Hi All,
Back alive! A week and 3000+ km later going from Marrakech to the High Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic ocean to the Mid Atlas Mountain then back to Marrakech. Epic drive. Should be on the worlds best drive list.
A lesson we have learnt is dont drive on Moroccan roads. It often is life threatening as the drivers are extremely unpredictable or predictable if you assume that they are insane. Take a bunch of peasants who are used to riding donkeys on a farm then give them driving licenses and let them go in their own direction. Speeds, road direction, white lines, indicators and lights are for tourists only. Horns and accelerators are for locals.
The grim reaper grande mercedes 220D taxis are the worst of the lot. They have signs on the back of their vehicles indicating maximum speed but we think it is the minimum speed that they guarantee for their passengers for the journey.
Day 1. Marrakech-Dades Gorge. Day started badly. Got the vehicle which was supposed to be an automatic and found it was a 5 speed manual. Not good for the madness of Marrakech trafic. Enough having to drive on the right hand side of the road with a left hand drive vehicle. Took a while to get a feel for the width of the car and clipped a scooter rider with the right hand mirror only to have to stop at traffic lights about 100m away. He pulled up next to me and told me to go slower as there were people weaving all over the road. Got lost in Marrakech without a map and drove through town and eventually picked up the signs and got in the right direction after Vanessa and I had a bit of a case of inner car road rage.
Lovely drive up through the snow capped high Atlas mountains with people running out to the side of the road displaying beatiful but unnaturally coloured amethyst crystals. Then nearly got wiped out by crazy french students cutting the corners driving old renaults in a rally called the 2009 Renault 4L challenge. There were 100s of cars to avoid and the worst was one overtaking in the snow coming at us in the opposite direction with nowhere to go and actually went on the right of us! I thought that was pretty bad but as the trip continued it wasn't too bad when it came to near misses.
Decide with so much snow that we couldn't go treking so continued on to the Dades gorge via ait benhaddou which is the most exotic kasbah in the atlas region. Used for scenes in Gladiators movie among others. Only problem was it was on the other side of a river and there were plenty of locals lined up with donkeys to help out for a price. Scammers. We declined and headed out to the Dandes gorge. Lovely and towering gorge with seemingly endless Kasbahs. Drove for too long and couldn't find a camping spot so after driving through a gap wide enough for a car with water lapping at the car wheels we pulled up and slept in the car. Was quite confortable but cold as we found that we were on the snow line level in the morning and our windows froze.
Day 2. Dades Gorge-Merzouga (Sahara). Drove out of the gorge with delightful views of the mountains; peach blossoms; fertile green fields. Drove out along an increasingly dry section of mountains that oddly had vast areas of Date palms. Truly oasis in the desert. Sometimes as far as the eye could see.
Got to the sahara and found it was more like a big sand dune rather than a sea of sand. There were plenty of touts around and a vast oversupply of accomodation and covoys of grey nomads who were escaping the european winter in campervans. We climbed the 150m erg chebbi dune and watched the shadows lengthen and define the dunes in our view before heading to a local camping area after paying a car parking gaurdian who we figure was the one we should have been worried about if any. Setup camp at night and had a nice cup of samwa for our colds. Yuk. tasted bad but worth a try. Settled into bed and slept for about 7hrs before the tent turned into a noisy chip packet with a strong wind. We hadn't been able to secure the tent pegs as the ground was rock hard. Why so in the desert? who knows. Pulled down the tent and slept in the car. Found that there was a lovely desert spot just about 10m away in the morning.
Fuel was about 10.49 Dnr per litre. 1AUD = 5.56 Dnr.
touts standing in front of car; mountains fading of into the distance; fields of yellow flowers.
Day 3. Merzouga-Zagora.
sahara again;touts on road; children block car begging for money or lollies spot our biscuits;sandstorm;detour into farm country on a tourist circuit but feels like a mistake;single lane bitumen roads make driving more dangerous;dangerous overtaking on blind corners;people appear in the middle of the desert from seemingly nowhere;much sitting around doing nothing;always someone somewhere;fertile valley drive; Earthy kasbahs;Unexpected river;people and date palms everywhere - fertile valley!;dates sellers on side of road;village every 1km for 50km;strange camping ground in sahara with old lady telling son to get us. We saw in the rear view mirror but didnt stop;camp at zagora;problem with using unleaded fuel in burner with clogged jet every use;strong african influence on this side of high atlas mountains;give water to thirstly local on road after drink handsign
Day 4. Zagora-Agadir.
fields of green as far as the eye can see;got burner fuel after cherades in French eventually called white spirit as in Australia;red and white poppy fields;red cheeked brown skinned locals; peasant girls collecting flowers into baskets on donkeys;donkeys everywhere; pace of life based on the speed of a walking donkey;hitching a way of life;cheap fresh fruit and vegetable at every local market;slept in car on the cliff by the ocean; stormy and raining. rain, rain go away;bought fresh honey from seller on side of road;flower blossom honey;rain again;could sleep in car for a while as quite comfortable;giant wind farm on coast;goats on side of road with sheperds;flowers for the tanneries colours;safron fields;swollen brown rivers;snow capped atlas mountains;camels and donkeys grazing on lush fields near beach; hole in wall bread shops
Day 5. Agadir-Ait Ourir.
so many people on the roads. use it as a footpath; people, cars,bikes,skooter,donkeys,horse and cart all on road at same time leads to chaos on marrakech streets;peak hour traffic;wrong turn into congestion;exit city at dusk;dark roads, cars and bikes without headlights - need to get off roads before accident but no campsites; found hotel le coq hardi - true! expensive but relief;
Day 6. Ait Ourir-Bin el Ouidane.
towns of stupid people;roads again used as footpath;winding mid atlas pass through snow;big dam but no photo allowed; skinny mudslide roads and service taxis make for dangerous drive; skinny wobbly yellow suspension bridge;sleep in car beside beautiful lake; becoming hobo like.
Day 7. Bin el Ouidane-Marrakech.
Easy drive back to Marrakech and drop of car at midday;fields of orange groves either side of road; donkey donkey donkey; scary drivers again; nerves are shot after 7 days on Moroccan roads;too many near collisions;police speed cameras in almost every town but speeds unknown;often find speed signs by looking at the other lane in opposite direction in mirror;no dents in car; too much inshallah on moroccan roads - the belief that allah might protect muslims drivers is too strong. What about the undecided infidels?
Bye.
David and Vanessa
