2025 Morocco

Nothing planned for today however it was a very enjoyable day.

I suggested we have Kefta for lunch but this was not possible so we agreed on a Berber omelette. We joined Rkia & Moha for breakfast and then Moha said because it was so cold he wished he had a Jellaba. Tina suggested that we gift him mine which I bought in 2014 on our first visit to Morocco. She retrieved it from the van and he tried it on. It was huge if not a little long so the ladies have spent all afternoon altering the hem.

Moha emptied our toilet cassette again so we can now stay until Sunday.

The lunch of the Berber omelette was delicious and then some apples completed the meal.

Quiet day today. After breakfast I wanted to add more fresh water as I was concerned we were likely to be low so we added about 60 litres by hand. Moha helped with carrying the water from the tap. We adapted a bottle to make a funnel.

During lunch Tucker got close to the goat who roams freely in the backyard. When we first arrived the goat was no where to be seen.

Later during the afternoon I tried to do some work on the website and completely mucked it up so I then had to relearn how to correct my mistakes as I had forgotten how I originally created the site.

The plan is now stay until Sunday with a visit to the large market in the nearby town on Saturday morning.

Is there anything that Rkia can’t do? When we visited in 2024 she said that she would weave me a carpet with my own logo on it. She has already started by having a frame built and on the way with the piece.

Our lunch was a Lamb Tagine cooked in a traditional way on a cooker using hot cinders. It consisted off the meat together with the potatoes and vegetables. Delicious.

This evening I helped Marwa with her Maths homework. She was working on fractions.

What a fantastic day today … Lots of fun and laughter.

We were once again invited to have breakfast with them and we were told Rkia was going to bake bread which she does every 3-4 days. We saw her choose her kindling to start the fire in the oven and get the cinders good and hot.

She then introduced the flat bread onto the plata much like a piazza oven. Over the course of the next few minutes the bread was rotated to cook the underside then it was raised from one side so the flames could cook the top surface.

The whole process took about 7 minutes. She then showed us she had already prepared a number of bread rounds ready for cooking. The thought crossed my mind how this process had been followed by the Berber people for centuries. I felt really lucky to watch how this was done in peoples homes and not in a commercial bakery.

Later we decided to have a picnic much like we did on our last visit. However, there is no snow on the roads like before. Check out the last time So we packed the van and we all got in… Moha in the passenger seat, Rkia and Yanis in the travelling seats and Tina and the girls on the bed. They loved the ride. We passed the spot where we got stuck before and found a spot of road. Soon Rkia was making the fire ready to cook the brochettes. In the meanwhile she started to prepare a salad of tomato, onion, cucumber and lettuce.

We had purchased some Turkey meat on our way to visit and so now Rkia was cutting this up to place on the skewers. Cooked to perfection and far too much for Tina & I to consume but the kids enjoyed the meal. All three kids took the time to throw the ball for Tucker and he loved it and got some much need exercise.

Everyone had high spirits and a great day. We packed up and left just before sunset, just as it was starting to get cold.

Fantastic !!!

The good and the bad today….

First the bad. AFC Bournemoth lost 4-0 to Aston Villa which was a great disappointment and as a consequence we have dropped to 9th in the table. Lets hope for a better result next week.

Now the good. We were invited in for breakfast where we had some delicious orange jam with bread & butter. All washed down with milky coffee.

Lunch we ate cuscus with chicken and everyone sat around with their spoon and tucked into the large bowl. This evening we are being treated to soup and jacket potatoes with curry or cheese. We purchased some replacement skillets before we left England and gave our old ones to Rkia. Tina is teaching her what to do with the skillet. Looking forward to the meal in her new kitchen which is a major upgrade from when we visited last.

We tidied up the van today. I have carried clothing, shoes and sweets for the kids together with our old Skillet we use in the van. All of these things were gratefully accepted. Whether they use them for themselves or give / sell them we have left as their choice.

We also brought some writing materials and paper for the girls together with some sticker books which the girls love.

Rkia visited a neighbour / friend who was holding a traditional party for the birth of a new child. Later we were invited to attend in the evening but we declined as Tina was exhausted.

The main purpose of our trip was to meet our “framily” and today we will travel to their home.

We first serviced the van filling the fresh water tank and emptying the black tank and we left at around 11:15am… a little later than usual. On the way we stopped and bought some meat and vegetables so that we can contribute to the meals.

Travelling up through the gorge was as scenic as I remember and we arrived to a wonderful welcome at around 3pm.

Late start this morning as we only plan to drive one hour to a campsite we have used many times. After servicing the van we left just before 11am driving south.

Filled with fuel in Ouarzazate and arrived just after noon. Paid for one night and the use of the washing machine together with two Chicken Tagines in the restaurant this evening.

Once the washing machine had finished we hung out the items on the line I set up. It soon dried in the sun after a couple of hours. The rest of the afternoon was just relaxing in the warmth of the day and drifting in our thoughts.

The meal we purchased was very tasty and made quite a change for us. One of the staff shared a 12s video of Tucker when we were here just under 2 years ago.

We parted company with our travelling friends Lee & Michelle so we could continue onwards to visit Moha and family. Lee was planning to drive into the city and park around the mosque so they could then choose when to walk into the square and for how long.

So around 10:40am we went and paid our site fees and got on the road. It was slow driving up and down the Mountain passes which had been improved but continued to be steep.

We drove the 3+ hour journey with no stops but Tucker really doesn’t enjoy the travelling. He does put up with it if he can share the seat with Tina.

Today’s site was a new one for us and could be a favourite. We got talking to another English couple who had travelled here in their tag axle 8m caravan. Not sure I would want to bring a caravan to Morocco!!

Staying for one night so moving on tomorrow moving east.

We spent the morning doing very little until a touring truck came onto the site. The truck sleeps 20 people and does a tour of southern Morocco over 14 days. It has seating for everyone and a place to sleep. The truck has a kitchen at the rear.

This was a business operated by a German company.

Later in the afternoon we visited the on site coffee shop and had a final coffee with our friends before we seperate and go our different ways in the morning. Around 4pm yet another touring truck arrived full of brits and Aussies. The company operate tours of Africa with some doing a 47 week holiday visiting 34 countries ending in September 2026. After researching it seems that it costs £10,495 per person and they are expected to share a tent.