Jane & Rog’s retirement tour, Morocco 2023

[Jane And Rog]

Just found the post and had a quick flick thru from beginning, very interesting.
Did you get the Truma sorted? I may have missed it!

If it had been a Truma we’d have got it fixed in Spain hopefully, but it’s a Whale and all the Adria dealers were closed first week if Jan. So no, still cold water only. Sites are so reasonable here though, it hasn’t been a problem. Yesterday it was hot enough to have had a cold shower!

 

[tufty]

Really interesting blog, you've posted some lovely photos. We are hoping to make it to Morocco next year with our dog so I'm following keen to learn all about it.

We were thinking of going this year but all the complications with getting the paperwork for the dog put us off. We've got the EU passport but not the titre test cert from EU lab. We will hopefully sort that we we go to Spain end of this month ready for next year. It all sounds a bit of a palava tbh but want to go so much that we will just have to get it sorted.

 

[Littlewheels]

A positive for keeping the thread going we are all hooked now and eagerly await your posts. Since we all have preferences regarding S4S,P4N etc for absolute clarity to locations the Co-Ordinates would be perfect.
Thank you for your efforts and images they really bring the trip alive.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Really great thread, have to be honest, I usually don’t bother with most peoples travel blogs, but you guys have a very natural and “as it is” way of sharing your experiences. Enjoy!!

 

[Gina M]

Yes please stay I am loving this. Really love your style of writing and of course the pics too

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[Jane And Rog]

Our John Dory last night cost £6. I just checked the UK prices.

John Dory (500-750g)

Buy fresh John Dory online from The Cornish Fishmonger. The freshest, locally sourced fish from the Cornish coast delivered to your doorstep within 24 hours

thecornishfishmonger.co.uk

£31.95!!

The fresh water tank is going to be full of these fish on the way back!

 

[The Boofles]

Absolutely loving your posts, so informative and helpful as we are crossing over early February for the first time. Please don’t stop posting …

 

[Grianan]

Really loving your posts - please don’t stop!! They’re highlight of my day when I get home from work . They’re helping persuade my OH that Morocco is achievable too. I quite like What3Words but guess everyone’s different.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Whoops, looks like a double post fail there.

Just wondered if people were still interested in me doing this now the excitement of the crossing is over? It is all on the blog anyway?

Yes please, we will never get the chance to go but still love your take on Morocco

 

[Jane And Rog]

Wash day! I did two loads at 40 dirhams (just over £3) per wash. I washed our bed linen first and hung it out to dry. Even though it was quite a cloudy day, the duvet cover did dry by mid afternoon. Then it was the turn of the hiking clothes, which haven’t been washed all year!

Flynn’s walk was through the village…

… and then along similar farm tracks & country lanes. He was again very distracted by tortoises in the hedges. He thinks they are walking Fray Bentos pies, and can’t understand why we put them back rather than using a large can opener to help him get to the contents.

The fields are separated by dry stone walls, topped with a local alternative to barbed wire.

After the walk, showers and lunch, even Flynn got a shower! Here is a clean dog, for the next 14 nanoseconds.

When everything that could washed was washed, we had another mooch around the village. It had all your heart could desire, if what your heart could desire was large metal gates.

Or this Renault - just one careful lady owner from new.

Dinner was bbq lamb chops with cous-cous and zaalouk (stewed aubergines and tomatoes).

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[chaser]

Wash day! I did two loads at 40 dirhams (just over £3) per wash. I washed our bed linen first and hung it out to dry. Even though it was quite a cloudy day, the duvet cover did dry by mid afternoon. Then it was the turn of the hiking clothes, which haven’t been washed all year!

Flynn’s walk was through the village…

View attachment 705409

… and then along similar farm tracks & country lanes. He was again very distracted by tortoises in the hedges. He thinks they are walking Fray Bentos pies, and can’t understand why we put them back rather than using a large can opener to help him get to the contents.


