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  1. #61
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    Nov 2009
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Dakhla…. ‘The third windy day’…..

    The Voltage Regulator functioned very well during ‘Power On’ time last night as the Input Voltage was 175V while the Output was 226V.

    Well as the wind dropped last night it rose again this morning although the visibility was better as we could make out the Sun easier in the sunrise this morning…..



    With a clearer view down the coastline….



    First job after brealfast was to check out the inside of the Air Filter compartment which looked like this when it was opened up and the air filter removed….



    Having then vacuumed up all the sand, you have this piece of fabric that is held in place on the bottom by 4 plastic push in plugs of which I got two out….



    Having removed the other two plastic plugs and then the piece of fabric this was the view underneath…..



    Having cleaned it all out with a good vacuum cleaner and re-assembled it I took the contents of the vacuum cleaner out and weighed it. There was 1oz of Sand in the ‘Little Sand Dune’ on the paper!!!….



    Next check was the Solar Panels up on the roof of the ‘TinTent’ which looked like this…..



    Then after a good cleaning looked like this……



    We had heard about a restaurant that was difficult to find but served very good and very fresh Seafood.
    One of the people on the campsite knew where it was and offered to go with me to show me, so off we went, after which we then returned and I collected my good lady and off we went back again for some lunch….

    The trick as there is NO sign for the place is to ‘Spot the Tyre’ on the roadside and turn right there…..



    Continue along the ‘piste’ towards the sea…..



    Then having parked at the end of the ‘piste’ walk to the edge and start down the steps with the view to the left of a crumbling cliff face…..



    While turning right you continue down the steps….



    Coming to….



    With the ‘menu’ just inside….



    While waiting for our order this came out of the kitchen for another group….



    So taking in the view of the place and it’s location…..





    Oyster ‘preparation’ area….



    Our meal arrived: 2 Moroccain Salads, 6 Oysters, Octopus Tagine & Bread which was on its way when I took the picture, it was delicious and with 2 drinks cost less than £7.50 ($12) for the two of us….



    Just caught the man making an Oyster delivery as the sacks are held on the front wall in net bags in the sea as they grow….



    Time to head back, while the first section of the piste from the restaurant is made of….



    Oyster shells as the restaurant farms around 40 Tonnes a year….



    As we got back to the campsite we found we had some additional visitors!
    The ‘Tenters’ are part of a Humanitarian Rally that is going to an Orphange in Senegal where they are donating their vehicles and then flying back home…

    Looking at some of the Mercedes that they are travelling in, they appear to be in much better condition that a number of Taxis that are in use over here!!!







    We are now hopeful that the weather will improve tomorrow, fingers crossed!

  2. #62
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Calgary, Alberta
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    Little bit of sand in the filter housing. Hopefully no more sand storms. Years ago we came in to Heraklion Crete by ferry in the morning. The entire city was covered in a find dust. That night they had a Sirocco wind from Africa come through carrying in the sand/dust.


    The restaurant looks like a good storm with waves would make it disappear. The Moroccan salad looks interesting. What all was in it? What kind of dressing?

  3. #63
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    Nov 2009
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    The wind is due back tomorrow so I think we might have some more 'cleaning out' to do depending in which direction it blows and which way we are going!

    There was definitely Tomatoes & Cucumber in the Morocain Salad with a herb while not sure about any other vegetables while the dressing was an Oil/Vinagrette.

  4. #64
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    South Wales UK
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Dakhla…. ‘The first day of no wind!’…..

    As the wind finally died away and the dusty atmosphere cleared up slightly during the day we finally got to see some of Dakhla as we went into the city.

    So here is a short picture tour of Dakhla….











    Could only look through the bars into the Sports Ground with its all weather pitch for football….



    Inside the Fish Market…..



    While outside were the Fruit Stalls ……



    Could not get the ‘Wi-Fi’ inserted into the name over the café so came up with this solution..….



    House front doors…..



    Accommodation over shops…..



    Inside a building undergoing plastering was this man making up the lengths of fibre that go into the plaster to give it strength and also to be able to shape it around the ceiling….



    A place for all handicapped people to meet irrespective of their challenges….



