Bloody door! Its playing up again and had to open it with the key. A job for when I get home I think. So this morning we are driving north on the road, the tarmac road. At the first high street up the road we pulled over for the daily supplies of bread water and whatever else folk wanted. The 6inch diameter flat circular breads have to be bought daily as it lasts just a day or so then it turn hard, on the third day it can be used as a spare wheel it that hard. I did try one on day three but it was like eating a piece of kerbstone and and it just shattered, I suppose in time of famine I could suck on it??
The boys had a puncture on their bike and had shed their load
The ubiquitous pony and cart works today as a bus for the ladies
Donkeys play an important role in the local economy for the not so wealthy
Folk seem to have a lot more tolerance for equine transport than in the UK
At Rissani a large town we paused for the bank here I sat and “people watched” Coming my way I saw a man of means taking his truck out for a spin down to the shops
People watching is something I love to do, Im in the truck waiting for the guys to get sorted and quietly taking photos of the daily rush. The donkey/horse/pony rules out here, they work hard and have an important role to play in the economies of villages and small towns especially down here in the south. Goats and sheep are the next of importance (for food) cows..think I saw 2 but lets be fair there’s not much grass around these part, lastly dogs and cats I think are the least thought about they are just scavenger not pets at all. Up north they frequent campsites and are quite friendly and they keep the sites free of littered food! Occasionally I see a dog on a long chain in a compound.. more frequently though loose in big yards like that guard dog back at Midelt.. the bstard thing!!
An impressive arched gateway at Rissani
I went ahead and tried to get a few shots of the group coming through the gateway, I had to watch out for traffic coming up from behind trying not to have them block my shot, running up to me a young girl with her camera “Are you in the best place mate?” She called out in bright Australian! she was with a small group of tourists their driver had parked their mini bus behind me in. Yes stand here and mind your back I hollered back, I dont know if the guys saw me stood with a brunette taking their pics as they came through the arch? “Right see you laters I have to go” I shouted dashing back to the truck to catch up. We cleared the busy town and were on the N12 en-route for Taguerroumt. No, it means nothing to me either its just a point to aim for if we get split up in the town traffic basically just stay on the N12 until Pete shouts up on the radio. At an off ramp from the tarmac to the sandy desert on the right Pete slows the group “Ok folks we are leaving the road off to the right just here” Back into the desert we go again.
Now bouncing along the hard surface skirting around sharp rocks and the few clumps of greenery, the track takes us north, after a while I see the only mountain for miles, it does look a bit odd slowly as we get closer the mountain becomes a cluster of smaller ones in a horse shoe formation that are joined by a man made wall of at least 20 feet in thickness and was used hundreds of years ago to keep African slaves for the Portuguese, hence its nickname of the Portuguese prison. Its been in quite a few films..Secrets of the Sahara..Sands of Time..Prince of Persia..Both Mummy films and lastly the Bond film Spectre. Thanks to Wikipedia for the information
Approaching Gara Medouar
Following Joey into the sunken centre of Gara Medouar
Using a suitable back drop for the trucks photo..
This is the only way in and out of the enclave, see the push bikes leant against the wall for scale. Now the brickwork has got a dangerous inward lean.
Inside was a sunken circular depression with a high cliff face to three sides and that huge wall to the front.
Its THIS big!
We were there just 5 minutes when these people came trotting down the hillside with trays of trinkets to show us and hopefully sell to us.
I have some interesting trinkets for sale my friend!
Dad….
…..And his two daughters
Their was a track that led to the top, we watched half a dozen Adventure bikes come back down and decided we would have a ride up, Pete rode up first to check out what parking their may be at the top, would hate to get us all up there to find nowhere to park or turn around! He shouted up after a few minutes to come up, which we all did one by one.
Information gathering…
I went up first with a view of taking photos of everyone coming up.to find Pete chatting, I got to the top to find Pete chatting with another seller of trinkets. Current news of the area and of the tracks can be gleaned like this. I heard the next truck coming up so went to find a good spot.
Malcom is on his way up! The chap and his daughters follow him up
Richard and Cerys come next closely followed by the two daughter and son (dunno where he sprang from)
Shayne comes next in the 90
The smallest girl wasn’t out of breath at all! I wonder how many times a day they do this?
