Overland to Morocco. Winter 2015-2016

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Our time at Kaouki Beach 3rd Day

16 Miles away is Essouaria and when we stayed at a campsite that was within walking distance of the town last year after the storm went through the town really suffered with much damage, so we are off there today to see how it looks now ….

After finding a place to park we set off towards the sea front and our first view was of the island of Mogador which was a former leper colony but is now we understand a bird colony, while the beach looked very clean.....



The view across to the old Portuguese Harbour also looked good….





While this basketball area and the wall are new as they were not here last year….



New building onto the existing hotel…..



Could not quite understand what looked like ‘Double sun beds’?…..



Plans laid and work commenced on an improved harbour…..



As work starts….



As a couple of fishing boats return to the port after a trip out to sea…..



While just inside the Port Gates is this old small fishing boat with a new coat of paint…..



Inside the Port it’s business as usual for selling of fish and boat repairs….



Small and large fishing boats moored up….



Large Conch shells with the sea creatures still inside waiting for a buyer…..



As all the fishermen sit by their catches on display waiting for customers…..





The variety of fish on offer is quite large, including shell fish like Crabs and Crayfish or Lobsters…..



While the golden coloured fish in the next picture that look a bit like an eel are caught on lines and not by net as some of them still have the hook in their mouth…..



Up on the dockside for repairs and refurbishment….



As we leave the Port through the archway we pass alongside this wall while behind it are several men preparing various fishes for the restaurants on the other side of the road while being pestered by all the seagulls looking for scraps....



Walking across the main square we spot the Moroccan Band getting together as lunch time approaches to visit the restaurants playing their music for the diners as they enjoy their lunch.....



As we continue along we come to a part of the town that we have not seen before which is the outer wall with ramparts looking out to sea!..



Through the archway and then up the ramp…..



Then looking down into the corner we see.....



While through the ‘slot’ in the wall along the coast is this view……



Then along the cannon barrel looking out to sea…..



While along the wall is this line of cannons protecting the town…..



Then making our way back into the town centre we see this sculpture outside a shop…



As we then get into the road with all the hustle and bustle of the market….







Set off back and we are going around a few side streets, hoping not to get ‘lost’!...



As we pass this alleyway at the end of which at the bottom of 3 steps is the doorway, which you cannot make out in the picture, but trust me it was there….



Back onto one of the main roads through town and the ‘Pony & Trap’ Taxi’s are still running….



While this truck makes a left hand turn with a few ‘Joy Riders’ on the container roof!....



After a bit of lunch we make our way back to Sidi Kauoki and the campsite to find this interesting little visitor on the wall of the ‘TinTent’…..



Clouded over quite a lot tonight so no nice sunset today and it looks like the cloud is going to be with us for the next 24 hours….

Good night!

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Our time at Kaouki Beach 4th and last day.

A very grey sky greeted us this morning with a corresponding drop in temperature of initially 6C, but by 11:00 it was back up to 20C and the Sun was breaking through as we set off into the village of Sidi Kaouki for our first ‘Berber Whiskey’ otherwise known as Mint Tea.....

As we get to the centre there is this Donkey having a fine time rolling in the dust!....



Then as we take our seats in the café we see this little kitten having a fine time with the bigger cat whom we think was its mother….



Looking out towards the sea from our seats we have this good view of the ocean…



While there is a distinct lack of visitors this morning in the village as we see one lone surfer in the sea and a lone camel on the beach….



As we head back to the campsite for some lunch and a totally lazy afternoon before starting to pack up and get ready for pulling out tomorrow and back on the road South to a new place to see for us at Tifnit…..

A last look around the campsite this evening as we are joined by more campers with a couple of them telling us that they have been moved by the Police as Morocco now makes wild camping illegal in the country.





Good night!

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Kaouki Beach - Tifnit.

On the road just after 09:30 this morning as we turn left onto the road to make our way back to the main Route National ‘N1’ while this section is good tarmac it is still only just wide enough for the outfit some meeting vehicles coming towards you still requires the ‘3 on 3 off’ scenario.....



Then it wasn’t long before we came upon the herds of Goats & Sheep as the Goats were getting up into the trees to get at the Argan Nuts that were growing as that is one food that they love!





Stretch of better and slightly wider tarmac….



Then we turn right and get onto the N1 and in a short while cross the bridge over the river Smimou, which is named after the town on the other side of the bridge…..



Through the town centre…..



As the scenery gets nicer and we start going up and down hills…..



