€¦ · web viewmorocco by motorhome. a special thanks to brittany (usa) for her proof-reading...
TRANSCRIPT
Morocco By Motorhome
A special thanks to Brittany (USA) for her proof-reading skills.
For allowing us to share their stories our thanks goes to Nik and his wife Kaz (UK) and to Yasha (Australia) and her husband
Juergen (Germany).
I would also like to thank Julie and Jason from OurTour.Co.Uk for their detailed book called Motorhome Morocco from which we
gleaned a number of invaluable tips and stopping points.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage
and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors.
You can contact the authors at [email protected] or [email protected].
Copyright © 2019 by Ruth Murdoch & Alan Gow
from www.Travel-Cook-Eat.com
All rights reserved.
Morocco By MotorhomeTable of Contents
Foreward................................................................................................................2
The Real Morocco...................................................................................................4
Our First Night In Morocco......................................................................................5
Customs & Culture Shock........................................................................................5
Top Tips..................................................................................................................9
What You Need To Know......................................................................................11Driving...................................................................................................................................................................11What To Do In An Accident..........................................................................................................................12Our Driving Experiences...............................................................................................................................14Internet.................................................................................................................................................................15
SIM Cards.......................................................................................................................................................... 15Data Top-ups...................................................................................................................................................... 15Electronic Navigation & Maps.....................................................................................................................16Maps....................................................................................................................................................................... 16Water..................................................................................................................................................................... 16LPG & Gas.............................................................................................................................................................16Electricity.............................................................................................................................................................17Unofficial Petrol Stations..............................................................................................................................17Extending Your Three Month Visa............................................................................................................17History Lesson...................................................................................................................................................18Two Time Zones In Morocco.......................................................................................................................18Exiting Morocco With Your Motorhome................................................................................................19
Languages.............................................................................................................21French:.................................................................................................................................................................. 21Arabic:................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Currency, Money & Credit Cards...........................................................................23
Moroccan Food.....................................................................................................24Food Shopping...................................................................................................................................................24How To Buy Veggies In The Souk..............................................................................................................24How To Buy Chickens In A Souk................................................................................................................25Recipes We Made With Moroccan Ingredients....................................................................................26Street Food.......................................................................................................................................................... 26Food Items To Buy While In Morocco.....................................................................................................29
Various Costs of Goods & Services........................................................................31Before Travelling Stock Up On These Items.........................................................................................32
Moroccan Cities & Towns......................................................................................33Fes........................................................................................................................................................................... 33Azour......................................................................................................................................................................35Chefhaouen......................................................................................................................................................... 35Ziz Valley.............................................................................................................................................................. 38
Barbary Apes In The Cedre Gouraud Forest................................................................................38Erg Chebbi........................................................................................................................................................... 39The Sahara Desert............................................................................................................................................41
Desert Tour Options and Costs............................................................................................................ 42A Moroccan Mine Site................................................................................................................................ 43Black African Village of Dar Gnaoua.................................................................................................43African Music Centre................................................................................................................................... 43The Algerian Border.................................................................................................................................... 44Lunching With Berber Nomads............................................................................................................. 44Fossicking for Fossils................................................................................................................................. 45Leaving Erg Chebbi..................................................................................................................................... 45
Et Taous Village.................................................................................................................................................45Todgha Gorge.....................................................................................................................................................46Dades Gorge........................................................................................................................................................46Ouarzazate...........................................................................................................................................................46Ait-Ben-Haddou................................................................................................................................................ 47Foum Zquid......................................................................................................................................................... 48Tata......................................................................................................................................................................... 49Icht.......................................................................................................................................................................... 50Guelmim............................................................................................................................................................... 50Sidi Ifni.................................................................................................................................................................. 51Mirleft.................................................................................................................................................................... 53
French Upper Fort, Mirleft........................................................................................................................... 54Anti-Atlas Mountains......................................................................................................................................56Tafraoute..............................................................................................................................................................56
Tandilt.................................................................................................................................................................. 57Taroudant............................................................................................................................................................ 57Tizi N’Test Pass.................................................................................................................................................60Marrakech............................................................................................................................................................62Ouzoud.................................................................................................................................................................. 63Meknes..................................................................................................................................................................64Volubilis................................................................................................................................................................65Asilah..................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Map of Our Tour...................................................................................................67
Summary Of Overnighting And Costs....................................................................68
List of Stopping Points Sorted Alphabetically........................................................69
Venue Names by Route, GPS Coordinates and Notes On Stopping Points..............70
Total Trip Costs by Categories...............................................................................74
Foreward
After travelling through Morocco in Betsy, their Motorhome, Alan Gow and Ruth Murdoch, a married Kiwi couple travelling full-time through Europe and beyond, spent nine weeks in Morocco from January 2019.
Being part of the European motorhome community Ruth and Alan are passionate about giving back to others, to share their experiences, and to encourage fellow motorhome adventurers to follow in their footsteps.
Many people have apprehensions, fears, or concerns about venturing into Morocco. The reasons for this are wide and varied. Being from New Zealand, Ruth and Alan had no preconceived expectations and no reason to fear this country and in fact it was an added adventure to explore a country on the African Continent.
In the many motorhome groups to which Ruth and Alan belong they see others asking for advice regarding Morocco. They have responded to these requests for travel advice or information individually or through posts on Facebook. However, this can be time consuming and they often found themselves repeating the same information. Therefore it made sense to put all that they have learnt into one eBook, hence they have spent hours putting together this resource for others wishing to discover more about Morocco.
Whilst this isn’t a comprehensive ‘travel guide’ per se, they believe there is enough information here to get you started and to have a general overview about what Morocco is, and is not.
In this book you will discover their itinerary, their stopping places including helpful GPS coordinates and the services that were provided for motorhomes in 2019. You will also read about the different towns they visited, some snippets of history, an insight into the people and how to get the most out of your Moroccan adventure. They also reveal their costs for living in Morocco for nine weeks (and it’s possibly not what you would expect!).
Their one regret is that they could not share with you their 4,000 plus photos. To do so would mean this eBook would become too large to manage and/or download. Therefore they strongly recommend that in order to see their stunning photos please visit their website and read their twelve blogs on Morocco under the country section at https://www.travel-cook-eat.com. Alternatively you can visit their Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/travel.cook.eat/ and also please ‘Like’ their Facebook page and follow their other adventures throughout Europe on https://www.facebook.com/travelcookeat/.
Page 6
They hope you enjoy this book and find it full of fantastic travel advice, practical information, and ideas for you to plan your trip to Morocco.
Please feel free to email Ruth or Alan on [email protected] or [email protected] to let them know about your experience and thoughts regarding Morocco.
They would also love to hear if you have enjoyed this book and found it useful. Please tell them what has changed since they were there last as this country is far from static and is ever changing and evolving.
At the time of writing the details here are accurate. Neither Ruth nor Alan accepts responsibility for any changes. However they would love to hear your updates should they enhance the readers’ enjoyment and knowledge of Morocco.
Ruth and Alan wish you safe travels on your adventure into Morocco.
Ruth Murdoch & Alan Gow
Page 7
The Real MoroccoHave you ever wondered what the Real Morocco is all about? If you want to read about Rabat or Casablanca then stop reading (we didn’t go there). If you want to read about the magic of Marrakech then keep looking because you won’t hear this from us (and yes, we did go there).
This eBook is about the other side of Morocco, the place I call the real Morocco. The side that incorporates roads less travelled, the side that a fleeting visit is unlikely to reveal to you. That’s the real Morocco that we saw and fell in love with, and I hope you will too by the time you’ve consumed this book.
We (that’s Alan my husband and myself, Ruth) travelled, in January 2019, to Morocco in our motorhome, Betsy, and it’s the best way, in my humble opinion, to see this vast country of contrasts. If you were to fly into a capital or major city, then jump on a tourist bus, coach or private car, you are unlikely to see or experience what we have come to know as the ‘real Morocco’. You only get to enjoy this side of Morocco when you can delve into her inner belly.
That means going over some rough roads, taking the encounter head on, and grinning and bearing the sometimes-challenging roads. That’s when you know you have really experienced Morocco in the way that it wants and needs to be explored.
That’s the heart of the wonderful landscapes, vistas, and stunning scenery, and also the heart of the people, the real people of Morocco. That’s when the generosity, the warmth, and the passion of the country folk gift to you the real Morocco. These are the real custodians of this country who welcome you with open arms and wide beaming smiles. They are waiting to serve you, to show you something special and want very little in return, other than some mutual respect and warmth, and maybe your shirt or shoes. These are the people who live with beauty all around them and have beauty in their hearts for those who dare to venture into the spirit of Morocco.
Let us take you on that journey…
Unbeknown to us at the time, we explored Morocco the opposite way to most people, ie clockwise, whilst the majority of people follow the crowds in an anti-clockwise fashion.
Why did we do this?
Simply because of the weather.
Page 8
Our First Night In MoroccoWe landed in Morocco on 29th January 2019 when Morocco was full on into its winter months. We had planned to head for Asilah on the Atlantic coast for our first day/s but the weather told us otherwise, so west it was towards Martil on the Alboran sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea. As it turned out this was the beginning of the roads less travelled and certainly the direction less travelled.
Upon reflection, either place would have been fine for the first night. Other options people choose for their first night with a bit more driving include Chefchaouen or Fes.
But before I tell you about Martil, there’s a story that unfolded on our first landing into Morocco. It was what I called the customs and culture shock and there’s no escaping this. So sit back, read, enjoy and be prepared to go through the same journey if you take our lead and venture into Morocco by motorhome.
Customs & Culture ShockWe purchased our tickets at the ticket agent, Viajes Normandie C/ Fragata, Local 3 Pol. Ind. Palmones I, Salida 112 11379 Los Barrios (Cadiz), GPS coordinates 36.179209, -5.441196. This agent is well known by the name Carlos, however Carlos no longer works here. We stayed in the carpark near Carlos’ business the night before and after our Moroccan visit (GPS coordinates 36.17894, -5.43921).
The ferry to Morocco was booked for 1pm and we are told to be available and waiting one hour before. So at 11.55am (because we like to be punctual) our long wait of ten and a half hours begins for a 90 minute crossing, immigration and customs!
Here’s how it unfolded.
After nearly an hour we were told that we were waiting in the wrong line. “Yours is over there”! We proceed over there and after another half an hour, as the line finally started to move, we were informed that the 1pm ferry was the ‘fast ferry’ which can only take vehicles with a maximum height of 2.8 metres. Wouldn’t it have been nice for the ticket seller, who knew we had a motorhome with a height of 3m, to give us this information? The ‘slow’ ferry we need leaved at 4pm! So, a little annoyed but accepting the situation, we naively continued to wait expecting our ferry to leave at 4pm (silly us).
The 4pm ferry left at about 6.15pm and arrived around 8.30pm for a 90 minute crossing! Hmm, how did that work?
With hot meals and drinks available the ferry appeared pleasant enough and boasted what looked like the world’s smallest duty free shop.
Page 9
Upon exiting the ferry there was a long drive where one could be forgiven for thinking were out of the official zone. Had we taken a wrong turn? Had we missed customs altogether? Fear not. The fun was yet to come.
Eventually we came to a lineup of cars, many of them locals, stacked to the gunnels with all manner of goods inside plus bundles of goodies strapped to the roof, some trying to reach the sky. Here we waited for the customs search. There didn’t seem to be a system of who goes first to get their car to the front of the queue. The more aggressive you appeared the more likely you could sneak ahead. So we patiently waited (it’s the Kiwi way).
Horns tooted; at what, we were not sure. One started and the others soon followed suit. It was like the male testosterone letting off steam. We let a couple of cars squeeze in around us before we decided to stake our claim on a piece of tarmac and resisted any invaders. We are quick learners.
People started to unload the goodies from their cars and vans; some even included the kitchen sink - literally. Not an inch of space was left unfilled. It transpired that the locals travel across to Spain to purchase second hand goods with the view of selling these much needed items in Africa. Every vehicle was overloaded with suspension maxed out.
Men just wandered around with their boots open displaying their newly acquired tidbits, waiting expectantly to be processed then flagged on. In most cases the officer dug down through a few layers on offer, peering in with a torch looking for who-knows-what, before either letting the driver go on or directing him up to the X-Ray machine for a full vehicle scan. We found out later they were looking for weapons and drugs.
I wondered if these over-worked customs agents actually found anything needing confiscation. So far it hadn’t been obvious.
Two official looking people with police hats walked around looking at this and that then referred to their documents. No one was moving very far or very fast. Patience was paramount.
We were lined up across seven lanes and four deep. If you looked hard and long enough you may just see some semblance of order to the chaos around. The views are entertaining if nothing else. It’s a game of fortitude and was certainly no showcase for Moroccan efficiency.
By 10.15pm we arrived at the front of the line. Our documents were taken away for processing. A young good-looking policeman indicated he wanted to look inside. Speaking French, which we don’t understand, he finally spoke in English asking if we had any weapons. Alan, always the comedian, suggested ‘Just ma femme!’ (my wife). We got a smile out of him. Next we were instructed to open the overhead cupboards and revealed some dangerous looking spices and a frying pan that Alan suggested could be dangerous in his wife’s hands. Again another smile and a lifting of tensions.
Page 10
A quick look inside the bedroom and this young officer realised we were a low risk and left us alone.
It didn’t take long before another policeman came knocking on our door with the requisite D16 temporary vehicle import form, our passports and our Green Insurance card in hand. With no other instructions we assumed that’s our ticket out of there. We gingerly drove forward bearing in mind we were travelling in convoy with two other motorhomes behind us, with Betsy taking the lead.
Feeling like we had survived and then escaped the clutches of some foreign country (oh hang on we had, phew) we then crawl forward at 10.30pm outside the customs confines.
We made our way slowly to the money exchange offices that are situated as you leave this zone. Here we had been forewarned is a good place (not quiet though) to spend the first night. “Don’t drive in the dark” we were told “to places unknown on your first evening in this foreign land”. Alas! We were not alone. The car park was filled with motorhomes all having the same idea or being told the same thing. We found the last three slots and tucked up for the night.
We headed off the following morning. Having being cautioned that people walk randomly on the road. It didn’t take long before some chap, obviously high as a kite, decided dancing on the road was important with the oncoming three motorhomes approaching. The entertainment factor was epic!
Alert and aware, we knuckled down and made our way across the high mountains to enjoy the feast in front of our eyes. We were greeted by brightly coloured houses painted blue, yellow, pink, red, or white nestled amongst the
Page 11
rolling hills. The roads were surprisingly good with two lanes most of the way, which allowed us to easily squeeze past the odd parked car in the slow lane.
There was plenty of livestock to pique our interest, from a donkey all loaded up with saddles, to massive storks which I thought were pelicans they were so large, to cows, sheep and of course dogs. A rare camel was even spied this far north.
The road took us through the small town of Fnidq and then Tetouan before we arrived at the camping place in Martil.
Whilst Martil was nothing to write home about, it was a sufficient first stop for a few nights to find our bearings, settle into a foreign country and set ourselves up for a new adventure.
Page 12
Top TipsSome of these tips we picked up before our travels, others we learnt along the way. These have served us well.
1. Ensure you have small currency – otherwise you will pay extra as it’s a cash society and people don’t seem to have change to give you
2. Buy your SIM card from a shop, not from someone on the street, and have them set it up. Don’t leave until you are satisfied it’s okay
3. Add at least 20% more time onto expected travelling times, and sometimes 50% isn’t an exaggeration
4. 60km in and around townships is the speed limit
5. Ignore people who say don’t drink the water (but taste first in case you don’t like the flavor)
6. Keep your egg containers because you buy eggs in a paper bag
7. Get an English map book that is up to date or a paper map for overall planning purposes
8. Don’t expect things to be as they are at home, have patience everything takes longer
9. Don’t be afraid to engage with the locals
10. Be prepared to drive slowly
11. Wave back when the children wave to you, or better still, wave first
12. Have gifts to give kids such as sweets or clothes
13. The adult men will ask for used clothes and shoes
14. Wash your vegetables well
15. Wash your hands regularly
16. To avoid pesky sales vendors who don’t take no for an answer, do what we did and say “even if you give it to me for free I would say no, because I don’t have the room for it”.
17. Take a transformer, for about €60, which can transform the low voltage into a guaranteed 220V supply
18. Carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you at all times
19. When in Morocco be prepared to be asked for all manner of things from the locals, for example aspirin, tissues, t-shirts, shoes, pants, bonbons (sweets), money, wine and beer
20. Also consider bringing along some low-cost wine that you don’t mind giving away. Although you can always say ‘no’ you do sometimes form a relationship with the locals when you spend time with them and having a ‘gift’ bottle or two on board can help preserve your limited stocks of your favourite tipple and make you out to be the good guys
21. Bring with you a good quality lip moisturiser and a skin moisturiser because the dry air can play havoc with your skin
Page 13
22. Make sure you wear footwear at all times as picking up a thorn in your foot can hurt for days, as I can testify to!
23. Keep your wing mirror folded in on narrow, windy roads
24. If you’re in the market, buy a Berber necklace early in your travels and wear it. That way you will not only have a great souvenir, but you will please the locals, have a conversation starter and a valid excuse to politely decline to buy another
25. Be careful eating the honey from cactus on its own, as it’s very strong and burns in your throat. The bees know you’ve eaten it and they follow you around which isn’t so good when you’re allergic to bee stings!
