Volubilis and Fes

We are parked up tonight in a campsite on the outskirts of Fes. It's pretty scuzzy but we are used to that by now and as long as we have access to water we are ok. We left Moulay Idriss this morning and stopped at the Roman ruins at Volubilis on the way here and whilst I'm not usually impressed by a jumble of two thousand year old stones I have to say it was pretty impressive. The city was the most southerly outpost of the Roman Empire, housing over 20,000 people at its peak in the second century and is the best preserved archeological site in Morocco with many original mosaics. Unlike many sites of ancient settlement or cities it's not sterile. In between the Roman baths, arches, houses and aqueducts wild flowers bloom, storks nest, donkeys roam and the only areas cordoned off from the visitors are the mosaics. Again we were lucky arriving in the morning at this time of year and apart from one coach party and a few Moroccan families we had the place to ourselves.

After a couple of hours wandering around the site we set off for Fes and the mysterious rattling we've had from the back of the van got worse. The last couple of times we'd parked up for the night we had repacked the cupboards and the garage all to no avail. Today Phil stumbled about in the back of the van as we drove along trying to locate the source of the noise and reckoned it was outside the van underneath the bed area. We stopped at a Marjane supermarket in Fes (we were down to our last can of beer!) and I crawled under the van pulling and poking until I discovered that one of the brackets holding the spare wheel had jumped off its housing. Ten minutes later and with the aid of Paul and a scissor jack everything was good. No more rattles. While we were in the car park a guy came up and asked if we were going to the "Camping International" campsite and when we said we were he offered to show us the way if we followed him on his motorbike. We declined saying we could find our own way and he got quite angry and a little aggressive. He was still there when we came out of the supermarket and again we declined his "services". Off we set, Paul leading the way and as we exited a roundabout a moped pulled up alongside him weaving around the potholes,dodging pedestrians and shouting and gesticulating that he would show him the way to the campsite. It was pretty scary for me following behind, I fully expected the guy to hit a bump as he was spending more time shouting at Paul than he was looking at the road and the thoughts of him ending up under my van or wrapped round a lamppost were quite worrying. Eventually he got the message that we didn't need a guide and pulled over to the side, much to our relief.

Tomorrow we are off to take in the sights of Fes. We've read and heard from other folk some pretty negative stories about the place in terms of the hassle and hustle factor so we've decided to take a full day guided tour setting off from the campsite at 9.30am. There's nothing left we want to buy now in Morocco so we can keep out of the carpet shops and avoid the soft (hard) sell. I'll let you know how we get on!

Some photos from Volubilis. The Triumphal Arch:

Not carpets but two thousand year old mosaics:

 

The Basilica, with Stork:

The small archway at the top of the site:

 

Oh yes, if you want to see a pic of me snowboarding in Morocco go here: http://travelwithpaulandchris.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/25-feb-barbary-apes-and-cedars.html

 

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Moulay-Idriss

We are parked tonight on a campsite a few miles south of Moulay-Idriss. It's a nice site on three levels and very busy. Good electrics but we are using our on board facilities, say no more.

We left Azrou this morning heading for Meknes, the guide books said it had a nice Medina and souk and was not as frenetic and less hassle free than Fes. Unfortunately there are no campsites in Meknes, which is quite a large sprawling city so as we arrived we were looking for a parking space whilst trying to negotiate the most traffic we had seen for some time. I picked up a sign for the ancient medina and we ended up down a one way street which became increasingly narrow with locals waving telling us there was nowhere to go at the end. It did look like a dead end but finally there was a narrow archway leading to a small car park which just had space for our two Motorhomes, phew! The medina was a five minute walk away and didn't disappoint. Paul and Chris had been looking for a lantern and found one they liked at a price they liked too and we found a kilim that we hadn't been looking for at a price we liked. It's a perfect fit in the van and looks beautiful. We wandered the alleyways until we stopped for coffee and biscuits, or Moroccan gateaux as it was described, until we came to the main square and stopped for coffee again to the sound of the snake charmers flute. Food shopping next, fresh fish, chicken, olives, fruit and veg and then back to the vans to restock our fridges. Back to the main square for lunch this time by a different route through a bewildering array of small shops which, once again, sold pretty much everything you could need. There really is no need for supermarkets here, everything you could buy in Tesco's can be bought wandering down a couple of streets and in the covered market.

