Onto Tafraoute

6th March

This morning we left Takat and drove a few km to the beach, it's a small fishing village with some houses dotted into the cliffs. After letting Max have a good run we set off for Tafraoute and into the mountains.  

 Fisherman's Houses Built Into The Cliffs

 Takat Beach

Local Bathing Rules
 

The drive was spectacular even if the roads weren't, we got so far up the R105 to find a diversion onto a P road that wound around the Atlas mountains, P roads are basically compacted gravel and if you're lucky the odd tarmac.

The red line is our detour

While on our detour we came across this fortified village upon the mountain.

 

One of the many villages we passed on route

 

We stopped for a coffee to admire the landscape

 

After roughly an hour and a half detour and driving through some pretty villages we were back on the R105 and soon entering Tafraoute.

We found the campsite at the end of the town, there are approximately 150 vans here. The town is gearing up for the Almond Blossom Festival which starts tonight and finishes Sunday evening. The campsite is in an idylic location 29.72107 -8.98118 set in a valley with palm and almond trees dotted about.

 Our views from the van

You can always tell a French van? They are the ones with the Sat dishes

 

We arrived and found several MHF vans already here, some have been here a few weeks. The cost to stay is 10dir about 70p there is bread man that delivers every morning. a water bowser that will fill you up with fresh water for 25dir that is on site most days, along with other vendors that frequent the site daily. It is a large expanse of ground with plenty of space to park.
Our friends from Mirleft Ken and Lynda along with Graham and Rosie and Dave who originally was going to come into Morocco with us and who we last saw at Essaouira, we also met Mike and Gwen, Darren and Lyn Mus and Bev and John and Pam who we had met at Mustapha's when they were getting some work done.
It is Ken's birthday, most of them had been for a meal which we had been invited to but missed due to our unexpected detour and beer 0'clock had started, so we sat around chewing the fat and listening to Graham and Mike playing their guitars with Mr Tambourine man Ken, an enjoyable evening was had by all.

Later we could hear the traditional Moroccan music blasting out from the stage in town the

festival had started in earnest.

 

7th March

Up bright and early I took a walk into the town with Dave, the town has everything you need, it has several butchers lots of grocery shops plenty of restaurants and many craft shops selling traditional Moroccan goods. it also has many vehicle repair shops specialising in Motorhomes.

Later a few of us decided to go for a walk and climb what is known as the surfboard a rock on top of a nearby mountain so called because of its shape. Myself Dave, Mus and Darren set off and 90 minutes later we had reached the top and sat admiring the view. The climb down was a lot easier and 40minutes later we were back at camp with a thirst on, and oddly enough it was beer 0'clock.  

 On the way up

 

Surfboard from below

Eat your heart out Sherpa Tensing.

 

The campsite below

 

Sam and I left Max in the van and wandered into town later on to watch a bit of the festival, the town was busy, lots of Moroccans had come to enjoy the festival there were plenty of side stalls selling kebabs and the like and it had a good feel about it. We stopped for a coffee on one of the café terraces and watched the goings on below.

 

8th March

 

A few vans rolled out today Mike and Darren had left, they were heading north and out of the country their time in Morocco was coming to an end, they had been here since December. It was a reminder that we were now counting down the days, as our 90day visa runs out in one month!!
We are relaxing and sunning it, we plan to stay here for at least a week. it is the last day of the festival and the town is choca, everyone is enjoying themselves. Ken has adopted a stray dog, or vice versa, it is now known as brownie, he feeds and waters it and it sleeps on his mat for most of the day shaded by his van.
I spent a proportion of the day dragging some of my music onto a USB memory stick for Dave, he had some great music that I had not heard in years so it was a good swap.
The weather is extremely hot and my thermometer on my digital clock goes blank once it hits 50c at about 11am each day.