26. Social media is a great tool for meeting other people when you are travelling. If you are English speaking, then join some relevant Facebook groups or forums and start reading and posting. You will often find people at the same spot as you and are happy to have a chat over a wine or two
27. If someone comes up to you and starts talking with you about what you are looking at, they are likely to have an ulterior motive, usually involving getting money from you. If you don’t want a guide, (or to be taken to their uncle’s carpet shop), then tell them this very clearly. Stop and wait for them to move on. However, if you do want this person to be a guide for you, then agree the price up front. Do not wait until the end otherwise you leave yourself open to excessive charges and extortion. If you are concerned then just say you will call the tourist police, of whom illegal operators are very scared
28. Most businesses are closed on Fridays (it’s the equivalent of our Sunday)
29. Do not give your documents to ANYONE when you are leaving Morocco. Upon arriving into the terminal, it is likely that someone will wave you over and ask for your ticket and passport. They just want to get your boarding pass for you then try to charge you money. Just park, walk over to the booth displaying the name of your ferry company, and give them your documentation. They will give you boarding passes for the passengers and your motorhome without you parting with any money.
Read this article for known travel scams before visiting Morocco https://www.journeywonders.com/morocco-travel-scams/
Page 14
What You Need To KnowDrivingWhen a vehicle pulls out in front of you going oh so slow and there’s a solid white line, do not cross this line to pass said vehicle. You could be 400 dirhams worse off (talking from experience). I’m not saying this is a set-up, and neither are the other drivers who experienced this same situation when being departed with their money. Just be forewarned!
Forensically, here’s how it appears to work. You are out of the city limits, on a straight road. A slow car, donkey, bike, or tuk tuk pulls out from seemingly nowhere going 20, 30, or if you’re lucky 40 kms per hour in an 80 km/hr speed zone. There’s nothing ahead and no-one around, so what’s the harm? You cross over the solid white line for just a second and quickly duck back to your side of the road. No harm done. After all it’s a straight road and there’s no one coming your way. However, ahead and just out of your line of vision there is a police car waiting.
You’re nabbed!
You are pulled over, asked for your paperwork, all the while the said ‘slow vehicle’ is graciously being acknowledged by the local constabulary. You are parted from 400 dirhams (€37, or NZ$62) before being given a written ticket (aka receipt) and being sent on your way!
The speed limits coming into built up areas are 60km/hr, regardless of whether or not you see signposts.
Our friend advised ‘do not increase your speed, even by a few kilometres, until you are absolutely sure you are out of the town and its 60km/hr speed limit’. He learnt this lesson while being separated from his money. Don’t blindly follow Google Maps or your satnav – make sure you eyeball the roads first and be prepared to look for alternatives if the road looks too narrow or dangerous.
Page 15
Invest in a tyre pressure sensor system that gives fair warning of a puncture or slow leak, as you wouldn’t want to have a blow out on this sort of terrain. A lot of motorhomes these days (including ours), don’t have spare wheels so anything that helps us to preserve our tyres and our safety is money very well spent. We purchased this off Amazon before coming to Morocco after researching what is the most suitable one for motorhomes. It is amazing what a sense of comfort you get from being able to see your tyre pressures in real time and know that they are optimised for safety and fuel economy.
Next beware of unwanted passengers! We experienced two kids jumping onto the back of our bike rack while driving slowly through a township. A younger kid deliberately walked out in front of us to slow us down so the teenagers could jump onto the back of Betsy. Thankfully a local car behind us tooted at them and they soon jumped off. Their weight could have broken our bike rack so we were unimpressed. We later discovered the bike rack was bent and may have been the cause of a water tightness issue we experienced.
The Road TollThe road toll (ie deaths relating from motor vehicle accidents) in Morocco is about 3,800 per annum which equates to 209 per 100,000 vehicles on the road. Compare this with New Zealand which has 12.2 deaths per 100,000 vehicles and the United Kingdom with 5.1 deaths per 100,000 vehicles. These statistics put into perspective the dangers of driving here in Morocco and the discerning driver must stay alert at all times.
Coming from a country where roads are intended primarily for cars, it takes a little getting used to driving where pedestrians, cyclists, vendors with carts, and donkeys all use the road with little regard for cars, or a 3.5 tonne motorhome, trying to get past. Here’s an idea of the type of roads you might see in your map book. The yellow roads are motorways, red roads are national highways, green roads are regional highways, and light yellow are local roads or white tracks and paths. You will want to avoid the latter.
Keep your wing mirror folded in on narrow, windy roads to avoid them being taken off by a vehicle venturing over your side of the road
What To Do In An AccidentSadly accidents do happen and Morocco doesn’t have the best reputation for safe driving. We had two friends experience the consequences of an incident and here’s their advice. For a more detailed account of the situation from Yasha and Juergen (www.dare2go.com), visit their website for the full article. (https://dare2go.com/what-happened-after-our-vehicle-accident-in-morocco/)
Always call the police if there is damage that needs repair. Make sure you have an accident report form completed and signed by the
other party. If it’s not your fault, don’t take an offer of payment – it always costs more
than you think.
Page 16
When you buy your compulsory insurance on entering Morocco, try to get a telephone number for the insurance company that is answered by a living, breathing person – preferably who speaks English, unless you speak French or Arabic. (Several people had suggested that we should contact the agent who sold us the insurance. Ask them for their number.)
Contact the insurance company as soon as you can after an accident, even if the accident is not your fault. If all other efforts fail, walk into any insurance agency and ask for help.
If your vehicle is driveable, and you haven’t managed to contact them in the first day or so, don’t hesitate to drive to their head office and present yourself (and your vehicle) in person.
We understand that the compulsory insurance for Morocco is only for 3rd party. Even so, your insurance company will take care of the details. We had assumed the other vehicle’s insurance should cover our repairs, and that they would work things out. A woman at head office told us a law had been passed recently in Morocco that ruled if the repair is under 20,000 Dirham (around €2,000), your own insurance company has to pay. We assume that’s only if the accident isn’t your fault and your own vehicle is damaged.
And here are some tips from Nik & Kaz, from the UK, who had an unfortunate incident when a lorry came around the corner, partly on their side of the road, and took out their wing mirror. Thankfully there was no other damage, however it gave them a fright. They have given us advice regarding what to do, and not do, in the case of an accident. Here’s what they told us…
Should you have an accident involving your vehicle with another vehicle, person or property then you must stop your vehicle at the scene. Do not continue to drive to the nearest place that is safe to stop as we did.
Regardless of fault, you must phone 177 (if in the countryside) immediately and report the incident to the Police - called Gendarmerie Royal who will send officers to your location to investigate.
Note; in the city centres, the phone number for the police is 112. Medical services can be contacted by calling 110 and fire services are
reachable by dialling 15. Get witnesses details and take photographs of the scene as it’s been
known that Moroccan drivers at fault in accidents soon drive away if the police have been called.
Ensure you get the other vehicle’s registration number You must wait at the scene for the Gendarmerie Royal’s arrival when
they will take a full report. It would also be a good idea to travel with the contact details for the
British Embassy or any Consulate.
Nik and Kaz were told it would take 30 days to get a replacement wing mirror, however, a local handyman was able to fix up a makeshift replacement in just one day. Impressive!
We had heard previously how helpful and resourceful the local service people are. We put this down to Morocco being a ‘fix it’ community instead of a ‘throw away society’ which seems to be the norm in most first world countries.
Page 17
Our Driving ExperiencesOn our way to Azour we climbed the steep mountain passes and inevitably came across slow-moving fully laden trucks. Picture the scene as Alan indicates to pass uphill. Betsy, our motorhome, isn’t the most powerful of vehicles but we eventually built up speed. He pulled out to pass and halfway through the manoeuvre we heard a toot. A car is passing us… as we are passing the truck… uphill on a narrow windy road… with the straight road ahead rapidly disappearing! There was nowhere for us to go safely except to continue passing. The car driver did the same while fists appeared out from every window. We all passed safely (phew) and the car slowed down and appeared as if it is going to stop. The passengers in the backseat continued to stare at us. This could be an interesting situation developing and I cautioned Alan to not stop under any circumstances; thankfully the driver continued driving onwards. That was a close call!
En route to the Ziz Valley, our first stop was for diesel. Heading off, we slowly started climbing into the hills and Alan pulled off to the side to let the build up of cars behind us pass. We then realised we had an unwanted passenger! A young lad on roller skates had hitched a ride by hanging off the back of Betsy. Once we came to a stop, he had let go and was on his way back down the hill. Wow, that was somewhat frightening and now we are aware to look out for such unwanted company.
These scenes are commonplace
Page 18
InternetBefore heading to Morocco download maps.me so you can find your way around.
I came across people who had a MiFi device (aka data dongle) in their motorhome so didn’t find a need to have another SIM card on their phone.
However, we would definitely suggest you put a Moroccan SIM into your phone and get some gigabytes. That way when you are out and about getting lost, you can always find your way home (using Google maps).
SIM CardsIn Martil on our first day we arranged our SIM cards with Maroc Telecom.
Purchase your SIM card for 40 dirhams, then you will need to go to another shop where they display the Telecom sign, to purchase the data for your SIM card. You will soon get used to these signs as you travel around. We didn’t need to purchase phone calls so make sure if ask for data only if that the same for you.
Data Top-upsThe cost of data is 10 dirhams per 1 Gigabyte and has a 30-day timeframe.
You can top up your data from anywhere showing these signs, usually a local dairy or convenience store. We make sure the data is working before leaving the shop. Once topped up you will receive a SMS with confirmation that the data has come through. We didn’t purchase or have a need to make local phone calls so didn’t waste our money on this service.
Page 19
Electronic Navigation & MapsBy now you will have downloaded maps.me to navigate your way around. Next we suggest downloading the local Moroccan maps onto your GPS. We have a Garmin GPS and the maps became our lifeline and were an invaluable resource. The cost wasn’t cheap, at about US$70, but we figured with that cost spread over the nine weeks on one trip and possibly a second trip later on, it was well worth the dollars. Upon reflection we wouldn’t have been without this.
MapsAs mentioned we purchased the Moroccan maps onto our Garmin GPS for US$70. Given the paper maps are usually out of date, we didn’t regret this purchase while in the country.
Paper maps are great to have. We didn’t enter the country with one which we soon realised that was an error. In Erg Chebbi on our second week we picked up a map book. A large paper map would have been easier in hindsight. The roads are changing quickly so ensure you purchase the most recent map published before entering Morocco.
WaterWater is drinkable, especially when it has been sand filtered as in the Sahara Desert (near Erg Chebbi). We usually drink from our water tank but the water in Spain was pretty dreadful, so we didn’t know the water was good until we were getting low.
We had been told to ‘not’ drink the local water, however this tip proved to be poorly advised. We had no ill effects of drinking the water and filled our tanks without compromise. We did however take the usual precautions of tasting the water first. There were very few times that we skipped the water in search of something better.
When driving over the mountain range of Tizi N’test there is a fresh water spring close to the summit. The water is divine and there is no problem with filling up your tanks and water bottles here. A few kilometres before reaching this spring, there is a very small settlement that also has a fresh spring. We asked for permission from the locals and filled up here (unaware of the further spring). If you do this, it might be nice to buy some local herbs from the vendors.
LPG & GasThere is no LPG in Morocco so you might have to take steps to limit your consumption. Here are a few things we did and learnt from this same experience while travelling through Finland for 42 days.
We made our gas bottles last for nine weeks but came back empty. We could have been more conservative if we tried but relaxed after doing so well half way through our time. Being delayed on our return trip to Spain, due to bad weather, is what pushed us on to empty.
We bought a cheap stand-alone electric hot plate in Spain prior to catching the ferry so we can do most of our cooking on that. We also used an electric
Page 20
kettle when our solar panels allowed (or we were on hook up). We also used an electric fan heater that we purchased in Fes instead of using the LPG.
To read how we extended our LPG consumption in Finland read this blog. https://www.travel-cook-eat.com/how-finland-reduced-our-gas-consumption/
ElectricityHaving woken up to the cool Sahara desert we plugged our new electric heater on to ward off the chilled desert night air. The heater, however, was struggling to put out much heat and the electric kettle was taking an age to boil water.
A quick check with an electrical meter revealed another problem we had been warned about in Morocco – low voltage. The voltage at the plug hovers around 186V, which is the cause of the low heat output and slow water boiling. We also discover that our fridge/freezer didn’t run properly on the poor power supply and kept switching back to using gas.
Apparently seasoned travellers to Morocco take with them a transformer, for about €60, which can transform the low voltage into a guaranteed 220V supply. We will take one of these next time.
Rabies We were told (and I’ve since verified it as being true) that you can contract rabies from cats, (albeit this is very uncommon) and given I like to feed and pat them, I am devastated to learn this.
It was reported to us that an English lady died of rabies caught from a cat and this could result from a scratch, bite or even a lick! Cats sadly became off limits to us.
It is recommended to have a rabies vaccination before going to Morocco but even with that in your system, you still need to have at least two additional injections if you think you have been exposed to the disease. These are only available from the hospital in Rabat and must first be ordered in.
Unofficial Petrol StationsSomething interesting that we noted in Guelmim was a number of what you could call unofficial petrol stations because they appeared to be normal shops until you looked more closely. We parked outside one by mistake one afternoon while checking our directions and witnessed a succession of cars and motor scooters pulling up and being served using funnels and five litre plastic water bottles which had been filled with fuel from the large grey jerry cans. We found out later that this fuel comes from the Western Sahara region, which has little or no VAT, so it sells for about 10% – 20% less than the usual price. The downside is that it tends to be lower quality and can be dirty so it isn’t an option for Betsy’s modern engine.
Extending Your Three Month VisaAlthough you are given a 90-day entry permit (not to be confused with three months) when arriving in Morocco, it is apparently relatively easy to get this extended to 180-days. A great number of people opt for this and there are a few options. One way you can get a new entry permit is by taking the ferry back to Spain, then returning straight back to Morocco again. Note your
Page 21
vehicle is given 180-days on first entry so there’s no need to take your vehicle out at this point.
There seems to be differing information about how to get the original permit extended depending upon where you initiate this process. However for people from visa exempt countries, which includes EU, NZ, Australia, USA and Canada, this should be relatively easy and visiting a local police station would be the starting point. Some campsites will also go through the process for you. We have it on good authority that the process changes depending upon where it is instigated.
Here’s what friends told us. “Prolongation of visa is not the same wherever you try to do it. The first time we did it was in Mirleft and they asked for 12 passport photos plus copies of passports, credit card, and vehicle registration papers. It took a couple of days to get everything back. In Tata it was not complicated but it took longer, however we only needed 8 passport photos. In Agadir four photos were required. Further south only one passport photo is required.
It is different wherever you go, it’s easy, the people are friendly and it is cost effective.”
So go to Morocco with plenty of copies of the documentation required and passport photos so that you’re ready to go should you decide to extend your holiday.
History LessonMorocco was a French/Spanish protectorate (colony) from 1912 – 1956 and the border between the two zones ran through Mirleft. The French border fort is still visible above the hills of Mirleft.
We were told the origin of the name Gibraltar, which comes from Jabal Ṭāriq (literally ‘Mount Tarik’) named after the Berber general Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād, who captured the peninsular in 711, heralding the start of an astonishing 700 year occupation of much of Spain by the Moors. Ṭāriq didn’t get to enjoy his successes for long though as he was recalled in 714 allegedly for misappropriation of funds and died in obscurity in 720.
We also learned how Moroccans were introduced to chocolate by American soldiers who landed close to Agadir during the second world war before helping to push the Rommel’s German army out of the Middle East.
Two Time Zones In MoroccoIn 2018, just two days before the clocks were due to be turned back one hour at the end of daylight savings, the Morocco Government decreed that they were going to stay permanently on daylight savings time (GMT plus 1 hour). This caused mass confusion because the announcement was ‘totally out of the blue’ and even mobile phones automatically reverted to the old standard time as they were programmed to do. Appointments and flights were missed – chaos!
A local chap told us that many of the people have not accepted this new time zone and still use the old system, which is currently one hour behind the official
Page 22
time used by the Government and Government departments, schools, hospitals, airports and the like.
Ah, that explains why our iPhones and computers showed one time and our GPS a different time.
Exiting Morocco With Your MotorhomeWe arrived at the Tangier Med ferry terminal about 11.00am hoping to catch the 1.00pm ferry however we were not prepared for the chaos that is the exit process. Given we had a delay due to adverse weather, this may have contributed to what we experienced.
