Overwintering in Morocco.

[vwalan]

just to add to brians comments, how right he is .the north of maroc was the garden for the roman empire .when you stand at volubiss the big roman city and look around its green as far as the eye can see. they were years in front of us .
now the big growers from spain are over in maroc recreateing this european garden . hundreds of trucks a week ship fruit /veg into the eu .
its an amazing country
. the worlds third producer in phosphates .
you certainly miss out if you dont give it a try.
its possible to walk the desert floor and pick up fossilized sea shells from when it was all under the sea. ,the mountains you can drive up higher than you ever thought possible. its not uncommon to get altidude sickness while driving .yet every where you look is fantastic
. the geology of the place is amazing .
dryed up waterfalls left over from the ice age.
stone carvings depicting animals that once grazed on the green open plains that are now the sahara. i could go on .
i find it truly amazing . i understand ray`s love of it all, he is doing what he loves as well. for me i need a longer time there i say dont hurry there,s so much to take in.

 

[hilldweller]

look around its green as far as the eye can see. they were years in front of us .

More advanced than most realise. See picture 4. I still can't get my head round it.

 

[vwalan]

hi you forgot that most leccy conections are made with sellotape or just a twist in the wire.
let you off pic 4.
i cant understand how the romans didnt get to the moon either. the under floor heating etc that theydid is all very interesting.
and the mosiacs there are incredible .
far better than any in tunisia . having visited the amphi theatre there and eljem etc
. the morocans are trying to keep it going where as in tunisia they raided the roman ruins for house construction.
and in tunisia they had sat tv in the caves at mat marta. it looked like.
mind sat tv and solar panels grow on roofs in maroc.hee hee

 

[scotjimland]

Would concur with all that's been said.. a truly memorable country... the only downside is it spoils you for anywhere else ..

Some news stories

‘The real Morocco is not happy’

Link Removed
Same story on BBC

Morocco's new oil terminal

 

[Chris]

Thanks for the info on the locals:thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Carol]

Like most say once you have been you want to return, its so diverse just a couple of different photos. The one with the tractor on the truck look at the rocks holding it on, we pulled up and let it go.The motorbikes were British and desperate for some English tea bags, luckly I had a few spare. The other one is just one of my favorite.

 

[Bee]

morocco

I email you just before we left for Morocco and have followed your blog I think you are travelling in the opposite directions we are now in Essaouirra and leaving tomorrow heading for Safi We have had the most fantastic time and anyone thinking of coming to Morocco must do it the people are so friendly like your long lost brother the weather has been great If anyone comes to morocco and heads for Erg Chebbi please stay at a place called Petite Prince the welcome will be fantastic and the site although small is great

Thanks once again

 

[Snowbird]

Would concur with all that's been said.. a truly memorable country... the only downside is it spoils you for anywhere else ..

Some news stories

‘The real Morocco is not happy’

Link Removed
Same story on BBC

Morocco's new oil terminal

Students protesting eh Jim........Nothing new there then

 

[Snowbird]

Have been saving this one in case you thought I was a chauvinist. Pat returning with the firewood so she can cook my evening meal

 

[vwalan]

hi, yes lots of new factories in maroc . i have been round most . mitsubishi .renault ,volvo . man .iveco. and now chinese companies building trucks
. it soon will overtake europe in manufacturing. i have seen so much change . they need the oil. new cars bikes trucks its unbelievable the change. the new dacia duster certainly rivals the range rover .a far cry from the dacia duster we had here years ago
. and their smaller cars are every where.
every year there is like a 5 yr gap here .
i,m fortunate that i go out of my way to visit these places .
i love to see the industry. they love to open doors and let you see the improvements they are making. wages have gone up 10 fold .
education to university standard free. soon be like here too many smart people.
. nows the time to go the holiday complex ,s just waiting to go. be like spain was soon.
if you do get chance have a look. keep your eyes open, just so much to take in ,how the morocans manage the move forward is amazing.
from deck chair seller to apartment renting entrepanuer is what as happened to many youngsters i know.
snowy .your at tagha there ,tell her to get more that wont last long.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Snowbird]

