Untitled

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!

 

Posted with Blogsy