Day 22-28

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MOR 22nd - 28th December 2006, Morroco

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Day Twenty Two 22/12. Kasbar Tombouctou, Merzuga, Morroco
31°07.64'N 04°00.94'W. Miles today 92, Total Miles 2326
Awoke in Hassi Labied at the Kasbah Tomboctou to the most beautiful view from our tent. Sun rising over the dunes dotted with camels. Rob brought me a cuppa tea and I lay there for ages just taking it all in. Can't believe how lucky we are. We decided to spend another night here, as tomorrow we are off to drive along some pistes (tracks) in the desert for a few days. We are following the guide points to Tagounite from the Sahara bible but are doing it backwards, which leaves us a little nervous. Rob was keen to just go and check out the first bit of the track from Merzouga. It all seemed manageable, so we headed into nearby Rissini for some fuel. Junk food cravings setting in, we cleared the place of cardboard tasting chips, stale nuts and chalky chocolate for some Xmas snacks. Back at Tomboctou, we ad a yummy meat and prune tagine in the very quiet but spectacular restaurant sitting on cushions on the floor around massive round brass tables adorned with lanterns. Watch out for the beer prices here. Cunningly, the Heineken is actually half the price of the local Casablanca. Go figure. Camel
Day Twenty Three 23/12. Bush Camp 100km West of Merzuga on route M7, Morroco
30°40.61'N 04°38.74'W. Miles today 66, Total Miles 2392
Another breathtaking view this morning but we had to get going early on our desert journey to Tagounite. The piste was good, quite rough and bumpy in places but fairly clear, although we would never have managed without the GPS. We found ourselves very lost driving through a vast Oued (dry river bed) as it was very hard to see the tracks. It was only when we saw the dust kicked up by another car that we could find the right track. Still, I think Rob really enjoyed the bundu-bashng. He had a huge grin on his face. We stopped for the night in this massive desolate valley and went in search of firewood. But alas, you are never alone in Morocco. After an hour or so two Berbers, speaking only Arabic came to warm up round our fire. They were confused as to why we were staying here when there was an Auberge and Café in the next valley where they were heading. They simply couldn't understand why we wanted to be away from people. Had a meat Potjie (South African cast iron pot used for casseroles on the fire) for dinner but were early to bed, as the fire soon died and temperatures dropped dramatically. Travelling Nomads
Day Twenty Four 24/12. Bush Camp in Dunes North of M'Hamid, Morroco
29°54.24'N 05°41.56'W. Miles today 95, Total Miles 2487
It's Xmas eve. Another beautiful view on rising. Spent about an hour watching a small desert rat go about his morning duties. Got going again on our desert exploration. Had to pass through two military checkpoints. All very friendly, no demands for money or "gifts for the wife." Just a smile and a Bon Annee. They only need one passport detail and the car reg. Quite comforting actually in case you get lost out here. At least they have a record of where you were last spotted. Stopped at a well, which was easy to operate by hand. With the heavier ones, they use the camels to haul the water up. We reached Tagounite in good time but could see some impressive dunes in the distance so drove on along another piste. The dunes were deserted and we set up our Xmas camp in the midst of them. We had the whole place to ourselves and enjoyed our veg curry. (Not a turkey morsel or snowflake in site) Found rob doodling on a scrap of paper. "What ya doing honey" I ask innocently. " Designing the next truck" he replied. Man, I'm in trouble now. Guess, I can just kiss my house in the country with range cooker goodbye then. Must start laying down some rules fast. It's all about bribery. Xmas in the desert
Day Twenty Five 25/12. Camping Ouarzazate, Morroco
30°55.38'N 06°53.20'W. Miles today 152, Total Miles 2639