View attachment 705415

The fields are separated by dry stone walls, topped with a local alternative to barbed wire.

View attachment 705411

After the walk, showers and lunch, even Flynn got a shower! Here is a clean dog, for the next 14 nanoseconds.

View attachment 705416

When everything that could washed was washed, we had another mooch around the village. It had all your heart could desire, if what your heart could desire was large metal gates.

View attachment 705412

Or this Renault - just one careful lady owner from new.

View attachment 705413

Dinner was bbq lamb chops with cous-cous and zaalouk (stewed aubergines and tomatoes).

View attachment 705414

Love the horse and tractor street

 

[Littlewheels]

Any chance of images of the Tortoises,we had one yonks ago our Wilf for 16years but he was stolen .

 

[makems]

We passed a tortoise on the motorway once North of Marrakech. It was overtaking a donkey and cart!

 

[Jane And Rog]

We passed a tortoise on the motorway once North of Marrakech. It was overtaking a donkey and cart!

A modern version of the tortoise and the hare!

 

[Jane And Rog]

Fray Bentos pie. I mean tortoise.

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[Go_buddy_go_]

Absolutely loving your blog as many others have said…. It’s like an audiobook when I’m reading it!! May have to try to convince OH on doing a trip like this when we retire1!!!

 

[Bailey58]

Just seen this, funny how we scan read, thought it said Jacob Reece Mog's retirement tour.

 

[MichaelT]

Just seen this, funny how we scan read, thought it said Jacob Reece Mog's retirement tour.

Oh how we wish

 

[Jane And Rog]

Just seen this, funny how we scan read, thought it said Jacob Reece Mog's retirement tour.

I just liked this but not sure that’s the right reaction

 

[Jane And Rog]

Oh how we wish

We could channel his writing style if you like? To be honest the transport is right out of the 19th century just like Mr. Rees Mogg

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[Leith Laddie]

Thank you for your wonderful thread. I don't know if I missed it, reading through your earlier posts, but can I ask about motor insurance for travelling in Morocco?

 

[Jane And Rog]

I’ll ask HWMBO about that one - he sorted it out.

 

[Jane And Rog]

I’ll ask HWMBO about that one - he sorted it out.

Hwmbo here. We just asked our insurers (NFU mutual) for a green card and they issued one. They only provide third party f&f in morocco but no extra charges on our account and no time limit

 

[Leith Laddie]

Hwmbo here. We just asked our insurers (NFU mutual) for a green card and they issued one. They only provide third party f&f in morocco but no extra charges on our account and no time limit

Thank you so much for the insurance info. I wonder if my insurers (Comfort) offer the same?

 

[Just smiffy]

Thank you so much for the insurance info. I wonder if my insurers (Comfort) offer the same?

Nope….

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[Jane And Rog]

Nope….

 

[canopus]

Saga are one of the few insurers out there who will issue a green card for Maroc. Comfort used to, but their charges were prohibitive.

 

[Jane And Rog]

We are staying 3 nights at Ouanagha, so yesterday was another non-driving day. It started well when we ran out of water, but the hose reached all the way from the central facilities block to our pitch!

On Flynn’s first walk today, we passed some argan trees. These are interesting as they were originally found only in southern Morocco. They look quite like olive trees but the nuts are much harder to process than olives. The outer skin is discarded, and the flesh inside removed - it’s often fed to animals. The inner nut then has to be cracked and there can be up to three kernels inside. Mechanisation hasn’t been very successful at this, so this is still often done by hand, hence the high cost. The kernels can be pressed to produce oil, or lightly roasted and mixed with almond and honey, to make a paste rather like peanut butter, called amalou.

Our lunch, also Rog’s delayed birthday lunch, was at Le Domaine du Val d’Argan, just up the road.

First we were given a tour of the winery, in French. It’s one of the most southerly vineyards in Morocco and was hard hit by the heat wave last year when temperatures hit 52C! The crop was under 50% what it should have been, and vines are only living to about half their 50 year lifespan, due to climate change.

