Overland 2013/14 to Morocco

Stage 10 “El Jadida to Safi”

“Salam Alaikam”

Heading out of El Jadida this morning we again saw some of the new construction that has appeared since our trip last year …..

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While we came back to the same road but the ‘roadworks’ & main drain replacement had moved a little further but not a lot, as we turned right via the ‘filter’ but then still had to move to the other side of the road!….

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As further along the road the side we should have been on was a very large ‘trench’ behind the barrier….

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New ‘Tarmacadam’ that wasn’t there last year, but didn’t last for a long distance, even though it was part of the route to Marrakech….

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While the Bag. …

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And Ceramic Stalls were still in place at the roadside….

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Next little village and as it’s Saturday it was ‘chaos’ but then again this could be ‘normal’….

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TomTom advised us to ‘Turn right’ instead of going through the town centre and we came up to some tree removal with just enough room on the Traffic island to squeeze through…..

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While a little bit further along was the Horse Feeding ‘Station’…..

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OK so the nice Tarmacadam has gone and we are back on the usual stuff that is crumbling at the edges….

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Nice flowers along the wall at the ZIZ Garage where we stopped to get ‘Flamenco Red’ a liquid refill as opposed to a bag of oats like the horses!

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While the Donkey & Horse Transport was seen all along the road….

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Then this seems to be the correct way to load hay as we have seen it a few times! Just glad we weren’t following….

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Moroccan ‘Speciality Fields' for 'growing' Plastic Bags…..

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Rural ‘Transport’…..

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While the Sheep graze at the roadside and the Shepherd tried to stop them ‘crossing the road’!

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Then shortly after a Taxi coming towards us threw up a stone that tried to go through the windscreen! When it hit the sound was like a gunshot! OUCH!
The ‘Star’ effect of the stone strike is inside the Red Circle on the picture. [nonono]

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On the outskirts of Safi…..

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Then it wasn’t long to the campsite…..

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Checked in, got set up, quick lunch and off for a trip into the city which is a place for Ceramics…..

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Then we found what used to be the Portuguese Cathedral built in 1519, but now consists of one large room….

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While the only part of any interest was the ceiling…..

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As we came out we were ‘offered’ the services of the proprietor of the Portuguese Cathedral as it cost us 10 Dirhams each to visit the one room.
We declined the offer but interestingly we were still followed and watched as he jumped behind rows of items for sale on the stalls as we went along the passage in the market!

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First ‘firing’ ceramic oven, from the top….

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After some more ‘Fun & Games’ with one of the Ceramic producers when the end of an unrequested ‘Production tour’ ended in his shop to show us the ‘Art’ it was time to head back to the campsite….

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As we made our way back alongside the Port we see this Three Masted Schooner flying the flag of Sweden, which we think was possibly a ‘Sail Training Ship’….

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Once again when we got back we found that the facilities have deteriorated since our stay last year, so we have decided to move on again tomorrow and not spend the planned two nights here….

tisbah `ala khair (Arabic ‘Good night’)

Perfect timing on your part updating right now. Just sitting down to lunch. I now have something to look at. Thank you.

Nice shots. To bad the camp sites are going downhill. The rock into the windshield is not good. Hope that it does not go far before you get home or someplace that can replace it.

Any good deals in the market?

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Originally Posted by ssicarman

Perfect timing on your part updating right now. Just sitting down to lunch. I now have something to look at. Thank you.

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I guess this 'Update' will be a bit late, but might make it in time for 'Dessert'?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ssicarman

Nice shots. To bad the camp sites are going downhill. The rock into the windshield is not good. Hope that it does not go far before you get home or someplace that can replace it.

Any good deals in the market?

---

I wish! The new windscreen/shield will have to be notified to my insurance, and although they will cover the cost of a new one if required I will have to pick up the tab for the 'excess' which could be around $225.

