Sitting Out the Rain in Tiznit, Morocco

Zagan the motorhome’s taken us as far south as a motorhome’s ever taken us. We’re at Tiznit in Morocco, sitting out a couple of days of rain at Camp Riad Tiznit (N29.695727, W9.708398).

Looking at where we are from above, using Google Maps, the colour of the land is turning lighter, a sandy colour, reflecting our growing proximity to the northern edge of the enormous Sahara. It doesn’t feel like we’re in a desert here mind you, although the land around us is largely scrub and rock; with the mountains of the Anti Atlas rising off to the east. There’s a wedding taking place in the riad part of the campsite, and the music’s loud enough to bend a palm tree double. It costs 86Dh a night to stay here, including electricity and (intermittent) WiFi, about €8.60.

Camp Riad Tiznit, not much space available in mid February

Looking east from the campsite towards the Anti Atlas and Tafraoute

Rain for a couple of days, but then it’s scorchio! Not bad for the depth of winter.

We half expected our mate Lesson to tap us up for more than the agreed 40Dh a night at La Dune, or at least to make a final effort to relieve us of our dwindling wine stash, but in the end he was nowhere to be seen. Ju paid another chap (on the second attempt – we could easily have left without paying) before we exited the sandy track away from the site, missing a final sighting of the cool tanned fella who’d made a game attempt to get us on his camel, for free(ish) of course!

A young camel at La Dune, Sidi Rabat

Using maps.me to navigate, it was only after about 30 minutes of driving I spotted the arrow on the screen was in the exact same place it was 30 minutes ago, explaining why the town we were driving through seemed much longer and busier than when we’d driven in on the way there! Taking the next left we easily found the N1 again, and headed south, quite amazed at the fantastic quality of the dual carriageway road. We were a little premature, as the road was still in the process of being laid, but this presented the opportunity to observe in awe folks misunderstanding the nature of the contraflow and driving directly at the oncoming traffic. Fortunately this was all done slowly enough to avoid any actual bonnet-crushing, and after a few miles of bumping up and down between sections of rough and virgin tarmac, we landed in Tiznit.

A Moroccan lady riding a donkey in Massa. Many women here choose to cover all of their hair and face

The N1 South – here comes the rain

Spanking new tarmac being laid in Morocco. The roads here seem 100% better than we remember than from 5 years back

Maps.me, like most satnavs I imagine, doesn’t get Morocco. What it thinks is a short cut, is probably just that, a very quick way to end up in a psychiatric hospital as the road rapidly turns to rubble/mud/sand/just a hole. Common sense is much required, and much missing from time to time in Team Zagan, as we get drawn down roads which we end up backing out of like we’d just found an angry bear down there. This time it was a simple spin round on a patch of dried mud, and we found the site easily, after Phil and Jules had sent a message to say the municipal campsite in the centre of town is Complet, rammed full. Driving in here, past beautifully vivid peacocks and guinea fowl under palms just inside the site, we settled in for the coming weather.

That way satnav? Are you sure?

The site’s right on the edge of town, so about a mile and a half from the medina, and looking over the palm frond fence, the mountains are in clear sight, an engaging view. Within the site a pisse mud building is recycling itself back to earth alongside what appears to be a partially collapsed underground water bowser. The showers open straight onto the site, and the black water point is a pipe sticking up a couple of feet and topped with a pot tagine lid (it works perfectly, much better than an over-complicated affair we once used in Berlin, which showered shtuff everywhere).

A door in Tiznit

Two forays have been made into town, one on foot and one on the trusty bike. I like the place. It’s low key. It’s got hundreds of northern Europeans knocking about, occupants of hundreds of motorhomes in the several campsites about town, but doesn’t seem to have suffered. Shop owners aren’t pushy, they’re almost horizontally relaxed, a huge relief from the medinas of Fes, Marrakech and Essaouira. Phil’s checked out prices for yellow babouche, about €8 a pair for the leather slippers which are traditional male wear here, though almost no-one wears them. Gas burners to top off the small butane bottles come in between €3 and €6, depending on size. Caramelised peanuts dipped in sesame seeds are €5 a kilo, and a small packet of dried rose for Me Julie was €0.50. Phil bought a big bag of various fruit and veg for €2. It’s good value, and fun to shop here.

The Tiznit Medina on a Saturday afternoon

All of Morocco seems a curious mix between old and new. Shops selling djellaba (traditional cloaks) sit alongside smart phone shops

Phil checking out a metal ware shop

The wooden posts on the minaret are supposed to help the newly-departed climb to paradise

C’mon, this is Morocco, you need at least one tout or you’d not feel at home. This chap made a game effort to get us to his Berber jewellery shop. “No, no, you just look, not buying, just look, this way, this way”

The Source Bleu in Tiznit

Fruit, fish and meat shops in the Tiznit medina

The municipal campsite, right next to an entrance to the medina, but incredibly busy at the moment. A dozen vans were waiting outside to get in

The site is proving entertainment in itself too. We’ve all stared in wonder as the 6 wheels were removed from one motorhome ahead of us, the locals balancing it on a few piles of stones. That was about 4 hours ago, and the wind’s got up since then, but the wheels are still stacked up next to the stranded van. It’s a sight to see. Phil’s also taken a liking to the idea of a quad, and has been given a go by a kindly German chap. Ju’s made enquiries about which satellite to use to watch the Six Nations, finding we can only see it with a paid channel, and being loaned a decoder and card by a kind easy-going French neighbour. Earlier on Phil spotted a lamb being hand fed just by the campsite wall, possibly the same one we saw trying to take its first steps yesterday. Morocco gives me something new to see every single day I’m here. Not always something I want to see, but always something which has before now eluded my 40-odd years on the planet. Being here is never entirely relaxing, but it certainly makes you feel alive!

Phil test-driving a quad

Look carefully – this van has no wheels. It still looks like that now, although someone’s taken the wheels away since I last looked

Cheers, Jay