Morocco- Sidi Kaouki and Essaouira

On our final morning in Taghazout we had a lovely breakfast (crepes, baguettes, hot chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice) overlooking the sea before saying our goodbyes to the group.  Many of them are also going there own ways- inland to Taroudant and south to Agadir.  We headed north 150km to Sidi Kaouki.  We had been to the small beach settlement in early December on our way south.  We chose the other campsite there this time as it has more facilities.  We were in desperate need of a washing machine to get our half a dozen towels and clothes clean, as so far in Morocco I have been hand washing.  The machine at the camp is a modern front loader and does a fantastic 60 degree wash, however this takes about 3.5 hours!  Needless to say we had to join the queue and got our first of two loads in at 10pm after waiting since 4pm.

 Our lunch stop at Tamri, on the way to Sidi Kaouki

We walked around the hotels and restaurants one afternoon and Dale spotted some men on horseback in a side street.  We presumed they were dressed for a traditional gunpowder race (thanks guidebook).  We hung around to see if they would go down to the beach but instead they went inside a hotel courtyard, to we presume perform for some tourists.  There was also a tent pitched on the beach so we wondered if the hotel guests would come down later for a meal and entertainment.  4 or 5 members of the local Police force had crowded into their Volkswagen caddy and were stationed up near the horses.  We think they were interested in what was going on too.  When they came to leave they got a wheel stuck behind a rock on the road and required some help from Dale and the locals to dislodge the rock and push them to get going again.

After two nights at Sidi Kaouki we drove half an hour north to the fortified sea side town of Essaouira.  It came highly recommended from fellow travellers and it didn't disappoint.  It is obviously a tourist magnet as there are so many shops selling souvenirs.  The specialty here is thuya wood carving- boxes, trays, animals and the like.  We went into an 'Ensemble Artisanal', a fixed price (though one can still haggle) market with stalls from various local crafts people selling similar wares to the other shops in town.  What was so nice about Essaouira was the laid back nature of the people and the lack of 'hard sell', which made for a pleasant afternoon browsing.  There was also many items in shops for sale at a fixed price, which takes the work out of purchasing somewhat.  There is also an everyday souk, where we purchased bread and eggs, and had lunch in one of the eateries in the medina.

The ramparts

The watchtower

We went for a walk through the fishing port (which is very much a working port) and onto both sets of 16th century ramparts.  The bronze canons on the ramparts date from 18th and 19th century and were cast in Spain.  The wind was blowing a gale and there was showers of rain throughout the day but we didn't mind too much as generally the weather has been very good for us in Morocco.

Unfortunately due to yesterdays lunch Dale is unwell so we decided to stay another night at the guarded port carpark.  We made it out for a walk along the beach promenade, which is very nice and the following day before we left Essaouira we returned to the shops to make some purchases.  We bought 3 wooden boxes, but restrained ourselves from getting anything else as we are worried about getting through quarantine when we return to New Zealand.  I haggled for some scarfs, offering 120 dirhams instead of the 140 dirhams asked.  The seller wasn't interested at that price though and we walked away.  I will continue looking as I was pretty keen on them, but too embarassed to return and buy them after I had failed to strike a deal!  In hindsight I should have bought them as 20 dirhams is such a small amount, but I was too stubborn about it.

Our next destination was Ounara, 30 minutes inland from Essaouira on the road to Marrakech.  Here we checked into the campsite to give Dale some more R and R before hitting Marrakech as he is still unwell.  Ounara is a small market town which we will have a walk around tomorrow and we may stay another night until Dale is better.  We have heard from our friend Gabrielle that she is flying into Marrakech on Monday- perfect timing for a catch up!

Morocco - Van Painting, Taghazout and Agadir

On Wednesday morning we drove 15 minutes from Taghazout to Aourir- commonly known as the banana village.  It would be at the mechanics here that we would spend about a week getting the rust repaired on the van and a new paint job.  Not really something we were looking forward to, but a necessity as the van was showing more and more wear and tear since we bought it 2 years ago.

Things were made a little difficult when I (Nicky) woke up in the middle of the first night and was very sick.  Once it was out of my system I began to improve, and a day or two later I was back to normal.

