Here we are again

Let me introduce Mohamed. He's an auto electrician from the town of Ait Melloul near Agadir. His specialty is starter motors, which is lucky because ours is packing up! It's been showing signs of old age for a while now but it packed up all together in Tiznit on a hot sunny afternoon, leaving us stranded in a town we've been stranded in before. A good test of stamina for us both. We've discussed the situation many times in theory as well as in practice and can now apply our wisdom. All will be fine in the end, keep cool and center oneself. It's the life as Lahoucin would say.
I've already cleaned every available connection I know of so it can only be the starter motor. So I hit it with a hammer ! Laugh a bit, go on.
Finished? I'll carry on.
I've heard of this remedy before and it's purpose is to free a jammed starter and blow me it worked. Elation is an understatement. We're running and we're not stopping here. Agadir here we come!

Agadir is sixty miles or so away giveing us plenty of time to consider a plan of action. Vannie might not start again or maybe hammer technique will work again? What to do? Ait Melloull has become a legend over the years of many breakdowns in Morocco. It's the place to break down! Rumour has it and we go through it on our way. So a quick search on google for an auto electrician? and google maps leads us to a few doors away from our friend and saviour to be, Mohamed. Synchronicity has kicked in.
So here I am, the following morning, in a familiar position inside the engine. Vannie has gone so well this year. New engine has purred to Dakhla and back but now she wants some attention.

You love it really don't you Ted! It's what keeps life on the edge. Back streets of a very Moroccan town, on the street next to a very small garage in the hands of a chap who obviously has been doing this all his life. Mucky hands and prospects of repair, in my element you could say.


Like a little boy watching his daddy repair an engine. I'm caught and am vital.


Straighten those shoulders Ted, Krysia reminds me. She's watching me all the time, keeping check on my anxiety levels and grounding me whenever needed.

Mohamed has removed the offending motor and is now dismantling it to it's core pieces. He's known what the problem is since first meeting him. The brushes are worn, the motor is dirty and a new solenoid is needed! He says that's no problem. Phew, that's a relief. No problem eh? Can this be true? There is but one problem, can we get the spare parts? This takes several wanderings through town with Mohamed and without him. It's an old spare part we're looking for and although we find a very respectable similar replacement. It's not quite right and we only find out after refitting and trying to start, which fails! So off comes the motor and out comes a box of spare old bits. He finds a suitable part and refits the whole thing and............. it starts like a new engine? Well it is but now it's kicked into life with a force.

 

Krysia, in the meantime, as well as keep tabs on me, is recording the whole event for you all to see. 

Outside the garage I take five and rest on our own drivers seat.


This is a wonderful day.

 The resident artist gets distracted with beautiful and interesting images that surround our place of repair.

Gets a bit boring keeping an eye Ted's stress levels so her eye wanders around and captures a bit of life and art.

Mohamed's son turns up and helps his Dad put us back together and send us on our way. He's proud of his Dad, helping the strange tourists back onto their journey.

We appeared from nowhere and disappear into the traffic, hopefully, strange as it is, never to be seen again! Well no one wants to breakdown, do they?

A parting group shot of Mohamed, his son and a couple of extras? and we're off.


Back on the road. I wonder what's next?

Aglou Plage.

Alhoucin at work. Doing what he knows best. Fish. He's a fisherman and the reason we have called in to Aglou Plage again. It's been a couple of years since we saw him last and a promised wetsuit needs to be delivered. Standing in the water waist deep or out on a boat in the elements, is a chilly business. We hope it helps as much as he said it would. 

This is the 'cave' that we recorded Alhoucin's group in, Agagne. Five years ago! Odd to be back. In fact, it took all we could muster to return. Why? That's another story. We're here and he is delighted. ' Come to my cave tomorrow and I'll cook you a fish tajine' and that's what was to happen. Back to the van we walked passed 'cave' doors! And on to the crowded Friday afternoon beach. 

The promenade is crowded with well to do folk walking the walk. It's a bit of a culture shock for us after our wanderings in the desert. 

But let's get on to our lesson in fish tajine preparation. 

We meet Lahoucin at 10.30 am the next day. He's finished work and has taken his wages in fish! And is going to show us from start to finish, how to do it properly. We video the whole process from start to finish but that's not for this blog. Photos must do. 

Proudly holding the two cleaned fish, one a yellow tuna the other he calls a meagre or corbine? We head for the cave to prepare the dish. 

Are we going to eat both these beauties? 

Well, yes, it seems. 

Rushing about In between filming sessions! Alhoucin is in his element. The cook and the entertainer. A charming host. 

And these two are washed and cut to fit the tarjine as little else other than a carrot base covered with tomatoes, is in the dish. The cutlets have been marinated before careful placement in this culinary delight. 

Heads and tails are centre place. The dish is cooked for 45 mins in the doorway. 

