The Long Walk and Longer Canter

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Day 13. 1^stFeb (Saturday)

Up at 8 again whilst still dark. Had a boiled egg, green & black olives, bread & butter, with coffee & orange juice. 2 birds come in the restaurant each morning, as at Ouarzazate, despite no open windows or doors. I did hear their dawn chorus coming from inside as I arose. Michael was wondering what happens to all the bird poo they must produce, and whether the cleaners hate them. Canny little birds, very like sparrows, they hop around the tables and carpets mainly, looking for crumbs.

Around 9:30 we went for our morning constitutional, today heading for the Kasbah then onwards to the North, following the wall towards the North East corner. Here we went through a small doorway to the outside of the wall, sitting beside a fenced off fountain display for a breather. A very dark skinned Moroccan passed by and said hello. He came and sat between us telling tales of his journeys across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Thailand. He had spent a year in India and spoke very good English. He came from a small village 60Km from Taroudannt so had finally come home, I think he said he was a teacher (possibly of English).

He shook our hands and wandered off. We followed the wall around the NE bend, past kids play areas including the only skate-park I’ve seen (the only play-area I’ve seen close-up, to be fair). Beyond this we found a fun-fair with bumper-cars, a small big-wheel and some new-looking rides. All closed now, but running from a large generator in a corner.

We re-entered the city through a large Bab (entrance) with a stream of cars also entering. The wall beyond this entrance was very dilapidated for a few hundred yard (meters), but then picked up again. This bad section needed some quite serious restoration. We sat in a nearby tea room and watched the world go by.

Lots of vedge carts being pushed by hand or hauled by donkey. There was a vedge shop next door and a donkey cart pulled up with 3 huge bundles of what looked like mint but could have been coriander leaves. The guy started to unload them, so big he could only carry one at a time, but each time he carried one to the shop, the donkey moved out into the road a bit until, after the third one was removed, the donkey was at a 45° angle to the curb. Two western women came to the vedge shop and bought some onions, carrots & spuds. We guessed they were staying self-catering possibly in Airbnb places (I nearly got us an Airbnb here, but it was too far outside the city walls. But Hotels are expensive within the walls – we’re paying £22 per night here, through Expedia, but have a great location between the Market squares and the Kasbah).

We wandered back in a Southerly direction (carrying a compass does come in handy) and eventually found ourselves in familiar territory – at the horse cart rank (but no hinny). We headed back to our Hotel and I had a nice hot shower and then a siesta until 3pm.

Upon awakening I downloaded some Linux Translation Apps until I found one that works – Crow Translate which uses Google, Bing and Yandex and is quite quick and easy. I may need this app when Michael is at the funeral and I am at the remote town of Tafroute. Worth getting now whilst I have a good Wi-Fi connection….

We leave here tomorrow (at 4:45pm) just as we are getting used to it here… but this is a recognisance mission, just checking what it’s like in the various towns we visit. This one is quite good, if a little quiet. Ouarzazate Michael called Borat-land due to it being like a new town out near the desert. We still have Agadir to see together, and I will see Tafroute on my own in a few days time.

This evening we took a horse-carriage ride around the outer walls for an hour as the sun was setting which was quite a larf (although I didn’t pretend to be Michael’s bride as planned for reasons of a propitiatory nature). Some parts of the Western wall were quite badly damaged but most were in some state of recent repair. At one point we saw "Hinny" but don't think he saw us (we would have taken him if seen first). I took a video of nearly the whole journey - something to put you to sleep at night.

Got ripped off for dinner (again) paying far too much for things we hadn’t ordered from the menu. We’ll have to watch out for that in future!

Went to our hotel cafe and had mint tea whilst watching my pics that I’ve managed to transfer to Mikes phone and the African football on the TV there. We also went through plans for when I return to Spain & Michael flies back. We have a few options so can play by ear a little. They start shutting shop at 10 around here, this cafe no exception, so an early night again.

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Photos

Our Floor Painting
We have 2 tunnel-like towers up the building for summer cooling, but these beat others with the paintings, and the chain with metal lampshades hanging from it at each floor.

Comments

[Janice]

Hotels - - - -
Your hotels look quite nice Richard. £22 per night might be pricey for Morocco - but certainly not elsewhere!