The Hammam

The Morrocan hammam is a multi step steam, bath, body scrub and massage. The steam room looks like a large grand movie set with enormous marble pillars, ornate high ceiling and walls. I had the room to my self. After the sitting in eucalyptus steam the attendant rubs black Morrocan exfoliating, rejuvenating, skin softening soap all over, then you lie on a hot marble slab for a while before the attendant then uses a coarse glove to give the most vigorous rub I've ever had and voila! you are left with pink raw new baby skin! Showers come after each step to wash away the dead black skin. The black soap is specific for this treatment. Later you get escorted into a massage room for a deep overall body massage. I felt like a limp noodle afterwards and could do very lttle for the rest of the day. I booked Allan for this experiience. The first picture shows women in a hill town working at a co-operative making Argan oil which they grind by hand from a locally grown nut. Argan oil is used in cosmetics and food products. I had never heard of Argan but the Europeans in our group knew of it and bnought a lot. After we bought their product the women grinding the nuts did a tambourine chant for us. We had to join hands and dance in a circle. Tomorrow we start our journey towards home.

The landscape driving away from the mountains and green area. The Sahara dessert is still far.

The lake in the background is runoff from the mountains.