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Published: March 25th 2009
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Heading back in the general direction of Agadir to try and sort out the Van’s import paperwork (again), we made a couple of detours after leaving Fort Bou Jerif. We first headed east to the Oasis at Ait-Bekkou. Having got lost in the confusing roads of Guelmin with its lack of signage, we finally found the right road and arrived at the Oasis. This is one of the last remaining Oasis in the area and is lush with Palm trees and waterways. We explored the oasis on bike and got chatting to a local boy who was eager to try out his English on us. His uncle then arrived and we ended up being invited to the Uncle’s house for an afternoon glass of Mint Tea. We spent a lovely afternoon with some very hospitable hosts and left as darkness was falling having gained much more of an insight into the Moroccan way of life.
Moving on the next day, we arrived at Tiznit to stay at the International Campsite just by the city walls. The campsite was absolutely packed with Europeans overwintering so we moved on quickly.
On the road between Tiznit and Agadir, we headed off on
a circular route via Tafraoute driving a very scenic route through the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Stopping overnight at Tafraoute, we left early the next morning, unfortunately getting lost again (this was getting to be a theme) and ended up in the narrow roads of the Souk. Directed out by some bemused Moroccans, we waited for the delivery trucks to move before we were able to manoeuvre out. We climbed back through the Valley’s, around hairpin bends with sections of the road only just wide enough for a car to pass us, hoping that we would not meet anything bigger. Steep terraced hillsides lined the drop to the Valley floor and gave fantastic views across the landscape.
We arrived back in Agadir early that afternoon, and after a quick re-stock at the supermarket, we headed for the campsite where we had stayed previously. This time, the campsite was so full they couldn’t find us a pitch so we joined the campervans lining the approach road. We left early the next morning to go to the Port Authority confident of getting our paperwork sorted this time. Ha Ha, the man we had seen before informed us that we were still not on
the computer and that we needed to come back in a few more days. This was starting to be a complete waste of time and it occurred to us that when we had arrived at Tangier we had been directed out of the Port on a back road, bypassing customs and the final check-point, and that we might never get “on the computer”. We gave up and disappointedly leave Agadir on the road towards Marrakech. It was going to be one of those days. Not long after we left the Port, we started to hear a strange rattling noise coming from the outside of the Van. A bracket had sheared off and left the hub cap and wheel valves hanging off so after a quick roadside patch up, we continued on towards Marrakech. With a new road being built between Agadir and Marrakech, we made slow progress before finally arriving at the “Le Relais” campsite 10km outside Marrakech to stop overnight before heading into town. We had heard that Campervans were able to park overnight behind the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech so armed with a tourist map, we set about trying to find it. Given the stories that we had
been told about driving into Marrakech, we set off dreading the drive, but it actually turned out to be really easy to find and the approach road in gave fantastic views of the Koutoubia Mosque set against a background of the High Atlas Mountains. In terms of location, you really couldn’t get anywhere better. For the grand sum of 50 dirhams (£5) per night, we were parked five minutes walk from the Djemaa el Fna square and Souks. During the day, the Djemaa el Fna was an open square with Henna painters, Monkey handlers, snake charmers and fruit stalls. At night, the square became a very different place filled with foodstalls billowing smoke and steam across crowds gathered around storytellers and musicians. The meals that we ate here were the best tasting and cheapest that we had tried in Morocco.
We spent the first few days getting our bearings and wandering around the vast Souks. These are divided up into the various areas ie Leather goods, metalwork, food, clothes, shoes, jewellery and we watched craftsmen labouring at the back of their tiny shops, with the products on sale at the front. In the Lamp makers Souk, we were invited
into a small entrance way which opened out into a vast aladdins cave of treasures. Set over several floors, it was previously a Jewish merchants house and in between the precariously stacked objects, we caught glimpses of the houses finery slowing decaying. After a couple of lanterns had caught our eye, we settled in for some serious bargaining and deal done, we left pleased with our purchase and amused at the slow way Moroccans conduct everyday business.
We headed next to the Marjorelle Gardens built in the 1930’s and taken over by Yves Saint Laurent. Despite its central location within Marrakech, the tranquillity once inside the garden was immense and the bamboo groves, shallow pools and tropical plants were a stark contrast to the world outside the walls. Next stop, we headed for the Bahia Palace, which was filled with intricate plasterwork, wood carving and tile decoration. The Palace was vast, its small entrance way belying the vast complex inside. Cultured out we headed for a recommended Riad nearby for lunch, to be blown away again by the sumptuous inside hidden behind an inconspicuous entranceway.
After spending five days in Marrakech, we were now ready to move on
and after deciding to give up on sorting the import paperwork, we had limited time left in Morocco to try and pack everything in. The final task in Marrakech was to get the broken bracket re-welded and for a very pricey £2, it was as good as new.
We headed for the Tizi’N’Tichka pass over the Atlas Mountains to go South again. At a height of 2300m, the pass had been cleared of snow but the scenery was stunning with the sun shining down on the snow capped peaks and fields. Stopping at the side of the road in temperatures of zero, another inverter was ruined, this time by a spilt cup of tea, its electronics sizzling and hissing - we don’t seem to be having much luck this trip with them.
We dropped down the other side of the Pass and after a quick detour to the Kasbah at Ait Benhaddou where Lawrence of Arabia, Sodom and Gomorrah and Jesus of Nazareth were filmed, we drove into the Dades Gorge. The Valley floor narrows to a high climb of switchbacks designed to test both the engine and our nerves. The view from the Top however, was worth
it and a few hours later, we arrived at the Todra Gorge. Parked at a very romantic riverside spot, on the edge of the palmery, we stopped here for a few days relaxing and exploring. Cycling through the Todra gorge, the sides of the gorge narrow dramatically to heights of 300m where it remains in the shade all day.
Reluctantly leaving this beautiful area, we headed towards the Erg Chebbi Dunes at Mergouza. At just 15km from the Algerian Border and Sahara desert, this is where endurance runners brave five back-to-back marathons across the sand dunes. The Dunes reach 150m in places and some sections require an almost spiderman-like ascent, something we hilariously tested out.
This was as far East as we intended to go and so began the final leg of our Moroccan journey back North.
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