As we pass by one of the many roadside stalls selling Argan Oil & Honey….







One of the district ‘gateways/boundaries’…..








If you look closely you can see two or three of the Goats in this herd standing on their back legs to reach the Argan Nuts in the tree……









Back hugging the coast road now…..









The old lighthouse is still there but it looks like it has had a coat of paint after the storm went through last year…..



As we then get to another of the well known surfing villages along the coast called Taghazoute…..





Bit further along in a place called ‘Banana Beach’ we stop for 5 minutes to buy some locally grown Bananas which are around 3 to 4 inches long and wonderfully full of a natural sweetness, then we get to this traffic island that does not seem to work on Morocco’s principles of the right of way for oncoming traffic, but we get around it OK……



As we then get to the outskirts of Agadir, we see the Market in full swing….




Then a bit further on as we come down the hill the city of Agadir comes into view…..





Traffic is all over the place and you dare not lose concentration as you drive through…..



With nice floral displays on the other side of the road….



There is also a variety of vehicles rolling along, some slow and some rather fast like the Taxis!.....





Not long and we turn right onto the N10 for a few miles……



As we pass this fully laden ‘People Carrier’ which is much cheaper than a Bus or sharing a Taxi for transport……



While then after what was supposed to be a ‘piste road’ which is no tarmac, while it was a tarmacadam surface, we are at the campsite gate…..



The campsite is more or less surrounded by very large greenhouses which we have yet to establish what is grown inside, which the facilities on the campsite are good with again nice HOT water for showers and dishwashing….

Reception building…..





The facilities block and us…..



Sunset over the small nearby village…..



Night time as the last of the Sun’s rays disappear for the day…..



Hopefully off to Tifnit tomorrow which is 5 miles down the road while the Maroc Telecom signal & dongle will not after 45 minutes of trying give me a connection that will allow me to upload this next stage of the trip!!!
Grrrrr!

I switched to INWI Mobile Comms on the campsite which was nearly as bad for signal & quality but I managed it after a very long time for the trip yesterday.....

Good night!

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Tifnit 1st Day.

‘Good Morning’ from the campsite as I sat outside with my morning coffee I looked to my right and saw this sight.....



Then as we sat down for breakfast this very large herd of Goats and Sheep came across the road into the next field grazing as they went, but there is not a lot of grass there…..



Breakfast over we then took the short ride over to Tifnit, passing a very large Military camp alongside the road with the Mobile Mast of Maroc Telecom just outside which might explain why I am having a near impossible time in trying to access the Internet as all the personnel are using their Mobile Phones!

The as we get around the corner and down the hill Tifnit is in front of us…..



We park up and making our way to the beach we see all these small fishing boats….



As we then see the houses right on the edge of the beach…..



While up on top is this very solid picnic table and seats with a fresh water well alongside…..





Behind the village are some very large Sand Dunes while it didn’t take long for 2 men on Camels to roll up offering us a trip into the Dunes on the Camels, but as the thoughts of the Camel Ride before came back we declined their offer and kept walking….



Not sure if the storm from last year destroyed some of the houses along the front but there were some that were damaged or just left to fall down….



While others once you got down onto the beach looked good. While the majority are occupied by men and no women, a couple of them are occupied by French couples as they were all talking to visitors as we went past…..

There is also another fresh water well in the next picture…..



The view of the houses from the beach…..







Looking in the rock pools we could see a lot of Mussels but they were only small so not really worth picking to take back and cook……



There were also a lot of small Snails in the pools who had made their own ‘roadways’ in the sand which was fascinating as it looked like a maze!.....



Large sections of rocks on the beach that looked like it might have once been Coral…..



With this brightly painted house down at the end…..



As the sea kept on pounding away at the beach…..



While around the other side we see these other houses, with some of the double glazed windows completely smashed….



On the other side of the small bay is this large complex…..



Which was financed by…..
But we were not allowed to have a look inside, even though the gate was open…





As we made our way to the car we then spotted these square holes in the headland which people have possibly lived in, as we have seen other examples of this in other parts of Morocco….



When we got back to the campsite I went over to reception and noticed a large Cactus plant with fruit on at the far side.
Spoke to the ‘Boss’ and he said “Help yourself’ as he cannot eat them due to their sugar level.
So I went and got half a dozen and the results are below, but as you pick them off the Cactus plant you have to be careful not to get the small needle like pins in your fingers as they hurt and can be difficult to get out!…..

