Travel in Morocco:

After we go back Boulmane gorges, the sun begins to decline, the colors make beautiful tone, especially the rock "monkey paws, pink is highlighted and contrasted with the green gardens on the banks of the wadi .

I recommend this section of road in this direction at sunset for 2 reasons: the colors and not be dazzled by the driving sun face!

At night women returned fields and it is a pleasure to see the signs of friendship to our passage, no beggars here, just small signs of the hands of children to say "hello" that is fun!

After the pass (uh, the hostel is great!) We spend the night at the "wrong camp" in Said, a funny Chibani, 10 dirhams for the night we offer tea, fossils to Jeremy and discussed at length around other teas up no end!

We had experienced a previous passage, we appreciated his kindness, his children have not wanted to return to hostel, so now he is pleased when the French stop seeing him.

After a peaceful night, we make the services, another tea with him, and promise to stop returning, we leave for Msemrir.

The road follows the gorge, 200 meters after the campsite we stopped for a photo pose in the narrowest of gorges.

Throughout this road we see people at work in the fields, the landscape changes as we take the altitude, the road is narrow and rutted in some places due to heavy rain of spring, but The views are worth the effort.

We arrive at Msemrir, the road is passable with a motorhome, so turn to review the grooves in the other direction.

Said stop in for the prom, farewell and small gifts for her grandchildren, Jeremy is still entitled to a polished fossil!

We still have the road to reach Aït Benhaddou, our next step, we pass the Dades now runs in a much broader valley, stop at El Kelaa M'Gouna for the purchase of water and extract of roses, the main street is lined with shops in the glory of this product!

A break for lunch and we go see the dam before Ouarzazate, still impressive, new homes have advanced as mushrooms and our last time in 2005, we feel that the money studios near here is well spent !

Studios that we will go visit Jeremy expects that since this morning!

But we are disappointed! the few remaining sets are in a state of total disrepair!

It's beautiful from afar, but far from beautiful neighborhood! dommage! but when Jeremy will have even seen what sets, especially those of Asterix!

We leave for Aït Benhaddou ferron where we stop at the inn "casbah gardens, conveniently located opposite the village, with a real swimming pool, which does not spoil anything!

This morning we walk ksar visit the best preserved of Morocco, that is 1 km from the campsite, on the other side of the river which is dry at this time and is accessed by a small passage between the houses, some shops have opened memories on this side of the wadi;

This village is very typical, you have probably seen a day on your screen, he served as a natural setting for many films, from "alli baba and 40 thieves" with Fernandel in Prince of Persia, currently being filmed here , through the "Green Diamond Nile" with Michael Douglas.

All buildings are well preserved, some can be visited, it is very instructive to see how with soil, straw, wood and water they are able to produce such structures over 15 meters high!

Many artists have also invests the site, some nice parts to prices (once marchandées!)

Climb to the ruins of the fortress, views over the surrounding countryside and on a small marabou.

When we visited, the scenery of the next film by Jerry Bruckheimer were in construction, the palace of Prince of Persia "to be released on screens in 2010

All the sets are routinely destroyed after filming ends in order not to pollute the site, except the large door that has served the "diamond of the Nile" is still there.

After the morning spent visiting the village we reach our campsite by the banks of the river and gardens, we will have lunch by the pool with an excellent couscous with a last swim before returning to the road Tafraoute.

We make the services, pay our stays at a very mild benefits seen in a campground that I recommend.

We leave Aït Benhaddou then take the highway that leads to Marrakesh for a few kilometers before turning to Tazenakht.

Here at the crossroads, police control, I stopped at the first sign, the police made me sign up m'avance him, I will stop lending to provide the usual police records, but ....

"Hello, you have committed an offense, the vehicle! "

surprised, I asked him what offense?

"You have blown the stop! "

stop? stop what?

'He who is here, 50 meters, for the control of police

but I marked the stop and you do me a sign of progress!

"You have to wait longer! you are not in France! "
"It is 900 dirhams paid immediately! "

good, I understand ... we are on a main road and it feels the full nose scam, I descend from the vehicle, asked him to get behind and there, talking, explanations, and I said go: would it not a bit of racket? ...
he takes very good and I replied, "we give what we want" !!!!!!!

so it is! what to do other than negotiate, we come to 100 dirhams!

and after a good journey and welcome to Morocco "we are invited to take the road!

this is the first time such a thing happens, the days should be quite profitable for the police on this road very popular with tourists and tour operators.

Corruption exists, but who is complaining? I'm not sure that his superiors did not affect it either!

After this little interlude we continue with a nice quiet road in beautiful landscapes by Tazenakht where we will turn the city is renowned for its carpets, but we will buy anything, they take the tourists for billionaires!

Taliouine direction, the town of Saffron, we visit the cooperative purchase of saffron, and we start to count Tafraoute where we spend the night.

The small road that winds up Igherm is beautiful, wild, with views of the Toubkal beautiful, but very narrow and winding.

It is not used, even after Igherm, we do not believe that 2 cars and 1 truck to 150 km.

The descent into Tafraoute is through the valley of Ameln, these traders gone abroad to make a fortune, you know, "the grocer Arabic" at the bottom of your home!

And made fortunes, they build extravagant houses in the valley, but the road would have to be redone, it is a minefield, one of the holes that we have been to Morocco!

We arrive at dusk to Tafraoute, the village is being renovated, we are diverted, more guidance, we ask the leadership of the camp to a Gendarmerie we needle on a road that seems in the opposite direction, but good ! he must still know!

My impression was good, we do around the mountain to get back on the highway, but 30 miles as opposed to the city!