Queue 1 – Boarding PassesWith a return ticket already in your possession the first thing needed is simply a boarding pass. Upon arriving into the terminal, it is likely that someone will wave you over and ask for your ticket and passport. They just want to get your boarding pass for you, instead of you easily doing this yourself, then they will try to charge you money. Therefore, DO NOT give your passport to anyone. Just park, walk over to the booth displaying the name of your ferry company, and give them your documentation. They will give you boarding passes for the passengers and your motorhome. This is the first of many queues ahead.
Be aware when you are driving in the extensive terminal area that there are speed limits and usually police officers with radar guns. So stick to the speed limits.
Queue 2 – Passport ControlQueue 2 is for passport control and once you make it to the booth, hand over your passports, which must still contain the slip of paper that was stapled inside when you entered.
Queue 3 – Vehicle DocumentsOn entering Morocco, you would have been given a temporary vehicle import document, which needs to be presented and verified when you exit the country. Processing this is the next step and we inched forward in Queue 3 until it was finally our turn. The document was taken away, stamped and returned to us, and we were free to move onto the next step. A lot of the local vans seemed to be searched here before passing this bottleneck.
Queue 4 – XrayAll vehicles leaving Morocco are X-Rayed (looking for people stowing away, drugs, and weapons) and Queue 4 for this step is long and slow moving. Motorhomes are shuffled into the far-right lane and drip fed into place along with the cars. About 20 vehicles at a time are lined up on a ramp beside the mobile unit. We left our motorhome and after about 10 minutes the X Ray truck trundles along scanning each vehicle.
Another 15 minutes later and we were allowed to hop back into Betsy and leave. It’s no wonder that Queue 4 was so long when there appears to be absolutely no urgency in processing vehicles through.
Finally, the formalities seem to be concluded nearly two hours after we arrived at the port. We found our way to the dockside parking area associated with
Page 23
our ferry company. We don’t know if this process was delayed unusually due to cancellations from poor weather, or if this is a normal timeframe.
Queue 5 – Final CheckImmediately prior to boarding the ferry, they took a final opportunity to get us to wait in Queue 5 by doing one more inspection of our passports. In our case, the officer also looked briefly inside the motorhome before letting us board.
The 1.00pm ferry actually left about 6.30pm!
Page 24
LanguagesThe most commonly spoken language in Morocco is French. If you don’t speak this language perhaps some of the phrases below might help you get by. I especially recommend knowing the numbers so you can work out how much you are being charged.
The other languages are Arabic and Berber. The Berber language is spoken only (no written words exist, although you can see symbols occasionally) and Arabic seems to be spoken reasonably widely.
Below we share some words we picked up. If you wish to experience large smiles and warmth by the locals just throw a few of the Arabic words into your conversation.
French:
French Spelling How to say itHello Bonjour Bon jawGoodbye Au Revoir Or voirThank you Merci Mer seaThank you very much Merci beacoup Mer sea bow cooHow much is this Combien Com bee enPlease S’il vous plait Sill voo playHow are you Ca va? Suh vuhI’m good thanks Ca va bien merci Suh vuh bee en mer seaGood morning Bonjour Bon jawGood evening Bon soir Bon swarWhere is the toilet Ou est la toilette Oo ay la toy letYes Oui weNo Non nonWater Eau ohPolice police policeHelp! A I’aide A laid1 Un urn2 Deux dur3 Trois twuh4 Quatre Cart re5 Cinq Sank6 Six Cease7 Sept set8 Huit wheat9 Neuf nurf10 Dix deeceTwenty Vingt vontThirty Trente trontForty Quarante Car ontFifty Cinquant Sank ontSixty Soissant Swuss ont
Page 25
Seventy Soissant-dix Swuss ont deeceEighty Quatre vingt Cart re vontNinety Quatre vingt dix Cart re vontOne Hundred Cent SonnHalf Demi Der me
Arabic:
Arabic WordHello Salaam or Salaam
AlaykumGoodbye BessalamaThank you ShukranNo Thanks La ShukranPlease raja'How are you Labas?I’m fine LabasOk WakhaYes Na’amNo LaWater ma'anThese have been written as you would say them in English.
Insh’allah – you will hear this word used often, and may find yourself using it when driving. It means ‘god willing’. It could also mean ‘maybe’, ‘if you’re lucky’, ‘who knows’ or any derivative thereof.
Page 26
Currency, Money & Credit Cards
The currency is called dirhams and is written as MAD. At the time of writing this (April 2019), the exchange rate for 10 dirhams is equivalent to euros of €0.92, pound sterling of £0.80, USD$1.04. For those of you reading this in New Zealand the rate is NZ$1.54. To put this into perspective a loaf of bread (that’s small round and flat and enough for two people) costs 1 dirham, so about ten to fifteen cents (euros).
You cannot purchase dirhams outside of Morocco so arrive with the assumption that you will need to visit an ATM pretty quickly. Likewise it is illegal to leave the country in possession of dirhams.
It is important that you ask for small currency. The world there seems to revolve around small amounts of cash and if you don’t have the correct change you will end up paying a lot more than the item is worth. That’s because many shop owners (and camping ground owners) simply don’t have change to give you.
Credit cards are accepted in some petrol stations, eg the larger ones like Shell (but not always), Total or Afriquia. Make sure you show your card before filling up to ensure they will accept it. Do not take the signs as an indication that they take cards. If you have any doubts ask to see their EFTPOS machine, just to be on the safe side (as we learnt from experience).
ATM MachinesWe needed cash and after trying two ATM’s in Azour we finally find one prepared to accept our Qantas Australia cash card and dispense some much needed cash. There are limits on how much the ATM’s can dispense at one time and although the menu offers options to request up to 4,000 dirhams, none seem to cough up more than $2,000 Dirham! It’s a bit annoying when your cash card provider charges A$2.50 per transaction but you can’t take out a decent wad of cash in one go.
Another pro-tip – we tried our cash card in several bank ATM’s, all of which wanted to charge a fee in dirhams for dispensing our cash. However, the Poste MarocATM’s were free to use so we look out for them.
Page 27
Moroccan FoodFood ShoppingWhilst you may wish to stock up before heading into Morocco, you may find that the cupboards need restocking if you are there for some time. There are typical supermarkets in the larger cities that stock most things you would expect. However, be prepared to get out of your comfort zone and shop like a local. This experience will give you stories to tell for years to come.
The best local shopping experience can be found in the weekly souks (markets). These markets are set up in a paddock where the local farmers come with their many goodies. The prices at the souks are the cheapest you will find and typically the quality and freshness is superb.
On offer you will find some or all of the following depending on the size of the souk; almonds, walnuts, eggs, live chicks barely a day or two old, clothes, spices galore (some unidentifiable), herbs, bright coloured material, vegetables of all colours, shapes, textures and of varying quality, clay tagines, pots and pans, couscous cookers, crockery, broken electronics, plastic ware, sweets, dried legumes, dates, meat (both dead, such as goats and sheep, and soon to be dead chickens) and grains for the animals, which you are unlikely to want.
Although we found we were charged a fair price, it’s not a bad idea to price check between vendors because it is not uncommon to be charged ‘tourist’ rather then ‘local’ prices.
Souks are easily the best place to buy vegetables, especially the ones in season. Once you know what is going to be available, you can then find tasty meals to hero those fresh ingredients.
How To Buy Veggies In The SoukI can’t stress enough how much fun visiting the souks are and immersing yourself into the Moroccan culture. You must give this a go. The process of buying vegetables in a souk is totally different to what we are used to. First take one of the low-sided plastic bowls lying around (the least cracked and broken one you can find) and then put everything you want together into this bowl. Nothing is priced so it’s not possible to know the cost until the end. Next hand the bowl over to the vendor, who will remove any higher priced products before placing it on some old-fashioned scales. Weights are stacked on the other side of the scales until the weights over-balance the bowl. The vendor then adds a few more items of his choosing to your bowl until they more or less balance. Sometimes he may seek approval for his additions, but oftentimes not. Just go with the flow here.
Page 28
The process is then repeated for the higher priced items before the goodies are poured into a bag, money exchanged and you’re all set. Just be aware that some of the more exotic products (e.g. pineapples) could be quite expensive so it is best to ask before loading them into your bowl.
In our experience of souks, the vendors are usually generous and give you more than you pay for, and the prices are very reasonably. So, worry not if you don’t understand how it works, they do, and that’s all that matters.
If you want to know how much food costs, then refer to our chapter on pricing.
How To Buy Chickens In A SoukIn my many years on Earth I’ve never seen a chook being plucked, until being in Morocco.
Alert: you may want to skip the next few paragraphs if you have a squeamish composition, are vegetarian, or just don’t fancy knowing the cold hard facts of where meat (in this case chicken) comes from.
The chickens arrive at the souks alive and are stuffed into cramped cages. The customers either ask for a certain weight of chook or just choose one from the cage. The live chook is placed on the scales and weighed. This sets the price you pay at the end of the process.
If you are having a chook butchered for you then expect to pay between 13 to 18 dirhams (€1.20-1.66 or NZ$1.97-$2.73) per kilo for the live weight. If you want to buy one that has already been prepared then you pay more per kilogram because they are missing a few vital bits (legs, head, insides, etc). We experienced a lot of variation in the asking prices and felt that some vendors were charging tourist prices. We went from stall to stall until we found a price we thought was reasonable.
The chicken’s throat is then quickly, silently and without fuss, slit and the still kicking chook placed head first down into a makeshift funnel (an upside down re-used plastic bottle) so it can bleed out. Then it is transferred into a drum of near boiling water (or outside of the souks they are placed into a plucking machine) for a few minutes. This loosens the feathers, making plucking a quick task. The butcher runs both hands down the carcass of the bird and the wet feathers literally fall out and onto the ground.
Once plucked, the butcher removes the wingtips, feet, head and organs and places the still warm chook into a plastic bag for the customer.
Page 29
We couldn’t bring ourselves to condemn a chook that we had chosen, so opted instead to purchase one of the recently departed chickens already available. There are no such luxuries here as fridges or ice, and with the temperatures in the low twenties, getting this meat back into our fridge became a priority.
Recipes We Made With Moroccan IngredientsA cooking lesson on how to make Moroccan food was a must for us. To read about our cooking lesson go to our website and read about it in our Week 2 in Morocco blog. https://www.travel-cook-eat.com/week-2-in-morocco/
Here’s a selection of food we made in our motorhome while in Morocco. It was easy to buy the ingredients and simple enough to make these delicious dishes.
Moroccan Beef and Prune Tagine Moroccan Chicken and Date Tagine Sweet and Nutty Moroccan Couscous
Goat Tagine Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomato and Feta Moroccan Tomato & Cucumber Salad Amlou Walnut and Date Balls Walnut and Date Tea Loaf
Note that you don’t need a traditional tagine pot to cook in as a large saucepan does the trick well enough.
Do make sure, however, that you use some of that wonderful local spice mix called Ras el Hanout in your tagines, as gives a totally authentic flavour.
Street Food Amlou (also known as Swassa), a very popular dish originating from the Berbers of the southern region of Morocco.
Page 30
Baghrir – this looks like a giant crumpet (that you can buy for between 1 or 2 dirhams, about €0.10-0.20 cents) and are super tasty smothered with fresh Moroccan butter and honey. You could also try Amlou on these.
Maakouda which is a delicious deep-fried combination of mashed potato, garlic, and spices. Otherwise known as Morocco potato donuts these little morsels will set you back about one dirham, ten cents.
Page 31
Chocolate pancake layer cake. Sorry I don’t know the Moroccan name for this sweet that you can find on the street, but give it a try for just one dirham, ten cents.
M'Hanncha is stuffed full with almonds, walnuts, peanuts and dates all crushed together and then wrapped in a thin pastry (like filo) and rolled into a snail shape and covered with liquid sugar.
Sfenj is an unsweetened, airy and fluffy doughnut. It is chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. It has an interesting yeasty and delicate taste and is unsweetened so can be eaten with savoury or sweets. There is usually a big bowl of sugar beside the frying wok so those with a sweet tooth can dip them in for extra sugar hit.
Page 32
Tafranot is a soft, flat, round, bread dough that is pushed onto a bed of stones with some fresh twigs and cooked in 10 minutes. It is then cooked in an ancient bread oven containing embers on the left and a base of small pebbles. We tried this in Mirleft where the baker picked off the stones, wrapped it in paper, and handed it to us in return for 3.5 dirhams (€0.32 or NZ$0.53) – well worth the money just to watch the process. The bread was delicious, very crusty and with the taste of wood smoke. Best eaten warm with olive oil, or honey.
Food Items To Buy While In Morocco
Argan oil – it’s only found and produced in Morocco and is known as the world’s most expensive oil. The health benefits, as backed up by scientific research, are off the charts and the taste is utterly delicious. However, before you purchase this liquid gold there’s lots you must know to ensure you buy the
Page 33
genuine product for your purposes (either culinary argan oil or cosmetic oil). Don’t get the two mixed up. For more in-depth information read this blog or visit our website https://www.travel-cook-eat.com/how-to-use-argan-oil/
Dates – these vary in quality, size and texture. Make sure you are given what you think you bought (especially in Marrakech). The best place to buy dates is in the weekly souks. Just watch the bees however as they also like the sticky dates.
Walnuts – when buying these in Morocco they often have the wood inside the core, so look at them before throwing in your mouth. Again my recommendation is to buy these in the souk.
Khobz – flat round Moroccan bread about the size of a bread and butter plate, although this can vary from this size to dinner plate size. The bread is typically white, although wholemeal can be found occasionally.
Ras el Hanout – a trip to Morocco wouldn’t be complete without purchasing this magic spice blend. You can buy it with anything from five to forty five different spices. From experience I prefer the forty-four spice mix and use a teaspoon or two minimum in any recipe designed for four people.
Page 34
Various Costs of Goods & Services* Conversion rates current as at 24 April 2019
Category Prices paid for items in Morocco in 2019 MAD* € 0.09 £0.08 $0.16Dirhams Euros Pounds NZ$
Camping Grounds Camping grounds cheapest with power 60 5.58 4.80 9.60Camping Grounds Camping grounds cheapest without power 40 3.72 3.20 6.40Camping Grounds Camping grounds dearest with power (Fes) 120 11.16 9.60 19.20Guarded Parking
Guarded parking near the Medinas, cheapest 40 3.72 3.20 6.40
Guarded Parking Guarded parking near the Medinas, dearest 100 9.30 8.00 16.00Diesel Diesel per litre approx. 9.4 .874 .752 1.50Drinks Glass of freshly squeezed orange juice 3 0.28 0.24 0.48Drinks White Wine (lower) range 35 3.26 2.80 5.60Drinks White Wine (mid) range 77 7.16 6.16 12.32Drinks White Wine (high) 146 13.58 11.68 23.36
Entertainment4WD desert tour for 7 hours including lunch for two people (takes four people at 1,200) 600 55.80 48.00 96.00
Bread Bread - two round loaves large 7 0.65 0.56 1.12Bread Bread – one round loaf - small 2 0.19 0.16 0.32Cakes Sweets sold as street food 20 1.86 1.60 3.20Fruit 12 avocado (per kilo) 30 2.79 2.40 4.80Fruit Bananas, per kilo, half kilo was 5 bananas 5 0.47 0.40 0.80Fruit Figs - freshly dried per kilo 100 9.30 8.00 16.00Fruit Figs - smaller and not as fresh per kilo 60 5.58 4.80 9.60Fruit Dates purchased in the souk per kilo 25 2.33 2.00 4.00Fruit Dates from the tourist market per kilo 60 5.58 4.80 9.60Fruit Oranges per kilo 2.5 0.23 0.20 0.40Fruit Pineapple small 15 1.40 1.20 2.40Grocery Argan oil, 1 litre (genuine quality) 220 20.46 17.60 35.20Grocery Dove Soap 7.2 0.67 0.58 1.15Grocery Muesli 750g Carrefour Brand 38 3.53 3.04 6.08Grocery Tissues 150 box 8 0.74 0.64 1.28Grocery Toothpaste 23 2.14 1.84 3.68Grocery Vinegar 500ml 4.3 0.40 0.34 0.69
HerbsFresh bunch each of herbs (sage, parsley, coriander, mint) 10 0.93 0.80 1.60
Meat Eye fillet beef steak, per kilo 150 13.95 12.00 24.00Meat Plain Turkey Mince Meat per kilo 60 5.58 4.80 9.60Meat Sausages per kilo beef 60 5.58 4.80 9.60Meat Sausages per kilo turkey 42 3.91 3.36 6.72Meat Spiced Turkey Mince Meat per kilo 42 3.91 3.36 6.72Nuts Almonds, half kilo 45 4.19 3.60 7.20
Page 35
Veggies Broccoli head, each 10 0.93 0.80 1.60Veggies Garlic for two medium sized bulbs 5 0.47 0.40 0.80Water 5 litre container of water 10 0.93 0.80 1.60Internet Internet - data only per Gigabyte 10 0.93 0.80 1.60Internet SIM card 40 3.72 3.20 6.40Luxury Massage for 1 hour 200 18.60 16.00 32.00Motorhome Accessories Wiper blades for motorhome 600 55.80 48.00 96.00Travel Horse and carriage ride of about 15 minutes 20 1.86 1.60 3.20
Before Travelling Stock Up On These Items
We couldn't easily buy these things in Morocco Sparkling water was difficult to find Sanitary items were expensive Cheese of high quality is better purchased beforehand Wine and Beer is difficult to find and expensive Bacon and pork products are difficult to find Fresh spinach is difficult to find Chocolate is expensive Potato chips are expensive Most imported goods are expensive Ice creams are expensive
Page 36
Moroccan Cities & TownsYou’ve really come to the wrong place if you want to know more about cities in Morocco. We really can’t boast about knowing many cities in any depth. That being said, we did enjoy Fes (also spelt Fez) where the world’s oldest Medina awaits and we have a soft spot for the blue town: Chefchaouen.