hi, yes lots of new factories in maroc . i have been round most . mitsubishi .renault ,volvo . man .iveco. and now chinese companies building trucks
. it soon will overtake europe in manufacturing. i have seen so much change . they need the oil. new cars bikes trucks its unbelievable the change. the new dacia duster certainly rivals the range rover .a far cry from the dacia duster we had here years ago
. and their smaller cars are every where.
every year there is like a 5 yr gap here .
i,m fortunate that i go out of my way to visit these places .
i love to see the industry. they love to open doors and let you see the improvements they are making. wages have gone up 10 fold .
education to university standard free. soon be like here too many smart people.
. nows the time to go the holiday complex ,s just waiting to go. be like spain was soon.
if you do get chance have a look. keep your eyes open, just so much to take in ,how the morocans manage the move forward is amazing.
from deck chair seller to apartment renting entrepanuer is what as happened to many youngsters i know.
snowy .your at tagha there ,tell her to get more that wont last long.

To be honest Al I have only seen the changes on the coast. The interior has changed little since I first came,and that was a long time ago, not as a tourist but courtesy of the military.

 

[vwalan]

hi, just about all houses have water now and electric. even right out in the wilds .
you must have seen the new cars and tractors every where. still some camel ox working but not as much. but i,m sure you will see more as you go on.
the dress as changed all over .agin its maybe not as fast. but have a good one keep them pics coming . cant seem to get mine on just lately .
need a grandchild here to show me what i,m doing wrong . hee he .
did you get any perch at the lake?seen some big uns caught up there.

 

[Snowbird]

hi, just about all houses have water now and electric. even right out in the wilds .
you must have seen the new cars and tractors every where. still some camel ox working but not as much. but i,m sure you will see more as you go on.
the dress as changed all over .agin its maybe not as fast. but have a good one keep them pics coming . cant seem to get mine on just lately .
need a grandchild here to show me what i,m doing wrong . hee he .
did you get any perch at the lake?seen some big uns caught up there.

We did see someone ploughing with 2 oxen and a wooden plough a couple of weeks ago. There are a lot of modern cars around the coast but not so many inland. The dress is becoming more westernised I will admit but again more so on the coast. The younger generation do seem to favour western clothes,so much so they keep asking for my shorts . Have not brought any fishing gear with me on this trip as I save that for Norway in the summer :thumb:.I would say this though,for every modern van there is 50 mk 1 Transits running around and for every modern car there is 500 bangers. In the interior for every motorised vehicle of any sort there are 100 donkeys,50 mules and 10 horses.

 

[Snowbird]

So,we left Agadir and traveled east to Taroudant,parked just outside the city walls with no charge. What a place that is ,so beautiful inside the walls,and they are so well kept. no stones falling down there. We had a moonlight tour in a horse and carriage at a cost of £3-82p for an hour including an orange each as we were English.
We then spent another 2 days on the local campsite to catch up with laundry before leaving via Tiz-n-test and Asni for Marrakech. We spent 1 night on the airport parking at £2-30p for 24 hours, (Makes Liverpool and Manchester look a bit expensive) before going to the campsite which I have never been on before but can thoroughly recommend,swimming pool,jacuzzi,good restaurant,beautiful gardens and licensed for alcohol. Having fully recovered from a few nights overindulgence we set off for Ait-Benhaddou with one of the best preserved casbahs in Morocco. If you Google it you will know more than I will ever be able to describe. Fantastic!!!!!!.

 

[vwalan]

have a good one dave .a great journey is the way. sounds like your going to have some lovely scenery .i,m missing it this year. soon be next winter.thinking of you all you are in the right place.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[dercher]

overwintering in morocco

We are following Snowbirds progress, sounds the really good and would like to know the name of camp site recommended after Taroudannt,(pool,jacuzi etc ).good luck and enjoy.