While I will have to advise the insurance tomorrow which from here is not going to be an easy task.....[mad2]

Stage 11 “Safi to Essaouira”

“Salam Alaikam”

Up and away by 08:30 after the ‘Call to Prayer’ was heard from the Mosque that was just across the road from the campsite at 06:00 this morning! While through the windows of the ‘Tin Tent’ it was looking a might ‘Foggy’!
Then it was confirmed……

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However and quite interestingly I requested from the GPS (TomTom) to take us on the ‘Fastest Route’ instead of the ‘Limited Speed’ route, and we ended up eventually on the N1 South, instead of the ‘Coast Road’ that we used last year, while the ‘Fog’ was burnt off as the temperature climbed to 23C (73.4F) BUT Cannot forget the ‘0.4F’ for our friends across the Pond wot!….

So we now toddle along with some views of the ‘Route’ and have to admit that it was a better surface to travel along…..

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Note the ‘Overloaded’ vehicle in the next picture while the Bureaucracy in the UK would argue that the vehicle is ‘Overloaded’ but in fact it is ‘Lightweight’ as there is no liquid in the Plastic Bottles that climb above the roof of the Vehicle Cab!

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Didn’t expect to go through the ‘Mountains’ but had to change down in the Gearbox while ‘Flamenco Red’ emitted that lovely throaty ‘Growl’ as the Turbo kicked in and we started climbing, so enjoy the next few pictures as we roll over and around the Mountains…..

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As we then came into the next town we think it might have been a Camel Market, as we saw 3 Camels being driven towards the market, the second Camel had his front feet ‘hobbled’ to stop him taking off! But for him it was proving difficult to keep up with the one in front….

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Still trying to figure out how they got the Cows onto the top platform of the Truck, but very glad we were not alongside when the ‘Call of Nature’ came and the ‘Cow Pats’ dropped down!!!

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More Ceramic offerings at the roadside ….

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Then we were on the outskirts of Essaouaira ….

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As we finally arrived at the campsite we found that it had literally been cut in half, and seemingly is not expected to last more than 2 to 3 years before going ‘Chapter 11’ (Closing down) as a Housing Development has moved in and is currently being built up ….

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So having checked in it was time for a quick lunch and into the city for a look around…. .

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OK, for anyone interested the ‘Beach Camel Rides’ are still taking place….

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While the local Chapter of Harley Davidson Motorcyclists came into town for a day out…..

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Meanwhile, down at the harbour/port while the sea was a bit rough, the little fishing boats were all secure inside the port….

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We spotted these three boats in the stages of re-building that I think summarises the build process……

Strip back to ‘Shell’ and replace rotten/bad wood on frame…..

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Rebuild using new materials too look like this……

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Cover top section with around 3 Feet/1 Meter of metal casing on the wood frame to strengthen and reduce wear and tear on wooden section….

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Two larger vessels in ‘Dry Dock’ while the left hand side has it’s propeller ‘removed’…..

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‘Rough Seas’ so look for the ‘Cloud’ to the right of the Tower that is actually a wave crashing against the rocks……

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With a bit more of the ‘Rough Seas’ a little further up the coast…..

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While moving into the city itself we see…..

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With a final view of the Camel waiting for a fare paying passenger in the dying sunshine as we make our way back to the campsite…..

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tisbah `ala khair (Arabic ‘Good night’)

Stage 12 “Essaouira to Tagazhoute”

“Salam Alaikam”

Lousy day yesterday with thick cloud and rain showers so after a quick trip into the town for vegetables, bread and a few sardines for dinner we came back to the campsite and listened to the pitter patter of the raindrops on the roof of the ‘Tin Tent’!
While today as they start work on the building site next door to the campsite at 07:30 we were up and away by 08:30 and off down the coast road, but it was to turn into one hell of a day after we got to our next campsite near Tagazhoute as you will see later.…

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After 1.5 hours on the road we stopped for a nice coffee and noticed this rather resplendent building which was the HQ of a Female Co-operative as there is a lot of Argan Oil production in the area which is similar to Olive Oil but also has other properties and is very nice when sprinkled on salads…..

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‘Yes’ they really are Tree Climbing Goats…..

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While this one had not been taught ‘How to cross the road’ yet……

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First sighting of a herd of Camels as we travel along the coast road….

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While it was off the Tarmac and onto 1km of pisted road to the campsite….

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Passing another herd of camels as we approached the campsite entrance….

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Then a short while later as our friends rolled up ‘DISASTER’ as their Passenger side mirror was completely smashed by a French Camper/RV going in the opposite direction who failed to stop after the impact!!!…..

