On the road to Imichil we found our next overnight site – a layby adjacent to Fatima’s Farm.  This was not a formal campsite rather a spot of land next door to a farm owned by a lady called Fatima and so a second night of wild camping.

On pulling into the layby we were immediately surrounded by the children from the 4/5 houses that make up the farm; everywhere you go in Morocco, whether it’s roadside or on a campsite,the children ask for pens, paper, sweets and even clothes. They are persistent but not nasty when you keep saying no and they usually wave you away with a big smile on their faces. Life on the farm is basic, subsistence farming; they grow grow crops and raise sheep, goats and cows. What is not needed is taken to market and sold to buy what they can’t provide themselves. Electricity is in the form of single bulbs in some rooms and that comes from solar panels. But despite the hardship, Fatima and her extended family were very welcoming and hospitable – we were all invited in for tea and homemade bread, butter and olive oil on arrival.

 

We had very generously been given bags of childrens’ clothes by a good friend (and dance teacher – thanks Chantal!) and left a few of them here where they were very much appreciated.

After dinner around the campfire and music played by the children we went back into the house to find Fatima making butter – hours of swinging a large container of milk. This woman is in her 60s and in the short time we were there she had gathered feed from the mountainside for the cattle, joined us for tea and made butter for the following day. They didn’t eat dinner until after we left (around 10pm) and she was up again at 5am to bake bread for us to take away with us.

 

 

 

Yes through these trips she is obviously better off than many farmers here but still it’s a life none of us would opt for – our major problems were working out how to cope without electricity or topping up water for three days. Puts a lot of things into perspective……

Tues 14th – our 2nd wedding anniversary and what a way to spend it!  Today we are continuing our journey through the Middle Atlas but heading south towards the High Atlas. It’s a long driving day today of 245km which doesn’t sound a lot but on these roads it’s a full day.

After an earlyish start it’s off to Zeida for another pancake and nus nus breakfast and then on to another long and winding road with the accompanying stunning scenery.  Luckily for me Bob is happy to drive so I can hang out of the window taking photos which can never do justice to the location but will provide us with a lifetime of memories.

We knew the roads were going to cause a few problems today as even the map has them marked as “difficult or dangerous” but as we reached the town of Aghbala we noticed that the other vans in front of us had stopped on a bend on the main road through the centre of town.  Hammed, who had recently rejoined us, came running towards us and pointed us in a different direction as it seems the road ahead really had run out!

Try to imagine the scene; one main road through town, no road and then five motorhomes and van towing a trailer trying to do u-turns.  Although we didn’t have to turn around, the alternative route we had been given involved a short steep slope which is not so good when you have a large overhang at the back and a tow bar. Still 30 mins or so after
bringing the entire town to a standstill we all make it out in one piece and regroup further along the road.

Tonight’s stay is on the roadside around 25-30km north of Imichil adjacent to a farm owned by a lady called Fatima and that merits its own entry.

Mon 13th and a relatively short drive today heading into the Middle Atlas and the Cedar Forest.We left Fes heading towards Azrou with a short stop at Immouzer for a breakfast of pancakes and coffee (nus nus for me – something like a latte but half milk and half coffee) and a little shoppping in the markeyto top up the fresh supplies. Just before Azrou we turned off into the cedar forest for tonight’s camp and our first night of wild camping, ie no campsite and no amenities.

Despite having been before we were not disappointed with the site in the middle of the majestic trees and we were soon joined by the barbary apes who live in them. Sadly no campfire this time due to the dryness of the surroundings but that didn’t stop us all sitting out after dinner cooked by Mohammed and enjoying a glass or two…well under the rain started that is!

SAt 11th and we leave the lake for our first major city – Fes, the former capital of Morocco.  But first we had
to get through the market at Ourtzarh where it seems everyone had come to sell their wares and at one point it
looked like someone was trying to load cows into the back of a transit!  Having negotiated our way through the

mayhem of the market, it was back across the rickety bridge and then onto the main road to Fes.  The dramatic mountain scenery has temporarily been replaced by green rolling hills and fields of crops; farming here plays a major part in the economy but there seems to be little machinery and many families go to and from the fields on their donkey (and usually with the man riding and the woman walking a few paces behind).

We get to Fes without incident but then panic a little when the sat nav seems to be taking us right through the centre of the city.  Luckily we stick to a main road running along the outside medina walls and find our way to the campsite fairly easily. After lunch provided by Steve and Muhammed, it’s a quiet afternoon around the van and with
a decent power supply we can use the coffee maker and the air conditioning although not at the same time – it’s not that good!  Campsite facilities are basic but clean and useable.

There’s a great pool area and even a bar
selling alcohol (very unusual) but sadly the pool is empty…..we would all have appreciated it in this heat.

Sun 12th and we’re off for a tour of Fes.  The campsite is in the Ville Nouvelle which was designed and built by the French before Morocco gained independence.  We travel through the more decorative Jewish city which contains the Kings Palace and then to the Medina (the largest in the Arab world) where the shopping begins…..

 

 

 

 

First to the potteries where we see ceramics being made in the traditional way with a lump of clay being thrown on a wheel and crafted into plates, bowls and tagines and then painted by hand.  Mosaics are made here too with the plain coloured tiles being broken and cut by large hand held hammers before creating intricate patterns.  A couple of small purchases here and then it’s back into the labyrinth of the medina and the carpet shop which is based in an old
several storied house.

 

 

We did actually intend to buy a rug on this trip and after a talk on the history of how carpets are made and a glass of mint tea to help with the negotiations, we succeeded.

As usual with the guides here they direct you to shops where they receive the best commission and after a “Berber” pharmacy and a leather shop by the tanneries, people were starting to flag a little so it was back to the campsite.