Morocco: Taroudannt to Agadir

It's before 5h00 in the morning and already the noise level has picked up. By the time iI leave my hotel the square is filled with people, mainly women. I discover that farmers looking for crop pickers collect their labour on the square . One more stop at the corner store to pick up some bread before I head out of the the city. I exit through the Bab Taghourt gate and head out of the walled city of Taroudannt for my final destination of Agadir.

As I head to Agadir 85km away, the main activity is olive farming and the manufacture of olive oil and Argon oil. I stop along the way to watch the process of olives being crushed by huge rollers and compressed to see the oil extraction. My presence alerts the owner of this very road side plant to invite me in and see more closely what is happening. Not a single soul in this establishment speaks a word of English, however, I get invited to sit down have some mint tea accompanied by a soft bread and fresh olive oil. The custom being that your host breaks bread and hands it to you and we proceed to eat and share a small meal. This is not my first encounter with Moroccan hospitality. Sharing of food does not require a language but more of an understanding of what it represents.
They are also curious about me and I explain that I am from South Africa (Afrik Du Sud) and they lighten up with sheer delight and one blurts out football Mondial and I say yes......
After handshakes and Shoukrans they bid me well on my journey and I'm back on the road again.
For the next 30km the Argans have taken grip of the dry landscape. I also encounter a strange site along the way goats .....goats in the Argan trees - a very very strange site. I did read about this on my search for information about Argan oil manufacturing. Goats also play a good part in the manufacturing process as they chew the hard outer core of the Argon fruit. The hard outer shell contains the argon nut that passes through the goats digestive system and gets excreated. The excrement is collected, broken up and the precious nut retrieved. Sounds like a shitty job. The best argon oil is produced from this.

I make good time on my way to Agadir as the roads are in very good condition into the city.