Heading North

  So it's time to head north with the trip coming to a close. We've been away 10 weeks now and all good things have to come to an end so that new good things can start! But it's not over yet, we've a long drive ahead of us and a lot of Morocco to see. Driving through towns and countryside is a fabulous part of the experience. We left Taghzout plage first thing, having really enjoyed being here.A few miles later, after going through Tamri, we were stopped by the police. This is only the second time since we've been here, the first was outside Meknes and he only wanted to wish us a good day. This fellow asked where we were going to and how long we've been in Morocco? He then asked for a souvenir from us, maybe a bottle of whisky! 'We have no whisky to give you unfortunately kind sir.' 'Then how about a book?' he said, 'an English book would be lovely!' So Krysia has a look for a book and comes up with The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. He gratefully accepts the gift and gets us to sign it, saying it will go to the local library.

 He wishes us a very happy journey and off we go. There are always two policemen on the road and his partner could not stop laughing at his colleague's nerve. Later on, outside Essouira, we were stopped again! This time , the stern faced policeman said that we had to take the motorbike off and leave it with him!! His face cracked into a huge grin when he saw a look of disbelief on Krysia's face.' Only joking, are you having a good time in Morocco? Why don't you come and live here, buy a farm!' he said?!? This is the truth I tell you, he was delightful to chat to and wished us a safe journey and come back soon. Now we've heard that the King has told the police to be pleasant to tourists but this is beyond belief! Two happy bobbies in one day? May it last.
The ever changing countryside is a delight to behold. The Argan trees cover the hills for many miles as we head north, the ubiquitous ' goats up trees' are a common site. They used to be part of the harvesting process, they'd eat the fruit and poop the stone, leaving the farmers only the nutcracking to do. Now, the majority of fruit is hand processed as we saw in a Women's Coop, where we stopped to buy some of the infamous Argan oil. Whoa that's pricey! but it's the real deal and the money goes to the community. The 'women' were all sitting in a line for us to see, showing us the process stage by stage, a cheerful lot, happy to be on view to help bring in the cash.

Leaving the hills of  the Atlas behind, wheat fields dominated the flat lands as we drove towards El Jadida. Towns  spilling out onto the main road with people taking little notice of our our vehicles, left us in no doubt that we are still very much in Morocco. A walking stack of bags blocked the road in one town! A heaving souk in another.It's all a feast for the senses and I'm already starting to miss it! Which is of course quite ridiculous as I haven't left yet but I'm a bit of an old romantic and this has been and still is, the adventure of a lifetime.
We're settled in at the campsite here at El Jadida which is familiar to us from last year. It's full of motorhomes!  All doing the same thing as us, travelling Morocco and enjoying it to the last drop!
We've a few days left before we leave and will keep you posted as best we can.
It only gets better
lots of love
Ted and Krysia
ps on the move photos by krysia