WHAT a view from the top! We were all amazed, spot the little odd circles?
Your mine now Mrs Girling!
The photo’s of the kids cost me just a few coppers
It was time to go back down which we all did carefully bidding the trinket sellers and the kids goodbye. This was the first time Id seen sellers not try and push their wares on us. We drove out of the prison and turned right, in the distance was another line of mountains we would drive along these for a few miles before picking up the track that took us up and through the small gap at the top. The temperature was 33 and climbing it was dry dusty and just great! The track was rutted with old water channels and small boulders that had rolled down from above not having enough momentum to roll on down the side they strewn across the track here and there. I pulled over at a wide part to take a few more photos, I would catch up at the top.
The Disco 1 and the 130 ragtop rumble on past me on their way up.
I stood staring out remarking to nobody how fantastic it all looked
In spite of the deep shadows due to the sun being so high I thought this would make a good screensaver for me at home for when I begin to get the travel itch again..
Team Jackson!
A sculpture of me. The full story will be revealed when the deed is done
I could have stayed up here all day, could have even wild camped even though it would have been really cold in the wee small hours But no we had the rest of the afternoon to do yet. We had a tea break an hour a couple of hundred feet lower on a clear patch. I thought this would be the place to try and get a group shot of all the truck line abreast Cup of tea first though.
Donna shaking her tail feathers.. actually no, she is looking for an annoying stone in the tyre that was driving Ricky mad apparently..
A few locals turn up to look at what Donna was doing
Team Atlas Overland..ADVANCE!
Here is every truck on the April 2019 trip, Clare was driving mine and its 2nd on the left I think! The first attempt was rubbish so I asked for a second try..which was perfect, thank you all!
Two very different beasties having exactly the same fun!
Land Rover Defender110 at speed!
Clare gave me my truck back and we sped off together to the rest of the group now waiting half a mile away! Hopefully someone may have taken a photo? We regrouped and carried on north until we came to the road. turning onto it we drove a few miles only before coming to the second point of interest of today and Petes old friend Karim. Karim was the keeper and museum owner of an unusual attraction. Many many years ago a river ran underground from the Atlas Mountains all the way to the sea hundreds of miles away to the west. Pits were dug down to the river like primitive bell pits the spoil was heaped like a mole hill, on tap was a home made winch and fresh water could be brought up by bucket. These mole hills followed the river I could see a dozen or more in two or three rows. Karim had excavated one and dug a walkway down to it for us visitors, its only 20 of so feet down so not a difficult visit. Basically people worked down the bell pits keeping their bit clear and free of blocking up for their labour they could fill their water carriers, I imagine way back it was bladders made from animal skins?
Karims place
Karim is ALWAYS happy to see Pete and gets quite emotional. The last time, we gave him spare tinned goods, I gave him a tin of pineapples but all he wanted to do was give me a squeeze! There is no charge at all for the visit or his talk, so Im happy to buy my trinkets from him, and offer him a small gift too. We miners have to stick together you know!
Karim in full flow explaining life at the wells
Following Karim to the well head and the mock up of an old winch
Holding the camera over another hole
Its a curious and very entertaining visit
Driving on past the mole hills we wave Karim goodbye, another one or two folk have now opened similar experiences further up the track now! If you go make sure you visit Karim only!
Heading into the fesh fesh once more
We made our way towards some strange buildings about a mile away on the Marha Plain and across some more of the really soft stuff, nailed it now coz we is experts! The parameter wall meant we couldn’t get close at all now which was a great shame but down to vandalism by bloody tourists The two guardians made it clear we shouldn’t cross the low stone wall.
The strange sculpture is actually a staircase, (Stairway to Heaven) one year we were allowed to go explore it, but not this time.
There were the workings of German artist Hannsjorg Voth between 1980 and 2003, I have added a link you should pop across for a closer look it has better photographs and a brief explanation of what and why. So right now was a bit disappointing but hey its what it is and the guardians are trying their best. We drive over to the other structure which is called The City of Orion. A few vehicles came speeding towards us so we pulled over to let the lunatics past, more and more came someone counted over 40 vehicles we would we waiting all day eating their dust they didn’t slow down at all just foot to the floor shouting and whooping as they passed, we took the centre line of the track and made them move over now, just over the next rise one of them had got bogged down some others where winching them out, stop to help we did not.
