Morocco

carol said:
Where do you keep all those bottles of water when you're driving?[/

I normally carry 6 full bottles in the shower but not been been driving for 16 days, a Brit who was leaving the valley gave us a load of empty bottles.

Water can be a bit of a problem here, a tanker visits every day, the guy charges 25 dirhams (£2) for as much water as you can take.

With my onboard tank & a load of bottles, it works out quite cheap. Reckon I took 160 litres yesterday.
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It was lovely to read the thread and very appropriate as I have just returned from Morocco but not in my van. I went back-packing. Travelled from Malaga - Tanger -Rabat - Casablanca - El Jadida -Essouira - Agadir.
I was hoping to meet some van people and did get chatting to some Dutch people who were in Casablanca for the day. However I did notice, on my way to Agadir by bus, that the vans that used to park up along the Atlantic have been moved, and I saw a lot more camp and stopping places. The stopping place in Agadir was packed as I went past but as it was a long way from my hotel I didn't go back to visit.
I have also been thinking about going to Morocco as I love travelling in the country and with my own transport I could get up into the lower atlas and other such lovely valleys. I should chum up with Carol!!
Anyway enjoy the rest of your trip you certainly did miss a very horrible couple of weeks weather wise, I foolishly came back in the middle of it. I am now getting ready to go to Northern Spain for easter the beginning of my van travels this year.
 
Moonraker 2 said:
It was lovely to read the thread and very appropriate as I have just returned from Morocco but not in my van. I went back-packing. Travelled from Malaga - Tanger -Rabat - Casablanca - El Jadida -Essouira - Agadir.
I was hoping to meet some van people and did get chatting to some Dutch people who were in Casablanca for the day. However I did notice, on my way to Agadir by bus, that the vans that used to park up along the Atlantic have been moved, and I saw a lot more camp and stopping places. The stopping place in Agadir was packed as I went past but as it was a long way from my hotel I didn't go back to visit.
I have also been thinking about going to Morocco as I love travelling in the country and with my own transport I could get up into the lower atlas and other such lovely valleys. I should chum up with Carol!!
Anyway enjoy the rest of your trip you certainly did miss a very horrible couple of weeks weather wise, I foolishly came back in the middle of it. I am now getting ready to go to Northern Spain for easter the beginning of my van travels this year.
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It’s true the coastal stopping places above Agadir are limited especially around Tagazoute, where they are building 100s of holiday apartments, but we managed. Below Agadir there are dozens of wilding spots, mostly free.

We, too, want to get back to Spain for Easter & the Semana Santa celebrations, those Spaniards certainly know how to party!.

But I’m a bit worried about the weather, Looking at the satellite pictures, Iberia is shrouded in cloud & the forecast is not good while here we have cloudless blue skies & 26deg.
 
spigot said:


It’s true the coastal stopping places above Agadir are limited especially around Tagazoute, where they are building 100s of holiday apartments, but we managed. Below Agadir there are dozens of wilding spots, mostly free.

We, too, want to get back to Spain for Easter & the Semana Santa celebrations, those Spaniards certainly know how to party!.

But I’m a bit worried about the weather, Looking at the satellite pictures, Iberia is shrouded in cloud & the forecast is not good while here we have cloudless blue skies & 26deg.
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in 1996 if my memory is right ,the old king came down invited us all to a big marquee and there was the plans for tagga beach area . seems the locals that farmed some of the area werent offered extended leases so it was all sold to big companies . the original model of it all was in the town hall area in agadir . showed the expanding golf course etc .
the fishermans cottages were first to go . then a hotel close to taghazoute . then work along the valley up from there .
its took along time to happen but it will change things .
mind look at all the holiday villages that have been built along the coast all along the atlantic side . certainly a different place to when the hippies travelled that coast.
there is loads of free stop overs its just so many just follow guide books etc and never have an adventure .
 
spigot said:
Totally agree with that last sentence.
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cant say my parents were hippies exactly but we did do maroc in the early 60,s .
and greece ,turkey etc . all of main europe .
and living here in cornwall spent many weekends down in st ives .
my mum sang in a sciffel group and we very often parked in st ives but slept down on the beach under the arches on the pier. nice campfire and music being played . was a great time . if it rained it was sleep across the beach in the lifeboat house . never be allowed these days .
mind sleeping down on towan beach in newquay under the alcoves by the aquarium as is now looking at the house on the island was also common .
all different to these days .
had some good times in weymouth when we lived there as a young teenager .
i,m sure my parents never grew up. hee hee . i,m not going to. ha ha
 
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For the last 4 years they’ve been building a fabulous, State of the Art, Olympic size swimming pool here in Tafraoute, puts to shame anything in UK. The way it’s going, probably be finished next year.

I often wonder if they’ll allow mixed bathing as most of the women here are shrouded in black.

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I would like to re-visit Morrocco

I went in 1992 with Exodus travels
Highlights of Morocco | Exodus

But for 3 weeks
Simply great ..My first "Adventure tour" many with "Exodus"

Unfortunately we live abroad in the winter but Maybe !
 
Funny old weather here, zero deg during night, ice on windscreen 7am, 18 deg now, low 20s expected.

Something to do with being over 1000mtrs ASL.
 
Yes

spigot said:
Funny old weather here, zero deg during night, ice on windscreen 7am, 18 deg now, low 20s expected.