We stopped to buy some bananas from this guy and he snapped us with his camera, as we returned the compliment he couldn't help but strike a pose:

 

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Bit of a leak

We are parked up tonight at a campsite just outside Azrou, we arrived yesterday after driving over the Middle Atlas from Midelt. As we climbed up, peaking at 2200 metres it started to rain and became considerably colder, the snow gates were open but there was still snow lying around us. The landscape reminded us of the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District. We dropped down into Azrou and the weather could only be described as miserable but we parked up, turned on the heating and settled down to waste an afternoon watching a movie. We enjoyed Captain Phillips despite the sub-titles for the Somalie actors being in Japanese! We would have enjoyed it more had a sudden rush of water not splashed onto my neck and over the bench seat. We've had a small problem before with the roof light leaking but nothing like this. Water was running down almost continuously and as is was teeming down outside I couldn't get on to the roof to see where the problem was. Captain Phillips was paused several times as we manoeuvred a bucket under the leaks and eventually I taped a bin liner over the roof light, cut a hole where the water was gathering and placed a bucket underneath. At least the water was now falling into one spot and we could hear it dripping into the bucket as we lay in bed last night.

This morning it had stopped raining and I took a look but couldn't see where the water was coming in. Paul came to my rescue and we dismantled the rooflight but still couldn't see any breaks in the seals. Eventually I taped the whole outside perimeter with glazing tape, courtesy of Paul, we re-assembled the rooflight and now have our fingers crossed that it's leakproof until we get back to the UK when I can carry out a more permanent repair. I have to say it was fun standing on Paul's kitchen table which was balanced between our work top and a collapsible stool balanced on our bench seat!

Repairs completed Paul and Chris offered to drive us in their van along the tourist trail through the cedar forest to the south of Azrou so we quickly packed a picnic and set off and what a great afternoon we had. The forest changed from Holm Oak to Pine to Cedar and other varieties that we couldn't identify. At 2000 metres there was snow on the ground but it was warm in the brilliant sunshine and the views through the trees into Azrou below were stunning. We came across a troop of Barbery Apes who were foraging by the roadside and as soon as we stopped they took to the trees but for five minutes or so we watched them swinging through the trees, stopping occasionally to look back at us before dropping into the snow covered ground some 50ft away and disappearing into the forest. A mile or so further on we came across another troop of about twenty Apes picking over stones looking for food on a hillside about thirty metres from the road. We stopped and we were far enough away that they didn't seem bothered by us and we felt so lucky to have seen these animals in the wild. As we left the forest we passed a couple of picnic places adjacent to the main road where local folk were feeding some of the Apes who had grown used to this type of contact. We didn't stop.

There's a lot of fruit grown in this part of Morocco and today we passed small farms all of which had a cherry orchard and a couple of places with larger orchards. It must be beautiful here when the trees are in blossom. Even the site we are now on has cherry trees planted all over the site.

If you look very closely you'll see an ape up this tree:

 

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Midelt

We are parked up tonight in Midelt on the Municipal campsite. It's ok although the facilities leave a bit to be desired so we are using our on-board loo and showers. The site itself is a little reminiscent of Granada insofar as we have a backdrop of snow covered mountains. That's as far as the similarities go because it is scorching hot and we have storks nesting in the trees, mosque and ariel pylons just behind us. Recently we have been awoken by the call to prayers and donkeys braying. This morning it was the bugler from the barracks round the corner and the clacking of storks. Makes a change I suppose. Despite the all day sunshine here the local folk are walking about in wooly jumpers, hats and parkas and they reckon it's cold! Us Europeans on the site here are in shorts and t shirts and in danger of getting sunburnt.

There is a Sunday souk here and we walked the mile or so to have a look this morning and although we weren't too sure where it was the policy of following the crowds led us to what I can only describe as the biggest car boot sale I've ever seen crammed next to stalls selling clothes, shoes, pottery, glassware furniture, animal feed, fruit, veg, car parts, doors, jewellery. In fact just about everything was on sale with vendors shouting each other down with megaphones. The place was rammed with shoppers and browsers although amongst the thousands of people there we were the only Europeans we saw. After half an hour of dodging bikes, mopeds and donkeys we escaped and walked back to town for a coffee. No sooner had we sat down than a well dressed guy comes over and asks where we are from. We told him and he chatted with us for five minutes or so telling us all about the local area and friends he had in, coincidentally, Yorkshire. He asked where we were going next and he told us a few places to look out for and then, wait for it, you'll never guess. He has a shop selling Berber carpets and jewellery and would we like to have a look? No need to buy anything, just have a look, no pressure. We explained that we had some more shopping to do in the small market next door and he offered to wait at the cafe for us. Off we went and bought our bits and pieces; rice stuffed chicken off the rotisserie which will last us for three days,a kilo of dates for £4 and some fruit and veg. We took a different exit from the market and would you believe there he was, our friend with the Berber carpets. We went to his shop, took tea with him while he showed us some great carpets, camel wool, sheeps wool and cactus silk. But we only have a small camping car! Out came the small carpets and I must be honest I would have bought one but common sense in the shape of Phil prevailed and we left on good terms despite not having bought anything.

