Draa Valley

06/10/24 – Tamnought became nought

We were packed up in under 1 hr 30. Pretty slick at this camping lark now. I was taught how to pack by my father on family camping trips. Sadly, this talent will not be passed to my daughter. She’s vehemently non camping.

We had not planned to come down the Draa Valley, but I’d read a bit more and the road looked interesting on the map. It didn’t disappoint. Wide plains. Distant mountains in warm ochres and then black. Different to what we have seen due to the many many ksars – mud villages. It was a main caravan trade route. Most were inhabited but where houses had been restored or replaced with a modern build, often mud covered breeze blocks. So an interesting mix of ruins and new.

We stopped for brunch. The host explained his 2 eldest children attended boarding school an hour away. His eldest daughter is studying medicine. The 17 yr old was home for the national holiday and showed us his maths exercise books. I’ve never seen such neat work from a boy. We gladly praised and I was rewarded with the gift of scarf. A nice encounter.

We stopped at Tamnought Ksar. It had paintings from a film production.

*Corrie saw parked motorhomes and checked them all for Brian and Zoa*

*Gradually returning to dust. Piles of rubble and sand*

*We intended to wander the restored ksar but a guide wouldn’t leave us alone, claiming he had keys, that entry was by ticket, that due to harems entry was by guide etc. Enough! We about* *turned*.

We arrived at Zagora but struggled to find our Riad. A young lad showed me the way through ever increasingly narrow paths. Despite my pre booking enquiry, the car wasn’t going to be very close. It wasn’t so I ended up pulling things from my large and heavy suitcase to a shopping bag. Our room is in a tower. Dark and only two tiny windows. We were both disappointed, but it has air con, a powerful shower and a nice shady courtyard. And is all of €24 pn. We had pre-ordered supper. The best soup I’ve had so far, followed by a beautifully cooked and tasty chicken and veg tagine. Too full to touch the fruit. All for €10 each, so we’re coming around to liking our accommodation.

010/24 – Tamed in Tamegroute

After breakfast (included), we drove South to the end of the road. M’Hamid is a border town now devoted to camel and 4×4 trips to the sand dunes. We just had lunch.

However, on the way down we stopped at Tamegroute. Home to a library of ancient Koran’s and a mausoleum, making the town a pilgrimage site. It is also renowned for pottery with a green glaze. Had we not accepted the services of a guide, we would probably have missed the library and the pottery kilns. We had to buy and pay our guide and so came away several € lighter. With the question as to how to keep our purchases safe from breakage over the next months unpacking / repacking and the bumpy roads!