Below you will find some of the stories about the different towns we came across.
Fes
The Medina in Fes is one of Ten UNESCO sites in Morocco.
Dating back to the 9th Century the Fes Medina encompasses 89 kilometres of narrow passages, some no more than shoulder-width apart. It houses 220,000 people and umpteen shops of all descriptions including many that defy description in Western terms.
Donkeys are used to transport goods in and out of the medina just as we would typically use vehicles for transporting goods to and from our businesses and homes. The donkeys are strong but small animals and appear to just plod along placidly, often also carrying the weight of the rider, sitting side saddle with his goods.
Camel and goat heads are hanging in the market, their meat for sale. Our local guide, Wafi, told us that the going rate for a camel is €2,800-3,000 so I wonder what price the meat sells for?
During summer, up to 60 degree temperatures are reported in Fes, however, the medina itself with its narrow paths and tall walls stays much cooler. We enjoyed 18-20C in the sun during our February visit into the medina however with such narrow tall buildings the sun had little opportunity to kiss us, or the ground.
The first floors of the medina houses have no windows. The reason for this is privacy for the women as traditionally it is forbidden to see a woman without her head covered.
The alleyways between the homes are so narrow I’d hate to think how one would get new furniture or move house. The walls are shored up with timber bracing to stop them from falling inwards. Although parts of the medina have been rebuilt due to earthquakes and fires, the mainstay buildings dating back from the 9th Century still remain original.
We visited thirteen different places in Fes, nine inside the medina and four outside. Here’s a list and to read more please click on the link to access our
Page 37
full blog called Fantastic Fes (https://www.travel-cook-eat.com/fantastic-fes-morocco/)
1. Royal Palace2. The Jewish Quarter3. Al Qarawiyyin University4. Bou Inania Madrasa (School)5. Mosques6. Carpet Weaving and Sales7. Restaurant Palais Tijani8. Herboriste Diwan Pharmacy9. Antiquities Shop10. Clothing and Weavers Cooperative11. Chouara Tannery12. Borg Nord Ruins13. Ceramic Workshop
If you are going to visit Fes yourself I highly recommend hiring a guide. When people say you will get lost, they really mean it, and not in a good way. The alleyways don’t follow any logical pattern or flow and as great as Google is, there is no such thing as using Google maps here. I read that even a compass won’t help to find your way back.
I would also recommend visiting the medina with other people for a few reasons. One, others often see things that you may have missed and can point these out to you. Two, you get to share the experience and learn about the travel plans of others and pick up on their top tips. And three, if you’re not in the market to make expensive purchases (eg a new carpet), then maybe someone else will, which takes the pressure and focus away from you.
So if you are interested in finding a professional certified guide (please ensure they are certified as some are imposters), then please contact Wafi, the guide we used. He charges $400MAD for a couple (€37), for a full day tour. Below are his details.
Elouafi Hanaf (pronounced Wafi)Email: [email protected]: 00212672040156Works for the Office of Tourism Morocco
Please let him know you found him through Ruth & Alan from New Zealand, cheers.
Page 38
Azour Azour holds their souk (market day) on a Tuesday and it is important to arrive early as they pack up in the early afternoon.
On the drive to Azour we climbed high into the mountains. Being such a clear day we stopped at the top to take a photograph where we had our first of many experiences of roadside stalls with vendors selling all manner of fossils and mineral stones. The kind gentleman showed us several gorgeous specimens, which looked like an ordinary stone from the outside but when opened revealed a hollow centre lined with crystals coloured in vibrant silver, green or purple. I couldn’t resist and for €10 we came away with a lovely purple crystal stone and a polished quartz egg-shaped rock. The seller wanted to swap clothes for his wares but Alan doesn’t have excess clothes so we politely declined. We learnt to accept this request as common throughout Morocco.
We arrived into the salubrious castle themed Emirates Tourist Centre (GPS coordinates 33.44348, -5.19062), a camping ground of much visual grandeur (on first impressions anyway). It’s a pity they had no hot water, the men’s toilets were locked, there was no toilet paper, and both the reception and restaurant were closed. At 80 dirhams per night it was the cheapest we had stayed in so far but the lack of facilities wouldn’t have supported any higher fee. It wasn’t until we had a look around this camping ground that we realised there had been no cooking facilities available in any site we had come across to date. That wasn’t going to help with reducing our gas consumption.
Off come the bikes and we coasted down the steep hills for the four-kilometre ride to see the town’s souk. Unfortunately for us we arrived as things were packing up. Tip – get to the souks early.
We bought a couple of pastries and a loaf of bread then made our way back to the campsite. Our attention was taken by some delicious looking rotisserie chickens in a roadside restaurant and with fond memories of the succulent, crisp birds we were able to buy in Istanbul for a pittance, we enquired about the price. Maybe they quoted tourist prices or maybe they wanted to charge full restaurant prices but we decided that the price tag of 80 dirhams was too rich for us. Especially after we bought a three-course meal for 45 dirhams in Fes!
Chefhaouen Heading towards the blue town, otherwise known as Chefchaouen, we meandered up through the hills. There were people sitting on the side of the road selling their wares, from onions, strawberries, avocados, pears, carrots and plenty more. They wave out with large smiles on their face. We had been told that foreigners are treated like celebrities here so expect to be wave at and ensure you wave back.
Page 39
The roads are rough in places with road works aplenty. They are needed due to the constant potholes and the edge of the road being broken away. The speed signs say 60 but get behind a fully leaden old truck and travelling at 30km/hr is an accomplishment.
We were told to add at least 30% onto stated driving times but from our experience this could easily be 50% instead.
The locals are spotted washing their clothes in the river below in the light rain. Or they are stooped over carrying bales of vegetation on their backs walking beside the road. Others, mainly men, just stand by the roadside, their purpose unclear at least to the foreign eye.
We arrived into Chefchaouen to Camping Azilan overlooking the township below. It’s a fair walk away and steep enough to put the eBikes and riders through their paces.
We were greeted at the camping ground by the resident ginger tomcat, a rooster and chickens.
At this point we were travelling with others, and the rest of our group decides to take a walk into town while there’s still some daylight as the rain has eased off a little. It’s quite a walk back uphill so we opted to take Betsy and meet our friends in the medina.
The name medina means an African walled town and we soon learnt that most townships we come across have a walled town centre, their medina. The drive down was a bit hair-raising but no one seemed to care that we wanted to drive on the road while they were using it as a giant sidewalk!
The medina was unique. Lots of little alleys and paths weave their way through the hillside like a spider’s web. There’s neither rhyme nor reason as to the layout, no shops are the same size or shape, some hardly have an opening, rather they appear more cave-like than a shop. In the photo see if you can spot the hand of the seller passing material out to his customer!
Children run around playing, darting in and out while adults stand around, some shouting in Arabic, at what or to whom isn’t clear.
We met up with our friends in the square and proceed to check out the many restaurants enticing us in with offers of cheap food, photos of specialty dishes and their Google ratings (love technology). We decide on a little place called Marisco Twins and were treated to good quality authentic tagines.
Page 40
Alan had a starter of shrimp and avocado salad where the shrimps had turned into rather large deliciously fresh prawns served on a bed of lettuce and cucumber. His main dish was beef and plum tagine and we both tucked into cream de caramel for dessert. My entree was a Spanish omelette and for the main I opted for chicken and lemon tagine. We don’t venture out for dinner often so this was a real treat and the food was delicious.
We didn’t want to leave Chefchaouen before we had a real chance to see all the sights it had to offer. We wanted to see this gorgeous town without the interference of rain and the forecast the next day was promising us a break in the weather.
Therefore we decided to hang out for an extra day and relocated to a guarded parking area nearer the medina (at a cost of 30 MAD compared to 110 MAD in the campground).
This is where we parted with our friends, who were on a tighter timeframe than us and who were in search of finer weather so they headed towards the west coast. They found it too, 20C compared with our 8C!
Thankfully the expected break in the weather eventuated and by 3pm the next day we were off exploring again.
This township is truly remarkable.
The influx of Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 brought with them the tradition of painting buildings blue. Five hundred years later this has become famous, known as the ‘blue town’ and is a tourist destination which is possibly the most unique place we have come across on our travels through 25 countries and two continents.
The locals are friendly and were respectful of our tourist status. We were offered hashish by one fellow, which we politely declined, and were not harassed or bothered by shopkeepers wanting to sell us rugs or take us off the beaten track to see their family shop.
A few asked us where we were from, some knew New Zealand, and others looked blankly.
We were freely given unsolicited, helpful information to find our way without asking for or expecting anything in return. This is a far cry from what we had read about before coming here. I wonder if this is the city style, as opposed to the countryside towns and time will tell.
We had been given a tip of saying that this isn’t our first time in Morocco, so that we don’t get pestered too much. So far it seems to be working.
We made our way back to Betsy, buying some eggs, bread and water on our way. It pays to check out the price of water in particular as it varied from €0.40c per litre to €0.25c per litre. However, whichever way you look at it, the water isn’t expensive.
Page 41
Arriving back at just before 6pm was perfect timing as the weather started to turn again and it rained constantly through the night, although this time without the howling wind to shake Betsy and us inside her.
Ziz Valley On our way to the picturesque Ziz Valley we headed for Camping Jurassique. The camping ground there has a free washing machine. Isn’t it funny how something so basic can attract many motorhomers to their site?
Barbary Apes In The Cedre Gouraud ForestOur first stop enroute to the Ziz Valley gave us an opportunity to view Barbary apes in the wild. They are located in the Cedre Gouraud Forest. The narrow rough access road was lined with snow and meeting any on-coming traffic required one vehicle (usually the tourist) to pull off to one side of the road. As we pulled into the guarded parking area, an elderly toothless man asked for the five dirham parking fee and also if he can have Alan’s shoes. Nice try mate. We explained that Alan only has one pair and he accepted that graciously. Plus the small man would have swum in Alan’s size 11 shoes!
All manner of micro commercial enterprises have sprung up based around the ape hangout. Men have horses available for riding and a small Shetland pony is taken out from the back of an ordinary van like you would carry a dog. The owner wanted me to have my photo taken with the pony and I obliged. That’s how they make their money here. Another man wanted me to climb onto a horse that was earlier stamping and whinnying and making a big fuss. No thanks! Further in, a man was selling bags of unshelled peanuts but Alan didn’t connect the peanuts with the apes. Thankfully another family had come to feed the apes with their purchased peanuts, which brought the apes close enough for us to photograph.
The track to the apes is lined with what looked like a shanty town of stalls selling handmade cedar woodcrafts and also the usual fossils and minerals that we are now becoming accustomed to. They made their stalls out of any materials they can find which provides for some interesting architecture, not to mention building standards.
On our way out, Google Maps showed us a shortcut to save ten kilometres or so but one look at the road had us in stitches. Not even if our life depended on it could we get Betsy up that track! (It’s steeper than the photo shows).
As we arrived at the plateau the scenery continued to impress. Snow topped mountains in the distance stood tall and proud behind red soil in the foreground. The remnants of the recent snow lingered on the ground wherever trees or cliffs shaded it.
Page 42
Life here appears harsh. Housing is oftentimes in the form of makeshift looking huts or shacks. One such home had plastic and sticks for their roof. Intermittent roadside stalls sell whatever the locals have available, often eggs and fossils; there are plenty of those here.
The road took us through more townships, some enjoying their weekly souk and are generally in fair condition, but with sections of rough, potholed tarmac with crumbling edges.
There is always something to see in these remote rugged roads, from flocks of sheep with their shepherds to donkeys carrying their owner as well as bundles of animal feed or twigs for cooking.
We left at 12.30pm for this 211-kilometre journey. While our GPS said the driving time should have been about three hours, it actually took us 5 hours 24 minutes due partly to the difficult roads and slow trucks, but also because the amazing and unique scenery compelled us to stop repeatedly to take it all in and capture the moments on camera.
We arrived at Jurassique Camping in the Ziz Gorge as dusk approached, with the last of the day’s sun kissing the brown dusty mountain tops.
Alan took the opportunity to throw on a load of washing which dried with no problem overnight despite the low temperatures.
I headed off to the showers and picked the only one where the shower rose was actually hanging on the wall. The water only trickled out warmly but I’m not complaining. We reckoned that many of the houses we passed on our long journey wouldn’t even have running water, let alone hot running water.
Erg ChebbiUnbeknown to us, this was to become our favourite spot in Morocco.
We wound through the outstanding beauty of the Ziz Valley on our way to Erg Chebbi with constant exclamations at new sights of natural beauty or interesting buildings. The arid hills stood proud and tall while small townships blended into the countryside with their brown mud bricks which are literally made from the surrounding lands. These houses were not built to last and the rain and wind immediately start the process of returning the walls back into mud and sand. Everywhere we saw a mixture of new buildings, partially decayed structures, and long abandoned remnants.
Over countless thousands of years, the Ziz river has carved out large canyons through the countryside. At times the river disappeared entirely then emerged
Page 43
again allowing an oasis to bloom at the bottom of the valley. Civilisation grasped at this opportunity for life and mud-brick houses and townships graced the edge of the greenery. Date palms lined up in groves and evidence of individual gardens were spotted.
We came across a large supermarket (Acima, GPS coordinates 31.9305 -4.4529) and replenished supplies of meat and other hard to find essentials, such as glass cleaner. They stocked a good range of groceries and it was well worth a stop before heading further south where larger supermarkets are sparse. Their vegetables, however, looked somewhat second-hand so we gave them a wide berth. That proved to be a good idea as later Alan bought a whole bag full of veggies and a loaf of bread for just 13.50 dirham (€1.25, or NZ$2.11).
Our planned stopping point was at a camping ground that backed straight onto the Sahara Desert sand dunes at Erg Chebbi. Following the GPS coordinates in our satnav we were directed off the main road and across a barely made piste (compacted dirt and gravel) track towards the dunes. Betsy was not made for this sort of rough road and none of us enjoyed the deep ruts and sand.
TIP: If you are venturing down here and your GPS tells you to travel off-road then carry on for a couple more kilometres to Mertzouga where you can double back on an asphalt road that takes you closer to the campsite.
As we got closer to the GPS coordinates on the satnav it became apparent that the roads shown on the screen did not actually exist and were actually a web of rough sandy tracks. We followed the directions as best we could until we faced an uphill incline of soft sand, which Alan refused to risk. I got out, had a look around and saw some motorhomes on the next site over so we backed out in search of joining them.
A few more sand tracks later we arrived.
Haven La Chance (GPS coordinates 31.13488, -4.01594) was a large site incorporating an Auberge (accommodation), a restaurant and a very large area for campers which extends into the sand dunes, and gosh how stunning is this place?
We were asked how long would we like to stay because they have a large group of Dutch motorhomers coming in on Wednesday (six days away). ‘Just a couple of days’ was Alan’s response in broken French and all was good. The couple of nights turned into six and in different circumstances we could have stayed much longer.
With a sense of excitement we nabbed the perfect spot overlooking the sand dunes so we could soak up the view in front of us. Never before had we been in such a unique location. We really felt as though we were in the Sahara desert, because we were, and that nothing else in the world mattered. This stunning view had to be from a movie set. We walked into the dunes to assure ourselves that it was genuine and after returning with half an inch of sand in our shoes we can guarantee its authenticity.
Page 44
Betsy Looking Out Onto The Sahara Desert
Ali, the brother of Hamed the boss, was in control here and treated us to a tour of the site. Ali, according to his older brother, is ex military and displays his military efficiency when proudly directing each vehicle into exactly the right position, ensuring maximum happiness for the punters. There really isn’t a wrong place to park as the view are simply magnificent no matter where you look.
The facilities here are excellent with three large unisex showers big enough for two people and three European style toilets. They even have a very enticing crystal clear swimming pool, which would have been tempting to dive into had the temperature been a few degrees warmer.