    Fishing weights in lead being trimmed after being moulded..….



    While the ‘Secondhand Shop’ was full of items for sale so I hope you recognise what you need!….



    Accommodation entrances…..



    Side street leading to the Mosque….



    The ‘roadside adverts’ for men offering their services in this case it was a ‘Builder’, ‘Painter’ and ‘Plumber’ ….



    Naval ships in port ….



    The shoreline ‘Promenade’….



    An interesting memorial on the promenade….







    While on the opposite side of the road is this rather impressive building, but we don’t have a clue of its purpose….



    Weather forecast is saying that the high winds are back tomorrow which is a shame, but will have to wait and see how strong they are…..

  5. #65
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Dakhla…. ‘The first clear day!’…..

    WOW! We finally got to see the view across the ‘lagoon’ this morning as the dust finally settled, but a fresh wind soon sprang up again while thankfully it was not as strong as the past few days….

    The other side of the lagoon….



    As a noisy helicopter went past, presumably to one of the bases in town…..



    Then all the ‘Humanitarian Rally’ participants had left the campsite to make their way today into Mauritania….



    As we then set off to go once again into Dakhla we decided to go via Dakhla Port road while in the process passing this ‘Tyre Delivery’ being carried out with the aid of a Moped!....



    New houses being built on the Port side of the city…..



    As we spot the Lighthouse, and make our way over to it….



    When you look at the crumbling coastline as it is facing the Atlantic Ocean, you wonder how long the Lighthouse has got before it falls onto the beach or into the ocean?…..



    Looking the other way along the coast you can see the large sections of coastline that have fallen down as the ocean eats away underneath the shallow cliff face……



    The wide expanse on both sides of the road..….



    As we then get back on the coast road and past the Lighthouse we next go past the city garbage dump, which is on top of the ground in significant piles which are then set on fire giving off an acrid stench which if the wind is in the wrong direction then the new houses get the full force of it…..



    Into town and we spot this 4 wheeled scooter which we have never seen before and is used by physically challenged people providing much greater mobility…..





    Very old Bedford Truck delivering a load of hardcore for the floor of a new shop under construction….



    City ‘Grand Taxi’ rank in which Dakhla has Orange Taxi’s..….



    One of several large open squares in the city!….



    The Roman Catholic Cathedral…..



    The entrance side to the Cathedral which was closed and locked….



    The Peninsula of Dakhla in a stone statue.….



    While behind it the same shape of the Peninsula is laid out in tiles in another large open square ….





    The Central ‘Car Wash’ where you can park your car and have it washed while you shop or go for coffee or tea!
    Considering that Water Bowsers go around the houses and cafes providing clean water, as Dakhla has no fresh water system, all water is trucked in from up North.
    It was interesting to see that the Car Wash had its own water tower….



    Aptly named restaurant…..



    Another rather nice entrance door…..



    This seemed to be the ‘Men’s Club Tent’ set up in a square surrounded by houses in which a number of men were chatting and drinking Moroccan Tea….



    The City Entrance Arches….



    On the road out and back to the campsite…..



    Our first superb Sunset in Dakhla…..



    While I tried a Microsoft ‘Stitch them together’ program on 3 pictures of the Sky as the Sun dropped down further, I think it pressed a little too hard on the ‘Truck with Beds’ and bent it in the middle! Oops!



    Supposed to be windy again tomorrow, but I guess we will have to wait and see!

  6. #66
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Dakhla…. Our last night at Dakhla Campsite then off to ‘The Peninsula Wild Camp!’…..

    As this was to be our last night at the campsite 5Km outside Dakhla city after making a repair to the fridge of our Swiss friends we went with them to have a meal & see the Evening Souk in the city…..

    Passing as we looked for somewhere to park the main communications building with its big ‘Frying Pans’ pointed skywards…..



    While a short time later as darkness came quickly there, we get over to the Souk….





    The following morning we are greeted once again by a dismal sunrise as we finally move out of the campsite after 6 nights to a ‘Wild Camp’ which is 25Km North and more or less at the top of the Peninsula.



    As we arrived and parked up a Soldier who is in the Army came over to collect our ‘Fische’ as we then found he speaks 4 languages, while we spot this 4 legged ‘friend’ having ‘40 winks’….