Staying at the mechanics was hardly paradise and we were very happy to go to Agadir for the day with Graham and Sue.  A quick stock up at the Marjane supermarket and then it was on to the souk.  The souk is Agadir is great- the best we have been to.  It is in a walled enclosure and contains everything from fruit and vegetables, to household items, clothing, furniture and food stalls.  We shared a chicken tagine and mixed plate of fried fish for lunch.  We bought 3 pirated DVDs (10 Dirhams each- 90 euro cents) and a new mat for the van (20 Dirhams).

The weather turned for the worse and we were grateful to have the van in the garage.  We have had some heavy rainfalls which no doubt would have given us a few leaks in the van had it been outside.  At least we weren't missing out on any good weather, and they are still able to do their work, rain or shine.

The weather picked up and the guys continued to work pretty well and they managed to finish the van in 6 days rather than 7.  They have made a good job of it and everyone was impressed when we got back to Taghazout.  There is the odd imperfection with the paint work, but they don't have a spray booth and the price they charge is extremely affordable.  There was one final scare when they were almost done and I pointed out they hadn't put the windscreen sprayer nozzle back in.  Well of course they had lost it, so after some vain searching and then a little wait one thankfully appeared and we were sorted.

  

Whilst basing ourselves back at Taghazout we returned again to Agadir, this time walking along the promenade to the marina.  The promenade is lined with flash restaurants and has a feel of a European city, not a traditional Moroccan one.  Also on recommendation we stopped at Snack Pacific- a small, tidy restaurant in the downtown area, where a burger and fries was an extremely low 18 dirhams (1.60 euros).

The next day we had a problem with our water pump (it was going but no water was coming out) and thankfully Roley was here. He had it out and opened it up and cleaned it out and put it back and it started working, so here's hoping.  Also that day we walked to the village but by a long route up into the hill behind us.

Today we drove up to the Kasbah which overlooks Agadir (this provided some great views) and we also went back to the Valley of the Birds.  In the morning we'll be going out to breakfast in the village because Graeme and Sue and Roley and Anne are going south and we are heading north.

Morocco- Taroudant, Agadir and Taghazout

It was then onwards to Taroudant.  A bustling walled town about an hour inland from Agadir.  We again had some fantastic scenery and passed many fields of mandarin trees.  Our spot for the next two nights was the Hotel Palais Salam car park.  The car park was quiet when we arrived and we were yet to see any of the influx of motorhomes that arrive into Morocco in the new year.

We spent a solid day walking around Taroudant.  It appears to be a good example of a Moroccan town- there are people, cars, scooters, bikes and animals everywhere, mosques, housing and shops all bundled together.  There is also a Berber souk and an Arab souk.  As for the latter, we found ourselves lost at the end of the afternoon after going the opposite direction out of the souk than we needed to.  Halfway back to the van the heavens opened, lightning and thunder.  It was our second day of rain here in 40 days so we can't complain.

Our guidebook said there is 5km worth of walls, parts of which can be walked along.  We only found one set of stairs up to them at the Bab el Kasbah gate nearest the car park.  Once we reached the top you could only turn right, walk about 20 metres, round the corner before there was a massive gap in the path, too large to even jump over.  And what would be the point of jumping over when the wall ended metres after that again.

A stall in the Arab souk

At the top of the walls

We left Taroudant after 2 nights and drove to Agadir.  On approach to the roundabouts here in Morocco there are speed limit signs.  First a 60km/h and then a 40km/h closer to the roundabout.  Too late did we notice the two motorcycle cops with a radar gun and we were pulled over.  The Police officer explained that at the 60km/h sign we were doing 70km/h.  Then he said it would be a 300 dirham (about 25 euro) fine.  At no stage did he want to check licenses or the van registration.  We asked for proof of this photo and also said we would pay at the station (thinking the officers would be wanting to pocket the money themselves).  He returned with the photo, which was taken 250 metres from the roundabout, just as we came round the corner. Dale could see the corner in the photo so was trying to saying to say he felt the photo was before the 60km zone.  So we were dubious that the photo was taken in the right place, but also thought that it was ridiculous that they were wanting to fine us on such a technicality.  Especially when most Moroccans drive like crazy people, speeding and overtaking.  We really didn't want to pay this fine so Nicky explained that we were safe drivers and never speed, in a somewhat pleading voice.  The lack of a common language seemed to help, and they must have thought it was going to be too hard as soon enough the officer put up his hands and told us we could go.

