20 March - Wednesday - short ride to Midelt

This morning  was tough ..... Alarm at 6 am for quick breakfast and the rush to the CTM office to queue at the ticket counter, that opens one hour before scheduled departure.   Luggage costs 5Dh per item and must be registrered precisely 30 minutes prior to departure.   Each suitcase is labelled and brought to the bus by a CTM employee.   We see our luggage upon arrival will receive it only against presentation of the official luggage tag.

This service is prefectly well organised and works like a clock.

We are to catch the CTM bus for check in at 7:30, luggage drop at 8:00 and (expexted) departure at 8:30 - Inch’Allah.

An uneventful journey in a comfortable bus.   No coffee break today, but timely arrival at the 

CTM station from where we catch a small cab.  They were red in Agadir.  In Midelt they are yellow.

We are in for some luxury at “Kasbah Asmaa”, recommended to us by Hassan.

It looks old, but although it is not, the mud brick maconery is impressive.

The receptionist started out setting us up with an ice cold pool room.   It took some serious discussions before we were moved to the central building, on the first floor - with thick and beautiful carpets and quite a view.

We are now north of the “High Atlas” and it is cold, really cold - maybe 10˚C.

Skoura .... 2

Coming back to that hole in the ground, from where the water should be pumped into ‘our’ house, it makes the whole project both scary and immense ...

 The first thing to do is to construct a wall around the house to be built.

Here is the view from the roof, where the sunset terrace should be.

Hassan would really like to have us as close-by neighbours and he eagerly shows us around.

There is much work still to do in the house he wants to sell to us, next to Charles & Isabelle at one side and ‘Le Breton’ at the other side.

The view is lovely, the air is good, the temperature is agreable in February and there is only 40 km 

dust road to the ‘big’ city of  Ouarzazete -  but the step is big to take and we need to time think !

A last drink with Hassan, Aziz and Mohammed before supper on the terrace.

If ever we were to return to Morocco, 1.2.3.Soleil would be the starting point of the trip 

15-19 March - in Skoura at 123Soleil guesthouse

The palm grove of Skoura is probably the largest in Marocco and it is Unesco protected.

Under the green canopy og 1000 palms, a 7 km long patchwork of carefully tended garden plots are watered by an ingenious, centuries-old khettara system of locks, levers and canals.

View from the terrace on the first floor at 1.2.3.Soleil, Saâdia and Hassans guesthouse, where we are back for a couple of nights.   We feel well there and spend long moments with Hassan himself, neighbour Aziz and young Mohammed, who survived a car accident.

They would like to see us move into the house next to Isabelle and Charles on one side and ‘Les Bretons’ on the other side.   The exterior walls are standing.  Mud brick, of course and there is electricity already.

Water is said to be just another four meters down .... 

19 March - CTM bus to Er Rachidia

Monday evening we partied with host Hassan, Mohammed and Aziz.   Yesterday they took us to the bus stop at the roadside - and we left Skoura and the Palmeriae with much regret.

A bit more than 4 hours with the CTM bus to get around the Mt Gouna and then eastwards to 

Er-rechidia, where we, exceptionally, have booked one night fot late arrival.

The landscapes were beautiful, the road was winding non-stop and, tired as we were upon arrival, we just had a quick bite for supper - probably a Tagine avec poulet aux citrons et olives, at “Zarda”.

Upon arrival in El-Rachidia, we need to find out about departure times for tomorrow and we must also buy the tickets still today.  The timetable is in Arab and Berger with small text in French.

What a tremendeous relief when, half an hour later, we get settled in our home for one night - 

with a cup of tea.   

Since weeks we don’t even mention wine nor cool beer.

Sunrise ((!) on Lake Meski close to which are the hot springs called “La source bleue’’.   

Hassan had recommended we take taxi out there for supper yesterday, but the bus arrived much too late and we were too tired.

Within half an hour we reach the foot of the High Atlas.   It gets cooler by the minutes.

The temperatur, in fact, drops 1˚C for every 200 m we drive up into the mountains.

The outside temperature is 10*C and we have no warm clothes in our cabin luggage.

