2023 Morocco

What a cold night… we had n o heating during the night because the LPG gauge was showing red and empty so wanted to keep whatever we could that remained. However, we were able to boil a kettle for some tea and washing water.

We had decided that we would leave today and therefore breakfast in our van. We were wearing many layers in the morning to try and keep warm. We made the van ready for travelling and then went to say our goodbyes. Yanis, the baby, has been suffering with a chest infection so we were asked if we could take them to M\’smerir hospital (7km away) and get him checked out. We dropped them off on our way out of the mountains. As we descended it gradually got warmer….what a relief. How people survive throughout the winter in these harsh conditions is amazing.

We had made a decision to find somewhere we could relax for a time so decided to return to Skoura. As we got to the valley floor the temperature was back to circa 18°C. At these temperatures we found the LPG gauge was back to showing green and half full…all we can assume is that the gas froze. We stopped for meat and vegetables at the same town we had visited a few days before.

We are now parked in the campsite and relaxing and I am using the free 5G WIFI and streaming the Southampton FA cup match. Over the coming few days we will be doing more of the same.

This morning we woke after having a comfortable night as we were kept warm by our heating. We had been invited to breakfast with the family and Rkia served scrambled eggs and homemade bread washed down with Moroccon tea. Marwa didn\’t need to start school today until lunchtime as she was attending the afternoon session.

Moha asked if we would like to see some of the nearby villages so this morning we all jumped in the van, except Rkia and the baby, and he proceeded to guide and narrate our journey. We started to realise how things worked like schooling, Administration etc. On the journey the police flagged us down and explained to Moha that the road from M\’smerir to the adjacent gorge was blocked by snow.

On arriving back at their home Rkia had prepared a lamb Tagine and once again we all sat around and shared this fine meal. It was delicious… she is a fine cook and she works in difficult circumstances to us Europeans. Tremendous !!

In the afternoon we needed to take Moha to nearby M\’smerir which is 7km away. This time we all got in the van except Marwa who had gone to school. It was a new experience for Rkia to travel in our van. On our return Moha wanted to travel the road the police had warned us about yesterday. It was a fairly recently developed road but as we got further along we came across more snow which had not thawed because the rocks were shielding it from the sun. After sometime we decided to turn around and go back down. However, I got the van stuck in 9 inches of snow and we couldn\’t move forward or backward. Moha, Rkia and Tina set to and gathered stone from the side of the road and tried laying a pathway for the tyres. At first this was unsuccessful as we only moved a few inches. Moha was only wearing slippers and his feet were getting soaked. After maybe 30 minutes a VW camper came upon us as they were descending. Fortunately they carried a shovel and snow boards which he helped to place under the wheels. Rkia was amazing at clearing snow with the shovel.

It dawned on me to use the hydraulic levelling to raise the front of the van so as to get the boards under the tyres. Moha, Rkia and Michael (the German driver of the VW) worked tirelessly. But each time we moved a little but was still unable to get free. It must have been on the fifth attempt before the pushing from the back and the side of th van brought success.

At this point we only had 15 minutes to get back home before Marwa came out of school at 6:30 pm. What an adventure!! Moha invited Michael and his wife Bernadette to join us all for an evening meal. They followed us back to the property and have tea with us all. After about an hour they decided they wouldn\’t stay but would drive down the mountain to where it wasn\’t quite so cold.

Rkia cooked CousCous with chicken and vegetables for our evening meal. She also served Tina and I some more Parsnip soup that she had made yesterday and we both commented how delicious it was. All I need now is for Tina to be able to replicate the recipe and I would be delighted. After our shared meal we retired to the van only then to realise that our LPG had run out and we were not able to run the heating…. it was going to be a cold night.

Yesterday we had a light come up on the dashboard for low AdBlue so this morning we needed to find some to top up so the engine wouldn\’t stop on us. We asked at several garages on our way to find Moha and eventually found one that had a 10 litre bottle. In the same town we also stocked up on meat and vegetables for the next few days.

