Morokko

Mario has been to Morokko twice in younger years, and he convinces me that we should go far off the recommended PBC route to get a glimpse of this great country. Morokko shows itself as a peaceful Islamic country with welcoming people and a beautiful variety of landscapes, ranging from the juicy plains of the North via the rocky canyons and snowy mountains of the Atlas to the rock deserts of the Anti-Atlas.

Morokko is quite a well-developed country, with plenty of well-paved roads and electricity. People are quite used to tourists, and many speak a little bit of German or English, while French is spoken almost everywhere. The Morokkans generally are friendly people with strong religious beliefs. We fell welcome in many places and don't get hasseled much anywhere we go.

Our route takes us from our camp site in Asilah in one day via Meknes to Azrou, where we camp in under the clear blue night at the foot of the Atlas mountains. The next day we drive through lunar landscapes, past crimson rock formations, and pass over snowy peaks that remind me of the Swiss alps. We dive deep into oche canyons to reach the other side of the Atlas in Er-Rachidia, and head West along the mountain chain via the street of the Casbahs all the way to Quazazarte. As hours pass the landscape is constantly changing, for the harsh mountains to the fertile plains and then to the barren rock desert.

We stop in a little town called Tazenakht at an internet cafe, where I meet Ahmed the clerk. He was in the middle of chatting with Melanie from Germany, who could'nt see anything strange in this situation. We re not that far away from home after all.

Our pace is fast as we still try to catch up with our group 2 to make sure we don't have to cross the Sahara desert alone. We cover many kilometers each day without the chance to rest in any place for too long. I am longing to dive deep into Africa, so the pace is fine with me. Morokko seems more of a vacation than an adventure, and I hope this will change as we get into more proper African countries.

We head to the coast to Agadir and then finally turn down South to Tiznit, where during camp set up I realize that I left my sleeping bag in Quazazarte airing out on a tree. This mishap leads us to take a detour back to Agadir to buy a new sleeping bag, and back on track down to a small village with the enticing name of Tan-Tan Plage. We are close to the Southern border of Morokko and things finally start feeling like a trip to the Sahara.

We start to see sandy patches in midst of the rock desert, and the population density drops rapidly. I supress imagining a break-down with the car here, where you won't see anybody for hours. It sure would be different than at home, where you can just call your local garage.

In Tan-Tan Plage we camp wild the first time, setting up tent in the sandy beach. It's our first day without shower, toilet, or running water, but it won't be our last.

tags: Plymouth-Banjul, Rallye, Paris-Dakar, Morokko