Something to do with being over 1000mtrs ASL.
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See my earlier post

We would need to return to Uk on say March 1st and hi-tail it from UK to Morocco to get there about now ! for maybe 6 weeks !
 
Must tell you this, French lady in nearby van did some washing, didn’t tie the line high enough.

Goats ate her knickers!

Those kecks must’ve been tasty, couldn’t stop laughing.
 
It’s so cheap in Morocco.

I’m not one for planning or keeping records, if doing the latter, I would probably be pleasantly surprised how little this trip is costing me.

The cash I have is mainly in 200 dirham notes, there’s no big supermarket here in Tafraout & if I proffer one of these notes in a local shop, the shopkeeper will throw up his hands in horror, so I have to change them in a bank.

A 200 dirham note equates to £16.12p!!!

I have changed 4 of these notes in the 3 weeks I have been at this location & that includes buying a 6kg gas bottle (70dh complete) plus 1 refill (22dh). Yes, gas is 15p per litre!

It is very cheap to stay here, when traveling the main expense is diesel which this year has gone up to 80p per litre.
 
"I often wonder if they’ll allow mixed bathing as most of the women here are shrouded in black" - I am not sure where you have been travelling Spigot, but having just come back from a three week trip I saw only one woman in the full burka and gloves. The Moroccan women dress much like the Turks, in a dressing gown type of coat and head scarf. I bought a short version and found it very useful for helping me blend in and keeping my clothes clean, I may resort to a headscarf too as I found I needed to wash my hair more over there.

I would just like to tell you an amusing story about clothing, and I do not mean to be derogatory about this young lady in any way; but she got on the train from Casablanca to El Jadida wearing a dressing gown in thick fleece, the type with bunny ears on the hood which was pulled up. I could see peeking out at the bottom what were clearly fleece pyjama bottoms and she definitely had wooly slippers on. She was about 18 years old. Having found this quite startling I began to observe other ladies dressed fairly similarly and concluded that the Moroccan women have taken leasure wear to a whole new level.
 
Moonraker 2 said:
"I often wonder if they’ll allow mixed bathing as most of the women here are shrouded in black" - I am not sure where you have been travelling Spigot, but having just come back from a three week trip I saw only one woman in the full burka and gloves. The Moroccan women dress much like the Turks, in a dressing gown type of coat and head scarf. I bought a short version and found it very useful for helping me blend in and keeping my clothes clean, I may resort to a headscarf too as I found I needed to wash my hair more over there.

I would just like to tell you an amusing story about clothing, and I do not mean to be derogatory about this young lady in any way; but she got on the train from Casablanca to El Jadida wearing a dressing gown in thick fleece, the type with bunny ears on the hood which was pulled up. I could see peeking out at the bottom what were clearly fleece pyjama bottoms and she definitely had wooly slippers on. She was about 18 years old. Having found this quite startling I began to observe other ladies dressed fairly similarly and concluded that the Moroccan women have taken leasure wear to a whole new level.
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Copying us I suppose , the 'School run' in PJ's is de rigeur here now!
 
I’m not imagining things, where we are in a village inland from the coast, most of the women are dressed in black , not the full burka. Some show the full face, some just the eyes.

Where you travelled down the coastal cities women’s dress is much more relaxed. In Casablanca, for instance it’s unusual too see a veil.
 
Moonraker 2 said:
"I often wonder if they’ll allow mixed bathing as most of the women here are shrouded in black" - I am not sure where you have been travelling Spigot, but having just come back from a three week trip I saw only one woman in the full burka and gloves. The Moroccan women dress much like the Turks, in a dressing gown type of coat and head scarf. I bought a short version and found it very useful for helping me blend in and keeping my clothes clean, I may resort to a headscarf too as I found I needed to wash my hair more over there.

I would just like to tell you an amusing story about clothing, and I do not mean to be derogatory about this young lady in any way; but she got on the train from Casablanca to El Jadida wearing a dressing gown in thick fleece, the type with bunny ears on the hood which was pulled up. I could see peeking out at the bottom what were clearly fleece pyjama bottoms and she definitely had wooly slippers on. She was about 18 years old. Having found this quite startling I began to observe other ladies dressed fairly similarly and concluded that the Moroccan women have taken leasure wear to a whole new level.
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whenever my daughter went to Maroc , she'd make a point of going to a women only steam baths. she said it was usually hilarious , a real chance for the women to let their hair down, with lots of screeching laughter and bums being flipped by towels - sounds wellworth a visit !
 
n brown said:
whenever my daughter went to Maroc , she'd make a point of going to a women only steam baths. she said it was usually hilarious , a real chance for the women to let their hair down, with lots of screeching laughter and bums being flipped by towels - sounds wellworth a visit !
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certainly my ex wife and any women in our traveling group always went to the hamams with local women we knew . then on to the local hairstylists etc . gave them a real nice ladies day out . costs very little as well.
many women on trips to morocco never get to go usually nerves . but if any ladies get the chance it does seem its good fun.
there are mens ones have been but i didnt exactly think i shall go to one again . but you have to go once just to see how it goes .
there are so many local happenings and things to get involved with , visiting some of the out of the way villages and get treated like visiting royalty is great.
tunisia and gambia are also other great places to go. in gambia many speak real good english as it was a uk colony at one time .
 
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