The Souk at Midelt:

 

 

I mentioned a couple of days ago that we were going to take the national roads from Chez Pauline, our last stop, to where we are now rather than the "scenic" route but our hosts said that the longer but far more interesting route was on ok roads so we took their advice and we were glad we did. We drove through an impressive gorge after a few miles and noticed how the landscape changed afterwards and as we came further north, leaving behind the desert with its oasis and palm trees and fertile irrigated land for the High Atlas Mountains with sheep and goats scratching around in the almost barren surroundings. The few villages we came through looked like the poorest and least developed that we had seen so far, real subsistence farming on the small parcels of land that were available in the valleys. We climbed to nearly 2000 metres before we dropped down again quite rapidly to where we are now at 1500 metres.

Tomorrow we are heading off for a campsite mid way between Azrou and Ifrane. We met a Russian guy and his wife when we were in Ourzazate a week or so ago, as you do, and he recommended this site. He's been to Morocco before and was a mine of information so we'll take his advice and look for the apple orchard campsite.

Finally, many of the dwellings here are still built with traditional mud and straw blocks. They're long lasting and have good insulation properties. Here's a photo of some drying at Chez Pauline's before being used to complete the building in the background.

 

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Chez Pauline

We are parked up tonight at Chez Pauline, in Tadighoust about ten miles or so north of Goulmima. We arrived yesterday and the last few miles were along narrow bumpy tracks with overhanging trees and buildings but the drive was well worth the effort, this is a truly remarkable place. Owned by Andre and Chantal Boyer, who were hoteliers for a decade in Guinea and Seirra Leone, they now have a homestead just outside a small Berber village with some gites and parking for a few Motorhomes. We are surrounded by Palm trees, and cherry, apricot, peach, almond, plum, olive, lemon and orange trees. Pet dogs and cats wander about and we have no need for an alarm clock as the donkey in the small paddock behind us starts braying at 6.30am sharp. This couple have amassed an amazing collection of African masks, statuary and artefacts which are scattered about the house and gardens. Chantal can cook too! Tonight we enjoyed cream of courgette soup, home made rilletes, pork (yes pork) casserole and strawberries and papaya, all ingredients being organic and sourced locally if not grown by Andre and Chantal. The best meal we've had in Morocco, in fact the best meal we've had anywhere for a long time.

There are fertile fields all around the village and a primitive but effective irrigation system and the lush green environment is a stark contrast to the Hammada, or rocky desert, which surrounds it and which is overlooked by the High Atlas. And it's the Haut Atlas which we will be crossing tomorrow heading north on our way to Midelt. There are two routes, one on a national road all the way and one on tarmac which has a stretch of piste for about ten miles and which gets up to about 2500m. Much as we would like to take the "scenic" route, considering we are driving Motorhomes and not Land Cruisers common sense has to prevail. Also the rougher road may well be blocked by snow at time of year. According to the guide books Midelt hasn't a great deal to recommend it and for us it's just an overnight stop on the way to Azrou and Ifrane which both sound like places we would like to visit. Meanwhile, a couple of pics:

I think this sky could safely be called azure eh?

Parked up at Chez Pauline, the oranges in the tree in the foreground were picked an hour or so later for marmalade.

 

 

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Gorges du Todra

Today we walked the four miles or so up to Todra Gorge. It was a lovely blue sky morning when we set off although a little chilly in the wind out of the sun. We stopped for breakfast, somewhat inevitably, and the rest of the gang scored it a seven. I gave it a zero. No cheese, marmalade instead of apricot jam and mint tea instead of a nice Moroccan cuppa. Hey ho. We arrived at the gorge and the many tourist stalls just ahead of the coach parties and 4WD excursion groups. It's certainly an impressive geological feature but I thought it narrowed to a couple of feet, which it doesn't. I must be getting my gorges mixed up. I think the narrower one is at Dades where we were a couple of days ago, confined to our Motorhomes due to a sandstorm. I took some photos but they don't really do the place justice, the red sandstone cliffs tower above you on either side while a shallow river bubbles through which I expect would be quite wide and deep at another time of the year.

Todra Gorge:

 

It became much warmer as we started our walk back, the wind had dropped and we were in full sunshine all the way back. Boy, was I ready for that cold can of Flag, even at £1.50 a pop and we certainly enjoyed our lunch of salad and the last of our cold meats. Just in case you don't think I deserved my cold beer these are the kind of temperatures we are having to endure in Tinghir at the moment and it looks like it's getting warmer!