HO HO HO. Wow, another beautiful morning spent in the dunes opening Xmas prezzies and cards brought from home. Was kinda hoping Rob was gonna surprise me with some secretly stashed bacon wrapped pork and sage chipolatas but alas….no…he gave me a fossilised cork he found in the dunes! Not much better than the soapy tasting Mars Bar replica I gave him, I suppose. We left Natty to chill out while we went exploring, driving up and down the dunes. Great fun, akin to a Ratanga Junction/Alton Towers ride. Best present Rob could ever have. And before you ask, yup, we did get stuck. Twice! Clever Rob insisted on bringing two spades, so I had my work cut out for me. Exhausting stuff but good practice. Made our way to the next stop of Ouarzazate. Kinda weird seeing all the kids heading off to school on Xmas day. Tried to hide in a palm grove for lunch but after about 45 seconds, a small child arrived on his bike with six of his friends. Us eating our turkey polony sandwiches were a great sense of entertainment for them. Eventually reached Ouarzazate quite late so we headed into town for a festive Xmas pizza in a place recommended in the guidebook. Rob, expecting Pizza Hut's finest deep crust cheese stuffed meat feast was… let's just say….disappointed… at what arrived. A crispy 10 cm pancake with a splattering of cheese and 3 shavings of polony. Natalie in the desert
Day Twenty Six 26/12. Hotel de France, Cascades D'Ouzoud, Morroco
32°00.97'N 06°43.05'W. Miles today 195, Total Miles 2834
Headed up to the waterfalls at Cascades d'Ouzoud, after a long drive. Camped in Hotel France's car park. We could use the showers and loos but still, it was pretty expensive. Met a funny Canadian guy and sat up drinking mint tea and chatting. Cascades D'Ouzoud
Day Twenty Seven 27/12. Camping International Agadir, Morroco
0°25.47'N 09°36.48'W. Miles today 269, Total Miles 3103
Damn that mint tea. We both needed a pee around 3 am and man, it was cold! I had a severe sense of humour failure at that point. Rob got up early and explored the waterfalls, while I desperately tried to keep warm. Nature just wasn't having it. Nats tried to cheer me up and treated us to coffee and pancakes which were great, although we had to pay extra to get some honey. Nothing is free in Morocco. Had to get going as we were meeting up with Michael again in Agadir today, which meant a long day driving again. Had to drive through the middle of Marrakech to get on the road to Agadir, which was super fun. There is a sheep festival here on Sunday, where every family has to kill a sheep and every bit (apart from the eyes) are eaten. As a result every town is packed with sheep and people are carrying these poor things home in any way possible. The best we saw was a scooter/bike with 2 donkey baskets hung over the back seat with 2 sheep stuffed in each one. The other alternative was just to lift its back legs and wheelbarrow the poor thing home. We reached Agadir campsite in the dark, which was full and I mean full of French and German geriatrics in campervans decked out in full nativity scenes and Xmas lights. Scary! We squeezed in next to Michael and had an early night after long driving day. Notably much warmer here. Sheep
Day TwentyEight 28/12. Camping International Agadir, Morroco
30°25.47'N 09°36.48'W. Miles today 0, Total Miles 3103
Not such a stunning view this morning in this dive. Basically, the campervans in the past have just parked where they like along the coast but the king arrived one day and said he wasn't having that and insisted that they had to be contained in a campsite. It's such a dive. They all tip their poo tanks into the loos we use, which smells delightful and it's right on the main road outta town by the port, so blimming noisy. Unless you have to come here for a reason, I would advise driving a bit further along the coast to one of the other sites. Spent the morning doing internet and bank stuff and checked out the supermarket. Was horrified at the prices, so asked the cashier where he did his shopping. He recommended the Souq al Had on the outskirts of town, which was incredible. I got a whole bag of veggies for under a pound. Splashed out on some lamb for us, once I'd waded through all the sheep and goats heads in buckets on the floor. Made a scrummy lamb tagine for us. Small world it is, as the guys who run Boab, where we bought heaps of stuff for this trip from, pulled in next to us. Sat up drinking wine and laughing about the experiences Morocco has given us all.
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