Back on the city and we find our campsite at the entrance on the right, information given, we did a loop of 65 kms useless, we were at 3 kms from the camp when the policeman guided us!

It's late, tomorrow we will see what this city.

Quiet night, we are the only customers! transition to the home to settle and take the direction of downtown, but work blocks access to the center, turned around towards Tiznit we repassons before the campsite is the most beautiful with the sun which rises on the surrounding hills, the pink granite rocks form a majestic backdrop.

We turn the neck of Kerdous, beautiful view, the road to Tiznit approach is very touristy.

We do some shopping in passing Tiznit, the visit will be to return, we will for the moment to see beach-Aglou the ocean, the temperature drops regularly and when we leave the camper for lunch at a restaurant along the Wednesday, freshness surprise us! a small wool is not redundant!

We have lunch in a superb restaurant run by French, meals very good and hearty, very good price and also the coffee, we talk a little about the country with the boss.

We continue our descent to the deep south with the coastal road that leads to Sidi Ifni, a lot of work in town, we make a trip to City Hall and the cliff overlooking the beach, then we take the direction of Guelmin last big town Tan-Tan before, where we do some shopping and we will have great difficulty in regaining national descends into the southern Sahara.

From Guelmin the South starts, this is not the Moroccan Sahara, but the landscape changes, the vegetation is desert, the dunes make their first appearance, attacking the Sahara.

The road, one and only means of access to black Africa, is used by many trucks loading qu'hasardeux, and some the sides are broken, the crossing becomes sensitive, it should not be too slow so as not to be "embedded" and out quickly from the edge.

Tan-Tan is in sight, police checks and police at the entrance, no surprises, we will see a french Allier in the 2chevaux truck! he tells us he lives here and we demand news from home, we also warn of speed control radar, actually there are 3 and stash! it became a sport practiced at the entrances of city in Morocco and with the latest models of laser binoculars.

Carrefour de Tan-Tan Plage, police re-check before the monument to the sharks, we are going camping "golden sands" where we spend the night;

It is brand new, very clean, and we order grilled fish for the evening, we will be served in the motorhome with veggies and fries for less than 80 dirhams! and 3!

Walk on the beach after eating, it's cold! 20 ° max! and we are in July! the night will be even more enjoyable.

 

We wake up in the mist of sea it is always so fresh, - 20 °, after the services and set up, we go through the town center, not much interesting, we will close the port to buy fish, but you get back, entry prohibited! why? no answer!

As-pis, we will buy elsewhere, we take the road to Laayoune, I am compelled to put the wipers, fog, we can just see the sea yet we are on the cliffs within 50 meters from the edge!

All along this cliff wooden shacks covered with plastic used as shelters for fishermen who launch their lines from the top of the cliff high above 30 meters, 50 for some!

It is a high-risk fisheries, loss of balance resulting in a fall, and the dead are common.

But it is their only means to survival, so ...

The wadi Chebec is a privileged place for fishing, its estuary is conducive to fishing for Courbin.

Then Wadi Fatma My place of residence preferred by fishermen camping truck, a large parking is available, the flamingos bonus.

Immediately after the first zero-stations, we ferron full of a Diesel to 32 euro cents per liter! it's still very pleasant, we must say that the distance between 2 cities are not commensurate with France easily 400 kms.

It will also be meeting with the herds of camels (yes, I know, there are camels!) That cross the road without worrying about cars or trucks, it is also the first dunes that begin to take possession of the road but nothing bad here, the weather is calm.

Akhfenir past, we stop at the inn "Courbin the money" held by the French, we will have lunch in the company of other compatriots who have come to spend a vacation here fishing is the specialty of the house specialty Fish will be reflected in our dishes.

After this excellent meal, and coffee made with Paul the owner, we will make a visit to the lagoon Khnifiss-Nail is about thirty kilometers from Akhfenir.

A military welcomes us, we can if we want to stay overnight in the parking lot overlooking the lagoon, but we prefer to look only at the foot of the cliff closest lagoon.

We reported the possibility of making a boat trip on the lagoon, but this is despite the many boats at the edge, we go back and ask the guard if there aune possibility? no, not this season, you're the only tourists, fishermen are not there!

As-pis, the lagoon is beautiful view from here, many flamingos and dunes in the background that plunge into the water, it looks like a postcard.

Also this road straight, the dunes become closer, Tarfaya is reported at 100 kms, we are moving away from the coast, the temperature was 25 ° increases quickly, at once in the bend of a large dune, a salt lake, vast, and much is used.

This is the Sebkha Tarzgha saline, a saline than 6000 ha, which produces 20 million tonnes per year!

Impressive! off is believed to see the water surface, no! this is a mirage!

We arrive at Tarfaya, I was expecting an important city in reality is a few blocks of concrete, scattered on the outskirts of a small town embedded in the sand, trying somehow to survive with a small museum of Aéropostale, but closed at this time.

It is also a sardine fishing port, a ferry to the nearby Canary had been established, but outdated ships was right, the last that is left is to wreck a short distance from the port !

Disappointed by the lack of interest of this city, we start to Laâyoune.

The scenery does not change, dunes, dunes, and dunes, a road in better condition, more large.

The arrival on Laâyoune is surprisingly very big town lost in the sands of the desert garrison town, soldiers everywhere, it is also a city brand new, modern buildings have shown, no tourist, just to fill and supplies, there is everything, the UN force are good customers!

A brand new 4-lane connecting the city to Laâyoune beach, bulldozers excavated the dunes constantly moving.

Laâyoune beach will be our stage tonight, we will find a small parking lot at the end of beach near a garrison.

This will be our turning point in the south, the landscape was no longer much interest there would be nothing to push farther south, and we must remember to return to France, we are still not far from 4000 kms!