Tomorrow we are setting of to Chez Pauline, described in the guide as an "organic oasis/African art gallery/farmyard petting zoo/gourmet retreat". Something for everybody in our party then. It's less than an hour away and we are hoping to stop there a day or so before pushing on to Azrou via Ar-Rachida and Midelt. The latter two places are just stopping off points for us but we'll be looking out for the Barbary Apes as we approach Azrou through the forest. But before any of that I have to attempt to follow Arsenal (2) Bayern Munich (1) on a very, very poor internet connection. There's a German van on the site here with a tv dish and I'm tempted to pop over and introduce myself with a couple of cans of Flag but I'm sure it will end badly.

 

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Rings and rugs

We are parked tonight on a campsite about five miles north of Tinerhir (Tinghir) about four miles south of the Todra gorge which we are planning to visit tomorrow. We left Boumalne Dades this morning with very dirty and dusty, yellow streaked vans and after a short journey of only 45 minutes arrived at Tinghir and stopped for our morning coffee. Eight out of ten today for good coffee, bread, cheese and apricot jam. Next door was a supermarket and we called in for a few bits and pieces. As we waited to pay a guy came in, had a muttered conversation with the assistant and a bottle of fig vodka miraculously appeared which was quickly wrapped in newspaper. Aha, I thought, and enquired if they had any beer. I was shown to the room next door which was stocked with wine, beer and spirits and purchased a tray of Flag beer at an exorbitant price. As we left the guy who had purchased the vodka was outside and asked with a laugh if I had managed to find the beer. We got chatting and it turned out he had lived in Paris for twenty five years, worked as a motor mechanic and had come home for a holiday and to visit his mother who was unwell. He asked if we had been to the market or the area where the Jewish silversmiths had lived and worked and when we said we hadn't he gave us directions and eventually said it was no trouble to show us the way. Off we went through a maze of streets where small metal fabricators, welders, joiners and a few other trades were banging and clattering away, roads were being repaired and push bikes, mopeds and the occasional car weaved their way through, avoiding pedestrians and pot holes. Eventually we arrived at a small market square and were led through a tiny doorway, which we would never have found, and into the women's market, so called because it sold women's and children's clothes and shoes and not much else. We exited into a maze of alleyways where the Kasbah was being restored with the traditional clay and straw blocks. This was a part of town, explained Mohamed, where tourists rarely came. We passed a water fountain where women and children were filling water containers and Mohamed explained that the water only flowed for two hours in the morning and two hours at night. By now we were completely lost amongst the narrow twisting lanes, we turned a corner and Mohamed, before taking his leave to his house just around the corner, introduced us to Hassan, who was stood outside a fairly non descript doorway. On the way Mohamed,who is a Berber, as is almost everybody here in the south, chatted away to us in near perfect English, telling us about the silver mine just outside town which is the largest mine in Africa and which employs over three thousand people. Telling us, as other people had told us before, how well the Berbers and Jews had got along together. He pointed out many community and educational centres in the Ksour. For many years in Morocco the Berber people were looked down upon and even persecuted by the Arabs, who arrived in the seventh century but now there is a resurgence in Berber pride with Berbers, who were the original occupants of Morocco, accounting for eighty five percent of the population as a whole and the Berber language being taught now in mainstream schools.

So, back to Hassan who invites us into his house. Up a flight of stairs and we're into a veritable emporium of pottery, jewellery, lanterns, some percussion instruments and glassware. There were no signs outside the shop and when I enquired of Hassan he explained that his business was partly wholesale to retailers and the retail trade he enjoyed arrived by word of mouth, the odd tour bus and, of course, folk like Mohamed. Hassan explained the significance and origins of the, almost exclusively, silver jewellery he had. Some of it he bought in but a lot of it was made by family members or Berber or Tuareg craftsmen. It was some of the best silver work we had seen and although we had no intention of buying anything when we were first invited in, inevitably we did. Hassan said that he didn't negotiate on price, "We'll, maybe just a little bit" but, to be fair the first prices he quoted on the things we picked up were more than reasonable. Phil bought a beautiful tiger stone set in a silver ring and I bought a silver "living man" which I will wear with pride to remind me of the wonderful people we have met so far here in Morocco. After "negotiation" I think everybody was satisfied with the price we paid. Paul and Chris wanted to buy a lantern, they've been looking for the ideal one for a few days now but Hassan didn't have any that took their fancy but offered to take us to a friend of his who had a wider selection. Up another flight of stairs to another exit from the house and we entered a carpet weaving room with some fabulous examples of the work hanging on the walls. We'd been keeping an eye out for a small rug for the side of our bed in the van and although there wasn't a rug the right size we eventually bought an "antique?" cushion cover which is just the right size, is beautiful and will be another memory for us.