The Sahara DesertThe nights here are cool, about 6C and during the day it climbed up to 25C. The air is dry and the humidity is about 11 per cent. I could feel the parched air playing havoc with my skin, making me reach for the moisturiser regularly. My hair was frizzy with static electricity and my nails chipped, cracked and snapped off at the slightest touch of something too hard. I wouldn’t have traded this for anything though; it’s a small price to pay for soaking up the winter desert.
Evening and morning are the best times to see the sand dunes as the light provides shadows giving depth to the valleys and crests. The clear air and total lack of light pollution resulted in a night sky bursting with stars which delighted us with a mixture of yellow, orange, pink and blue hues. The longer we look, the more colours exposed themselves.
We can’t believe we are here, in the Sahara Desert, in all its glory. I stand in awe, jaw dropped and excitement in my loins.
Page 45
I can now see why Ali was concerned that we might still be here when the Dutch party arrived. Apparently is it common for people to plan on a short visit but then fall in love with the place and never want to leave. Most of our neighbours have been here for many days, some weeks and others even reported they had been here since November last year – four months and counting. It’s the perfect way to escape the harsh bitter northern European winters and why wouldn’t you?
Dawn’s first light appears about 7am and the sun peaks its head up over the dunes soon after 8am. Alan braved the cool morning air to shoot some stunning photographs of yet more sunrises. There’s something rather special about this one however – it’s the Sahara!
The morning sun gives colour to the sand like no other time. There is a special stillness, peace and beauty out here that just makes you want to stop and drink in the experience.
What better place to have breakfast than in the desert on a stunning, mild morning with blue skies over rolling sand dunes. Alan made us a yummy breakfast of local turkey sausages and eggs. The red sausage meat is highly spiced and absolutely delicious. Make sure you put this on your shopping list if you like sausages.
Desert Tour Options and CostsNo trip to the Sahara desert would be complete without a tour. We had three options available from the campsite, a sunset or sunrise camel ride into the desert for 300 dirhams (€27, NZ$46) each, an overnight self-drive quad bike ride into the desert staying in tents for 500 dirhams each (€46, NZ$76) or a full day visiting several different locations in an air-conditioned fully enclosed vehicle with a driver for 1200 dirhams per vehicle (€111, NZ$168). We opt for the latter, not only due to the excellent value when split four ways (with our Swedish friends), but also because of the variety it offers.
It worked out to be extremely good value for a tour that spanned from 10am –4pm.
The first stop was at a rare Sahara lake about 2km west of Merzouga called Lac Dayet Siri which is home to a variety of waterbirds, including flamingos. However they were tourist shy and sat on the opposite side of the water to
Page 46
us. A lake vista was very unexpected out here in the middle of a desert and Hamid informed us that the lake shrinks and grows during the hot and wet seasons but it doesn’t usually dry up completely. It is up to 4m deep in places. I was interested to learn that the summertime (July/August) is when they have the most rain.
A local chap arrived on a motorbike and set up shop on the ground with the usual fossils, minerals, and small glass jars so we can collect some Sahara sand to take back home.
A Moroccan Mine SiteThe next stop was at an operational mine site. Here they are mining for several different minerals including lead sulphide, which is used for making kohl; for eye makeup. Once again stalls are set up selling the rocks, minerals, fossils and jewellery made from these mineral elements. We were able to have a look at a lump of lead sulphide ore with its glistening silver colour and it was very heavy.
Black African Village of Dar GnaouaOur next stop is the black African village of Dar Gnaoua. In past times, there were thousands of African slaves held in these parts and one of their tasks was digging underground canals to transport water across the landscape. Some of the original stone-lined well shafts are still visible.
When slavery was abolished in Morocco under French rule, between 1912 and 1925, the local ex-slaves were offered the option of returning home or staying in the township of Dar Gnaoua, south of Merzouga.
Many of the slaves had actually been sold by their families and knew no other life other than what they had in Morocco so they chose to stay and their descendants continue to live here. There are apparently other similar black African townships dotted around Morocco.
The original mud and straw houses in the township have decayed and are now uninhabited but we wandered around to understand what it might have been like living here. The walls are thick and the air temperature inside is many degrees cooler than the outside temperature, making them bearable in the hot summer months, where it reaches up to 60 degrees Celsius.
We find it fascinating how these houses are constructed entirely from materials taken from the surrounding countryside and the environment immediately starts breaking them back down again to dirt and straw. Each heavy rainstorm or sandstorm erodes some of the structure until the owners build another home nearby and abandon the old one.
African Music CentreNext we enjoyed a quick visit to the Dar Gnaoua, a traditional African music centre, which aims to preserve the inhabitants’ musical cultural heritage. We
Page 47
were offered mint tea and a seat while a smiling troupe of dark-skinned African men played their various traditional instruments (drums and castanets) and chanted to the captivated tourists while hoping to sell their CD’s for 100 dirhams each (€10 or NZ$15.40). The walls are adorned with a variety of percussion, stringed and wind instruments from various parts of southern Africa.
The Algerian BorderWe’re in the camel, I mean 4WD again, heading closer to Algeria and learnt a little about the border which is closely monitored by both the Algerian and Moroccan military. The Algerian government, in 1994 after Morocco imposed visa restrictions following a deadly terrorist attack in Marrakech, closed the 1,600km border. This has been disastrous for the nomadic Berber people who have always roamed far and wide across these lands as they search for water and food for them and their livestock. The closed border has shut down this traditional way of life and sadly separated many families.
The Algerians look down from a mountain range over Morocco and the no-mans-land that separates these two once friendly nations. The Moroccan military has cameras on tall pylons to keep an eye on their side. We were told that there is actually a trench a couple of metres deep, dug right along the border.
Along the journey, we were treated to the sight of shepherds, virgin sand dunes, flat lands with small volcanic black rocks (called the Black Desert), donkeys, camels, wells and the occasional tree that is eking out an existence in this parched land. Who would have known that a tree or two could be so photogenic but when surrounded by desert and with the Erg Chebbi sand dunes looming in the distance, everything looks amazing?
Lunching With Berber NomadsThe highlight of the day was enjoying a very tasty lunch in the company of a Berber nomad family, or at least the elder male of the family. They have set up home in a collection of tents and mud buildings in the middle of nowhere. The women cooked the food then ate separately once everyone else finished.
We were given a tour through the mud buildings and were amazed at how cool it stayed inside which allows them to preserve food even in the hottest conditions – and without an air-conditioner or fridge!
Modern technology has certainly made some changes to life for the nomads as they now have solar panels and batteries to provide power for mobile phones and lighting.
Lunch entailed a Berber pizza consisting of two pieces of flatten bread dough joined around well-spiced meat, grated carrot, and onion, then sealed. The pizza was cooked until it browns and rises slightly on a large flat stone inside their wood fuelled clay oven that looked remarkably like a small pizza oven.
Page 48
I thought back to some friends in Australia who paid good money to have a larger version of this set up constructed in their back yard. The Berber people would probably have a chuckle at that.
Cooking the pizza only took about ten minutes from start to finish, as the oven is amazingly effective and heated with just a few, but very hot, twigs.
In the traditional manner, our host served us lunch by tearing off pieces of the tasty pizza and handing them around to each of us. Coming from a country where food hygiene is seen as ultra important, it was a little disconcerting to see someone using their hands to serve you (we wondered had he washed them, was the water clean and germ-free?).
However as the traditional saying goes, ‘when in Morocco…” and I am pleased to advise that the food tasted great and none of us had any ill effects.
Our host spoke no English, just a little French and is only fluent in their traditional unwritten Berber tongue. Our guide translated the conversation and we learned that our host is 51 years old and lived with his young wife, his son, daughter-in-law and his two grandchildren.
Fossicking for Fossils We literally walked up and down what looked like an old riverbed, obviously once underwater and were shown what to look for. We brought back a bag of rocks containing trilobites and other prehistoric goodies. We just need to figure out how to polish them now.
On our way to the camping ground we drove past some movie sets that were used for the “Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)” movie, which is apparently famous in these parts but was unknown to us.
Hamid, our guide, who until now had been very restrained in his driving, seemed to decide that our group was up for a little Desert Ferrari driving and cut loose on the sand dunes with the Pajero like a mad man. That was a lot of fun as we slid around on the soft sand. I wonder if he also drives in the Dakar Rally?
Finally, we were taken to an area of sand dunes that were free of wheel tracks and footprints so we could get some great photos.
Leaving Erg Chebbi Before leaving Erg Chebbi fill up your tanks with good drinking water that has been sand filtered, as it’s a long way before you will find good water again if you are travelling in our direction.
Et Taous VillageLater that day we wandered into the township of Et Taous to check out the local shops. Not expecting to see much we were surprised to come across several souvenir shops all selling pretty much the same things, fossils, mineral stones, rugs, scarfs, leather shoes, brightly coloured lightweight clothing and other trinkets.
Page 49
The town shops included quad bike rentals (although at 300 dirham an hour they aren’t cheap to hire), a couple of supermarkets, one thankfully selling telecom data recharge codes (phew), but no ice cream!
There were also cafes and restaurants offering tagines and mint tea. We stopped off at a fruit and veggie shop to find old looking wrinkled aubergines that would be headed for the bin in most other countries, but out here where very little grows beggars can’t be choosers. The butchers shop had some variety of meat in his cabinet and some fresher looking veggies that we took note of should we need a top up.
Every village has at least one mosque, usually with red or white minarets silhouetted against the crystal clear blue desert sky.
The roads in the town are compacted sand, the buildings a mixture of mud-brick and straw. Some of the newer constructions are smooth plastered, the exterior painted in shades of terracotta.
Todgha Gorge We were constantly amazed by the ever-changing landscape of Morocco and the journey first up the Todgha Gorge and then to the Dades Gorge were no exceptions. The mountains, the shape of the rock formations, and the vegetation were varied and a real feast for the eyes and of course a target for the cameras.
At Todgha we parked up when the road became very narrow and took to the bikes to explore deeper into the canyon. In hindsight Betsy would have easily driven through, however, being on the bikes let us see more and it was easier to stop and take photos.
A point in case is that on the bikes we came across a family, complete with goats, living in the caves high above the road. Oh, how life is so different here!
Dades GorgeOur stopping place tonight was 28km up the Dades Gorge, opposite the La Gazelle hotel (GPS coordinates 31.52068, -5.93041), in their camper parking spot on the opposite side of the road to the hotel. This was deep down in the gorge beside a river and under tall rock walls. The cost was 50 dirhams with no services and we were offered, but gently declined, a meal for half price in the adjacent hotel.
Page 50
We were only two kilometres away from a much-photographed switchback road hewn from the side of the gorge and went in search of this experience the next morning. I was glad Alan was driving and there were no other vehicles trying to navigate their way up or down and around these bends at the same time as us. Betsy’s too fat to share such skinny roads.
OuarzazateHere we stayed at the Municipal Camping Ground (GPS coordinates 30.9232, -6.88716). The cost was 90 dirhams for all services. There are lots of spaces but mostly they were full with the majority of campers being French registered (ours included). We didn’t find out until we tried to shower later at night, but the shower water is solar heated which explains why we saw people heading for the showers in the middle of the day. Next time we check into a camping ground we will ask about the showers.
Although tourists seem to be largely unaffected, Morocco is a police state. The camping grounds are required to have all paperwork fully and accurately completed. Alan travels with two passports and gave his NZ passport at check-in; however, he entered Morocco on his Irish passport. The receptionist looked for an entry number in his passport and got confused by his dual citizenship until he hand over his Irish passport so they could glean the requisite details.
We pedalled around Ouarzazate on our bikes, mainly looking for a data top-up and some groceries. Most of the businesses were closed for the mid-afternoon siesta, which supposedly runs from about 2.00pm to 4.00pm. In reality, this seems to be one of those ‘Inshallah’ (God willing) things where shops seem to open and shut semi-randomly.
We came across a supermarket that on the outside looked small and uninviting, however, the shops are often like a tardis that expands up beyond expectations you discover upon entry. This one had a fresh meat counter, cheese and butter counter and a fruit and veggie area as well as the usual main grocery items.
Ouarzazate is well known for the Atlas Corporation film studios, which have produced many well-known movies over the years (e.g. Gladiator, Jewel of the Nile, Cleopatra) as well as episodes of Game of Thrones.
Ait-Ben-HaddouAn unmissable UNESCO site called Ksar Aït Benhaddou also written as Aït-Ben-Haddou can be found about 30kms northwest from Ouarzazate.
After parking up and paying 20 dirhams in the Kasbar Hotel guarded parking area we walked through the streets of the new Ait-Ben-Haddou township towards the historic fortified town across a shallow river.
Once again, Morocco is showing us something different and remarkable. This is a perfect example of Moroccan mud brick architecture with some of the buildings dating back to the 17th century. Ben Haddou used to be an important watering stop on the caravan route from Marrakech to the Sahara and was a significant establishment in its day.
Page 51
The mud walls with towers contain an extensive collection of houses, shops and narrow stone-paved alleyways leading up to the hill with panoramic views across the countryside.
Entry is 10 dirhams each (€1 or NZ$1.50) and immediately a local man attached himself to us and began telling us about the history. It was obvious that he intended to be our guide then would request an unknown fee at the end. We explained firmly that we did not want a guide and he left us alone to explore.
People don’t do things here for no payment, so if they are doing something for you, they probably expect to be paid for it. If you do want their services then ask for and agree on the price up front. Otherwise, kindly let them down gently.
The narrow streets are lined with the usual assortment of shops and stalls selling brightly coloured rugs, scarves, ceramics, clothing, jewellery, artefacts, paintings and drawings. Only three families still live in the old town now and we could wander around freely, joining the millions of tourists who pass through each year.
We walked through alleys, in and out of buildings and rooms only to be met by a wide smiling young man who greeted us, explaining that we are in his home! Whoops, we were embarrassed that we had taken a wrong turn but he gently persuaded us to go upstairs to enjoy the view from his balcony.
We accepted and pondered on life as we looked down to his sheep and goats on the next level down in his house. Said, the homeowner, soon joined us to explain that the animals and cooking facilities are always located on the first floor and the family has the two stories above. He uses his home as a guest-house and manages a shop selling crafts, jewellery made by his sisters, and his own art.
Of course, we then followed Said to his shop where I purchased a traditional Berber necklace made of onyx, silver and ebony depicting the southern cross. As the Berber people typically travelled only at night and navigated by the stars, the Southern Cross was an important symbol and constellation for them. With my new purchase I won’t get lost on a clear night and will have good luck with me. How could I refuse to buy such an important piece of local craftsmanship?
After our visit, I discovered this Ksar was used in the filming of Game of Thrones when Daenerys Targaryen laid siege to the slaving city of Yunkai. It is now the second place we’ve visited that was used in the filming of Game of Thrones (also known as A Song of Ice and Fire series, if you prefer to call it by its book title). The first location we came across was in the old town of Dubrovnik, Croatia, which was used as Kings Landing. Later we discovered more locations in Spain.
Page 52
Foum ZquidWe travelled on the road between Tazenakht and Foum Zquid which was the first long section of local road that we have ventured on. The almost complete lack of any other cars was somewhat of a give away that we are no longer on the usual tourist route. We almost held our breath as we turn off from the red R108 to the yellow R111. The road surpassed our expectations and while still being disconcertingly narrow in places and exhibiting a number of potholes and crumbling verges, it was surprisingly kind to us, partly because of the non-existent traffic. We passed through uneventfully and unscathed breathing a sigh of relief.
We rolled into the Foum Zguid ‘Camping La Palmeraie” camping ground (GPS coordinates 30.0870 -6.8828) at about 3pm, eager to experience the family hospitality that reviewers on the “Park4Night” app raved about. We weren’t disappointed and before long Rashid, the owner, arrived greeting Alan with a handshake and me with a double hug (both sides). Rashid wanted to make us his special chicken tagine for dinner but we already had dinner sorted, and suggested that we will try one tomorrow. He had a vegetable garden using the produce in his cooking and offered for us to help ourselves. I just didn’t feel it was right to do so, as the locals have very little. Vegetables are so inexpensive here that I decided that we could buy whatever we needed from virtually any town we passed through without the requirement to deplete his crops.
A word of caution, taste before drinking the water from the camping ground as with a lot of the tap water, it may be ‘potable’, which means safe to drink, but it certainly didn’t taste good here. This was a rare occurrence.
Alan had an exceptional treat of being allowed into Rashid’s kitchen to watch him prepare chicken tagines for other campers. The hygiene standards leave a lot to be desired but at least we knew everything had been cooked for quite a while so any bugs were well done, along with the meat.
Rashid was very friendly and brought all of the campers two small loaves of hot Moroccan bread every morning, which was a lovely treat.
We tucked into Rashid’s special goat tagine at 150 dirhams (€15 or $NZD23) the next evening and I was rather impressed with the taste of goat. We made this several times later in our motorhome.
TataThe N2 National Highway to Tata was very quiet. We had just one car pass us on the whole 140km stretch. It’s strange that while the landscape, on one hand, appears bleak and barren; it is also beautiful and constantly changing as we travelled through it.