    You have to be totally self sufficient at this place as there is No Water, Electricity, Showers or WC facilities, it is just a patch of land, very sandy that ‘Trucks with Beds’ (Campers/RV’s) or ‘Tin Tents’ (Caravans) can stay on for as long as they want for No Charge!….

    While normally at this time of year the place is absolutely packed full, there is a marked drop off in the number of tourists coming this year due to some government communications being released in France regarding alleged ‘problems’ that no-one here has seen….



    As we got parked up and set up...



    With the ‘Administration Cabin’ just to the right in the middle of the picture….



    We took a walk around to see the scenery as the place is very popular with Wind & Kite Surfers, Fishermen & Retired Couples who stay here for up to 6 Months before heading back home to mainly France…..



    As the place is at more or less the head of the Peninsula it is a lagoon of sorts, so being sheltered and relatively shallow it is a good area for Wind & Kite Surfing, but the places around that offer accommodation only have bungalows and no campgrounds, which has led to a significant increase in the cost of food that has to be purchased in Dakhla which is 25km away as there are no grocery stores out here….







    Weather forecast is supposed to be for a clear day tomorrow, fingers crossed!

  7. #67
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Dakhla…. ‘The Peninsula Wild Camp! & Lassarga’…..

    While the morning was partly spent at the Peninsula Wild Camp, we then set off to go back past Dakhla city to the very end of the Peninsula and have a look at the village of Lassarga which is a place where fishing is carried out on a grand scale…..

    While firstly a few more views of the camp….



    While the Island out in the lagoon is accessible at low water, you have to be conscious of the rate at which the sea comes in as one person went out and tried to get back as the tide was coming in and didn’t make it!….





    Kite surfing…..





    Inside the stone wall appears to be two graves as there are rocks piled up in a grave style and stones with writing on but we could not find out anything more about them…..







    Remember ‘Rudolph’ from the Christmas Quad Bike Ride in El Ouatia?
    Well this is him out on the lagoon wind surfing…..



    While at the edge of the sea we found this crab with one albino leg…..



    Even though it was quite small but I was taking no chances of getting nipped!.....



    So then we set off to Lassarge the Fishing Village at the end of the Peninsula….

    Some of the fishing boats were out on the sea when we got there….



    While well away from the sea are the fishermen’s huts….



    As the sea is around 1km from the boats and huts, tractors are used to pull or push the boats to and from the ocean….



    As we wandered around the place receiving some intriguing looks from the men there as they clearly don’t see a lot of ‘tourists/visitors’ I nearly stepped on this Crab which thankfully was dead as I hate to think what it could have done if it had been alive ….



    We watched some repair work being carried out and managed to have a conversation with one of the fishermen in a mixture of Arabic, French & English.



    The majority of the fishing is performed in catching Octopus in small black plastic ‘bottles’ that have no bottom and a small hole in the top, with some concrete inside to make them sink.
    The Octopus swims inside the bottle but cannot get out, so becomes trapped and caught….
    The bottles are in piles by the boats with a mark that signifies the owner painted on in white…..



    One boat newly restored…..



    Refurbishment being carried out with an Electric Generator and Grinding Wheel….



    Having removed by grinding it off all the white paint and fibreglass, the wooden hull is then given a coat of varnish and left to dry in the sun….
    After this dries out a new coat of fibreglass is painted on with a coat of white paint which is also left to dry out in the sun and then after the registration numbers are applied it is ready to go back to sea…..





    The boat will then be pushed or pulled back to the sea by a tractor similar to this which looks to be rather old…..



    While just outside the two cargo containers that are used as the administration offices is what is left of the fresh water tank that seems to have had an accident…..

    Oops!



    Then it was time to head back to the Wild Camp and get ready to head back North to Boujdour before our fresh water in the ‘Tin Tent’ dried up!

  8. #68
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    On the road again back North to Boujdour…..

    When we got ready to pull out of the Wild Camp and saw the person opposite taking the cover off their quad bike for a minute I thought we were maybe in the Arctic Circle the way the person was dressed!....