Off to the lantern shop through another maze of alleys, guided by Hassan, and sure enough Paul and Chris found one they liked. Unfortunately, on examination, it wasn't as well made as they would have liked. In fact a piece dropped off while they were looking at it! So, we exit the shop and Hassan offers to take us back to our Motorhomes as, by now, we were completely lost. Phil mentioned that she needed to but some yoghurt so we are taken to three shops before Hassan is satisfied that we have the right yoghurt. Chris wanted some oranges from a stall and started loading her basket. "No" says Hassan, "not those ones, these ones." All the time the conversation flowed, we were as interested in him as he was about us and our travels and we laughed and joked until we reached the road where we were parked, albeit a mile or so down the road. He called us sun nomads, "Most nomads look for water, you look for the sun"

Ok, so Hassan had made a sale but we were never pressurised to buy anything and he didn't drag us off the street into his shop. It seems so much more relaxed here in these small to medium sized towns and villages than in the cities and if you take people at face value instead of thinking that they're out to rip you off the whole experience is just so much more rewarding.

We stopped for lunch at a cafe just next to the market before heading off to our vans and considered how a chance encounter outside a supermarket this morning developed into a fascinating tour of Tinghir and a further insight into the culture and personality of the Berber people.

Finally, a big thank you to Paul. I hadn't been to the bank and had very little cash (I'd spent it all on beer!) but he kindly lent me the money for our purchases today at an extremely low interest rate.

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Lost day

We are still parked up in Boumaine Dades. Last night it was blowing a hooly and it was the same when we woke up this morning. We couldn't see across the valley for the sand in the air, just a buff coloured mist. Consequently we decided to stay put as these are hardly ideal driving conditions and the majority of other folk on this site decided to stay put too, the wind has died down quite a lot now so hopefully we can push on tomorrow. So a day of doing not much at all really, catching up with emails, reading and watching a movie on the iPad - The Life Of Pi. We brought quite a few movies with us but so far we've been too busy having fun to watch many but it was an ideal diversion today.

We also booked our ferry back to the UK. We leave Morocco on the 5th March and the plan was to drive back through Spain and France and take the tunnel back from Calais but it's a long drive back through France so we've booked Bilbao-Portsmouth for the 18th March. That gives us time to visit Seville, Cordoba and, possibly Toledo on the way to Bibao. The Ferry isn't cheap but when you consider the diesel we'll save and food for five or six days that we won't have to buy there's probably not much in it and Phil is really looking forward to 24 hours on a boat. I'm encouraging her by telling her that if she can manage twenty minutes on a camel a day on a boat in the Bay of Biscay will be a piece of cake. Anyway, we have another three weeks here in Morocco and plenty more to see before we have to think too much about heading home. The place we are at now is a hotel with a high walled courtyard adjacent for Motorhomes. Here's a pic, the reason you can't really see any sky is because it's obscured by sand!

And here are a few more pics from our trip in the desert-

No, my knuckles are not white!

 

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It's turned chilly

It's Sunday night and we are parked on a campsite just outside Boumaine Dades at 1600m, it's a bit chilly and very windy. We're not used to this after a week or so of glorious sunshine! We left Ouarzazate this morning and stopped at Skoura for our coffee and le petit dejeuner. We've had a few interesting breakfasts on our morning stops, pancakes with apricot confiture we rate highly, day old bread with laughing cow cheese not so good. Today we had fresh warm bread with olive oil, goats cheese and strawberry jam, delicious. The first two items came straight away but when we asked if there was any confiture available the owner nodded and immediately sent a young lad of about eight years to the shop over the road for a jar of jam, result!

After locating the campsite and reserving our pitch we set off back to town for a bit of shopping and some lunch hoping we could find something to eat other than another tagine. Now, we like tagines and we've had some very nice ones here but after a while you just want something different like a steak and kidney pie. Obviously Kate and Sidney is out of the question so we settled on kefta, salad and chips; it's not a pie but then again it wasn't another tagine. If, at this point, you're thinking that we spend our days looking for interesting breakfasts and avoiding tagines, well, you're half right. We only actually spend half the day in those pursuits.

The view west from our campsite this evening:

Tomorrow we are setting off for the gorge at Todra while Paul and Chris, our travelling companions, spend a day here exploring the Gorges du Dades. We're trying to meet up with a couple we met in Spain last year, our paths keep crossing but I think we're getting closer and we hope to see them again in the next few days when we can catch up and swop stories.

