Homeward Bound

We stay for just two nights at Imsouane and definitely feel it's time to head north. We have a long journey ahead of us and want to stop a while in a couple of places.

 Krysia poses in front of ''the new wall'' which has appeared in in the last five days!!! Another idea from Jamie who seems determined to separate the campers from the ? non campers? that is, the people who stay in the boats, tents and cabins! His plans are to expand the one area at the expense of the other. As campers, we can't say we're that chuffed with the idea but his business is suffering and new ideas are where the money lies. We wish him well with his venture.




We, after all, just arrive when we please and go when it suits us. He just doesn't get enough motorhomes staying for long periods. When the north wind blows, most people run for cover, Taghazout misses the wind and is only 30 miles away!





 We leave with Jamie and Louis! on board, who need a ride to Tamanar. Louis is keen to join us on the journey, he's from Italy originally and was left here? by uncaring owners? He is very loyal to ''the boss'' until Jamie leaves for any reason and then will latch on to any camper as if they are his life long owner! What a softy, a large ferocious looking dog who wouldn't hurt a fly.



Krysia seems to think I need a dog and look the part with Louis at my side! Personally, I am happy to leave him with his boss at Tamanar.

Good luck Jamie.








After having lunch with Jamie and leaving Louis with his master!, we drive to Essaouira for a couple of nights. The windy city, as it is known, is where the north wind blows with such regularity that it has become a wind surfing center as well as a tourist destination for many holiday makers. Not our 'cup of tea' so on to the wonderful city of El Jadida, well we like it. Hardly a western tourist in sight, lovely warm people and night life unlike we experience anywhere else in Morocco!
We stay for four nights, spending productive time crocheting, blog catching up! practicing our music for the up and coming gig we have in June and recharging our batteries. The cool, damp breeze here is a welcome relief. It's a lovely temperature. We take few photographs and mix with the local folk as discretely as possible. Eating out at a beans and lentil cafe, 8 dirhams each for a plate of good food! Very local.

An evening walk on the beach, making the most of this pleasant weather and actually wearing some clothes for a change!

The late evening walks in town and along the promenade are a must for anyone visiting here. There are so many small shops and so many people shopping at them! Boys and girls, men and women, children and babies, all are out and about, shopping, chatting, eating, watching, flirting and being happy!

We like this campsite. We stop here on the way down, at the beginning of our trips and on the way back up as our trip comes to a close. It can be full of motorhomes but it is getting on in the season and we are amongst but a handful of others here. Very quiet! Lovely.
This years blog is coming to a close. It has been another amazing experience. I write this from Assilah, 40 kms or so from the ferry port. We will stay a couple of nights before heading off into Europe and home.
We hope to come back again, Insha'Allah. We shall see. May you be happy. Much love.
The Beynons xxx

Leaving the heat

Up'n atom. Too hot for another day here so we leave first thing in the morning. Put the bike on last night so we could get off at a good hour and before it gets too hot. We will be heading north after we get out of the mountains, which will mean the sun is at our backs! But first we have to get up and over the top of the mountain wall which surrounds Tafraout.

It's a beautiful morning and the early sunshine highlights the contrast between the valley and the mountains.

The climb begins!

The villages soon hug the cliffs as the valley gets steeper. Small communities hang on to the outcrops of rock as if they have no where else to go! Water must be their reason for being. Springs perhaps? Age old rites to a source?
Rain falls here but only occasionally. The last time the river ran through Tafraout was Christmas of 2009, we were here! as it happens. The whole town was out to see the spectacle as a raging torrent of brown water cascaded through and under the bridge in the center of town. Our campsite was inaccessible due to flooding and we had to be 'ferried' in on a 4x4!
That was more than 4 years ago!

 Great views the higher we get.






And at last we reach the 'Tizi' with the road below showing our ascent route, Tafraout way down the valley in the distance. The van's engine is quite warm! but nothing serious.

Our journey takes us back along the road we arrived on, spectacular but straight forward driving.

