called Brahim . We ventured through the palmerie , rose gardens and allotments , running below the riad and down the gorge for about one and a half kilometres before ascending to the other side of the valley .
Storks were present in the fields as well as local women threshing wheat and collecting bamboo and bundles of mint and vegetables . Donkeys stood as if wondering what to do , discarded after they had run their usefulness . These animals only cost around forty euros and are just left to wander after their working life has ended .
Rising out of the green , fertile valley , we passed the ruins of an old
Kasbah that looked to be built on the rocks . The other side of the valley presented a large plateau where we met groups of wild dogs skulking around . Nearby a group of local Berber women sat on the plateau edge chatting and taking advantage of the cooler wind .
At the end of the plateau , we descended into the far side of Kalaat M ’ Gouna town and spent the next hour wandering the market and local shops and businesses .
Kalaat M ’ Gouna is famous for its rose oils . Julie bought a small bottle of rose absolute oil from a local shop , not a tourist shop . The oil cost only £ 5 , the same amount in the United Kingdom would cost ten times more . It was a chance to chat with the owner who had an interesting collection of ancient radios , reel-to-reel tape recorders and valve amplifiers lining the shelves alongside the entire length of the shop .
We got back to the Riad for more mint tea before heading down to Brahims ’ family home for lunch . At the house we were warmly greeted by his mother and sat down in a lovely traditional Berber room lined with cushions and carpets . Brahim brought us mint tea and before the food arrived , we were invited to wash
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