 

[scotjimland]

.... would like to know the name of camp site recommended after Taroudannt,([HI]pool,jacuzi etc[/HI] ).good luck and enjoy.

That's Moroccan parlance for an oasis ...

 

[Snowbird]

We are following Snowbirds progress, sounds the really good and would like to know the name of camp site recommended after Taroudannt,(pool,jacuzi etc ).good luck and enjoy.

Hi, Thanks for the interest, the campsite is in Marrakech and its called Le Relais de Marrakech. www.lerelaisdemarrakech.com Its highly recomended although a little expensive for Morocco.

 

[vwalan]

hi dave must be getting better that pool as been empty for years . never thought they would ever get water in it .but you must keep lots of pics etc coming over . personally i say get out of there and into the desert lots to see and do. feel much warmer when we see your pics. i think every one from uk should go once ,even if it only lets them know how well off uk is .
never mind hope you are going to the mosque tomorrow ,its friday.hee hee .bet you go just to mix up all the shoes .ha ha we do.

 

[Snowbird]

Hi Al, We have been into the desert and are now on the old campsite in the palmery at Zagora at the bottom of the Draa Valley. We have been here a couple of days now and will be stopping for maybe a week or two. Its great,only 5 minutes walk into town and damned cheap at £2-30 per day. What I have noticed is there doesn't seem as many Brits out here as there used to be. Mostly French as always but definitely less Brits. We were going to head off to Merzouga but we seem to be dug in well here with a cracking pitch,sun all day but with our own palm trees for shade when we need it. Will post some picks later as its now lunchtime and my tagine should be nicely done.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

yes its nice there. my youngest son worked for one of the shops when we were there.its a real friendly place .he was good at taking tourists into them.never known anyone pick up arabic as quick as him. . are you visiting the gourges or sneaking across the bottom road.
hard to say which road is best ,all interesting but i love the gorges . breath taking.
heres one for the animal lovers .and one on the way to zagorra or mahmid .

 

[BwB]

Just wanted to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through this thread. A little disappointed that it's not been hijacked, changed direction, stayed on topic and avoided confrontational arguments, but despite all that it's been a cracking topic.

This destination is on my to-do list just as soon as time allows. Please keep the updates coming SB and RR it helps feed my daydreams. And some great extra info being added by the other posters with previous experience. Sounds like you're having a blast. Keep up the good work, err, vacation.

Thanks
Bryan

 

[Snowbird]

Just a couple of photos from Ait Benhaddou. This is one of the most preserved kasbahs in Morocco. You have to see it to believe it, this place cannot be described in words alone. To think it was so long ago no one knows how old it is and is now under Unesco protection. It has been used as a set for over 20 films. Entirely built from mud,dung and straw and its still standing hundreds of years later.

 

[Destination Unknown]

Thanks

Just caught up with all the posts and can I thank all who answered our post re travelling in morroco. All been taken on board and you never know we might just risk it and visit what we can in our RV.

This has been a fantastic blog thanks very much really wetted our appetite. Thanks too to VWAlan for all his comments and advice - brilliant

Regards Brian and Chris

 

[Snowbird]

Just caught up with all the posts and can I thank all who answered our post re travelling in morroco. All been taken on board and you never know we might just risk it and visit what we can in our RV.