The Plant…..



The Fruit…



The inside of the fruit. Scooped straight out with a teaspoon and very nice!…..



That’s it for today as it’s time for a relaxing afternoon or what’s left of it…..

Good night!

[ssicarman]

Looks like you are getting some good weather this year. Nice beaches, sunrises and sets.

The camp ground looks a bit barren/desert like but also like the owner has taken some care and pride in setting it up.

[XCovlov70]

Looks like you are getting some good weather this year. Nice beaches, sunrises and sets.

The camp ground looks a bit barren/desert like but also like the owner has taken some care and pride in setting it up.

Hi ssicarman!

The weather is certainly much better than last year. It's just a shame so many tourists are not coming due to different rumours going around.
Although we have seen an increase in Local Police & Military presence there has been no signs of any 'problems'

Our only problem today was that when we got to the place we were going to, when we hooked up to the Mains Electricity we found the Fridge would not work.

I suspect that the element that I replaced after we got back from Scandinavia has 'failed' which is not good news after less than 3 months use.

The camp ground was a bit barren while it was split into 2 sections.
One section with no Electric supply which was cheaper per night but did not include hot water/showers and one which had Electric supply that included hot water/showers, but as some campers in the no Electric supply would come down at midnight or even later for a hot shower or to wash their dishes, the owner turned off the gas supply for the hot water before he left for the night, and I cannot say I blame him.

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Tifnit 2nd Day.

‘Good Morning’ from the campsite and another superb Sunrise to kick start today, with a forecast temperature of 24C!....



Breakfast over we are told that there is a good Souk in a village called Ait Aamira, so off we go to have a look and pass this Pony & Trap not far from the road to the campsite with a nice wave from the driver as we go slowly past…



As we get to the N1 road we go straight over and in 5 miles we are entering…..



After finding a place to park we set off to look for the Souk, only to find that there isn’t one, it’s just the normal little shops, but to be perfectly honest we have never seen or been in such a rubbish strewn town in all our visits to Morocco as this one, even a truck that has hit a power line post has been abandoned! ….



So it was back to ‘Flamenco Red’ and head off back through the town weaving in and out of the traffic mayhem…..



As we pass one of the vegetable (Tomatoes for Europe) warehouses with the Guard’s accommodation outside under the plastic sheets! …..



Back to the N1, then turn right and head for Sidi Bibi, passing this house with the Camel statues at each end ….



While on the right we have ‘Pot man’ outside the Clay Pot shop ….



As we get into Sidi Bibi we find another place to park making sure the kerbstones are marked ‘Green & White’ which you can park on while the ‘Red & White’ you are not supposed to but it seems that rule doesn’t apply to the locals, then we go into the very small Souk through a side entrance….



While there are not that many stalls…..



With a wide open space all around which we guess is fully occupied if it was a real Souk day…..



With a horse and cart waiting for some business…..



We head off to find a café offering coffee as we have been advised not to eat in any of the restaurants by the people on the campsite as they are not particularly clean, and to be honest the coffee was quite bitter to what I normally drink over here….

After that we headed back to the campsite, by going around this very large Traffic Island Tajine, and then turning left across two lanes of traffic which was a challenge as you had cyclists & pedestrians as well as cars & lorries all trying to continue to get to where they were going without stopping!



As we got back to the campsite and make our way to the ‘TinTent’ we spot this little Dung Beetle having a rest on a rock…..
Sorry Folks ‘Paint Shop Pro’ have not made a very good job of this guy when I edited it as the results have come out completely different to what I was shown!



Having bought some extra Bananas in Sidi Bibi we compare them to the local ones grown at Banana Beach which are really nice.
The Banana Beach are on the right and are really ‘Finger size’ while the Import is on the left….



Made sure we paid the bill for our stay as we are back on the road tomorrow and off hopefully by 08:30 heading for Tafraoute….

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Tifnit - Tafraoute. PART1.

‘Good Morning’ and on the road by 08:30 today as we wanted to be clear of Ait Aamira before the traffic and the school children started getting into the town from our experience yesterday without having the ‘TinTent’ hooked up!.....

Having said that I have had to split the pictures my good lady took today into 3 parts, as we took a slightly different route than what we thought we would be taking and went off ‘across country’ turning right off the N105 and then eventually getting back on it but after travelling through some fabulous scenery, even though there was a lot of hill climbing and piste road, but it was worth it, so sit back and enjoy!....