It was then time for some sightseeing in Agadir.  We first went to find an English bookshop we had seen on the internet.  It took us some time and when we did finally find it we were told by Abdellah at the cafe next door that it had been closed for a year.  We struck up conversation with him and ended up having a drink with him.  He lives in Agadir and works at a Moroccan insurance company connected to Axa Insurance.  We don't get a lot of opportunity to have in depth conversations with locals and asked him about his life including his wife and two young sons.  He also pointed us in the direction of another bookshop where we bought a book on Morocco and 2 novels.
On the way back to the van we walked through the Valley of the birds, a small zoo of various birds, wallabies, goats, gazelles and peacocks.

Dale and Abdellah

Nicky at the Valley of the birds

We then drove to Taghazout and met up with English friends of ours.  Sue and Graham who had arrived the day before were our bosses from the campsite at Hadrians wall, and also Roley and Anne both of whom it was fantastic to see again.

There is about a dozen GB registered motorhomes here now, mostly set up where we are.  It is great to be socialising again and we have even seen Ray and Joan who we met at Khenifiss National park two weeks ago.  We were here in Taghazout a month ago, and the number of motorhomes has increased, possibly to 150-200 in total now.

Sue and Graham have had a lovely Moroccan scene painted on their motorhome and there have been many locals around selling fruit.  We even had a man ask us if we had anything to sell.  We said we didn't and he then inquired about buying our motor and giving us his.  Mmm I don't think so.

Buying honey and peanut spread

A local painter working on Sue and Graham's motorhome

Hassan, a local man who is friends with some of the Brits who come here year after year, kindly took us to the mechanic he knows in a local village.  He would be able to get us a fair quote- not as low as one for a Moroccan but not tourist prices either.  The quote was about 200 euros less than the one in Tafraoute.  We can stay in the locked area behind the workshop overnight.  We are getting rust repaired and a new paint job- hopefully we cope with staying in the van with the paint work being done.  It will take a week in all- it could be a bit boring for us, but will be worth it in the end!

The day before we left for the mechanic we had breakfast with Sue, Roley and Anne overlooking the sea in Taghazout.  It was a beautiful morning and we enjoyed our omelettes, baguettes, hot chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice.  A memorable breakfast with lovely friends.

Morocco- Tan Tan Plage, Guelmim and Tafraoute

From Khenifiss National park we returned to Tan Tan Plage and Camping Atlantique.  We made trips into town each day for bread, water, fruit and vegetables, as well as buying 1kg of tender beef for 90 dirhams (8 euros).

One day when shopping a young woman spoke to us in English wishing us a happy new year.  We learnt that she lives in the village and learnt English for two years at the local high school.  She said many families in Morocco will celebrate the new year.  It was really nice to speak with a local woman as it is predominantly men we converse with.  Men play the dominant role outside of the house, and are also the shopkeepers (most of the time), waiters, parking attendants and Police officers for example.  However the home is the womans domain.

We wanted to eat out one night, so earlier that day we checked out some restaurants along the main street.  What we really wanted to know was whether we had to pre order tagines, but we struggled to get that across with our non existent French.  Tagine refers to the ceramic dish it is cooked in and comprises of meat in the middle, surrounded by vegetables and spices and cooked very slowly.  We ended up choosing one of the hotel restaurants by the sea.  Once seated we realised what we needed to look for was 'sur commande' and the chicken, lamb and fish tagines all required pre ordering.  We went for a meatball tagine instead, fish skewers (poisson brochette) and a Marocaine salad of tomatoes, red onion, olives, tuna and cucumber.  We had our first mint tea and the price of the meal was under 10 euros!