9th - 10th March

 

The last few days nothing of much importance to write about has happened. We have been

into the town a few times, everything is a lot cheaper here. We have treated our self to a pair of Moroccan slippers and a pair of sandals each, very good quality, 4 pairs for the princely sum of 210dir.

 This chap makes all sorts out of old paint pots

 

Tafraoute high street

 

Cheltenham has started and for the first time in years I will miss it, I usually take the week off when at work to watch it, I will miss ,but possibly be in pocket for once?
We have been on a few long walks into the mountains with Max. The scenery is fantastic there is a lions face on one mountain and at about one o'clock in the afternoon when the sun is at the right angle you can see it perfectly.

 

 





There is also a stone that looks from the side like something off Easter Island.
 



 
Along the way there is a small encampment of goat herders with their families, they are living in makeshift tents, no running water or electric for those poor souls, and I moan when I cant get internet connection "how the other half live eh"

Max seeking shelter from the blistering sun

 

 11th March

 

Ken and Lynda along with Dave left today, they are heading the same direction as we plan to do, over to Merzouga, so we hope to catch up with them again shortly.
Brownie is now ensconced at Graham's van. Unfortunately for her he is leaving for Taroudant tomorrow I wonder who she will adopt next?

They have a market on Tue's and Wed so we went to check it out, we bought several bits n pieces it was busy and Interesting.

Can't get a fresher chicken for lunch than here!

 

I think I would have had a good day yesterday at Chelts!! Mullins had a few winners that I

would have backed but hey ho a few rank outsiders also came in and I would have filled the bookies satchels with my winnings no doubt.
My gold chain had broke in Portugal so I took in to a jeweller in town to get it fixed, today I went in to collect it, I couldn't notice where he had fixed the link and was even happier with the price of 30dir just over two quid.

A few snaps of Tafraoute while we people watching having a coffee

This evening we had a few drinks sat outside John and Pam's along with Mus and Bev and another couple Roly and Ann to say goodbye to Graham and Rosie who are heading out tomorrow.

 

12th March

 

We said our goodbyes to Graham and Rosie, hopefully we will meet up again somewhere on the road, we will keep in touch.
We have a new mouth to feed. Brownie has now adopted us and lies on our mat all day.

thankfully Max has taken to her, but we leave her food and water at the end, under the van

which Max has accepted. In the afternoon we saw her with one of Max's tennis balls, she

sniffed at it but did not know what it was for? Bless she has never had a toy in her life.

Well some go and others arrive, later today I met a couple from Scotland, Sam and his wife, who's name has slipped my mind?  Also a chap originally from Aberdare Gordon an ex teacher, so I invite everyone over to ours for drinks and nibbles at beer 0'clock. We find out Mus and Bev are leaving tomorrow they are going down to the Western Sahara, but are driving all the way to Dhakla near to Mauritania. They are a very nice couple and not old by motorhomer standards. I wish we had got into this many moons ago like them.
We will probably leave tomorrow ourselves for Tata, Foum Zguid and onto Merzouga 

 

13th March

 

We said goodbye to Mus and Bev, safe travels along with their two Schnauzer dogs.

We are staying one more day and will leave for Tata tomorrow.

 I took this pic of an house built on the rocks on the mountain.

Look at his foundations.
 

One last pic of Tafraoute town in the distance

I am under pressure from my brother for not getting the blog out on time? he is a Thursday man, but internet is intermittent so it will be late again this week.
For the last few days we have just lounged about its too hot to do anything else.
We invited Gordy over for a few beers, which turned into a few wines and nearly a bottle of port later. He is an interesting chap and we got along like an house on fire. He is a big fan of Dylan, he was in good company!

 

We are now in Foum Zguid!! It's Sunday and we are alright, We left Tafraoute and stayed at Tata for one night, That's for next weeks blog..

 

Once again apologies to our avid followers of this blog for the very late publication!  One good thing is my I.T wizard Sam has found a programme that will enable me to do 95% of the blog photo's and all offline, so hopefully we will not have this problem in future.

We will try it this week..