Some of the ‘Early Workers’ going off into the European Tomato farms…..



Ait Aamira next which was nice and quiet to get through…..







As we pass a number of Shepherds on the outskirts of the town who gave us a nice wave as a ‘Thank you’ for slowing down as we passed by and not startling the animals….



The SMOG up ahead was the local Garbage Dump that had been set on fire and it really stank as we passed by which took about 5 minutes to get rid of after we passed by even driving with all the windows open! …..



Still some bridge repairs being worked on after the storm from last November, so it was hard right and go on the little detour to get back to the main road….



Start of the first hill climbing and the change of scenery….



A strange wedge shaped house that looked very new….



‘Gates’ to the next district …..





As we then come off the N105 and start the ‘other route’…..



Passing little groups of houses in the countryside….





As we then find ourselves travelling alongside a small lake…..







As we climb away from the lake the road gets ‘rougher’….



And then winds away off into the distance….



As we get to the next new bridge where they don’t seem to pay much attention to the edges that join up with the road!.....





House looked nice and we didn’t go along the road at the bottom of the house….thankfully!



Breath in in the back!.....



Yes there was a building on top of that hill…..





Next new bridge with the same ‘finish’ along the edges as before except it went further along the road this time….



Man & 5 Donkeys, who slowed down and moved over with his two to let us pass slowly…..



The other 3 who were roped together kept going, so we crawled past, and as we got to the next bend we looked back and waved to the man who waved back to again give his thanks for going passed slowly…..



More ‘hairpin bends’ and very steep gradients as I made a lot of use of 1st gear! …..



Another new longer bridge and a very sharp hairpin on the other side coupled with another steep gradient…..







Pulled in a bit further up the road and walked back to get a picture of the run and view……





Also decided to go for a comfort break, and the toilet in the ‘TinTent’ decided not close properly after use! Arrgh! (Thankfully it was close to empty so we could continue the journey for now!



OK Comfort Break over more about this stage tomorrow!

Good night.

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Tifnit - Tafraoute. PART2.

‘Good Morning’

Continuing on from Part 1 of the route from Tifnit to Tafraoute as we continued along the ‘other road’....

One final look back as we get going again with a broken Loo!.....



Hey Ho! More hills to climb…..



Came around the next bend and spotted this tree full of Goats after the fruit….



As the views keep getting better…..













As we pulled in to take in some of the scenery which is just superb, we spot another smallish building on top of the hill, which might have been a small Granary in which people who live in the area would have kept their food in it for the winter in times gone by….















This little village did not show up on the map we had…..





While neither did this one…..





Nor this one, which tends to make you think you might just be ‘lost’?





Still it was ‘Downward & Onward’ with our trust in TomTom (the GPS) & that friendly voice of Jane, who never gets mad or cross when you make a mistake!



It’s another of those new bridges….



Then we go ‘hill climbing’ again!.....



As the scenery takes your breath away!.....















The last part, Part 3 to Tafraoute tomorrow…..promise!

Good night.

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Tifnit - Tafraoute. PART3.

‘Good Morning’

Final bit as we get back to the N105 road to Tafraoute.....

It wasn’t much further on as we eventually see the junction that we come to and turn right for the Main Road between Ait Baha & Tafraoute…..



Then it’s the right hand turn….



As we pass this Kasbah on top of the small hill…..



With the road once again snaking off into the distance…..









The building on the right hand side of the next picture is in the corner of a cemetery where the only marking for a grave are stones turned upright in the ground, as gravestones are far too expensive in this and other areas of Morocco….





Taking home the animal feed…..



Another strangely shaped building…..



Passing through the small gorge you kind of get the feeling that the view on the other side is going to be good…..



And it is…….



As we make another short stop to take it in…..







As we set off down the mountain, we see this bend around the small hill, while it was a good job we kept close to the side as a small truck came around the other way quite fast but we had no visibility of him coming……





Campsite away from Tafraoute but no one inside staying there as we passed the entrance and looked in….





Finally arrive in Tafroute Town Centre…..



As we get to the other side and make our way to Camping Tazka….









As we get set up and resolve the ‘Loo problem’ we then find out that the ‘TinTent’ Fridge is not working on mains electric hook up and it looks like the element that was replaced around 5 months ago after the previous one failed on our trip around Scandinavia has also ‘died’ so it’s over to gas operation once again!



Just glad that there is some distance between us and these precariously balanced rocks!.....





Off exploring in Tafraoute tomorrow…..

Good night.