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So after getting set up and removing the broken parts we then had some lunch before asking for some help from the campsite owner who called a man in Agadir who listened to what the campsite owner said after which we set off to go and see him keeping our fingers crossed that he could assist while ‘The Lady with the Camera’ took a few pictures around as the Camel herd was found to be around 200 strong!.….

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Finally arrived back with a secondhand passenger side mirror which turned out to be all electric like the one that was smashed, which we were very lucky to get from a scrapyard, but it seems that between 35 and 40 mirrors are broken each year in this area alone on Campers travelling either too close to or over the centre of the road towards oncoming traffic.

After around 5 hours after arriving on site the Camper/RV was ‘roadworthy’ again, but we then noticed that the two ‘arms’ that hold the mirror to the door are shorter than the ones previously fitted which unfortunately were broken in the collision, so it looks like the passenger will have to act as ‘lookout’ on rear vision if overtaking is required….

tisbah `ala khair (Arabic ‘Good night’)

Stage 13 “Tagazhoute to Tiznit”

“Salam Alaikam”

After a very quiet night in a rather nice location it was time to move on again this morning, but it still puzzles me that after 12 months since our last visit, the campsite called Terre de Ocean still has not installed seats in either the men’s or women’s WC’s when it is one of the most expensive campsites we will stay at during this trip, if not the most expensive! .…

On the road by 08:30hrs with the sun full on as we make our way through a couple of the coastal ‘Surfing’ towns before we get into Agadir…..

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While on the outskirts of Agadir was this ‘Car Boot Sale’…..

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Not sure if it was the aftermath of the FIFA World Cup Football Match played here last night but traffic as we went through Agadir was to me very light with nice clear stretches of road right through the centre….

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Rather liked this building as it seemed like a piece of cake or an ice cream…

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Getting clear of Agadir we then start to see open countryside and pass through other towns/villages as we get onto a completely new road…..

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Then we come into the outskirts of Tiznit….

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As we pass by more new buildings….

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While shortly after we come to the campsite which is just set back off the old road from Agadir…..

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Get set up, bit of lunch and it’s off into Tiznit itself, passing more new housing that has gone up since last year…..

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While the first stop was the Fruit & Veg Market which takes place every Wednesday…..

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Not ‘Potatoes’ but a fuel for heating and cooking that is burnt & on sale in the market while the source is animal, while I am sure you can imagine exactly where it comes from!

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Then quickly back to the Fruit & Veg….

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New Station for Buses, Local & Long Distance, also Taxis that was not here last year….

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On into the Medina passing through one of the gates….

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Delivery of wood for the Men’s Hammam (Steam Baths)….

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Part of the Medina Wall…..

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While we spot this rather nice set of doors inside a café as we enjoy a coffee…

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While on the balcony of the café we have this rather nice view of part of the Medina Wall which it seems that quite a large part of has been refurbished.….

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So we decide to start making our way back to the campsite by following the Medina Wall on the inside….

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Arriving back at the campsite we see a couple of, and get a picture of one…..

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While the daylight fades away and night time approaches again…..

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tisbah `ala khair (Arabic ‘Good night’)

Assuming that your friends RV is the one beside you, strange to see their door on the wrong side of the RV.;)
To bad about their mirror, at least you guys managed to get something to replace the broken one. What chassis are they running?

You going to have a contest to see if the Peacock or the call to pray wakes you in the morning?

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Originally Posted by ssicarman

Assuming that your friends RV is the one beside you, strange to see their door on the wrong side of the RV.;)
To bad about their mirror, at least you guys managed to get something to replace the broken one. What chassis are they running?

You going to have a contest to see if the Peacock or the call to pray wakes you in the morning?

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It is the one besides us, and there are 2 doors in this model Driver & Passenger as it is Right Hand Drive,
however the majority of RV's in Europe have 2 doors unless you want one where you only have one entrance door which is normally on Left Hand Drive models.

It was a 'contest' this morning between Peacock & The Call to Prayer but we had a third 'sound' which is we think a flour mill just down the road whose extractor fans ran all night long and the pitch of sound coming from them rose and fell!

2nd & last night here tonight, then we are off again! [thumbup]