Sharing a bit about our guy(de) Tahar Najoui is long overdue. The more time I and the other Nuest'as travel with him, the more we come to appreciate his special-ness.
Tahar has been our driver, overall guide, translator and interpreter, cultural teacher, and sometimes cook. Built like a bodyguard, his sheer presence keeps everyone at a safe distance. A non-fundamentalist Muslim, and Berber by birth, he was raised in the south of Morocco in the city of Agadir (one of his most favorite places we are told repeatedly), and now lives with his wife and daughter in Ouarzazate. He also has a son who studying at a university in France. Most of all, Tahar has an open heart!
Immediately upon meeting us, Tahar began our Arabic and Berber language lessons. And, though we each came to Morocco with Nuesta names, he instantly assigned us Berber ones which he exclusively called us by . . . to him, Gypsy is Talia; Jewel is Eto; Mama Rosa is Eja; and I am Touda. It was not until we met his wife that we found out these names are traditional Berber names from the past. Hm-m-m-m, does that mean he thinks we're old? ? ?
Importantly, Tahar is patient . . . how many guys would sit in a hot car (napping) while we are off shopping or taking photographs of gardens? Train-able . . . Gypsy taught him to pull over to the side of the road so she could feed stray dogs leftovers from our meals. He also has a great sense of humor . . . in less then a day of knowing him he drove us on a hair-raising adventure headlong straight into opposing traffic a one-way street — in Casablanca where only the craziest of drivers are permitted behind the wheel! And, he loves music — all genres. While traveling we often listened to his extensive collection of traditional Berber and Gnaoua music as well as American and European pop, blues, jazz and rock. In fact, in his younger years he was a disc jockey in Casablanca clubs, but a fter a temporary loss of hearing, he switched careers to become a driver for movie stars and directors filming in Morocco, as well as Exploration Travel tourists like us. According to Tahar, we are only one degree of separation from Oliver Reed, Heath Ledger, Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and many others. Pretty cool, huh?
We Nuest'as think Tahar is very cool!
Tahar has been our driver, overall guide, translator and interpreter, cultural teacher, and sometimes cook. Built like a bodyguard, his sheer presence keeps everyone at a safe distance. A non-fundamentalist Muslim, and Berber by birth, he was raised in the south of Morocco in the city of Agadir (one of his most favorite places we are told repeatedly), and now lives with his wife and daughter in Ouarzazate. He also has a son who studying at a university in France. Most of all, Tahar has an open heart!
Immediately upon meeting us, Tahar began our Arabic and Berber language lessons. And, though we each came to Morocco with Nuesta names, he instantly assigned us Berber ones which he exclusively called us by . . . to him, Gypsy is Talia; Jewel is Eto; Mama Rosa is Eja; and I am Touda. It was not until we met his wife that we found out these names are traditional Berber names from the past. Hm-m-m-m, does that mean he thinks we're old? ? ?
Importantly, Tahar is patient . . . how many guys would sit in a hot car (napping) while we are off shopping or taking photographs of gardens? Train-able . . . Gypsy taught him to pull over to the side of the road so she could feed stray dogs leftovers from our meals. He also has a great sense of humor . . . in less then a day of knowing him he drove us on a hair-raising adventure headlong straight into opposing traffic a one-way street — in Casablanca where only the craziest of drivers are permitted behind the wheel! And, he loves music — all genres. While traveling we often listened to his extensive collection of traditional Berber and Gnaoua music as well as American and European pop, blues, jazz and rock. In fact, in his younger years he was a disc jockey in Casablanca clubs, but a fter a temporary loss of hearing, he switched careers to become a driver for movie stars and directors filming in Morocco, as well as Exploration Travel tourists like us. According to Tahar, we are only one degree of separation from Oliver Reed, Heath Ledger, Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and many others. Pretty cool, huh?
We Nuest'as think Tahar is very cool!