Ups and downs, hairpin bends through small affluent villages. Perhaps there is more rain here on the north facing slopes? Crops of wheat are being harvested and water is evident in the streams.

Water! that magic ingredient to life. These camels have probably come up from the desert to drink their fill and stay alive. This is at a small reservoir at the bottom of the valley. It's flat land now all the way to Agadir.

Then back around the coast road to familiar territory. Just around the bend is Tamri, a banana town. The sweetest little banana's you will taste anywhere, for 8 Dirhams a kilo!  the sand dune in the distance is evidence of the prevailing wind here. A strong northerly can blow for a week here, bringing sand from Imsouane!! which lies across a bay, directly behind the dune. Hot sun and a howling wind can make for trying conditions. We have been lucky this year and have not had to endure these conditions.

The banana plantations spread for miles up the valley in the distance.We stop for 2 kilo's in Tamri as well as other supplies before calling in at Imsouane for a couple of nights. A short stop to say farewell as we are heading north and homeward. Another year, our 5th, is drawing to a close.

At Imsouane, we find the campsite empty apart from Jamie, who is leaving on Thursday himself for some well needed European sanity.

One season passes, another is knocking on the door as summer approaches and Moroccans will fill Imsouane. It's theirs now until next winter.

100 mile mountain drive

So what else can we do in this heat? Ah I know go for another bike ride!! Well, we are in Tafraout after all. We set off at a good hour and head for a road we saw while Adam n Riek were with us. A small little number, heading off into the mountains. Now I know there was a sign saying road closed but I thought we'd have a look all the same!! We took a rest after the first section of piste and posed for a photo or two.
Posers!

Shall we go on? or turn back? The road road signs are clear enough? Seriously, we did see other traffic use the road while we were there so we thought, why not, we can always turn back if need be.

The scenery is stunning. The Ameln valley from above. And it is definitely cooler up here, what a relief. So we dress up, helmets on and on up and up we go. Which way was it now Krysia?

The road is obviously under construction! It is marked on the map and must be being upgraded to allow better access to these parts. As we have no idea how long the road works go on for, we find it all very exciting as we keep on climbing.

Seems to be levelling out now, glad there is no rain about. Must be a right old mess in the wet weather ( what wet weather? ), we'll keep on going, see what we can find.

What's around the next bend?

Now then, a village nestled in the mountain side, we're quite high up now yet the houses are up market, perhaps a summer haven for wealthy landowners or town dwellers. It must stay cooler up here as the sun bakes Tafraout. That explains the road too, there's money in these here hills.

And in the next village, we find a shop with enough supplies to make a sandwich, that's bread, laughing cow cheese, a yogurt and a cold drink. Great stuff as we have come out without a packed lunch and have no idea where we are going!! ( Well, some idea? ) or how long we will be out!! the friendly shopkeeper says the road gets better in about 5 kms and we can get around on fair roads to anywhere we want to go!! Tafraout??? No problem he says.

Kitted back up and well fed, we decide to carry on and find our way around the mountains to our campsite. We do know that the main road to Tafraout from the south is closed due to repairs! This could make our journey longer, we will find this out a bit later on.

First, we have to come down out of the mountains and get onto the valley roads. Wow, this is some descent, if the road was solid it would be challenging but it's a piste and yet there is a Ford transit coming up towards us on a road I can only say is ''interesting'' at this point, heart in my mouth and drive carefully Ted!

Ah, I see, there is a sharp bend and a rather large drop. I think I'll stop for the transit? Let him pass and go for it. No other choice really and it is all very exciting. Bike's going well, plenty of fuel, nerves are intact and on high alert!

What a road!

Made it. Now what's around this corner, any sign of the valley ?

Stunning scenery, deep breaths, no one coming, take a picture Krysia? oh you have! Phew, no coming!

And there it is, the valley floor with tar mac roads!

Now which way is it and where are we?

Any idea o hairy one?

Not a clue really, we seem to be rather close to Tiznit, on the coast!! Mmm We've got rather a long drive ahead of us so we'd better get on with it because we're not going back over the top!
So we zoom on fine roads the many more kilometers than we'd planned, around a large detour due to major road works, to a spot we have stopped at maybe 3 years ago. A wild and desolate place, well to us it is, even more so without our van.

