Morocco 2009
Note: All journal entries are in reverse order - most recent entry first.
Don't forget that you can also access the Morocco photo gallery!
El Msaidiri
January 31st, 2009
The day before we flew back to France, we went with Alan & Sharon and their young neighbour Miriam and Sheila & Hugh to visit the natural rock arches at El Msaidiri. It was a cool, blustery day but very sunny. We enoyed a light lunch in the beach restaurant and and then it was back to Aglou Beach for the last night of our holiday.
It really was a great experience and we can thoroughly recommend Morocco as a place well worth visiting.
Essaouira
January 27th, 2009
We hired a car and took off for a couple of days northwards along the coast to the small fishing village of Essaouira. It was a really lovely run as the coast is wild and beautiful with crashing surf and long deserted beaches.
The old port, still very much in use, is quite enchanting. We found it noisy and busy and filled with the sights smells and sounds of any bustling fishing port. It was crammed with lots of bright blue boats and all around the fishermen were selling their wares, reparing their nets and chatting together.
The Medina (Arab quarter) was throbbing with vitality and colour. The Moroccans are very friendly and we enjoyed chatting to the vendors who exercised great charm in trying to persuade us to buy. Essaouira is known for it's woodwork and we bought a beautiful polished box decorated with exquisite marquetry. (It's a good job we have a limited amount of luggage allowance for the flight home because Wyn was bowled over by the woodwork and would've bought a whole lot more!)
The souk (Tiznit)
January 22nd, 2009
On our way back from Tafraoute, we stopped to do some food shopping at the souk (travelling market) at Tiznit - the nearest town to Aglou. This proved to be a wonderfully noisy and entertaining place.
There were quite literally piles and piles of fruit and vegetables. Although the vendors were very enthusiastic - even insistent - it has to be said that they were always pleasant and not at all agressive. There was a bewildering and rather eclectic array of goods and we were both especially captivated by the spice stalls.
The sights, sounds and scents of the souk were a complete assault on our senses. It's certainly not like shopping at your local supermarket!
Tafraoute
January 21st, 2009
Alan and Sharon organised a road trip in their camping car into the Atlas Mountains to the small village of Tafraoute.
The journey was amazing along steep winding roads and past numerous tiny villages most of which looked completely untouched by the passage of time. The landscape, so different from the coast, was spectacular.
Tafraoute itself, surrounded by stunning rock formations, is amazing. It too feels like you're back in another time. The people are very friendly and we all thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Aglou Plage
January 19th, 2009
This is a small coastal village which is very much under development. The houses are charming and very quirky. It's quite hard to get a good photo of them because they're all sort of jumbled up together. The tile work, wood work and plaster work are all gorgeous and they lend each house its own individual charm.
The long, clean, beach is amazing with a powerful, thundering surf. In fact, the noise of the surf provides a constant background hum day and night which is really very pleasant.
Various rock pools and sand dunes make the place great for walking and beach combing; not to mention racing along on the quad bike!
Agadir
January 18th, 2009
We flew out of Toulouse very early this morning following a 2am start and a drive through freezing rain and fog. The flight to Agadir was probably one of the bumpiest flights either of us can ever remember: the phrase chausée déformée (uneven road surface) springs to mind!
We were more than happy to arrive in Agadir especially as it was bright and sunny. Our good friends (and hosts for this visit) Alan and Sharon were there to meet us and we went off to the Medina (Arab quarter) for a spot of shopping and some lunch.
Our first impression of the city was the diverse mix of old and new, traditional and modern.
After lunch, we returned to the airport to pick up Anne Marie who was flying in from Paris. Then it was a 90 minute run to Aglou Plage where we'll be based for this holiday.