We were heading to where we met Moha and Rkia 7 years ago and hoping that we could catch up with them. They were on the road that passed through the Gorges du Dades and further up into the mountains. The journey was slow as we were climbing and the roads were twisty…. a pleasurable drive.

We stopped at a Cafe / Restaurant that also had gift shops around lunchtime. We decided to have a meal so that we didn\’t impose on Moha\’s hospitality if we found them. Tina had a Chicken Tagine and I had Brochettes all washed down with 2 cafe au lait. Incredibly the whole amount was approximately £12. Tina also indulged herself in buying some souvenirs and gifts for our grandchildren.

We finally came across the village and I recognised the small piece of land where we had parked 3 vans all those years ago. However, I was looking for the double doors that marked the entrance to his home. Unbeknown to me he had changed this to a single door. Just as I was outside Moha came out of his property and was amazed to find us. Fate at work I do believe.

The greeting we got was outstanding. We parked up close to the wall and was ushered inside to a warm cup of coffee. It was very pleasant siting in the sunshine but soon got cold when the sun started to disappear. We were invited to their evening meal which was brochettes (meat on skewers cooked over hot coals). The evening went well and we got to know the whole family which now includes 3 children …. Marwa (Girl of 9), Israe (Girl of 4) and Yanis (Boy of 6 months). It was so lovely to be with them in their kitchen albeit the cold was difficult to cope with. We retired to our van and put the LPG heating on to try and stay warm throughout the night….we are expecting cold temperatures.

We woke at our usual time even though we had planned to stay another night. Today was going to be a lazy day… not much to do.

We heard from our travelling companions that they are unlikely to catch up with us for the rest of our time in Morocco so from here on we will be travelling alone. Tomorrow we aim to find the local guy we came across 7 years ago named Mohan where we spent time with him and his family and when leaving all of us left enough money to buy a donkey. His daughter would now be around 10 years old and so we would like to see what became of them all.

On route we will need to see if we can buy some AdBlue as it is vital that this is added or else serious damage can be done to the engine. So we are leaving tomorrow and therefore watching uTube and streaming football will m out likely have to wait until we get back into Europe.

Last night I was able to watch the Friday night match on Sky using the fast 5G wifi network. It seemed so unusual to be able to do that without burning through the mobile internet data which we have to pay for.

We had a late morning getting started as we were not going anywhere. We also decided to have showers before breakfast so we shared the ladies shower as the door didn\’t lock. It was warm to start but soon we were finding the water ran cooler but it was enough for our needs.

After breakfast Tina made use of the on site washing machine and completed washing all of the items we had stored up. We put up a line and our clothing dried throughout the day. We were offered bread from the site staff and even brought us bananas following a request. The site has been exceptional for our needs.

This evening I watched the AFC Bournemouth home match against Manchester City which we lost 4-1 as expected. Its not these matched that will define our season …

Probably stay another night tomorrow

We left the campsite in Zagora this morning at our usual time of 10:30am but we had a few things we needed to do. Firstly empty our grey waste as it was showing we were completely full. Next we bought some bread for lunch at the small shop- just out side of the site gates. Lastly we needed to fill up with fuel. I was hoping to find a fuel station that took cards but the first couple only took cash so cash it was. Filled completely from a quarter of a tank for 700MAD (Approx £60 or a £1 a litre). Sods law the worked against us as we came across a few stations that took credit cards. Oh Well we were on our way.

We were climbing up through the mountains and came across a rally of approximately 100 Renault 4 & 5 cars that were at least 30 years old. They were all different in their livery. We did come across a number that had broken down but there were support vehicles available to get them going again.

In Ouarzazate we would say bye for now to our travel companions for the past few weeks. They were going to explore the town and the local area. We didn\’t fancy the site they had chosen to stay on so we said that in a couple of days we would join up again before we eventually go our separate ways in about a weeks time.

The WIFI the site provides is free and a 5G network so it was blisteringly fast this afternoon. So now watching the Friday night soccer match on Sky. We got chatting to another couple who are also MotorhomeFun members and have had a few problems with their van. I think they are moving on tomorrow.