At the next structure I parked where another guardian was sat, I said hello and was keen to point out I was not Spanish, pointing at the union Jack on my bumper, he just had 40+ cars and all the loutish drivers and passengers to contend with so was reluctant at first to engage with us. Once again we were asked not to cross the small stone wall. He pointed out the bag of rubbish the group had dumped other plastic bottles had been discarded here abouts too. Those idiots were part of a Spanish adventure Group called SAY YES. I took a photo and have sent it along to their site and posted it and commented on their FB page. I may sound a bit stuck up my own arse but I try to do the right thing when out in the countryside, be it the sands of the Sahara or the Yorkshire Dales but bit by bit wankers like SAY YES are just fucking it all up.
Rubbish discarded by the “SAY YES” SPANISH ADVENTURE GROUP
One extremely pissed of guardian
The 4 guardians have no chance against folk like the SAY YES group. All they do is approach you show an explanation card in several languages and ask that you dont step over the low wall. So now we cant see the sculptures close up. There wasn’t a lot we could say really except agree that the Spanish SAY YES group were utter twats, I have not received a reply from them and dont really expect one, but Ive had my ” two pence worth” We carried on north until we hit the next road then turned west heading to Goulmima and a new campsite. Goulmima was not a tourist destination but it had a campsite was well placed for where we wanted to be. It was locked when we arrived! A woman appeared and unlocked the gates waving us in to an empty site except for a French campervan, we picked three rows and got busy setting up for the night. I went for a stroll to the reception / restaurant and to say hello.
Not a blade of grass anywhere!
Say Hello to Fatiha..in charge of the campsite and my cook tonight
I decided to eat out tonight and let Fatiha cook me a meal of veg and goat in a tagene washed down with a couple of bottles of local beer, she wifi which came and went so spent the rest of the evening on the patio catching up with stuff and posting a few pics for you guys.
Soft drinks and tinnies on the tables and i-phones on laps!
The ZiZ fuel station
The first job on leaving the campsite in the morning was find the garage, waving goodbye to Fatiha we turned right and head out of town, on the outskirts we found the ZiZ garage and pulled over for fuel finding a bread shop we also topped up with bread again then we were off again. We had plenty of miles on the tarmac to do today, but just up the road the detour took is on the soft stuff again for about two miles some lads had stopped up ahead, their two cars nearly blocking the detour we had to negotiate carefully around them, “Hello! I shouted have you broken down”? “No my friend we have stopped to have a cigarette” Came the reply.. What what? Well get off the fukcing road then you retards I muttered to myself. Its funny now I recall that moment all those weeks ago but at the time their reasonings beat me!
Heading to the Todra Gorge
Looking behind at the Palmery
Mini buses and Land Rovers at the Todra
Fab rusty red colours both sides of the gorge
American Tourists set up a team photo
It was mid afternoon when we came upon the famous attractions of the two gorges. Today we visited the Todra actually driving uphill for a while through the town to drop down steeply on the other side of town. The gorge was teeming with people, people from all over the world and us. Parking is a bit hap hazard the road has the wide rocky riverbed on one side and the gorge wall on the other, so its a matter of get where you can, I remembered the hotel at the other side of the river, perhaps we will cross the low river and park by the hotel. The winter rains had washed away the concrete ramp so we couldnt get across, just steps remained. We decided we would drive on and park up at a more suitable and quieter spot, it was busy here and would get busier, already two of the tourist coaches had collided as they tried to park up. Ten minutes up the road we found a rocky bit with a gap in the armco..yes armco! Here was fine so we stopped for lunch.
Though it was a lovely bright day the distant haze of sand in the air was still out there which would make the next spot a bit of a disappointment it was an excellent viewpoint that took in the whole county so to speak! But today the faraway haze would blunt the special view. So Pete took a right at the next junction and we headed to a rude place..