But worthwhile it all is .... to have a view like this, also if only for one day.

Everything at hand - even the pool.

The glazed tiles are green and two eagles seem to have chosen the tower for nesting.

Tomorrow is another day .... a bit further north and a bit cooler at 1980 m above sea level.

Jeudi, 14 mars

Evening view on the High Atlas behind the city walls of Taroudant.

Chosing some goodies for the 5-6 hours ride with the CTM bus from Taroudant to Ouarzazate.

The Maroccans are very inventive - Sugar, mint, five cups, a gaz cooker and vupti ... a tea stand.

The bus is full, we have seats number 11 and 12 - on the right side, which is the left, out of the sun.    Maroccans are very courteous and patient travellers.  No pushing or running.    

The trafic is something else, much like India.  They drive where there is space.

Depositing the luggage a couple of hours prior to departure.

5 kgs of oranges = 20 Dh or 2 €

All colours available for a shoe shine

Hans’s old Mercedes would be worth a fortune here.

No word to describe the misery of some people.

Sunday, 17 March

Today is Sunday.   The Hamam at the far away end of the property is being heated as of early morning and later today we are all in for the weekly cleaning process with steam and black soap.

But first Aziz, our host Hassan’s younger brother, will take us for a tour around the country.   He needs to pick up goods in Ouarzazate and has offered to take us through the palm grove to his own house, which is 20 kms west of Skoura halfway to Ouarzazate.

These are traditional family houses (vith view on the thousand of palms of Skoura). 

The  painting on this village house illustrates the mountain village of Aid Benhaddou, 

where Hans climbed to the top of the mountain some weeks ago. 

Aziz lets a couple with two young children live in his house.  They don’t pay rent, they are allowed to cultivate the fields and have free water and electricity - but they have no salary and must keep the house clean and constantly repair the mud brick walls, which becomes fragile with age. 

Aisha, cleaning sardines for supper.  

She is 22 and mother to a boy of  one and a daughter of five.

The little girl invites us into the house through a meander of corridors.

The house is build from mud brick, has no roof (for the moment) and is kept neat and as clean as mud brick allows.

We are treated to mint tea with roasted almonds at the mother’s house, just across the road.

The family room, where we are seated (me next to Aisha) is almost as large as my apartment in Brussels.  Some 15 x 6 meters.   Thick woolen carpets on the floor and comfortable cushions against the walls the whole way round this large room.

Fatima Is so happy to have unexpected visitors, that dances from joy. 

Everybody attentive to the way, Hans drinks his tea. 

Pretty Aisha and her older sister Fatima serving tea.  

Conversation is difficult, but the kindness, we are shown, is without limits.

Day off in Taroudant - 13 March

Wednesday - we are back at Riad Taroudant with its central court yard and the two cats.   

Sunset over the Medina -

- and burning hot fried rings for supper with a cup of tea.

Some fresh figs for tomorrow’s trip.  We are to get up early to catch the 11 o’clock bus. 

We are to arrive in Ouarzazate at 16:30.  Our host, Mr Hassan, has suggested to pick us up.

Tuesday, 12 March - travel day

Today ‘Taros’ went elswhere.
‘Taros’ is the Berber word for the strong wind blowing on Essaouira, ‘The windy City of Africa’.   

But the fog was thick and we can hardly see the Ocean.   That made it easier to leave this small city, where we have felt so well.   Small and small ..... the book says 77.426 inhabitants, but as we were inside the city walls, it felt small.

Transport can be many things. 

I am sitting on the our two small suitcases.

The streets in Essaouira are too narrow to allow vehicles.  Everything is transported on the push barrows or, eventually, on a motorcycle with a big box behind the driver.

The bus stop is right at the foot of the city wall and next to the nursery with hundreds of small palms.

We are well in time for the 2:30 Supratour bus and get good seats. Almost 4 hours to Agadir, from where w hope to get a ‘Shared Taxi’ to Taroudant. 

A  last look at the Ocean - and then inland with green houses to all sides.

Midway stop reminds me of  the movie ‘Baghdad Café’ 

All went as planned and we arrived well at Riad Taroudant, where we seem to be the only guests.