Then we were ushered into a lovely courtyard, with tables among the olive trees, for lunch. The photo below was taken as we left, but we were the only ones there for the first 45 minutes.

The wines, a white, gris, orange, rosé and red, were in a central table for you to help yourself to as much as you liked. We don’t think they have many British guests.

It would be rude not to taste every wine, and compare notes, we thought, embarking on our homework with a glass of white each.

We started with bread, olives and olive oil from the estate.

Then a selection of many Moroccan salads, which were very tasty.

We kept telling this cat that it was a carnivore, but it wasn’t having it, insistently mewing for some of our food. Luckily Flynn wasn’t there to defend our lentils.

The main course was brochettes of beef and vegetables, which were delicious.

And pud was a chocolate tart, probably the weak spot of the meal for me.

The bill was 660 dirhams, just over £50. And I’m pleased to report that we finished our wine-based homework, even having a second glass or two, to diligently check our findings.

There’s more to come, but this has been long enough so I’ll stop here for now, and finish off this evening from wherever we stop next.

 

[makems]

We are staying 3 nights at Ouanagha, so yesterday was another non-driving day. It started well when we ran out of water, but the hose reached all the way from the central facilities block to our pitch!

View attachment 705695

On Flynn’s first walk today, we passed some argan trees. These are interesting as they were originally found only in southern Morocco. They look quite like olive trees but the nuts are much harder to process than olives. The outer skin is discarded, and the flesh inside removed - it’s often fed to animals. The inner nut then has to be cracked and there can be up to three kernels inside. Mechanisation hasn’t been very successful at this, so this is still often done by hand, hence the high cost. The kernels can be pressed to produce oil, or lightly roasted and mixed with almond and honey, to make a paste rather like peanut butter, called amalou.

View attachment 705697

Our lunch, also Rog’s delayed birthday lunch, was at Le Domaine du Val d’Argan, just up the road.

First we were given a tour of the winery, in French. It’s one of the most southerly vineyards in Morocco and was hard hit by the heat wave last year when temperatures hit 52C! The crop was under 50% what it should have been, and vines are only living to about half their 50 year lifespan, due to climate change.

Then we were ushered into a lovely courtyard, with tables among the olive trees, for lunch. The photo below was taken as we left, but we were the only ones there for the first 45 minutes.

View attachment 705700

The wines, a white, gris, orange, rosé and red, were in a central table for you to help yourself to as much as you liked. We don’t think they have many British guests.

It would be rude not to taste every wine, and compare notes, we thought, embarking on our homework with a glass of white each.

View attachment 705701

We started with bread, olives and olive oil from the estate.

View attachment 705702

Then a selection of many Moroccan salads, which were very tasty.

View attachment 705703

We kept telling this cat that it was a carnivore, but it wasn’t having it, insistently mewing for some of our food. Luckily Flynn wasn’t there to defend our lentils.

View attachment 705704

The main course was brochettes of beef and vegetables, which were delicious.

View attachment 705705

And pud was a chocolate tart, probably the weak spot of the meal for me.

View attachment 705706

The bill was 660 dirhams, just over £50. And I’m pleased to report that we finished our wine-based homework, even having a second glass or two, to diligently check our findings.

View attachment 705707

There’s more to come, but this has been long enough so I’ll stop here for now, and finish off this evening from wherever we stop next.

Moroccans don’t seem to “do” desserts. Most places it will be orange segments sprinkled with Cinnamon. At £50 you must have gone to one of the most expensive restaurants in Morocco! The wine tasting was a unique feature though.
as you get further South and away from the coast, restaurants serving much other than tagines become increasingly scarce, so make the most of the posh places while you can.
the one consistent thing about Morocco though is that the bread is always wonderful wherever you are.

 

[Jane And Rog]

Not terrible value given the location and all you can drink wine, we thought. It was a birthday treat meal too! But we don’t want this kind of thing every day, for sure

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