 

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Ouarzazate

The nightmare that is Maroc Telecom has returned and it looks like they have swallowed another 100 dirham without my being able to connect to the internet!!! Hence the blog that follows was written last night:

Tonight we are parked in a small campsite a couple of kilometres south of Ouarzazate. We arrived after setting off from Zagora today and retraced our earlier journey back to Agdz where we stopped for lunch, turkey kebabs! After Agdz we climbed to 1600 metres via a series of switchbacks offering spectacular views until we finally dropped down to where we are now at 1100 metres. We've been blessed with some glorious weather for the last week or so, blue sky all day, temperatures in the high twenties and not cold at night. Sorry to you folk in the UK enduring some pretty wet and windy weather at the moment.

Yesterday we met up again with Mohamed, the guy who took us into the desert the day before. He took us to his house to meet his parents, grandmother and brothers. We spent a couple of hours with them and they showed us how to make "Berber Whiskey", or tea. It's not just a matter of dropping a tea bag into a cup. There's a real art to making a decent pot of tea we have discovered, not too sweet and not too strong. When made properly it's delicious. Mohamed is the only bread winner at the moment, his father is retired, neither of his brothers have any work and he is reliant on tourists of whom there aren't too many at the moment. So I guess they are pretty hard up but generous to their guests and they all seemed genuinely pleased to meet us. If anyone reading this is thinking of travelling to Morocco let me know and I'll put you in touch with a good guide.

I haven't posted any pics for a few days so here are a few for you.

Enjoying the camel experience!

 

 

With our friend Mohamed (and our enemy, Fatima)-

 

Footsteps in the dunes, mine not a camels-

A lot of desert out there-

 

We watered the donkeys on the way back-

 

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Erg Chigaga

We are parked in a campsite at Zagora. We arrived yesterday from Agdz on a good road with Palmeries all along the road giving us mountains on one side and lush greenery on the other. After checking in to this tiny campsite and ordering our evening meal, yes another tagine but delicious nonetheless, we went into town to book our trip into the Sahara. We found Omar, one of many guys offering trips of varying duration in 4WD or on camel or a combination of both. We settled on the one day trip in a 4WD and a camel ride in the desert, before arriving at the magnificent dunes at Erg Chigaga. On the way we passed herds of camel (camel herder on motorbike) a camel train and the abandoned oasis Sacre. Our driver, Mohamed, stopped at all the good viewpoints and pointed out the important features and even stopped at a well on the way back to water a half dozen donkeys. The highlight though was the dunes. The real Sahara. We arrived at the camp and Mohamed said lunch would be about half an hour. Explore the dunes he said but don't get lost. It would have been easy to do so. We clambered up a few of the larger ones close by but all the time made sure we knew which direction the camp was in. The only word to describe the desert experience there was tranquil. There's not a sound apart from the sand sliding down the dunes, blown by the wind, and when the wind dropped it was totally silent and it would have been easy to have lost ourselves in less than ten minutes. After all, one dune looks much like another really or at least they did to us.

The camel ride was all we expected it to be. We were told it was an hour's ride but, fortunately, that included the stop for breakfast and we only had to endure the experience for about twenty minutes or so. It's not so bad when they're walking on the flat but the up dunes and down dunes part is definitely not the most comfortable of rides. I don't want to be indelicate now and I don't know what my camel had for breakfast but lets just say that the after effects weren't the highlight of the day. Phil was riding her beast behind me and she wasn't too impressed either! We had to wear the obligatory desert passport and very fetching we looked too. I can now tie my own turban in both tourist and Berber style. Both of which are useful for pulling over your face when sat astride a farting camel.

The campsite we are on at the moment is described in the guide as funky which just about sums it up. It's the smallest we've been on so far, there are ten Motorhomes now and one tent and it's full. It's run by two brothers from Mali who are also musicians and who promote a musical festival here every year. They also play traditional Tuareg and Berber music in the restaurant in the evenings so funky is the right word for this place. Their family still live in the desert and their uncles breed and trade camels. Last night one of the brothers told me these interesting facts which I shall now share with you. Camels live to sixty or seventy years, they reach their prime at about twenty five years. They can carry up to 450 kilos and drink once a week when they will drink seventy litres of water. And finally, a good female camel will set you back about two thousand euros. So it's cheaper than an Escort van, lasts longer, carries the same load and doesn't have the same fuel or maintenance costs. It may be a little slower but aren't we all in just too much of a hurry these days?

I've sorted out the nightmare that is a Maroc Telecom SIM card but the 3G signal here is week, so is the on site WiFi so no pics today.

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Rough roads to Agdz

We are parked this afternoon in a campsite in Agdz, a palmerai no less, adjacent to a Kasbah which is in the process of being restored by volunteers and our fees here go toward the restoration project. We have all facilities here and the charge, including a meal this evening, is 130 Dirham, about a tenner!