We've come around to the south east of Tafaout now, our journey started in a westerly direction, turning due south, then east and now we're about to head north west over a high pass, drop right down into the heat sink and get back to the undress campsite in plenty of time to get hot and bothered again! Only joking, we've done a round trip of 100 miles today and have ended up seeing amazing mountain scenery and places.

What a place to stop and take in what we've done today! Further than we had planned yet amazing to be in this open wide landscape. A drive of a lifetime for us and a chance to escape the heat for the day.
Thanks to Krysias photography, we have some great images of our trip. Of course, I took these three!! of the mobile camera woman.

Keeping cool in Tafraout

Our campsite amongst the palm trees looks idyllic, for the most part it is but there are certain problems that must be dealt with. Heat, water, flies and mosquitoes are the main contenders, so I'll deal with them in turn.
Heat: the sun is very hot here as is the air so avoiding high temperatures is difficult. What you do during the day becomes the issue, activity increases discomfort so being still and in the shade is important. The awning helps but also insulates so any air movement is to be encouraged. The wind, although hot, does at times blow with force so covering the sides keeps out the sun but keeps in the heat!! In the van, all silver reflectors are up and both fans run throughout the day. all doors are opened as long as they are not in the sunshine! Yes, this is an endurance test and totally self imposed so no sympathy being sought.
We go out at the end of the day, first for a walk around the palmerie as the evening shadows grow.

The scenery is stunning here, rock formations and palm trees, views of the town and mountains, all accentuated by the setting sun. Keeping covered from the sun and yet cool enough to walk is achieved by copying the locals, loose and flowing garments.

The town is nestled in this basin, surrounded on all sides by high mountains. Day time in town is adjusting to the coming summer, it's quiet. At sunset, the locals pour out onto the streets and parks. A hive of activity, young and old congregate and converse as the day cools down, it's a fine sight. We wander too amongst the crowds of cheerful folk, all dresses up to impress and attract. The local dress for women here is black with swirling gold braided edging, wrapped from head to toe, only uncovering their faces to smile, talk and flirt. Traditional dress in a modern world. So beautiful and worn by all ages.

This is a Berber town and very proud of it.


As we continue our walk, we come across little 'cairns' to mark the paths. Their use in this weather is unclear but we have been here in heavy rain and mist, Christmas 2009, dressed in full waterproofs. Like the mountains of Wales, pathways are marked to help the traveller safely get from a to b.

Looking through to the Ameln valley as the sun goes down, accentuates the steep sides to the surrounding mountains. Villages line the base of these mountains no doubt due to the availability of water, which brings me on to the next problem.
Water: the taps in the campsite are rarely running making showering impossible. We are told that water pressure all over town is bad and the new construction taking place, ironically a swimming baths!, is taking far too much for its own needs!

I think I should set this warrior woman on them so that we could all have a shower and not pong so much. Showering has become twofold. One to keep clean and two, to cool down. Our method is to fill up water bottles on the dribble from the taps, then pour over each other in bathing suits and wait for the delightful feeling of being cold as evaporation does its magic. Brrr, chilly is so nice at 35 deg C.

It's also very humid and threatens to thunder and rain, but nothing comes of it. The setting sun highlights the thundery promise. It does not come. Would it clear the air like back home? Doubt it.

Clapping for joy as the temperature goes down, looking slightly loopy from too much sun, we have made it through the day. In spite of the heat and enduring the biting flies! Yes flies bite here, for moisture apparently, for blood more like it. Means you have to wear long trousers in the heat of the day? What's it like in August??? We will never find out!

To change the whole subject just for a moment, here's a photo of a beautiful cactus. Take our minds off the discomfort challenges of the day and have a breather before talking about the mosquitoes!