This has been a fantastic blog thanks very much really wetted our appetite. Thanks too to VWAlan for all his comments and advice - brilliant

Regards Brian and Chris

Hi Brian and Chris, The best advice I can give is pick your routes carefully and try it. You will have one great advantage over us,and that's you have a fridge with a decent sized freezer. I have always travelled in the past in an RV and always stocked up with meat before coming out to Morocco. This is a great country if you are vegetarian as the meat leaves a lot to be desired. Anyone contemplating a trip out here should at least have a pressure cooker if they are intending buying meat in Morocco. Don't try to fry or grill anything as its like trying to eat your own boots. The normal form of cooking is a tagine which is a primitive slow cooker that is made of clay and bubbles away over charcoal for hours,much the same as a slow cooker. I have travelled several times in the past to Morocco in an RV with no problems other than I was slightly limited as to where I could go,having said that I always had a toad which I used for exploring,but with the problems in Spain regarding toads I wouldn't risk dragging one through Spain now. Having said that,in future I will only be using Spain as a transit country,there's just no comparison, weather wise, campsite price wise, fuel and general living cost wise or the variety of landscape. But then again that's only my opinion. I like to be able to sit out in the sun EVERY day and sit out at night with a beer not go inside as soon as the sun goes down.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

hi, almost agree with snowy. mind i never do eat steaks . but slow cooking or pressure cooker is the way . you can get nice chicken freshly killed while you watch. or not watch.
i very nearly always pressure cook .do at home as well.
you can get cheap nice fish from the sellers on most beaches ,but barter barter ,barter is the way .then barter again. be mean . its best . even then later a friend thats morocan comes by and tells you you payed too much.
as to travel get to larache take the motor way to kenitra then get off it go through the town .then follow the small roads on the michelin maps all the way to agadir .stay right by the coast as best you can. casablanca ,rabat .far better by the coast . i mean right by the coast .
in safi head to the port ignore all the signs to agadir follow the coast . far more interesting .
it is a great country . the people are ok. but dec to march is the best time . end of march it can get windy and sand blows around ,the trade winds pick up. but glad you have enjoyed their tour . its not over yet .
i,m here having fun following them ,two other groups in maroc and two more groups in spain /portugal . like a tour guide . been fun.
all i can say is if you havent been before try to find someone to enter and start the journey . you will enjoy it . i travel with mates in trucks and buses . so rvs can make it . drive slow and enjoy the trip. its life changing. have fun take care .alan.

 

[Destination Unknown]

Thanks again

Thank you to you both for your help and advice. Will try and do as you suggest Alan and find someone who has been before when we want to go.

thank you again for your help it is very much appreciated and just what this forum is about.:thumb:

Regards Brian and Chris

 

[vwalan]

hi the meat isnt hung for days like we do here. the lamb /goat is ok . the hallal way is because in years gone by the lack of fridges meant that drying meat etc was their only way of keeping it. beef can be rock dried as in what they do further down in africa . morocco is really sheep country . that doesnt need the hanging. when we go deep into the sahara we buy several chicken scrounge a wire cage and carry the chicken on the trucks . killing as we need fresh meat. not for every one. a bag of seed and in the evening the chicken quite happily stick around nibbling the seed and eating grubs in the sand . amazing they sit by the fire with us . we do have a laugh. luckily i was a slaughterman /butcher so i dont get attached . have been on trips where if you didnt take live meat you wouldnt have meat.
these days fridges are in lots of the villages now thety have electric . morocco is changing but it is still amazing . as you can guess i,m not veggie but you can live with out fresh meat . a bit of corn beef or a tin of spam is lovelly . but remember bacon in the cryovac packs we get here as joints keeps for months in a cool place even with no fridge. roast bacon joint is mmm after 2 months in maroc . buy them in gibralter morrisons before you cross that little stretch of water. cheap tins of meatballs seem like fillet steak after a while .hee hee.

 

[vwalan]

hi hopefully this a xmas dinner roast ham in the sun . and one of me making fresh mince pies . you cant beat having a proper oven. we celebrate christmas even have crackers and the hats .
note moroccan bread in the bag and marjane carrier bag.but you just have to have a bit of english christmas fun.

 

[Carol]

Recon it would be good to have a informal type Fun winter in Morroco, with some old hands showing the way, wonder how many would be up for this next winter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}