We left Taliouine this morning and had the option of two routes, one on national roads about 250k and another on a "secondary" road, about 150k. The guy at the campsite said the secondary road was not suitable but it looked ok to us so we set off this morning and stopped for coffee at a village where the roads separated. We asked the man in the hotel cafe and he said no problem on the minor road so off we went. After a couple of miles we came across road improvement activity and spent the next few miles dodging big trucks, piles of gravel and earth moving machines. We cleared that obstacle only to find that for half the remaining distance the road surface was pretty rough, to say the least. It was single track which meant playing chicken with on-coming vehicles to see who would end up with two wheels on the stoney roadside. Second and third gear for mile after mile but with fantastic views all around. We peaked at 1800metres before dropping down to where we are now at a mere 950m.

Today's road-

Eventually we came back to a two lane surfaced road which was a relief and arrived here with our suspension intact and air in all tyres, phew.

Parked up in the Palmerai-

We are at the head of the Draa valley and tomorrow we set off through the valley for about 60miles to Zagora and we have been promised some stunning scenery on the way. Another 60 miles and it's nothing but desert so I think we may have a look around and see if we can arrange a 4x4 trip to see the dunes before heading back to where we are now and then onwards to Ouarzazate and the Dades valley.

When we have a driving day we always stop about halfway for coffee and a bite to eat. Our ideal is coffee and croissant but no luck so far. We've had pain chocolate, pain and cheese, pancakes with honey or jam (twice) but today's was a cracker. We asked what they had and were offered omelettes and a few other lunchy things and then eventually we were offered coffee cake! A result! What we got was flatbread with laughing cow cheese, Argan oil and apricot jam. Something lost in the translation I think. The croissant hunt continues.

Where we are now-

 

 

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3rd February.

We are parked in a campsite just outside Essaouira in a grove of Argan trees. We have no WiFi but I'm updating the blog anyway. We have no WiFi because after buying the SIM card with three days credit I went to a Maroc telecom agent in El Jadida, handed over my 100 Dirham to buy another month's credit and......the rest, as they say, is history. Another lesson learnt eh?

We arrived here yesterday from Safi. Nice campsite at Safi with Peacocks and hens to keep us company. Pretty to look at and they're not at all noisy are they? We left yesterday morning and came down the coast road to Essaouira. I'm not saying the road was rough but we really should have looked for a dentist straight away to replace all our fillings, anyway that can wait I guess. Our first stop was a campsite a little closer to town but after the ladies had examined the facilities we decided to move on to where we are now, pretty rural but peaceful and we've had a glorious sunny day today. Leaving Essaouira was not without excitement. Paul was leading and as he entered the roundabout leading off the campsite he slowed almost to a stop at the stop sign. Cue police whistles and much arm waving at the adjacent roadblock. Paul was pulled over and his indiscretion, he hadn't actually stopped, pointed out by the policeman together with notice that regrettably a fine would have to be paid. After negotiation they settled on 300 Dirham, reduced from 700, ( Is 700 a lot sir? Yes! OK,how about 300?). No receipt was issued. Another 30 minutes and we arrived here, just. A Moroccan taxi driver decided to overtake me at a road fork and missed my front end by inches. Phew, that was close, I said. The last couple of miles to the campsite is single track and that was entertaining too but we arrived safely. A lazy day today under the Argan trees which only grow in this part of Morocco. The trees are vital to the local economy, providing firewood, fodder for the goats and oil for us humans. When we arrived goats were climbing into the trees picking the fruit. Traditionally Berber women harvest the fruit, feed it to goats, whose digestive juices break down the tough outer shell. The nuts are then recovered from the dung, the kernels split, lightly toasted, pulped, pressed and the resultant oil used for medicinal and culinary purposes. To produce one litre of oil requires thirty kilos of nuts and fifteen hours of manual labour. Hence, it ain't cheap but it's good for you apparently.

Spectacular view of the Atlantic on yesterday's drive-

The most excitement today was provided by a tortoise who strolled nonchalantly under my chair as we sat outside with our morning coffee, first time I've seen a tortoise in the wild.

Q

4th February.

