Route During Week Twelve

We had been planning to travel south to the coast where Natascha and Bernd had such a good time, but we changed our plans and decided to go to a place, still on the coast but slightly further north, called Sidi Ouassay. 

The campsite blurb says there’s nothing to do there except walk on the beach, swim in the sea and relax, just the job. Natascha and Bernd decide to join us.

The blurb is correct, this campsite is on the edge of a small village but there’s no tourist attractions there.  The beach is however a different matter, it’s vast, backed by dunes and the huge Atlantic rollers crashing onto the beach make it great fun to take a dip.

We walk for some distance along the beach, the dogs really enjoy the chance to stretch their legs.

Local families are out enjoying the afternoon sun and some boys have a great time throwing the ball for the dogs, many other children want to say hello and the dogs are delighted with the attention.

We stay here another night as we need to get laundry done and make plans for the next leg of the journey which is going to be challenging. 

We walk along the beach today in the opposite direction where it is rocky and where we find some blow holes where the sea bursts through in huge jets with amazing force. 

The drive away from this area is lovely, the road winds through a valley where there is water and lots of small-scale farming. It’s very much greener than we’ve become accustomed to and it’s a real hive of industry with people working in the fields or leading laden donkeys along the road. Everyone we pass greets us with a broad smile and a wave.

Despite this positive experience the day does have a bitter edge to it as this is the turning point in our journey, we are now heading back north and all too soon we’ll be leaving this wonderful country.

We plan to take the Tizi n’Test Pass over the High Atlas mountains to Marrakesh. It will involve us climbing to 6,893ft above sea level. It's one of the most spectacular drives in the country and goes close to the epicentre of September’s earthquake and so we try to talk to as many people as we can and research the suitability of the route.  

It is a narrow road, sometimes only one car’s width, with 1,500ft drops common on the unbarriered sections and no road markings.

The presence of taxis, coaches, and lorries at high speeds, along with locals selling minerals and herbs at corners, adds to the peril!

We head for a campsite to the east of Taroudant as this will be a good setting-off point for the journey through the Pass.  It’s a glorious day, really hot and sunny, this is the first time we’ve heard cicadas on this trip.

We meet a Dutch couple who have done the same journey in the other direction a few days earlier in a motorhome similar to Lionel's.  They strongly advise against it, confirming that the road is very narrow and still in a bad state post-earthquake with crumbling edges and no crash barriers in places. It took them over five gruelling hours to complete the drive.

We speak to other people in person and online -  locals and tourists -  and we get mixed advice.  We really want to do this route and we are torn but in the end, after much angst, we decide it’s too risky; this isn’t like us and we feel it’s a bit of a cop-out but another time in another vehicle……

We really don’t want to take the motorway to Marrakesh so we decide to do a monster long drive, retrace our steps to Ait Benhaddou, take the P1506 and then the Tizi n’Tichka Pass which also crosses the High Atlas but is an easier route and didn’t suffer in the earthquake.

We leave early and take a different road out of Taroudant from the one we came in on and stay on this for as long as possible but we have to rejoin the main road in the end. The funny thing is, we recognise hardly any of it as there’s been so much to see.  For instance, the towering inland cliffs on one side of the road and the undulating strata of the hills on the other - we’d forgotten about that in the mass of sights and experiences we’ve had.

And things have changed; in our absence, the blossom has come out transforming the area between Taliouine and Tazenakht, what a difference a week makes!

We stop for lunch in Ait Benhaddou. Last time we were here we spotted some lovely examples of Desert (or Sand) Rose. 

Desert Roses are formed through the process of evaporation of underground water sources and the subsequent crystallisation of dissolved minerals, their shape is very similar to a rose in bloom and they are things of great beauty. We managed to agree on a sensible price and buy a piece.

Reinvigorated, we set off along the P1506, and what a drive this is!