Camping Hyatt, Tata (GPS coordinates 29.73861, -7.97786) had a picturesque location beside a river, and was an easy bike ride or walk into the town. Alternatively, there was a municipal camping ground right in town that looked adequate but we preferred the extra space, tranquillity, and water views of Camping Hyatt.
Page 53
Although Tata is a reasonably sized town, if you expected to find a decent sized supermarket, you would be sorely disappointed. Instead, there are lots of small shops that seemed to have their own niche items. We went to four different shops to buy typical grocery items that we’d expect to pick up from just one supermarket.
A great find was a small specialist spice shop. Our ground coriander stocks were down to zero and we hadn’t been able to find coriander anywhere, except now, here in Tata. We were also out of ground nutmeg (I know, a complete disaster for any motorhomer) and we were disappointed to see that the shopkeeper only had whole nutmegs. Our disappointment turned in amazement as he whizzed up the nutmegs in his industrial looking grinder in no time at all. We ended up with rather more spices than we expected to buy but happy to have had another new Moroccan experience.
IchtDriving from Tata to Icht the roads were empty of any traffic to speak of and the landscape stony, harsh, dry, and brown. Grass just doesn’t exist in such barren countryside and nothing on legs seems able to survive except the odd donkey picking away at withered up weeds and thorns. The few towns or villages we came across had only a handful of people wandering around. As usual, some school children gave us big smiles and energetic waves and got excited when we gave them a big two-handed wave back.
The mountains here have changed appearance from those nearer the Sahara. They are devoid of any vegetation or trees. The only thing we saw was rocks and more rocks in different shades of browns with a spattering of hardy straggly trees and bushes. Occasionally we spotted an oasis where the groundwater has ventured close enough to the surface to be exploited by a patch of green palm trees. They are possibly date palms but it’s hard to tell because apparently, we were out of season for dates (try October).
The camping ground that welcomed us in Icht was Camping Borj Biramane, (GPS Coordinates 29.05974, -8.85385). It’s one of the better camping grounds we have stayed in, due to small things like actually having toilet paper, soap and even a hand towel to dry hands! This was the FIRST time in Morocco we came across all three in the one location, ah bliss. Plus their showers were hot with a hanging shower rose, double bliss!
A friendly local guide knocked on our door to offer a two and a half hour walking tour, for 30 dirhams (€3 or NZ$4.60), to visit the local village, the mosque and museum and see the caves where the villages would hide out in times of war. We declined this time, which was regrettable, but have pencilled it in for when we return to Morocco.
GuelmimThe first part of the N12 road from Icht to Guelmim hardly qualified as a National Highway! It was a narrow one-lane tarsealed road with no shoulder to speak of. The tarseal was oftentimes broken away at the side, with some nasty looking drop-offs. I must say, however, that the roads change quickly
Page 54
throughout Morocco with constant road works being undertaken. So you might find these roads are now perfect.
The traffic here was heavier and really required both passing cars to plonk one tyre off the road and into the loose stones. The local drivers appeared to play chicken with foreign vehicles expecting they will be the first to cave in and move over to protect their vehicle.
And they were right.
Betsy is our home and sustaining any damage would be a significant blow to our travels. We were just grateful that Betsy had new tyres that could cope okay with the rough sides and our tyre pressure warning gauge gave us some reassurances.
We had been advised to keep our wing mirror folded in on narrow, windy roads to protect it from being damaged by on-coming traffic. This was the first time we heeded that advice.
This road had to be one of the least impressive to date that we’ve travelled on in Morocco. Spoiler, the worst is yet to come. However, it’s still passable and can be navigated at a reasonable pace, so don’t avoid it. I don’t think there are many alternatives anyway.
To be fair to Morocco the majority of roads we’ve encountered have been better than expected.
Our free stopping point in Guelmim was outside the Marjane Supermarket (GPS coordinates 28.96757, -10.03258). The actual parking area is nothing more than gravel and wasteland. However, it had the benefit of being near a fairly new shopping centre which mainly housed a large supermarket jammed packed with everything we had been dreaming about but couldn’t previously find, e.g. ice creams.
TIP: Make sure you don’t park on the sealed carpark overnight or you may be asked to move.
While staying here we experienced some teenagers asking for food or money from the motorhomers. We gave them some fruit and they didn’t show any concerning behaviour.
One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity to soak up the sights, sounds and smells of the very traditional feeling Guelmim town centre.
Modern cars jostled for space on the narrow roads with donkeys and carts piled high carrying all types of fruit and veggies, or second, third or even fourth hand bits and pieces of every imaginable household items. Those not fortunate enough to have a donkey had to push their carts around by hand and those without carts just sat on the footpath to sell whatever they had to offer.
Page 55
The moving flashes of bright colour were the local women wearing the traditional melhafa outfits, which are prevalent in the southern Moroccan and Western Sahara regions. The gorgeous colours are a refreshing change from the drabber outfits of the eastern and northern areas and it seemed as if every woman was wearing different colours or patterns.
TIP: Before leaving the carpark consider filling your diesel tanks if required, with reasonably priced fuel from the service station that also (rarely) accepted payment by credits cards.
Sidi IfniWe usually crosschecked the directions from our Garmin 760 LDT camper GPS (named Emily) with Google Maps. In Morocco both forms of electronic maps had their issues with accuracy and being up to date. Emily suggested taking the N12 with a drive of about an hour while Google Maps told us to drive about 88km for two hours via the minor P1305 road.
From experience, we knew the “P” roads might be barely one lane wide and the fact that Google said it would take two hours for a relatively short stretch was not encouraging.
We chose to take Emily’s recommendation, which was the right one. There were a lot of road works, with some horribly rough short diversions, however long stretches of the road had been rebuilt and resealed and I reckon within six months or so this road should be excellent.
There was a short stretch where the N12 was blocked off, with a diversion via a small local road. I believed that Google knew about the road closure, but not the diversion, which was why it wanted to take us on the torturous minor roads. Emily, on the other hand, was blithely unaware of any road works and just took us by the most direct route. It could have gone horribly wrong, but in this case we thankfully found the diversion around the road closure.
The countryside flattened out with somewhat smaller mountain ranges to what we have become accustomed to and the new obvious visual features are the frequent argan nut trees and the proliferation of prickly pear cactus bushes. These appeared to have been deliberately planted, probably to harvest the fruit although prickly pear oil production (for cosmetics) is a growing industry which could be driving the mass planting.
As we pulled into Sid Ifni, there was a heavy but dry mist in the air, no doubt originating from the angry Atlantic Ocean breakers pounding the sandy beach beside Sidi Ifni Camping (GPS 29.38466, -10.17324).
Jumping out of Betsy, we tasted and smelt the sea in the air and immediately felt relaxed and at home.
Sidi Ifni is one of the last parts of Morocco to be given independence from Spain and remained a colony until 1969 – thirteen years behind the rest of the country. Many of the buildings showed a strong Spanish influence and the pace of life is slow here with an economy built around fishing and tourism. Visitors flock to this place and enjoy the mild climate, the paragliding and the
Page 56
surfing. We missed the Sunday souk unfortunately which is apparently well worth planning your visit around.
Sidi Ifni Camping is one of several campgrounds in the town and was reasonably priced at 80 dirhams per night including power, hot showers and a reasonably good WiFi signal (we were parked close to the office though). The showers were nice and hot in the early evening but not so good later at night. Looking around, it appeared that most of our fellow campers are settled in here for weeks, if not months.
In the afternoon we cycled up the steep hill to the shops to buy that wonderful round fluffy Moroccan white bread called khobuz for 2 dirham (€0.18 or NZ$0.31. “Deux pain s’il vous plait” normally gets the desired result but for those non-French speakers just say “Der pan seal voo play” and you should be right as you’ve just asked for “Bread, please”.
Morocco is a great place to save up those little jobs that can be expensive in mainland Europe. We had some pillowcases that needed cutting and hemming and our trusty High Sierra backpack, which has served Alan well for over twenty years needed some stitching reinforced. We were directed to a ‘taileur’ who for the paltry sum of 30 dirham (€2.77, NZ$4.60) did everything we needed on his old but sturdy sewing machine.
As we wandered the shops we spotted a butcher specialising in dromedaries, or camel meat. We found out later that camel meat can be difficult to source further north, so if you’re keen on this then make sure you indulge here in Sidi Ifni for 60 dirhams per kilo. The only other place we came across dromedaries was in Fes.
Huge haunches of camel meat hung from hooks. A camel hump split down the middle, which is almost entirely fat, looked very unappetising but the meat being cut up by the butcher was lean and looked very fresh. Camel meat is reportedly cholesterol free with no fat running through it.
Camel is mainly eaten in the southern Saharan regions of Morocco and in keeping with our plans to sample local foods, we had planned on trying this at a café or restaurant while we were in the area. However, the meat looked so good that we bought some to cook up for a camel tagine. It was funny to us that the butcher would not sell us just the meat – if it was going in a tagine then we had to have a separate chunk of camel fat thrown in also. The tagine was delicious but goat was still my favourite.
MirleftAs we headed north up the R109 we passed through the small town of Mirleft. Little did we know that this was to become our home for the next week due to being happily kidnapped and kept in Mirleft by our local soon-to-be-friend. As we passed Mirleft Beach, we spotted a group of motorhomes parked near the sea and turned off to investigate. The great thing about being in a motorhome is taking advantage of a nice-looking parking area so we decided to stay the night and found a small possie facing the beach.
Page 57
When we heard some voices speaking the rare English language in these parts, outside our motorhome, we popped out to investigate. Mostafa (Mo), a Moroccan born Canadian, who has a house in Mirleft, was kindly offering to take a German/Chinese couple, Toby and Alice (travelling on bicycles) into town to do some shopping. A few minutes later and we were both invited to join them.
Here’s what we found. Daily fresh fish was displayed for sale in the market square. The fishermen were out harvesting all day then arrived back with their catch in hand in the hope to sell their harvest as evening closes in.
It all looked very fresh and for a few dirhams you can have it cleaned and cooked by one of the restaurants nearby.
The road leading down to Mirleft Beach passed alongside a dry riverbed with cultivated fields spread out alongside a narrow flood plain. Prickly pear bushes formed a picturesque foreground to the spire of the mosque minaret.
The fields are mostly used for cultivating animal feed and several groups of locals were either turning over the earth or harvesting the crop using a sharp sickle to slice the plants off very close to the ground.
French Upper Fort, MirleftThe atrociously bumpy dirt and clay road up to this site is not signposted and certainly not suitable for a motorhome.
Completed by the French military in 1935, the fort is now decaying but with the aid of a local guide Youssef, a friend of Mo’s, we were able to glean an insight into how the fort was originally laid out. We also learned what military life must have been like in this far outpost of French influence.
The fort originally had a guard/watch tower at each corner and was divided into areas for the horses, the common soldiers, the officers and the commander. The level of rank determined the size and quality of the rooms, increasing with each level. Up to two hundred men once manned the fort that now supports just a population of inquisitive desert squirrels and farmed sheep.
After our time at the Upper Fort, we indulged in a couples massage at the local Hammam (bathes) and Spa. ‘Le Jardin d’Orient’ is modern, clean and very reasonably priced. We enjoyed a 60-minute massage for just 200 dirhams (€20) each. That was a very rare treat for us indeed.
After seeing the main sights of Mirleft, it was time for a quiet day with the highlight being a visit from a local carpenter (another of Mo’s friends). He agreed that for 230 dirhams (€21.30, NZ$35) he would build two lightweight shelves under our bed and modify our chopping board so it could sit over the sink. This has proven to be money well worth spending and I love the extra bench space this addition has brought us. We are starting to love this low-cost country.
Page 58
For a small town Mirleft packs a punch when it comes to their souk, selling outstandingly fresh fruit and vegetables. You would have thought that after 36 days of travelling through this wonderful country we would have properly experienced a souk before, but we have either missed them by one day or turned up too late in the afternoon when most of the sellers had left. This was one of those occasions where the early bird catches the worm, or at least the freshest vegetables, fruit and herbs.
We were told that if the sellers arrive and set up, and the expected crowds don’t appear, they simply pack up and go back home. Luckily today, the buyers are out in force so the stallholders stayed put.
Set up in a dry dusty paddock, that is empty six out of seven days a week, was home for this market. Only a fortunate few have makeshift tables to display their wares, the others just spread out a tarpaulin for their merchandise on top of the dirt.
It’s mainly men who are the sellers here and the souks appear to be an opportunity to catch up with friends. The men greet each other; they chat, laugh, drink tea, and eat while watching out for their next sale. The Moroccan people are always smiling and seem genuinely happy which makes hanging out here a real pleasure.
The quality of fruit and vegetables at Mirleft’s souk was the best we had seen in Morocco, bar none. The cauliflowers must have just been picked freshly as they still looked vibrant and alive. But the real treat was finding some much-longed for green spinach, again freshly picked.
It’s not just seasonal local groceries that can be bought here. Another special treat was finding pineapples (imported from the Canary Islands) and fresh ginger. I paid three dirhams (€.30 or NZ$0.46) for the ginger and handed over a five dirham coin. Instead of money I asked for the change to be given in fresh soft delicious dates. The vendor laughed at me saying ‘that’s the Moroccan way’ and Mo commented that we’ve been in Morocco long enough now to think like a Moroccan and that we should be applying for residency status.
The souks don’t just sell fruit and vegetables. There was also fresh honey from cactus, clothing, tea pots, tools, car parts, jewellery, belts, leather items, household items like plastic buckets, couscous pots, electronics (used and old), fabrics, melhafa (the traditional daywear of the ladies), sweet roasted nuts, dried legumes and more. We saw an old xbox and a Dell computer that must have been twenty or thirty years old. Goodness knows how long the vendor had been carrying this stuff around and to whom he expected to sell it (apart from a museum curator).
Legzira BeachA short detour 30km back towards Sidi Ifni we come across this stunning beach.
Legzira Beach is famous for the arches eroded into the spurs of rock reaching into the sea. Unfortunately, the most picturesque of these collapsed a couple of years ago and the sea is rapidly reclaiming the fallen material. There is a
Page 59
theory that the collapse was initiated by the heavy equipment and loud sounds associated with an airline commercial being made there, as it fell down just ten days later. The remaining arch is still spectacular though and reminded us of Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel region of NZ. The high cliffs and strong thermal updrafts make this a popular destination for paragliders and a constant progression of aerialists landed on the beach around us.
After a great wander up the beach and under the arch, we returned to the inevitable collection of cafes and tourist traps for some genuine Moroccan tea at Mo’s friend’s cafe. Mo demonstrated the rather complex, almost ceremonial process of tea making. Nothing in Morocco is rushed, and tea making is no exception.
The green tea leaves are first steeped in a small amount of water, which is then poured out (and may be discarded as this draws out the bitterness). More water is then added with a few sprigs of fresh mint and the tea is then poured back and forth from the teapot held high, to the glass, and back again until a froth develops on the surface. Some sugar may or may not be added according to taste and some of the bitter first tea may also be returned to the mix. Now we know how to make tea the Moroccan way.
One of the attractions here was a tame juvenile hawk that had been electrocuted and, after being nursed back to health, he couldn’t fly. He happily sat on his perch, eating only chicken. He watched the tourists go by and will step onto an outstretched arm (protected by clothing) when pressed up to his legs.
Anti-Atlas Mountains We went from being happily kidnapped by a friendly Moroccan/Canadian for six days to being shown the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco and favourite haunts of our German friends, Roger and Andy for the next ten days.
One of the touristy ‘must sees’ in Morocco is none other than the goats in argan trees. We were lucky enough to see this sight in the anti-atlas mountains of Morocco. The nutritious argan nuts and freshest leaves are out of the goats’ reach from ground level but the clever little animals have learned how to climb trees to devour this tasty snack. Normally these are seen around the town of Essaouira where enterprising locals have trained goats to scale the branches and pose for photos in return for tourist’s coins.
Driving to Tafraoute we came across some self-taught goats in paddocks strewn with argan trees.
TafraouteThe camper parking at Tafraoute (GPS coordinates 29.72197, -8.98352) is as picturesque as anything we’ve seen in our travels. High mountains are all around us, lighting up red when the late setting sun grazes the rocks. There must have been 200 motorhomes here, many of which were set up to stay for what looks like most of the winter.
Page 60
This camper parking area is quite unusual for Morocco, where proper campgrounds are the norm. There can be up to 500 motorhomes here at the busy times, and this seems to support a lot of the local economy.
The cost to park is just 15 dirhams (€1.30 or NZ$2.28). For such a handsome sum you can park anywhere you fancy, dump your rubbish and dispose of black water.
If parking here for a while then make sure you notice what direction others are facing. Then do likewise, as wind can blow up in at night and you will want shelter from the sun’s daytime heat.
