Sisters are doin' it for themselves

To quote Dr Seuss: “Oh, the places you will go!”

I could also quote Willie Nelson: "On the road again...." It was time to bid adieu this morning to Boumalne Dadesand make our way to our next stop.

About 40 minutes en route, we stopped at a shop in the city of Kalaat M’gouna. This city is located in the Valley of the Roses. The first roses were brought in from Damascus centuries ago and the growing conditions in this region are perfect for roses to flourish.

There is a huge rose festival each year to celebrate the season and the industry. The shop we stopped at was the first of three visits to women’s cooperatives. The cooperatives provide women with a source of revenue of their own. As women in the countryside slowly come into their own, having an income of their own is important in becoming less reliant on their husband and more of an equal partner.

We toured the small co-op and saw how the rose petals were separated, steamed and the liquid separated into water and oil. The products sold in the store were many and varied. It felt good to support women working towards their future.

We drove the route of the 1,000 kasbahs today and our next stop was at a kasbah in Skoura. This kasbah has also been the movie set for several movies, including Gladiators and Kingdom of Heaven. In addition to it being a kasbah centuries old and a movie set, the views were just incredible.

It was time to get back on the road again to Ait Ben Haddou. Our first stop was at our second women’s co-op; this time a restaurant. Tawesna is a restaurant run by women for women and it served seriously the best burger I’ve had in years. Layers of veggies with a beef patty and cheese sandwiched in between local bread. Delicious!

After lunch, some of the group took a climb up a hill to the top of an old kasbah for a panoramic view. My friend Laurel and I chose to stay behind, sipping mint tea and watching the world go by. Upon the group's return, we went on to our last stop of the day: a women’s co-op for Berber carpets. You could hear the sound of everyone’s credit card weeping.

After we were warmly welcomed, we watched the process of carded wool to wool being put onto a spindle (by hand) to the loom. Each woman can create whatever design she likes. The weaver only works on the carpet a maximum of two hours per day since she has other household responsibilities. This means a rug can take eight months to a year to weave,

The co-op pays the woman 85 per cent of what she gets for the sale of a carpet and the remaining 15 per cent goes to the co-op to pay for bills and salaries. Again, what we are buying makes a difference in a life. It’s pretty powerful.

I purchased a small rug that can be put on the floor or used as a wall hanging. Then it was on to our hotel for the evening. Our hotel was switched last minute, which can bode well or not. This ksar is very unassuming from the outside and very traditional and plain on the inside. But the service — out of this world!

It’s a family-run ksar and they make you feel like family immediately. It’s in the middle of nowhere — nowhere except stunning views.

We had a fantastic tajine home-cooked meal. And then local music! We had the pleasure of hearing a young man who will be making his first recording in two months. It was a private concert for our group. We laughed and danced and sang together because, well to quote our leader Saide, “why not?" And that was my day — busy and beautiful.