The deep valley is dotted with deserted kasbahs and little villages.  There is water in the river and so the valley is verdant and cultivated, it’s very green and there are blossom trees, a real-life Shangri-La. Small children run out waving and smiling and when we stop to take photographs - apparently in the middle of nowhere - children appear in the hope of being offered sweets or pens.   

We have decided to break the journey and stay in the car park of a small hotel near the end of the P1506. We’ll travel the Tizi n’Tichka Pass to Marrakesh the next day. 

The hotel owner brings tea out to us on a tray and we book dinner for later. Then it's an early night ready for a prompt departure the next day.

The Tizi n’Tichka Pass is wonderful.  The scenery is dramatic and of course massive.

There are switchbacks to negotiate but they are not challenging and we wonder how we would have done on the Tizi n’Test.  If we’re honest we feel a bit disappointed that we didn’t just give it a go.

The Tichka is clearly a major trade route and in addition to the many tourist buses we see going in the opposite direction, there are also numerous lorries and tankers going at alarming speeds.

The road has undergone a massive programme of improvement which, whilst undoubtedly improving safety considerably, has detracted from the beauty of the drive as often the view is cut off as the road travels through gaps cut in the rock.

You can see the old road snaking round the contours of the mountain whereas the new road has been cut through the rock with what appears to be the same ease as a knife through butter so straight are the lines.

As we begin our descent towards Marrakesh, we see the Middle Atlas mountains in the distance across the wide plain.

We head for Le Relais de Marrakech, one of the out-of-town campsites which are the only option if you want a campsite rather than a car park experience and we feel this will be better for the dogs - and us!

Le Relais is really great, it has a big pool, a bar and restaurant and plenty of places to laze about.  We do exactly that for the rest of the day.

The campsite even has a shower for dogs, so the next morning we wash the dogs much to their utter disgust.

We go into Marrakesh the next afternoon catching a taxi to the kasbah. There are various traditional toiletries that Janette wants to buy. We find a stall and make the purchases.....

.......one of which is Moroccan Black Soap (Beldi soap) which is a dark, gloopy substance that you can buy by weight, they scoop a lump off for you.  It’s traditionally used in the hammams and it’s applied to the skin before being scrubbed off. 

We then visit the Saadian Tombs, an ancient royal necropolis which is very beautiful - the architecture is similar to certain parts of the Alhambra.

After that, we head to the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) as we want to visit the Slat al-Azama (or Lazama) Synagogue.  Neither of us has ever visited a synagogue before and it’s good to see this one still able to operate freely in an Islamic country. There has been a Jewish population in Morocco since the 13th century but their population swelled in 1492 when the Jews were expelled from the Iberian peninsula.

We have heard more than once on this trip the story told to us proudly by Muslim Moroccans that when the Nazis demanded that Morocco hand over its Jews, the Moroccan king famously stated that in his country there were no Jewish citizens and no Muslim citizens, there were only Moroccans. As far as we can tell from what we’ve read, no Moroccan Jews were sent from Morocco to concentration camps.

The present king of Morocco has committed substantial amounts of money to a restoration project of the buildings in the Mellah and goodness do they need it!  Whole streets seem to be held up by wooden struts keeping the buildings from collapsing inwards!    

We’ve done quite a bit of walking and so we take a horse drawn carriage to the Jemaa el Fnaa. 

Things are just starting to get going in the square, but the place doesn't really come to life until after dark.

The ladies doing henna tattoos are out in force and Nick succumbs!

There are people with monkeys you can have your photo taken with, as well as snake charmers.

We then head into the souk and yet more shopping!  We both buy rings and Nick gets himself a handmade leather belt.

By the time we come back into the square, darkness is falling and things have really come to life.  We head to one of the rooftop cafes for a bird’s eye view of the action, it’s all go. 

There are food stalls; people have set out their various wares on the floor selling all sorts and there are performers everywhere, musicians, dancers, gymnasts.

We would like to stay longer but we need to get back for the dogs.  When we come back next year we’ll definitely spend more time here but we’ve had a great taste of this amazing, vibrant city.