Fish tajine a la Alhoucin. Fresh from the sea into our tummies. The best tajine we've ever eaten. 

Well fed, we walk off our lunch. The sun is shining and all is good. It's the life, as Alhoucin repeats often. It's the life. 

Our return visit is rewarded with hospitality next to none. 

It's the life. 

Oued Chbika

A reflection on the lagoon at Oued Chbika seems in order. It's not how long you stay somewhere, it's the presence the place has and how it moves you. As the wind isn't blowing, which the dunes suggest it often is, we feel rested here for a short while.  So I'll take you on a short meander through this camping delight. At the edge of a river, looking out over the sea, camping is allowed and used by those who prefere to be outside the confines of a campsite. I think it can get quite crowded but fortunately it is not for our short stay.

The power of the lens shows us alone in this beautiful spot.



A wider view shows us sharing with just a few others.

 And our resident artist makes use of the shady van to delve into the local sights. And when I can get her to pass on her drawings, I'll share them with you. Touchy lot these artists! "It's not finished yet" ! Ok Ok plenty of time.

So I'll share some of the visual delights surrounding us.

The beautiful bird life. We have been told flamingo's come this way but we'll have to do with Heron's, Egret's and lots of other colourful jobbies that keep us enthralled with their beauty.

 And then there is water ! without it we're lost. Here we have plenty as this natural spring gives all the water you need for washing clothes and yourselves but for drinking? Mmm  Not unless we have to and we don't. It tastes very salty, minerals I expect.

















Looking inland across the spring to where water becomes, well , life. The people who live in the vastness of this region must like salty water! It can be a long way between shops and fresh water costs. They are hardy to its content, this we have been told. !


The road to everywhere! North to Morocco, South to the Western Sahara and beyond. a lifeline of continuous lorries heading back and fro.

Goods and food south, fish and phosphates north? Morocco has good reason to keep it's hold on the Western Sahara as well as it's historical belief that it is the rightful owner of the region. And who am I to comment. The more one looks into history, the more one finds. ?






So over the bridge we go and a mud cracked landscape backdropped by water and dunes. Phew, pretty stunning. And not too scary Krysia, those cracks won't eat you.

 And they are very beautiful. Natural patterns. Designs for life?











Could have been designed in a permaculture center !

 Whereas this dodgy geezer looks like he's sprung out of the mud.




You wanna buy something? anything? You need a guide?




So I'll let you off without a hassle and leave you with the image below. Krysia on the edge of the wilderness, as far as the eye can see. And now it's time to turn back. You have to turn back sometime, don't you?

Heading North

Well this photo above is already north! ie north of the Western Sahara. Just a few kilometres south of TanTan plage, a popular camping spot for all types of people. So I write from here. It's very beautiful and a good time to reflect. 

We left Dakhla last Monday. The wind finally got to us! Yes I know, brave words in a previous blog but the swaying van especially at night, led to a first thing in the morning decision. Let's go north. And the 500 miles back to Tan Tan plage. Or El Outia as I should call it. We have lived for a month now with a strong prevailing north wind. We're not alone. It has been blowing all over the Moroccan coast but it's changing up north and were due a break. So let's go. 

First things first. A date to remember. 3rd March. Krysia's birthday. And this year we are in the unheard of town, Boujdour. Yes, we know how to party! An isolated place, 200 miles north of Dakhla. It has a deserted campsite, army barracks and fishing. Oh, a lighthouse but your not allowed to photograph it? The people are lovely as we have found in the Western Sahara which makes it the perfect place to celebrate a birthday. 

And doesn't she look good! And she's just turned? Mmm that's a secret on this blog I think. 

Playful as ever on the beach! A young girl at heart. 

The sunshine of my life. Happy birthday Krysia. 

The sun sets on this birthday day, we've made the most of it. Walked and talked, dined out and most importantly, had a long chat with Jaimie who's now in Costa Rica finding new directions for herself as she meets more people on her road to self discovery. It's a long road we tell her. We're still on it ourselves ! Aren't we all ?

This is a hole in the ground. A big one with sea crashing through. Lots of people stop here to see it. It's a wonder that the road hasn't disappeared into one of these as it runs so close to the cliffs. So we stop and look as we pass along with two police cars who were also just looking. No photos of them, they are a bit shy down here! 

Does this chap know how undercut the cliffs are? Do any of us? 

And here we are parked for the night, next to a natural spring of warm water bubbling up from below. Salty with a hint of sulphur, it's great for washing. It's been a long day's drive of about 300 miles and it's great to stop. 

In the morning we buy fish from a local chap and have a great lunch. No wind today! It's almost strange but make the most of it because the fisherman tells us that it will be windy tomorrow ! What a surprise. 

But today is beautiful and tomorrow will bring more adventures. Wind or no wind.