Lazy last day in Tafraoute before Journey North

---

Day 17. 5^thFeb (Wednesday)

Met Jan at 9am and we went for breakfast, I had tomato omelet, he had bread & dips of Olive oil, Argan oil and crushed Almond paste (like peanut butter). My omelet was nice although I didn’t eat the large red chilli bean – Jan had a bite & it was very hot. We each got a hot drink and a glass of orange juice. Fixed breakfast price of 30Dh (about £2.50).

After breakfast we went back to our Hotel Arganino, and sat on the roof looking at maps and exchanging photo’s from yesterday with the usual Google/Linux problems that seem to occur. Managed it eventually though, then Jan and I said our farewells.

It was heating up at last, Tafraoute is surrounded by large hills so sunrise is late in town. I went for my first shower since arriving here! I think I am the only guest left now, and the cleaning lady (who is not Hussain’s wife!) had left all the empty rooms open so I had a nose around. 2 rooms had en-suite bathrooms with seats on their toilets!!! Nice hot shower and afterwards I went to the roof to sit in the sun and cut my nails (for first time since I left Blighty).

Feeling refreshed I wandered into town (a few hundred yards) to buy my bus ticket for tomorrow, between my pidgin French and a restaurateur's pidgin English I fathomed that the office would open at 4pm (2hrs hence). So I wandered back to Hotel Arganino where I met Hussain & his Mum running a stall near the entrance, mainly Argan Oil products, I bought a few and paid my hotel bill too (100Dh per night) as I should get the 9am bus in the morning. Hussain reckons that I don’t need a ticket and should just buy one in the morning, but I want to be sure. Then I went and grabbed my computer and came to a restaurant (selling food!) and have just eaten a cheese & tomato wrap with various olives and sliced tomato’s. They seem to have forgotten my orange-juice though…. Very relaxed bill paying here and you have to tell them what you’ve had, as they never seem to remember (or are checking your honesty).

As you may have gathered from the above, nothing much happened today. I’ve spent most of my time just watching the world go by, at it’s slow pace around here. Am not taking many photo’s today but will post some of Jan’s from yesterday.

After my snack (and orange-juice) I went to the CTM office & bought my ticket to Agadir for tomorrow’s 9am coach (70Dh). Then back to hotel for a lie down. My ailment of yesterday is a cold that’s going around, so I’m taking it easy.

After today I’m basically just travelling back to Spain. From my bus to Agadir I plan to catch another on to Marrakech, spend a night there, then get the overnight train to Tangier and the early ferry back to Tarifa. So really this is my last day to relax in Morocco.

One thing I’ve noticed is that every town, including this quite small one in the middle of the remote Anti-Atlas mountains, have public toilets. A shame that in the UK our councils seem to think that they are not needed. Public toilets are always needed, and when needed, they are really needed! Not that I have used them very often, but it’s good to know that they are there.

Roundabouts here work as in France, in that you give way to cars entering the roundabout, even though this sometimes requires a policeman to control due to traffic build-up. Spain is like UK in giving way to traffic already going around the roundabout. No roundabouts up here though, and not much traffic.

I will remember the total silence of the desert areas that I’ve visited, where not even a bird chirp is to be heard.

Had a kip around 5pm for an hour, sorted my stuff out a bit and went to eat at 7pm after buying some Strepsils for 50Dh (for the journey tomorrow). Had vegetable soup (again) with bread, and a pot of mint tea, whilst reading a story from the Moroccan folk tales book that Alison bought me for Christmas - the rousing tale of a black sultan of Marrakech. Came back to my room at 8:30 and tried in vain to send Andy a text for his house number. My phone won’t let me, so he’ll have to wait until I return to Spain.

So here goes posting this text on my blog.

---

Comments

[Amy Friedman]

Could it be?
An oasis! Or is that a mirage?

[Amy Friedman]

Here's to lazing.
I think lounging and mooching about are both very Moroccan undertakings. And I love rooftops, and wish we had more available where we live. Roof views are the best. Of course, it would all be better if you were wearing your new djellebah.