1st
Feb 2016
A great little
village, a boring drive, and supper with a family friend.
We actually got a
hot shower this morning, so all was not bad – especially since it was 1.4 deg C when we got up ! (We are still around 1000 metres) Once
showered and packed, we headed up into the little town of Tafraoute – via a
couple of campsites that we hadn’t inspected last night. And they were packed full of motorhomes, 99%
French ! We drove into town and parked
in a little area that seemed to be kind of central, and had a lovely stroll
through the markets and shops before too many tourists seem to be up and about
– They were probably still munching their croissants !
We got accosted
by a Said on a motorscooter who wanted to know if Janet had a daughter who was
as friendly as Janet. When Janet asked how many camels he would pay for her
daughter, Said said that he paid no camels – He was a businessman ! After some lighthearted banter there, we
bought some veggies from a little stall, and then found another many who sold
all sorts of nuts and spics, and bought pea nuts (that have a kind of local
flavor and are not really to my liking), and also dates – A big bag full for
$2.50, and they are yummy, and we munch on them as
we drive along, spitting the
pips out into the desert as we pass so that the desert will one day turn green
with date palms, and all Morocco will thank us !
We then managed
to find steel pot scourers in a little hardware store despite a severe
breakdown in language communication – Only took about 3 minutes and the owner
understood perfectly what we wanted, and produced it with a flourish ! 1 dirham – that’s about 12 cents !! Armed with our veggies and pot scourer and
dates and yucky peanuts, we headed back to the car, and after a quick stop for
some bread (right outside the men’s bath house), we headed out of town on our
way to Agadir.
We thought today
was going to be another great drive, this time through the Col de Kerbous. The tourist books seem to talk about the
drive from Agadir to Tafroaoute being one of the most scenic. Unfortunately, we found that we disagree –
Or maybe that is just that, because we have a very capable 4 WD, we can drive
up dry riverbeds at will, whereas most people in their 30 ft motorhomes are
restricted to the black top roads that tend to be less exhilarating !
Whatever. It was an interesting drive, but, apart from one moment at the
top of the Col, not worthy of a Wow rating !
As we drove off
down the road we past lots of glorious bougainvillea in full bloom and in my
favourite purply colour, and oasis villages with houses built right into the
big rocks tht had fallen down from the mountain over the years. Tafraute is already at about 900 metres, so
we didn’t have to climb far to be back at 1200 metres again. But this time the scenery was far more
“rolling” and gentle – Not like the stark mountains we had been in yesterday.
And the hills were all dotted with small trees – Mostly Argan trees – with the
berries the goats eat and then is turned into oil and ladies make up and things
like that !
We eventually
came to the Hotel Kerbous, perched at the very top of the Col du Kerbous, and
with a spectacular view out over the plains to the NW. Rounding the corner under the hotel, the
plains ahead are laid out in front of you – Certainly quite a sight. But you then immediately wind down through
the tree dotted mountains until you are down in the foothills, and it is
noticeably warmer (like 23 deg instead of 15).
Being that time of day again, we found a secluded little area beside a
dry river bed, and
underneath some berry-laden argan trees, and we had a very
pleasant break for half an
hour or so, before continuing on towards Tiznit on
the coast. Once again, the road is
largely single lane for a while, were both cars normally put two wheels in the
dirt as they pass. There were a LOT of French and German motorhomes coming
towards us, and every single one of them refused to put their share of wheels
into the dirt – Until that is I stopped in the middle of the road, with my 2
wheels in the dirt, and made them drive into the dirt and around me ! I was so angry – It became a sport to make
these people in their mini-houses “share” the road rather than take the whole
bloody thing ! Grrrr.
Tiznit had
nothing in particular to slow us down, but had very wide roads all with neat
pavements and lots of topiaried trees – But fairly sterile. And after that it was a drive through suburbs
and industry, the big port of Agadir on our left and the Pacific Ocean behind
it.
Finally we came
in towards Agadir, and unfortunately it is just another big city. Ho hum. We stopped for fuel and after some
lighthearted banter with the man pumping the fuel (how are you ? How is your
mother / father / grandmother / great aunt etc, and a
few Salaam Aleikum’s) we
got down to business. “I want your
bicycle – How much ?” (My bike is on a rack on the back of the car). “Not for sale.” “I have 5 children and they have to walk 20
kms to school everyday – They need your bicycle – I offer you 200 Dirhams Sir.” (That’s about $25). I explain that it is my bike, and I need it,
otherwise I will get even fatter. “But
I have children sir. 400 dirhams.” “No, not for sale.” “500 dirhams.” “No.” (I
think you get the picture !) Fortunately
by this time my fuel tank was full, and the attendant wandered off
bike-less. Before I could move off,
another guy arrives. “You have PC ?” “
No. “ “ Why not you have PC ? “ How much you sell your PC for ?” “No PC.”
“OK,” You have mobile phone sir ?
I buy your mobile phone for 40 dirhams. “
I think you get
the gist – This is never ending here, and you just get used to it. I actually enjoy it – Honed over many years
in Dubai, Nigeria, Bali, Jakarta etc.
Maybe next time in Morocco I will bring some old PC’s and mobile phones
for sale like I understand many French do !
Hey, maybe I could even make a living out of it !!
We were running
pretty low on supplies, and Carrefour (French supermarket chain found all over
the world) are so well stocked and we really needed some proper butter (instead
of local fermented stuff (yuck)), and our Garmin took us right to the front
door. Being French, they also have wine
there, which, although it is legal in Morocco, it is not always easy to
find. So a few bottle of Moroccan wine
(hey, its not bad !!) and some beers, and then we went upstairs and did the
grocery and other shopping, before heading back on the road.
Lucy is the
daughter of a good friend of Janet’s in Melbourne, and she is trying to set up
a B & B business here just north of Agadir.
We headed out of Agadir and eventually found a camping site near where
Janet thought Lucy lived – Eventually we got hold of her and found she was 5
minutes away, so she came down and joined us for a bottle of wine and some
dinner. We had also brought a few treats
for her (not least, some Vegemite !), and she was overjoyed to receive the
goodies.
The camp site
outside Agadir is a bit like Butlin’s holiday camp crossed with ‘Allo ‘Allo –
French everywhere with their quad bikes and scooters, set up for 3-4 months of
warm winter sun away from the cold and wet of Europe. And I can’t say I blame them – It is just
that I prefer the path less travelled in the mountains. But we will be here for a couple of nights
while Janet catches up with Lucy, and I will catch up on my blog and grease car
suspension etc, ready to head back into the Atlas mountains of central and
northern Morocco in a couple of days time.
We eventually
came to the Hotel Kerbous, perched at the very top of the Col du Kerbous, and
with a spectacular view out over the plains to the NW. Rounding the corner under the hotel, the
plains ahead are laid out in front of you – Certainly quite a sight. But you then immediately wind down through
the tree dotted mountains until you are down in the foothills, and it is
noticeably warmer (like 23 deg instead of 15).
Being that time of day again, we found a secluded little area beside a
dry river bed, and 
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