Fresh bread and pastries are delivered fresh every morning around 7.30am by a man yelling ‘Baguettes, pan (bread), patisseries!’ at the top of his voice. If you don’t want to get up, you can leave your money in a bag tied to your door handle. The colour of the bag tied to the door handle indicates the order from the previous evening. In our case yellow was for one loaf of bread. Unfortunately, the loaf was half the size we were used to for our 2 dirhams. We can’t complain, however, as it’s still great value for money.
A water truck frequents daily and for 2.5 dirhams he will fill your water tank and every empty water container you can find. Or if you miss him, there are young boys collecting and returning 5-litre bottles of water.
Local women come around offering laundry services for a reasonable price.
Local men offer to paint murals on your motorhome or make side covers for your awning.
A significant, low cost, motorhome repair and refitting industry has established itself in Tafraoute and a lot of motorhomers take advantage of this.
Tafraoute has some very cute shops and is apparently ‘the place’ to purchase babouche shoes. ‘Babouche’ are brightly coloured traditional Berber handmade goat or sheep-leather shoes that are traditionally worn during certain ceremonies such as holy days or at weddings. Men wear the yellow coloured shoes with the red colour reserved for women.
Fillet steak in Morocco is far cheaper than in most other countries but you won’t often find it in the butcher’s display. The price ranges from around 120 – 150 dirhams per kilo (€11-13.75, NZD$18.20-22.80) so it is too valuable for most butchers to stock. However, many butchers will order it in for you to pick up the next day – provided you buy the whole fillet. We did this in Tafraoute and shared it with our friends.
Tafraoute had a population of 4,931 at the 2004 census, some fifteen years ago, and judging by what we saw the population has grown significantly.\]
Moroccan history lesson.
Page 61
TandiltWe cycled into the neighbouring town of Tandilt, a Town Built Under Suspended Rocks to see the famous imposing rock, called Napoleon’s Hat. A bunch of huge red rocks precariously perch overlooking the homes and buildings of this town. One small earthquake, shock wave, or decent storm and it appeared that these babies would come crashing down pretty quickly.
On our way out to Tandilt we first stopped off to have a bite to eat from a local cafe called Espace Harbaz. I ordered a beef taco which was regrettable as the meat was mainly gristle and later that night it came back up again. We were told green tea or sage tea is good for ‘Moroccan belly’.
TaroudantThe trip to Taroudant took 5¾ hours due to the distance, the windy roads, and a number of photo stops. Ah, travelling with a keen amateur photographer can be slow going but oh the rewards are so worth it.
The reward for our motorhome, Betsy, at the end of our day was a wash at the local Total Service Station carwash where for just 30 dirhams (€2.76 or NZ$4.57) plus ten dirham tip each, two men hand washed Betsy (and our bikes) from head to tail and she was sparkling white again.
There is a brand-new camping ground, Grand Camping de Taroudant for 80 dirhams per night (€7.35 or NZ$12.15) plus 30 more for electricity built beside the Total Service Station (GPS coordinates 30.49734, -8.81879). It was here that we stopped for the night. The showers and toilets were shiny and new with hot water, ah bliss.
There is a restaurant adjoining the camping ground, which was welcome after such a long drive today. We took our bottle of wine and ordered two pizzas. I usually have very low expectations of restaurant purchased food but I have to say the pizzas here were great with lots of topping and large enough for two. Before the pizza arrived, we tucked into a Moroccan salad comprising of red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, green peppers and parsley.
TIP: Ask permission before taking your own alcohol into a restaurant; some welcome you with your wine, some tolerate it and as we found out some forbid it. Or is this a case of asking for forgiveness rather than permission? Alternatively, depending upon your appetite for rules, take it along and see if anyone says anything?
The following day we changed parking spots in Taroudant. We parked literally just outside one of the gates of the old town. The camping ground called Taroudant Camping (GPS -8.874438 30.479099 was almost full, primarily with French vans that were once again set up for a long stay.
Taroudant soon became one of our favourite towns to visit. It had everything we could want, it is not touristy, and had an electric vibe.
Taroudant is hot. It’s reportedly the warmest place in Morocco in the winter and I can tell you that it is bliss waking up on a winter’s morning to warm weather and sunshine.
Page 62
The souk is vibrant, with people everywhere. The traffic is chaotic, the footpaths non-existent for the most part, and street vendors have set up anywhere they can. “But it’s only Sunday.” Roger tells us. “Just wait until you come in here tomorrow when the real traffic arrives!”
Roger and Andy, our German friends, had stayed in Taroudant many times and had established a routine for their visits.
First, they make a beeline for the fresh juice man who sends a big wave and smile from about fifty metres away as he recognised his foreign friends. By the time we are seated on the bench behind this vendor, he is already well on the way to freshly squeezing their grapefruit juice. We had orange juice and the following day tried a half and half mixture, which I can recommend. At just three dirhams (€0.28, NZ$0.46) for a large glass of the freshest juice this has to be the best value drink around.
Then it was off to the tourist medina, followed by the Berber medina.
As soon as we stepped inside the medina a very well spoken Moroccan man greeted us. He welcomed us to his country and enquired as to where we were all from. Roger had this down pat, “We are from Germany and have been here for nearly six months and this couple are from New Zealand, they’ve been travelling for 21 months and have visited 25 countries”, he says enthusiastically. Roger is always well received and a dialogue often ensues. A translator and lover of languages, Roger is very good at conversing with the locals and most seem to understand him.
The town is very interesting; the mechanics workshops are small and dark, jammed packed to the ceiling with all manner of spare parts that might be needed one day. How they find anything is anyone’s guess.
Our tourist guide, Roger, takes us to a European looking butcher, complete with red and white coloured tiles on the floor and a glass cabinet where the meat is chilled and beautifully displayed. Inside this shop I’ve been teleported anywhere in the world, except Morocco! Everything looks so inviting and I couldn’t resist purchasing some pre-spiced turkey mincemeat that was so scrummy I went back the following day for more.Our impromptu tourist guide, Roger, takes us to a European looking butcher, complete with red and white coloured tiles on the floor and a glass cabinet where the meat is chilled and beautifully displayed. Inside this shop I had been teleported anywhere in the world, except Morocco! Everything looked so inviting and I couldn’t resist purchasing some pre-spiced turkey mincemeat that was so scrummy I went back the following day for more.
The fruit and vegetables here are superb, very fresh and they even sold pawpaw, brussel sprouts, raspberries, pineapples, tiny ladyfinger type bananas (that are small and sweet) and other more exotic fruit. The locally grown produce is very cheap but the imported products were still well priced.
Page 63
There were terracotta sellers, musical instrument shops, second hand (or maybe third or fourth hand) furniture dealers, leather goods, and shoe salesmen.
Apart from the tourist souk, most of these shops are there for the locals not the tourists so walking around Taroudant doesn’t feel like a tourist destination. The odd tourist sticks out like a sore thumb, as I am sure we did.
You’ve no doubt heard the term: ‘It’s an assault on your senses’? Well Taroudant is that place! Everywhere we look there was so much for our eyes to see and brain to process.
Our nose was filled with delicious smells coming from the herbs and spices, the roadside street food, and the incense sellers.
Our ears took in the sounds of the horses clip-clopping along the cobblestone streets, the tooting of vehicles horns, the ringing of bicycle bells, the happy chatter from the children being released from school at lunchtime and the yelling from street vendors advertising their wares and low prices. It was all rather exciting and a little overwhelming at the same time.
I felt like a kid in a candy shop, not sure where to look first and wanting to drink in every last bit, while dodging the traffic that could and did appear from any direction at anytime. TIP: If you’re going in to this old town, be sure to take a photo of the gate you enter because like most souks you can easily get lost. You can then show this to someone to ask directions or to direct a taxi. Another idea is to save a pin in Google maps so you can find your back way out again, if Google maps plays the game.
The next part of our guide’s routine was to find somewhere in the shade, out of the sun, and have a cup of Moroccan (typically mint) tea. There was a square with cafes facing inwards where groups of men were sitting around listening to storytellers. The Berber language is largely unwritten and it’s at these events that I imagine the old men are passing down the traditional stories of their ancestors.
There were buskers who entertained for a few dirhams thrown their way and the busker of the day had to be the owner of a trained white dove sitting atop his turban while playing an instrument resembling a guitar.
nIt was getting late in the day and our weary legs needed a rest so Roger thumbed the nearest horse and carriage which, for a negotiated twenty dirhams (€1.83 or NZ$3) took us on a fifteen minute ride back to the camping ground.
We returned to Betsy buzzing from all the sensory stimulation the old town of Taroudant provided us with and we know that we will be back here on future visits to Morocco.
Page 64
Tizi N’Test PassThe R203 road is known for being a little difficult. Narrow and worn out, it winds sinuously up to 2,100 metres and guarantees the driver (and passenger) some interesting and hair-raising moments, especially when meeting on-coming traffic.
Don’t just take my word on the R203 being a little suspect. Google the most dangerous roads in the world and you will find this is up there with the best of them.
However, you don’t get these views without venturing out of your comfort zone. The drive was so worthwhile and the scenery simply stunning.
Soon after leaving Taroudant, we are privileged to see that ‘only in Morocco’ sight of a flock of goats grazing on foliage and nuts high up in the argan trees. We saw this briefly once before as mentioned, but this time we were able to get up close and take some great photos.
We ascended an unexpectedly good road with spectacular views back towards Taroudant. Then realised we spoke too soon about the good road and like the flick of a switch it deteriorated to a single lane of rough asphalt with some nasty drop offs.
There were a couple of places along this road where you can fill up with crystal clear mountain water. It’s worth taking this road with empty water tanks just so you can fill at this mountain waterfall. A local man sitting by the side of the road was selling herbs for making a cup of tea.
Page 65
At 2,100 metres we reach the top of the Tizi N’Test pass and find our sleeping place for the night at Mustapha’s Auberge (GPS 30.86839, -8.37922), for 80 dirhams.
Mustapha reportedly makes one of the best Berber omelettes in the business and after sampling them there were no arguments from us.
Our journey continued from the Tizi’N Test Pass on the R203, which was still very narrow at times and with some nasty broken shoulders on both sides. The traffic however became a lot heavier which meant some careful passing was required.
As we continued, the evidence of long-ago geological events appeared. We suddenly had a rainbow of colours showing in the rocks and strata of the mountains around us. It reminds me of the pink, white and chocolate ‘Neapolitan’ ice cream we used to buy as kids back in New Zealand.
We wound down following a wide river valley, passing ruining buildings and seeing slashes of green terraced hillsides wherever the life-giving water has emerged for humans to exploit.
The Tinmel Mosque, a short diversion off the R203, is a historically important structure. With roots dating back to the 11th century, it is lovingly restored and well worth a visit. (GPS 30.984639, -8.228157). A small donation to the guardian for the mosque is expected.
As we followed the river Oued N’Fis downstream it gradually swelled from a mere trickle to something substantial, finally terminating in a large hydroelectric lake.
We haven’t wild camped much in Morocco, but tonight looked like a good time to give it a try. We set our sights on a nice looking picnic spot from the app “Park4Night”. Parking up, we gazed into one of the most awe-inspiring valley views we have seen. (GPS 31.185601,-8.064748 ). However, sleeping here was not to be…..
Within 30 minutes, the local chief of police rolls up with an interpreter to explain that they cannot guarantee our safety and we can’t stay.
This spot is only about 16km from the area where two Scandinavian girls were murdered in December 2018 and the local police were very cautious.
Page 66
They fortunately offered to give us a police escort to a local auberge or hotel called ‘Chez Momo II’ where the owners allowed us to spend the night in their car park.
We were a little aggrieved at not being able to stay in our chosen location but on the other hand, we felt ‘looked after’ by the police and locals.
Chez Momo II is a lovely private auberge with stunning views and decorated with original Berber artefacts. We found out the next day that ‘Chez Momo I’ was submerged nearly fifteen years ago, along with three villages under the nearby hydroelectric lake.
MarrakechA rare visit to a Moroccan city, we were looking forward to seeing this fabled location.
I was really looking forward to this city with its reputation for vibrancy, liveliness, and interesting culture. I had even considered that we could hang out there for several days and soak up all Marrakech had to offer us until we felt good and ready to leave. I really wanted this to be an awesome experience.
However, it wasn’t to be.
We found some guarded parking (we wouldn’t recommend) not far from the Medina and took our bikes in for a look at the markets and souks.
We had to try a sugar cane and lemon juice drink – it’s just one of those things you need to do once in Morocco. How cool is it when they run the sugar cane through the rollers and the juice comes out? As we drank, we knew that the sugar content was off the charts but the lemon juice kept the sweetness down.
Some of the backstreets were very picturesque and it’s worth waiting for everyone to clear off so you can take an unobstructed photo.
Once we hit the UNESCO World Heritage site of the main Jemaa-el-Fna Square, everything was rather chaotic. That’s part of the charm. The square abounds with snake charmers, monkey handlers, fortune-tellers, fruit juice sellers, people wandering around in their national costume and crowds of tourists. However, it doesn’t take long to realise that most of the people have just one thing in mind – to separate you from your money.
Over two days we wandered the streets and markets of Marrakech, at times we really enjoyed the atmosphere and sights. More often, however, we were weary of the unwanted attention from beggars, the continual efforts to rip us off and the busyness, hustle and bustle.
It was in Marrakech that, for the first time ever, we had to put our bikes into guarded parking, as well as lock them up.
We avoided going to a much-needed ATM machine because there were very aggressive beggars (four of them) hassling anyone taking out money. We
Page 67
eventually retired to the top floor of the L’Adresse Café where a bird’s eye view gave us ample opportunity to watch the action from a safe, un-harassed distance.
We visited the El Badi Palace, which is worth a look for the incredible painted woodwork, intricate masonry and extensive mosaics. Try to get there early and avoid the crowds if you want to takes some ‘people-free’ photos.
I mentioned earlier that Marrakesh wasn’t the special place we expected. Here’s what gave us a bad taste in our mouth about Marrakesh.
The local car park tried to overcharge us for parking our bikes. Then an elderly fruit seller first overcharged us and didn’t want to hand over our change (we gave him his fruit back and got our money back so we could buy elsewhere). We bought dates, only to find out later that the seller had given us small hard dates instead of the more expensive softer larger dates we had tasted and paid for.
I was also upset by the cruelty shown towards animals such as the monkeys and snakes being exploited to sell photo opportunities to the tourists.
I understand that people are simply just doing the best they can with what they have to make a living, and earning a few dirhams selling whatever they have that someone might want to pay for. But for this introverted traveller it was just too much and too overwhelming.
After two days the level of annoyance and the negative experiences outweighed any positive feelings we had. Sadly that was enough of Marrakech for us!
OuzoudAfter an uneventful trip from Marrakech, we arrived into the peaceful tranquillity of Ouzoud that became home base for the next three days.
A visit to the local souk was one of many highlights in Ouzoud and if you find yourself there on souk day (Tuesdays) make sure you visit. It was our favourite souk.
Dozens and dozens of donkeys, mules and some horses were parked up in the adjacent fields like we would park our cars outside a supermarket. The souk itself was hosted in a paddock underneath tents and tarpaulins with blue skies above and rolling mountains standing watch in the background.
A wander through the makeshift paths had us mesmerised by the amazing variety on offer. Almonds, walnuts, eggs, live chicks barely a day or two old, clothes, spices galore (some unidentifiable), herbs, brightly coloured material, vegetables of all colours, shapes, textures and of varying quality, clay tagines, pots and pans, couscous cookers, crockery, broken electronics, plastic ware, sweets, dried legumes, dates, meat (both dead, such as goats and sheep, and soon to be dead chickens) and grains for the animals were just some of the treasures and essentials on sale.
Page 68
The souk is not only an opportunity to buy food for the next week, but it is also the time to catch up with friends from neighbouring villages or chewing the fat with fellow stall vendors.
Just walking around the souk was fascinating and a full shopping list enhanced our visit.
Although we found that we were normally charged a fair price, it’s not a bad idea to do some price checking between vendors because it is not uncommon to be charged ‘tourist’ rather than ‘local’ prices.
Souks are easily the best place to buy vegetables, especially the ones in season. Once you know what is going to be available, you then find tasty meals to hero those fresh ingredients.
The famous Ouzoud falls are not far from our camping spot, Zebra Camping Ouzoud (GPS coordinates 32.00531, -6.71998). Later in the afternoon, once the hordes of tourists had departed, we jumped on our bikes and rode out to see the falls. They are well worth a visit.
MeknesWe stayed at the guarded parking right outside the Medina. While it wasn’t quiet (the road works started up at 11pm directly behind us), it was perfect for easy access to the Medina by foot. (GPS coordinates 33.89093, -5.56408).
The term ‘street art’ had been growing on me and had become somewhat of a filter. A bit like when you buy a red Mazda, then you suddenly see red Mazda’s everywhere. Street art began having that same effect and the more I travel the more I seem to notice this.
Meknes was no exception. You can look at these works of art and wonder who drew them, what the inspiration was, and start to imagine the story behind both the artist and the painting.