On the road to ASSOUL..
We all chuckled at our own version of the village sign. The radio was alive with naughty catch phrases. This road was a great mountain road that turned and twisted around the rocks and steep hillsides, Narrow roads and stone walls meant I couldn’t really stop to take a few photo’s
The village kids were quite animated but it was fairly clear … gimmi gimmi gimmi! Bon Bon..Stylo..and the shirt of your back!
2 good reason why to NOT stop on these roads to admire the views…
It does make you smile doesn’t it!
We pulled over at a small riverbed for another break, I was getting hot now, Id not taken my hat off of my shirt but I was beginning to feel the heat today. We had 2 more hours to go before we reached Midelt, we were due at the camp with my fave dog on the gate, I cant wait to see him again…
We pulled in at Camping Timnay again between Midelt and Zeida, everyone went for a meal it had been a long day so dint fancy cooking, I just wanted to lie down and sleep I felt tired and my head felt like a boiled egg! I popped the roof lay soaked a tea town and laid it on my face…ahhhh better! I slept on and off all night and thought I felt better until I went to the loo in the morning..aha OK so now I have the s*its Packing away I rolled out early again and got fuel from next door then joined in the morning meeting which we have had every morning for information of where we have been yesterday and where we were going today.. Imshallah..
We drove upto Zeida and looked for the right turn onto the track to the mine but we couldn’t find it, there was however another new tarmac road! we tried a few right turns but these petered out. Two lads on a moped came along and put us on the right track, once away from the tarmac it became more obvious, it was just that 100 metres from the road where it wasn’t obvious. The lads were puzzled that we wanted the bumpy bumpy road when they have the nice new shiny road?? a bit later we saw then again as we inspected some shallow bell pits but not so ancient, I found out that his job was to paint the small security buildings dotted here and there, In not sure what the security was for, he showed me his work on his phone, small grey buildings that he was titivating with his radiator paint rollers and his 2 pots of white and grey paint these he had hung on both ends of his handlebars, I hoped he didn’t fall off as he and his mate rod off together to their next job. It was here I saw TWO COWS! the first Id seen over here, there was bits of shrub here and there but it nust have been a struggle to feed them?
Disused winding head gear
There was some mining still going off here and there, a bit of open caste and a one or two stone structures still had winding gear, but it wasn’t as industrious as it used to be, I couldn’t say what was being mined the small spoil heaps where grey and a light green, some ore on other Id guess. Ask me one about coal instead! The old mine was the same as last time, derelict and colonial looking long abandoned by the Spanish or French. The only difference was the rickety was now fixed, we went over it a bit slow last year, it was noisy but safe!
The nearly dry river bed at the mine
I pushed on ahead to take some photographs of them crossing the bridge, this would fun! I climbed down from the road and stood in the middle and waited for the guys. to rumble over the bridge. There is one sleeper about No 12 that bounced and clanked noisily as the rivets rattled against the steel cross piece underneath. I would be last over today Joey was already across.
The metal girders seemed fine, the sleepers didn’t
The track to Aouli Mine is good fun and actually goes in a big cirlce, coming out down the main road near Midelt, we then drive on North passing the campsite again. Halfway to Fez we pause for a dinner at a snazzy new garage and I take the chance for a snooze, I felt really tired again It was helpful that Joey drove my truck and I rode the rest of the days journey upto Fez as passenger in the Disco now driven by Roel, I dozed on and off all the way. That night I was taken under the wing of Nurse Cerys and Nurse Pete I was in my pit early evening with a fever which I thought had gone. I slept fitfully all through the night, getting up a few times to visit the toilets they were MILES away. If any of you get the sh*ts park at the actual toilets, learn by my mistakes! I was just taking lots of liquid, having food was a bit pointless if you get my drift..