A little nippy this morning but an hour on the electric heating took the chill off until the sun rose enough to give off some heat.

After Tina\’s walk up to the centre of town yesterday she was not in any fit state to do the walk again so we agreed that she would come with me to get some of the basics we needed at the shop just outside of the gates. We weren\’t able to get everything so whilst Tina went back to the van I made my way up to the covered market on the mobility scooter to get vegetables and the other things if I could find them. I was successful in the most part and even brought back some strawberries and they were delicious.

Between us we managed to do some much needed washing today. We were hoping the on-site washing machine would be fixed in time but it was late afternoon before we heard it was working albeit not very well. Late afternoon we sat and had some drinks with a German couple who enjoyed my scotch…. so did I !!

A local mechanic came strolling by looking for work and I asked if he could fix a cover for the passenger seat base. Tina has broken it 3 times so I had been pricing a new one from a company in Ringwood. The price was £70 so the repair that the mechanic agreed to perform at £20 seemed too good to turn down. He returned this evening and he has made a good job of fixing it. How long will it take Tina to break it this time!!

Yesterday Tina helped Annie choose a couple of dresses and she was regretting not buying one herself so this evening Annie was asked to bring one back whilst on their evening walk. Looks nice.

We decided to leave Foum Zguid this morning…. it was bright and warm. We left around 10:30am after paying our camping fees of 70MAD per night (£6 including electric). The drive was an easy one along main roads and took us around 90 minutes. The weather on route gradually worsened until we were driving through drizzle.

Our chosen site was one we hadn\’t been to before but when we pulled up outside Eric was not keen so we went a few metres more and went to the site we had been to 7 years before. Still lots of standing water but we got sited on the next level up next to each other.

We had some running repairs to do to the cassette loo as the slide would not open…. horrible job but it had to be done.

Late afternoon we went up to town and by this time it was lovely and warm. Tina bought some jewellery as a keep sake. We will need to buy some shopping tomorrow. On the way back close to the site entrance we were encouraged to look in a guys shop. He was selling ornate copper bangles which he had stored in a chest which he explained were his treasures and he kept the chest ordinarily locked. We didn\’t buy from him even though I think he could have made a brilliant used car salesman.

I have been having issues with our blog website which I was able to fix so all is now working.

First night for a while we didn\’t need the electric heating on in the van. It was very pleasant to not be too hot. I left Tina to sleep until after 9am as we have no significant plans today.

After a leisurely breakfast and deciding to walk up to the square I got out the scooter. Unfortunately our chariot is in need of some running repairs so we left it behind. We last strolled up to the top of town some 7 years ago and nothing has significantly changed. We bought some vegatables and a chicken that still had some internal organs with it.

We decided that we would stop and have a drink. Orange juice and cafe au lait. Tina and I had last eaten at the cafe with Terry & Brenda so we decided we would have lunch her as well. Eric & Annie decided that they would cook lunch back at their van later in the afternoon. We had BBQ chicken on skewers with some fries served with olives and bread. they also brought out bananas for desert. All the drinks and meals cost 200MAD which we considered to be a bargain price.

On the way out of the campsite Tina went into the unit where she had previously bought a couple of pennies/aprons. This time she spotted a colourful cotton shawl and had some edging sewn on whilst we were up town. On the way back we picked it up and she had made an excellent job and charged us 60MAD…. approximately £5+

We have decided to move on tomorrow to Zagorra at our usual time in the morning…should be a 2 hour journey.

Moving day !! We were up by 8:30am this morning having our morning cuppa before having the corn flakes we purchased for breakfast with some over ripened bananas. We planned to leave the site by 10:30am which we did after paying the fees of 70MAD per night (£6 per night including electric and hot showers only if you wait until the afternoon)

The route was taking us along a main road where we could keep a good speed using the cruise control. we had around 85 miles to travel which took us about 2 hours. The site we are parked in tonight we have been to before albeit they have tidied it up and increased its capacity. Still one of our favourites.

We plan to stay a few days and go up to the centre around late morning and maybe have lunch in the restaurant we visited some 7 years ago.

More to follow