Tonight wae are parked up on a campsite in Sidi Ouassai about an hour south of Agadir. We left Essaouira just after 9am and it took us the best part of six hours to travel the 156 miles. We stopped a couple of times for diesel, coffee and a cash machine but the roads were slow and the traffic around Agadir was crazy. Also, we stopped at every stop sign on the way. Just after we set off we stopped at a women's co-operative where they produced and sold Argan oil. We enjoyed a twenty percent discount today. Just as well really because it's not inexpensive but if we take a teaspoon a day for breakfast for just one month we will be cured of all that ails us, have wonderful complexions and be as strong as goats! We saw more goats on the way down up in the trees eating the nuts and it's quite a surprise to see half a dozen goats up an Argan tree. Not something you see everyday. We stopped at a small village, Tamanar, for coffee and diesel and spotted a shop selling Maroc Telecom top up cards. We went in with our phones,SIM cards, modems and asked the guy if we could buy top up cards for the 3G network. No problem. I bought a card for 20 Dirham, sent the code via SMS and, sure enough, I was credited with 40 Dirham as they have a special half price offer available at the moment. I now have 440 Dirham credit but still can't access the internet!! The guy in the shop was as perplexed as me and said I really need to find a Maroc Telecom shop in a big town.

An Argan tree, handy for the washing line.

As we approached Agadir from the north we passed some of the better surfing beaches, on some of them there must have been fifty or so people out on boards. We thought we'd come across a Seal colony from a distance and we were a bit disappointed when we realised it was just a load of streaked blond haired dudes in wet suits. Eventually we arrived at this campsite, the last ten kilometres down a single track road. This place was recommended by a couple we met in Spain who spent a week here earlier in the year and said it was one of the best places they had visited. To be honest we are a little disappointed. It's like an open air split level car park accommodating maybe one hundred or so vans, many of whom look like they have been here for a while so I guess it's a popular place but there's nothing much round about here and although we are right next to the Atlantic it's not a golden sandy beach. We made a detour from our original plan to come here and now we wished we had stayed another day at Essaouira but, hey oh, we have a couple of sunny pitches and after the drive today, which pretty much exhausted everybody, we've decided to make tomorrow another rest day. The staff here are pleasant enough and there's a restaurant on site so we'll take it easy again tomorrow before heading back inland on Thursday. There's a guy here who paints your van, or any part of it. I couldn't resist.

7th February

We are parked outside the city walls in Taroudant with the Atlas Mountains to the north and south of us. We left Sidi Ouassai this morning after a restful three days and the glorious sunny weather has stayed with us. We've walked around the old town and the souk for the last few hours, bought some fruit and veg and, inevitably, some silver jewellery and returned to the van for a rest and a cuppa before setting off again to explore the markets at night. We arrived at about 1pm and the medina was almost deserted but at three o'clock, after Friday prayers it came alive to the clattering of shutters as the shops and stalls in the market and the souk opened for business. The city tamparts here are 7.5km long and their colour changes from honey to red as the light and sun changes, truly beautiful. Outside the town seems almost European in parts with broad tree lined boulevards and a large park just opposite us but inside the medina and the two souks it's completely different. A whirlwind of push bikes, mopeds, vans, horses and carts and the occasional lorry all weaving around pedestrians. Not so many Motorhomes here as there are on the coast. There are no campsites, just a parking area here with an official charging fifty dirham, about four pounds, for a night's secure parking, there are about twenty Motorhomes here now (ours are the only British) and it's full.

It's seven o'clock now and it's been dark for about half an hour, there are family groups, young couples strolling through the park while teenage boys call out and tease groups of girls, all the while the clip clip of the Caleche provides the soundtrack. We like this town a lot, it's called "Little Marrakech", but it's much easier to stroll around here. People may invite you into their shop but there's not the constant pestering which is typical of Marrakech, a "non merci" or "la shukran" is usually all that's required to enjoy a hassle free stroll here.

Parked outside the ramparts.

We still haven't resolved the nightmare which is the Maroc Telecom SIM card and internet access but I have a bit of weak WiFi here so I'm going to try and post this.

Some time later - well, that didn't work!

9.15am Saturday, trying again!

 

Saturday 8th February.

We are parked on a campsite at Tallouine in the foothills of the Anti Atlas Mountains, 1000m above sea level. The landscape has changed since we drove yesterday through the fertile Souss valley and it's co-operative farms and orange groves. Now we are are in hilly red sandstone, barren in places. We are a mile or so outside of the village which is famous for being the African centre for l'or rouge, Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, which only grows above 1200m and which is harvested here for a month from mid October. There is less traffic on the roads now, away from the coast, which probably explains why I was pulled over by a Gendarme this morning as I approached a junction. I didn't think I was exceeding the speed limit but he suggested I was and warned me that next time I would get a ticket. Well, good luck with that officer as I shan't be returning by this route ha ha.

Apparently there is good WiFi on this site so long as you stand in a metre square area just outside reception so I'm off now to post this, at last.

ps Thanks to those folks who bothered to let me know today's football score, very much appreciated!

 

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