Resting in Fez
Gordon doing a bit of last minute housework at Fez
The next morning the guys went on a bus tour of Fez. I stayed by the truck dozing and resting, I had those special biscuits, old soldiers know them perhaps as “hard tack” but these were a bit gentler and had some taste. I felt Ok to drive by the afternoon, both nurses agreed as my temperature had gone down a lot. I did feel a great deal better. We left Fez about 14.00hrs going north still and heading to our last camp in Morocco, It was an afternoon of motorway so we soon got to Moulay Bousselham campsite in the bay on the north west coast, Its a large site dotted with trees so plenty of cover, The toilet block is a bit tacky and the indoor cafe / laundry are the same. The site was only an hour or so from Tangier Med so is a great place to be for the last push to the ferry in the morning. We were due an early start tomorrow to try ad get an early ferry. The clock was on for 7! I was up at dawn wrapping thing up having coffee and a couple of those special biscuits. Everyone was ready to go at the same time, onto the motorway we went for the last hours drive on Moroccan soil. We went through the port and the various checks with some ease though the new credit card with the very important bar code with our vehicle information proved to be a bit of a flop, one official collected them all and took them away for checks I presume? It seems some of us got them back with a squiggle scrawled on them, some of the group did not! Before boarding we got checked, passport and ferry ticket and wanted to see the stubs from the incoming ferry 2 weeks ago? Why I dont know, Joey had the lot of them so that was sorted nobody seemed overly concerned when some of us didn’t have those new little white cards. Perhaps its such a new idea that not everyone has been informed about them?
On the med ferry with a familiar rock and Joey behind
It was a pleasant morning crossing its always nice to get clear of these docks there are so many people in charge at different stages and not all singing from the same sheet it can get a bit infuriating. Once landed in Spain it was a quicker job, passports and a look at some of the vehicles and we were on our way. Going through the town we were soon over the rocky headland and heading to up the drive to Rio Jara again. I didn’t fancy the meal at the steakhouse, I didn’t want to chance it its a 15 minute walk from the here to there. No I went to the beach for the afternoon with the camera then came back for a light meal in the truck before early bed, I was getting back to normal functioning my nurses were happy with my progress too.
On the beach at Rio Jara afternoon and early evening wind sailing / surfing the town of Tarifa is just a few miles behind me between here and Gibraltar
It was a long two days up through Spain to Camping Caceres then onto Santander through the wild Picos Mountains. Here is a lovely place to explore as we have in the past on motorbikes
Approaching the North coast of Spain and the Pico’s Mountains
The Port seemed to be full of British people and looked a good deal cleaner that us lot, well me in particular! White T shirts clean socks smooth tanned skins and a beer in right hand.. The Police sent their sniffer dogs around our trucks this happens nearly every time now when returning rom Morocco. That was some brave hound that got up in the back of mine! Naturally they found no drugs immigrants or guns. Folk walked up and down the vehicles chatting, the ferry was not loading now until and hour or more later than said. Our group attracted some curious holiday makers all with the usual questions..where have you been?..how many miles have you done? what was it like?..are the people friendly? One guy sounded really interested so I showed him the back of mine, he was impressed how compact it was and began to drool at the idea, Im not sure his missus felt the same, they were in the next lane with their campervan. When the boy leaves home next year he kept saying…
On board and moving out of the bay, Id found my room in the maze of corridors on deck 6, the cardboard key slide is what you get now, they don’t seem to last long I had to get it swiped again at the information desk, people where doing this throughout the trip, its a inconvenience and not something Id complain about Brittany Ferries have other things to keep their eye on like the piggin bow doors! My last three BF ferries have all had issues one never even got to the port. The outbound ferry was an hour late and this one is also an hour late AND I noticed we loaded from the rear they didnt use the bow doors! (When we docked at home we used the rear to exit again)
4×4 Friends from my first Atlas Overland trip.last photo of the trip
One of the group had got the same bug as me, infact he began to feel ill on the short run to Tangier Med for the return trip a couple of days ago. All he wants to do is sleep in between a couple of trots to the loo. We docked in the evening at Portsmouth clearing the post within the hour, we’d said our goodbyes on the car deck now I joined the traffic along th A27 then north on the M3 onto the A34 to Oxford then the M40 to the A43 across to Northants then the M1 north to the M18 and home by 01.00.
That my friends is the end of the ATLAS OVERLAND MOROCCO 2018 April adventure. Its been fun reliving the experience I hope you’ve enjoyed the read and the photo’s.
Allmyownstuff.. 