Deep breaths now

What can one say about mosquitoes? In Imsouane they bite, itch but are not too much of a problem. Here, they are ferocious, leaving me especially with swelling of worrying proportions. And as for itching, ahhhh. don't scratch, don't scratch! Too late, even in ones sleep, nails find skin and.......... make things worse!!!
Unwittingly, we lie at the back of the van watching the twilight through open doors. Fools, hoards of mosquitoes are creeping in for the night times feast.
Very beautiful though, just with a price!

Ait Mansour meltdown.

One of the reasons we've come back to Tafraout is to take the motor bike off and drive to Ait Mansour, a gorge about 30 kms from here, written up in the Rough guide as a must see, and we haven't!!! So first thing in the morning, I get the bike off, we kit up and get on the road. We're going to the gorge. Now it's very warm and getting warmer, by the time today is half way through, it's sweltering for us. Helmets, gloves, coats and trousers, shoes!! A wind so hot that you could throw an egg in the air and it would cook!! Well, ok, I exaggerate but it is so hot we have to take our helmets and gloves off for the ride back up the palmerie and go very slowly. But enough of my winging about the temperature, on with some photos of the day.

 After passing through the gorge, we stop as soon as we can find somewhere appropriate to have our prepared picnic. It's also an excuse to take some kit off and cool down, a little. The bike goes well and zooms through the mountain passes and valley floor. I just wish we could be naked!! I mean scantily clad but safety first of course although two young European girls came past us at one point, scantily dressed, no helmets on off road motor bikes! Very sexy and very cool I'm sure but if you come off girls????? Ah well, carefree youth!

Pointing at the sky, I'm sure this burnt palm tree wasn't set on fire by the sun but there again, it could have had something to do with it. Still, a very creative shot by Krysia, who takes nearly all the pics today. She shoots well from behind me and gets a spirit of what it is like to drive through these roads.

Awesome shot of the passing scenery.

Villages are made from the mud and stone surrounding them. They blend in with ease and appear to be born out of the rock. Whole communities living in this harsh landscape, made to endure the scorching sun and reap the fruits of it's action. Sun and water means food and drink. It's a long way from home! yet we need the same ingredients. We just get them in different amounts.

Now I don't normally drink Coke but at a small roadside shop I'll buy and drink anything cold.

And at the same shop, we also have a mint tea in the shade.
It's actually very pleasant under the palm trees with the right amount of clothes on!
Krysia looks cool and beautiful

Helmets on for road driving and you only want to stop if you can take it off. The breeze, although like a hair dryer, does make it bearable.

So we swiftly go the length of the gorge to reach the end to be confronted by hotter and drier landscape.!! We turn around and slowly make our way back up the gorge.

This time, with helmets off and more shade, we can enjoy being here in this oasis in the mountains. Carefully! we drive back up to the start of the gorge, enjoying the breeze in our hair.

With all our gear back on, we head up and out of the gorge, leaving the palmerie behind. The oasis starts as a river or I should say, shows signs of having been a river! There must be springs too as water was flowing through the irrigation canals amongst the palms.

Looking back down towards Ait Mansour and you would have no idea that there is a beautiful green valley waiting for you. Hot and arid up here, plants do grow but on what moisture is a mystery. Life is a mystery!

Which way? Without a thorough knowledge of Arabic, I haven't a clue. So we'll turn around and go back the way we know. It's just too hot to go on wild adventures in the wrong direction. 

The road snakes back down into the natural heat bowl that is Tafraout. Temperatures can reach 50 deg C in high summer!! There is no where for the hot air to go. So it gets hotter as we descend, there must be a cap holding the air in place as back home hot air rises!! Tafraout is renowned for it's cauldron like qualities.

A village is nestled at the base to this mountain. There must be water there, some reason to be there!! 

And at last we are almost back at the undress campsite! We can try and cool down at the van. Unfortunately, there is little water coming out of the taps here?? so even a cold shower is hard to find!
These are trying conditions but we happily make the most of them. We won't be here long, between the heat and the mosquito's, wow they bite here! It's not only that they bite but they come up in huge lumps on me too, itch itch, don't scratch!! Ah the joys of camping.