    As we then pull out of the camp and pass the Police Check point we see a very misty sunshine ahead….



    While a bit further along it brightens up a bit as we climb one of the hills along the road….



    First up was this small ‘Out of Town Village’ in the middle of nowhere…..



    While next as we travel along the coast we pass a number of ‘huts’ or tents that have been erected by men who come by moped or car to spend a day with a large rod sea fishing…..



    Then a couple of miles further on we come to a junction that leads to another ‘Fishing Village’ which also specialises in Octopus fishing…..



    As we spot the black plastic ‘bottles’ to the left of the fishing boats…..





    Moving on the size of the Dromedary herds down here are on the large size…..



    While there seemed to be a problem with this one as the two men are trying to get the dromedary to lie down…..



    Another of those small villages appears, with no sign of life!.....



    Then we spot a herd of Dromedaries close to the roadside with their very young….



    Then literally in the middle of nowhere is this broken down coach with a group of army personnel who were on it standing around.
    Thankfully there is a mobile phone service but the nearest town is over 50 miles away….





    As we then enter the Province of Boujdour, and we still have 2 hours to go to get to the town of Boujdour!….



    Another village passes by…..



    As we then get to a wind/sand blown section of road, which if you ride over the mounds of sand can be quite hard on the suspension of both car and caravan, with things being lifted and thrown around!…..



    98Km still to go….



    Then we have to slow down as there is another herd of Dromedaries with their young at the side of the road….



    We think this is a small communications mast for ships…..



    Then we spot this huge herd of Dromedaries on both sides of the road and slow right down….





    Time for a scratch on the roadside post…..



    OK, so you don’t look left and right before crossing the road….



    I thought for a minute as this fella walked in front of us that the UK Breakdown Service had finally sent a reply to my email asking if they provided a ‘rescue service’ in Morocco as it was not mentioned in their paperwork!



    While the white Dromedaries are 5 times more valuable than the brown ones the Moroccan drivers do not slow down when they pass them….



    Army post on the coast. They are positioned about every 1km as you go along the coast road….



    Large brown object in the distance at the edge of the sea…..



    Turns out to be a wrecked ship, but had to pull over, stop and walk down to the edge of the cliffs to see it…..



    Now the hike back to the road….



    Next up our 4th Police Checkpoint….
    If you don’t STOP at the sign and wait to be called forward you can receive a fine of around €50 (£40) ($60) to be paid on the spot!...



    The sign after the 40Kmph is the one to come to a complete stop at….



    Then we get to the right turn for Boujdour and the very wide 4 lane road into the town….



    With the street lights and the Army compound on the left…..



    As we get closer to the Lighthouse which is of an interesting construction….



    It is inside a military compound and looks like it is made of stones with a rendering but is clearly kept in good condition, more than likely because it is inside a military compound…..



    Finally after just under 6 hours on the road we arrive at the campsite, where we plan to spend the next 3 nights…..

  9. #69
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    First day in Boujdour…..

    Last night late on it started raining, but in with the rain came the sand and what we think were some small stones as the ‘TinTent’ sounded like it was being hammered on the roof as it was also very windy !....

    This was the condition of the roof light when I opened the blind this morning, it looks a bit like a ‘patterned’ plate!…



    As I then got out the ladder and went up on the roof to see if there was any damage while also cleaning the roof light, and the 2 inch strip at the top was after using a very wet cloth to remove the dirt….



    While the roof which is normally white looks like a speckled brown colour….



    Breakfast over and it was up to town for a refill of Diesel and then into the centre for some groceries, but first a walk around to see if there is anything of interest and we spot this sculpture…..



    While along a wall are some murals of which this was by far the best one….



    Looking back towards the town centre while there is an Army compound on the left just outside the picture that has the Lighthouse in…..



    Then I moved around the corner to get the picture of the Lighthouse as we understand the authorities do not for some reason like anyone taking its picture….



    Having then had a coffee, after a longer time than usual as being Sunday we think a number of the shops were closed, we managed to get nearly all the groceries we wanted, so it was back to the campsite and lunch and a relaxing afternoon…..

  10. #70
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
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    614

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    The close ups of the camels trying to play bumper cars with you are something.

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