Mint tea- a Moroccan specialty

From top: Tagine, Marocaine salad and Fish Brochette

After Tan Tan Plage we diverted south again to another lagoon side spot.  We had passed this going to and from Khenifiss National park a few days previously.  Many motorhomers here are taking the term 'wild camping' extremely loosely and have set up awnings and have even marked their 'pitches' with rocks.  The next day we spotted a large group of flamingos (about 50) in the shallows.  We climbed more sand dunes and checked out the estuary.  We saw more snake and lizard tracks in the sand.

Our next destination was back north along the N1 to Guelmim.  The Saturday souk was on and was the busiest we had been to so far, with plenty of people, animals and carts around.  We picked up a couple of bargains- 1kg of mandarins for 2 dirhams (18 euro cents) and strawberries 5 dirhams (55c) a punnet.  There was also a camel and sheep market going on.  The camels used to be used in transporting goods but now they are commonly sold as food.  Our guidebook also mentioned the presence of touts offering trips to the oasis to see the blue men.  We are still unsure exactly what this entails (as it is a con), but we were half way round the souk when a man asked Dale where he was from.  This is usually the sign that someone wants to sell us something, and sure enough it was a trip to the oasis.

The camel market

Whilst in Guelmim we checked out Caid Dahman Takni's palace.  The guidebook states it is the closest thing to a tourist attraction in town.  It is about 100 years old, but in absolute ruins.  Rubbish, animal droppings and glass scatter the site, and the only thing slightly worthwhile about it is the views of the residential parts of town from the top.

Caid Dahman Takni's Palace

We continued on to Bouizakarne where we were going to stop for the night at the campsite.  It was closed as the owner is away so we continued east along the N12 to find a place to stop for the night.  We pulled over at the first hotel and camping sign we saw.  It turns out this was closed but the man in charge of security came running out of his nearby house and said we could stay.  It was 40 dirhams a night without services which was a bit steep, but it saved us from deviating more from our route.

Our stop for the night

The next day we drove to Tafraoute.  We took a minor road to avoid going via Tiznit.  It was a sealed road, though narrow and several taxis and buses forced us off the seal when coming from the other direction.  Dale had done some research on Google maps to check the quality of the road and had spotted a dam.  When we passed it it turns out that it was completely dry.  On approach to the turn off to Tafraoute we saw a road sign saying no access, but decided to take it anyway.  We were hoping that it would work out for the best and we saw cars coming from the other direction.  Early on two diggers which were blocking the road moved aside for us, and we drove through about 20 kilometres of gravel as well.  It seems like they are laying new drainage pipes and then will re seal the road, perhaps?

The dry dam

In Tafraoute we chose Camping Tazka.  All 3 campsites in town appear to offer similar services and only vary in their distance from the town.  The landscape is great- there are the anti atlas mountains and large boulders dotting the landscape.  We took a walk to the painted rocks one afternoon.  In 1984 a Belgian artist Jean Verame along with some Moroccan firemen used 18 tonnes of paint to paint various boulders red, blue, green, black and purple.  Some of which now are very faded.  In 2010 they did re paint some which improves the attraction greatly.  We spent 3.5 hours walking and had very sore legs by the time we got back to the van.

A camel grazing

The painted rocks

Tafraoute has a pleasant, bustling town centre, very clean by Moroccan standards (it is apparently a favourite town of the King).  It is the major trading town for the area.  One day we went out for lunch to Hotel Salara.  For 10 euros we had a massive lunch- Marocaine salad, beef tagine, chicken couscous, bread and drinks.  Sitting outside may have been a mistake as we were accosted by the numerous stray cats all wanting to be fed.  On Wednesday we had a look at the weekly souk and bought some vegetables.  It wasn't anything to rave about and we enjoyed the Guelmim Saturday souk more.  After 4 nights we left for Taroudant.  We had just paid at the campsite when we saw a vehicle from the local mechanics outside the office.  After pointing out our various rust problems and the need for some new paint, we were given a quote.  It was good value considering what you would get for the same price back in the UK.  It was food for thought and we will endeavour to get some more quotes for comparison before we make our decision.

Our view from the campsite