Meknes is full of history and the old city is well worth a visit. Make sure you don’t miss this town and you will be rewarded with cultural riches.
Volubilis Who would expect to see Ancient Roman ruins in Morocco? Not me, but they are there. In fact, I was rather surprised to see a map showing the extent of the Roman occupation throughout Europe and Africa.
Situated just 32kms north on Meknes, Volubilis was originally the Berber city considered to be the capital of the ancient kingdom of Mauretania. The city overlooks fertile rolling hills that don’t have a Moroccan feel at all, in fact, they strongly remind me of the French countryside. The Romans took over in the first century AD building many significant structures and developing it in the typical Roman style of the day.
The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 badly damaged many of these buildings, after which significant amounts of marble and stone were removed to build Meknes. This is another of Morocco’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, listed
Page 69
for being “an exceptionally well-preserved example of a large Roman colonial town”.
The site is well known for the many mosaics decorating the floors of what would have been the houses of the well-to-do Romans. The colour of some are still surprisingly vibrant and I learnt this was due to the minerals in the stones which are said to not fade under the harsh elements of the African sun, wind, or rain.
The entrance fee was 70 dirhams and had we arrived earlier in the day, I would have considered hiring a local guide to glean more historical information.
That said, however, the well-appointed museum at the beginning of the site provided a reasonable explanation of the ruins. It’s well worth a visit if you are in the region.
AsilahAfter a short drive to Asilah, bad weather keeps us stuck in Morocco for a few extra days before returning to Spain via Tangier Med Port. We used some of the time to explore the delightful Asilah medina. Our friends had recommended the seaside town of Moulay Bousselham as a good spot to spend a few days before finally leaving Morocco. After checking the reviews of various camping grounds we choose the one with the least bad reviews and head straight there.
On driving into Flamingo’s Camping, it just didn’t feel nice. Everything was overgrown and looked unloved. We parked up, had a cup of tea then decide that if they wanted our valuable business, they needed to up their game and at least make the place look half presentable. The quaint Atlantic seaside town of Asilah was only another 30 minutes up the road and 30 minutes closer to the ferry so we pointed Betsy in that direction and kept going.
Often being the first stop for motorhomers arriving in Morocco, Asilah is a great introduction to the culture and the people. We missed this when we chose to drive down the Mediterranean side because the weather forecast there was better. Asilah however, would have been a much nicer option (in my humble opinion).
Camping Echrigui (GPS 35.47243, -6.02825) was close to the beach on the north side of Asilah and costs 80 dirhams a night including electricity.
The Asilah medina (old walled part of the town) is right on the port and some stone sculptures had recently been installed outside the walls. The shiny, new modern sculptures look a little incongruous against the ancient stone walls but they were lovely pieces.
We cycled into town to explore the Asilah medina and stopped beside a set of vividly painted tiles fixed to the wall. Each tile was a different representation of the Hand of Fatima, which is an ancient symbol believed to provide
Page 70
protection against the ‘evil eye’. The concept of the evil eye was that it is a curse cast on you by someone giving you a malevolent look, usually when you are not aware of it.
While we are examining the tiles, a man walked past and explained that these were made by a local artist in a nearby shop. He motioned for us to follow him. As we had nothing better to do so we followed him around the Asilah medina while he explained about the different architecture and how to differentiate between the different types of buildings and doors.
After a little while we realised that we had managed to pick up a ‘false guide’. These people are unregistered illegal guides. They try to charge for providing tours after giving unsuspecting foreigners some historical information about their surroundings. We had experienced this approach before however then we plainly told the person that we were not interested in a guide.
This time, we had been caught out and it took a while before we twigged to what he had done. As we neared the medina exit, the man asked for money saying that he had given us an ‘Asilah medina tour’. We told him that we hadn’t asked for a medina tour and that he had just been walking with us and talking. On this occasion, he went away empty-handed however we have heard of instances where tourists have been pressured into paying significant sums for something they didn’t know they had engaged in.
As businesses are closed on Fridays (they are the equivalent of our Sundays), this makes Thursday an important shopping day for the locals. We ventured out on our bikes into the narrow streets. The streets are crammed with people selling everything imaginable plus a few things I could never have conceived of. Making progress on the bikes was impossible. We bought some pumpkin from an old lady and locked our bikes to the post beside her, reckoning that she may keep an eye on them. Next it was time to stock up on fresh chicken, spiced turkey mince, fruit and vegetables before reluctantly leaving.
I can highly recommend Asilah as a destination to visit, either at the beginning of your holiday or at the end. It doesn’t really matter but you don’t want to miss this endearing town.
Page 71
Map of Our TourStart at point A and follow us clockwise around Morocco. You can find the towns named in the two lists below, one is alphabetical and the other is in the order of the route we took (basically clockwise). Thanks to Jason and Julie’s book we found a number of our places. For a more detailed and comprehensive guide please visit their website and buy their book. https://ourtour.co.uk/home/motorhome-morocco-an-ourtour-guide/
Page 72
Summary Of Overnighting And CostsWe stayed 61 nights in Morocco. Of these we visited 37 camping grounds and 24 nights were in paid guarded parking spots. Of the parking spots five were free, ie wild camping.
During our time we visited 27 different towns moving on average every two days. Our longest stay was six nights by the ocean in Mirleft.
The average cost per night for the duration of our trip was €5.68 (£4.89 or NZ$9.78).
The overall cost for accommodation was €346.61 (£298.16 or NZ$596.32). This worked out to be a pretty cheap winter destination overall.
Here’s how the stats looked…
Page 73
List of Stopping Points Sorted Alphabetically Town Name of Venue GPS Coordinates CostAit Benhaddou Ait Benhaddou Guarded Parking -7.1295018 31.0424354 40Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui -6.0282508 35.4724345 80Azrou Azrou, Emirates Euro Camping -5.1906203 33.4434859 80Chefchaouen Chefchaouen Camping Azila -5.2670103 35.1757901 110Chefchaouen Chefchaouen Guarded Car Park -5.2616278 35.1660383 30
Dades GorgeParking Outside Hotel la Gazelle du Dades -5.9304157 31.520681 50
Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi -4.01594 31.13488 80Between Erg Chebbi and Dades Gorge Parking La Source de Lala Miymona -5.1286 31.4922 100Fes Dimond Vert Camping -5.0191036 33.9878751 110Foum Zguid Camping Palmieres -6.882912 30.0864784 80Guilmim Guilmim, Marjane Free Camping -10.0325888 28.9675795 0Icht Camping Borj Biramane, Icht -8.8538539 29.0597489 90Marrakech Marrakesh Guarded Parking -7.9987212 31.6194388 50Martil Martil Caravan Al Bustan Camping -5.277183 35.628764 103.5Meknes Meknes Guarded Parking -5.5640872 33.8909384 70Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking -10.0369475 29.590396 20Moulay Aissa Ben Driss Petrol Station Area -5.6745847 32.7600158 20Moulay Driss Zerhoun Moulay Idriss Guarded Parking -5.517208 34.057694 20Ouarzazate Camping Ouarzazate -6.8871655 30.9232048 90Ouirgane Auberge Chez Momo II Parking -8.0770625 31.1734332 0Ouzoud Zebra Camping Ouzoud -6.7199834 32.0053125 85Sidi Ifni Camping Sidi Ifni -10.1732466 29.3846653 80Tafraoute Tafraoute Camper Parking -8.9835245 29.7219787 15Tangier Med Customs Parking Area 0Tangier Med Tangier Port Parking Area -5.5193892 35.8712992 0Taroudant Grand Camping de Taroudant -8.818797 30.497346 80Taroudant Taroudant Camping -8.874438 30.479099 60Tata Camping Hyatt, Tata -7.9778614 29.7386165 85Tist N Test Tizi'n'test Camper Parking -8.3792244 30.8683975 80Volubilis Sidi Kacem - Afriquia Service Station -5.730072 34.250367 20
ZizZiz Gorge, Camping at Hotel Jurassique -4.3762868 32.1540655 70
For further details see the full list on the next page called “Venue Names by Route, GPS Coordinates and Notes on Stopping Points”
Page 74
Venue Names by Route, GPS Coordinates and Notes On Stopping Points
Day Town Name of Venue GPS Coordinates Cost Notes
1 Tangier Med Tangier Port Parking Area -5.5194 35.8713 0Just through customs are some 24 hour parking areas near the money changer's buildings. Fine to stop for the night after clearing customs. 28.01.2019.
2 Martil Martil Caravan Al Bustan Camping -5.2772 35.6288 103.5Alboustane Camping Caravaning, tel 05 39 68 88 22, OK camping ground in an OK town. Was 207MAD for two nights (10%) discount.
3 Martil Martil Caravan Al Bustan Camping 103.5
4 Chefchaouen Chefchaouen Camping Azila -5.2670 35.1758 110A reasonable camping ground about 10 min walk down a steep hill to the blue town and medina of this beautiful town. Price incl EHU
5 Chefchaouen Chefchaouen Guarded Car Park -5.2616 35.1660 30We stayed here one night as it was cheaper and more convenient to the medina than the camping ground.
6 Fes Dimond Vert Camping -5.0191 33.9879 110 Good location to visit Fes. Facilities a bit run down.
7 Fes Dimond Vert Camping 110
8 Fes Dimond Vert Camping 110
9 Azrou Azrou, Emirates Euro Camping -5.1906 33.4435 80
Definitely the most ornate camp site we have seen. All based around some sort of castle theme with a massive mosaic entrance structure and great views. A man brings a free loaf of bread in the morning. 80 MAD with EHU but no hot water at this time of year. Azrou souk is on Tuesdays. 5.02.2019.
10 ZizZiz Gorge, Camping at Hotel Jurassique -4.3763 32.1541 70
Basic campsite but free washing machine to use. Spectacular scenery on the way. Good showers
11 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi -4.0159 31.1349 80Top spot and able to park right at the foot of the sand dunes. Hard to leave this place. Spectacular.
12 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi 80
13 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi 80
14 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi 80
15 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi 80
16 Erg Chebbi Camping La Chance, Erg Chebbi 80
Page 75
Day Town Name of Venue GPS Coordinates Cost Notes
17
Between Erg Chebbi and Dades Gorge
Parking La Source de Lala Miymona -5.1286 31.4922 100
Museum and Art Galllery that costs 50dh each to go in but you can park for the night in Zaid's car park.
18 Dades GorgeParking Outside Hotel la Gazelle du Dades -5.9304 31.5207 50
Park down by the river. Deep cold gorge and close to the switchback roads for a photo just up the road.
19 Ouarzazate Camping Ouarzazate -6.8872 30.9232 90Municipal Campsite with all services. Note showers are from solar so hot only during the day.
20 Ouarzazate Camping Ouarzazate 90
21 Ait Benhaddou Ait Benhaddou Guarded Parking -7.1295 31.0424 40Parking at the Kasbah Hotel. 20dh during the day plus 20dh for the night. Good open internet from the hotel. Fine for the night.
22 Foum Zguid Camping Palmieres -6.8829 30.0865 80
Nice and quite new camp ground. Rachid the owner is very friendly 80dh with services, 120dh for chicken tagine for two (150dh for goat). Free fresh bread in the morning.
23 Foum Zguid Camping Palmieres 80
24 Tata Camping Hyatt, Tata -7.9779 29.7386 85Nice camping ground beside a stream and close to Tata 85dh but 10dh extra for a hot shower.
25 Tata Camping Hyatt, Tata 85
26 Icht Camping Borj Biramane, Icht -8.8539 29.0597 90
Very nice camp ground with hot shower and good facilities. Icht town is interesting to walk through and the surrounding countryside is quite bleak but pretty. Take the tour offered
27 Guilmim Guilmim, Marjane Free Camping-10.0326 28.9676 0
Parked on wasteland outside the large Marjane supermarket with other mohos. Relatively quiet. Fuel station takes credit cards. No services
28 Guilmim Guilmim, Marjane Free Camping 0
29 Sidi Ifni Camping Sidi Ifni-10.1732 29.3847 80
A reasonable camping ground very close to the beach. Shower hot in the early evening and good wifi close to the office.
30 Sidi Ifni Camping Sidi Ifni 80
31 Sidi Ifni Camping Sidi Ifni 80
32 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking-10.0369 29.5904 20
Really nice spot overlooking the beach. This is not official parking and the police apparently move campers sometimes. 20dh/night. You can discretely empty black water in the toilet in the beach buildings.
33 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking 20
34 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking 20
35 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking 20
36 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking 20
37 Mirleft Mirleft Beach Guarded Parking 20
Page 76
Day Town Name of Venue GPS Coordinates Cost Notes
38 Tafraoute Tafraoute Camper Parking -8.9835 29.7220 15
Huge area with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. Water 25dh/fill. Amazing spot.
39 Tafraoute Tafraoute Camper Parking 15
40 Tafraoute Tafraoute Camper Parking 15
41 Taroudant Grand Camping de Taroudant -8.8188 30.4973 80
We stayed just one night here at this new campground. All good facilities but lacking in character and too far from anything. There are restaurants in the services next door. Water was good. Manager very pushy about staying longer. Power 20 extra.
42 Taroudant Taroudant Camping -8.8744 30.4791 60Directly outside the Lkhmits Gate so very handy for visiting the medina. A bit crowded but has all services including good drinking water. Cold showers.
43 Taroudant Taroudant Camping 60
44 Taroudant Taroudant Camping 60
45 Tist N Test Tizi'n'test Camper Parking -8.3792 30.8684 80Nice little camper parking area attached to a great cafe and artefacts shop. Mustapha the owner is very friendly and make good Berber Omelette
46 Ouirgane Auberge Chez Momo II Parking -8.0771 31.1734 0We were allowed to park here after the police moved us from a local spot and escorted us here. Not official parking.
47 Ouirgane Auberge Chez Momo II Parking 0
48 Marrakech Marrakesh Guarded Parking -7.9987 31.6194 50 A reasonable place to park for a night or two.
49 Marrakech Marrakesh Guarded Parking 50
50 Ouzoud Zebra Camping Ouzoud -6.7200 32.0053 85Nice camping ground and not far from the falls. Souk on Tuesday morning is good. Good drinking water.
51 Ouzoud Zebra Camping Ouzoud 85
52 Ouzoud Zebra Camping Ouzoud 85
53Moulay Aissa Ben Driss Petrol Station Area -5.6746 32.7600 20 There are few places to stay locally. Fine for the night but not quiet.
54 Meknes Meknes Guarded Parking -5.5641 33.8909 70Parking close to the medina and other attractions. Very noisy at night but really convenient.
55Moulay Driss Zerhoun Moulay Idriss Guarded Parking -5.5172 34.0577 20
Relatively flat area but up a steep hill. Convenient for visiting Volubilis. A local guide is keen to show you this town.
56 VolubilisSidi Kacem - Afriquia Service Station -5.7301 34.2504 20
Just outside Sidi Kacem we were able to park on their large hard standing. They take credit cards here.
57 Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui -6.0283 35.4724 80Acceptable campsite, although showers are below average and toilet doors don't close. Water OK but has some vegetation floating in it. The town is nice.
58 Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui 80
Page 77
Day Town Name of Venue GPS Coordinates Cost Notes
59 Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui 80
60 Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui 80
61 Asilah Asilah Camping Echrigui 80
Page 78
Total Trip Costs by CategoriesMonth 1 Month 2Weeks 1-4 Weeks 5-8 Week 9 Overall Running Weekly
Category 28 Jan - 24 Feb 25 Feb - 24 Mar 25 Mar - 30 Mar Totals AverageGroceries 194.81 243.77 16.30 454.88 50.54
Diesel 158.02 114.80 77.32 350.14 38.90
Camping Grounds 178.63 67.77 0 246.40 27.38
Entertainment 95.03 59.78 0 154.81 17.20
Meals Eating Out 44.27 80.17 14.24 138.68 15.41
Camper Parking 9.23 42.78 36.89 88.90 9.88
Household 47.39 31.26 0 78.65 8.74
Mobile Phone Ruth 48.09 22.76 1.84 72.69 8.08
Maintenance Betsy 0 55.19 0 55.19 6.13
Clothes 53.17 0 0 53.17 5.91
Pharmacy 52.15 0 0 52.15 5.79
Fines 0 0 36.87 36.87 4.10
Mobile Phone Alan 22.11 4.60 1.85 28.56 3.17
Tolls 0 0 8.20 8.20 0.91
Parking 3.67 0 0 3.67 0.41
€ 906.57 € 722.88 € 193.51 € 1,822.96 € 202.55
Groceries purchased in Morocco cost on average €50.54 per week which was the highest cost of living. This is half our usual grocery budget.
If we added in our cost of stocking up on grocery items before entering Morocco of €160 this would have given us an average weekly spend of €68.30. To drill down on individual expenses, visit our weekly blogs. However, the other side of the equation would be to calculate the food we brought out of Morocco.
Therefore our total costs in Morocco including our pre-stocking was $2,086.94 or €231.88 per week average.
Page 79