The waiting game at Camping Ourika, Marrakech
Zagan the motorhome is resting, as are we. He’s parked up among several other nationalities of motorhome at Camping Ourika (N31.527545, W7.959436), about 10 kilometres south of Marrakech.
Big Ben and Zagan chilling out in the sunshine at Camping Ourika
After a couple of nights in the shadow of Koutoubia Mosque’s minaret, we decided to head for some pre-run rest at a campsite. Phil and Jules had gone on ahead and reported back a pool with sun loungers, free wifi and a well laid out site – as well as hot, clean showers, something of a luxury in Moroccan campsites. As it was only 15 minutes down the road from the guarded parking, we headed south to spend a couple of nights there.
The drive out of Marrakech was uneventful as the traffic was minimal and we’re now sort of used to scooters driving at you the wrong way up the street, overloaded donkeys tottering down the cycle lanes and the general chaos at junctions – traffic lights don’t seem to strictly apply here.
It’s not only overladen donkeys on the roads, scooters have to earn their keep too
We stopped off at a Carrefour supermarket on the way, but when we arrived we found the car park was underground. It looks like they had almost anticipated the influx of European motorhomes to this familiar French supermarket as there was plenty of space for us to turn and get back onto the road. Undeterred we headed for the road running behind the shopping complex that housed the supermarket and found plenty of space there. Jay waited with Charlie and Zagan while I headed in for a few things.
The road south from Marrakech has the most amazing view of the High Atlas Mountains – if you can see through the exhaust fumes
A couple of hours, and three bursting bag-for-lifefulls, later I staggered up the stairs of the shopping centre (yes you couldn’t wheel your trolley to the car on the back road) back to Zagan. Jay was wondering at what point he should try and find me to see if I was OK, but as it was my first supermarket in Morocco on this trip, I had a lot to be looking at (sadly no photos as I forgot to take the phone with me).
After a quick wander around the ornate silver tea pots and small tea glasses and a gawp at the prices for scooters and TVs I then made my way past the tartan patterned Djellabas (I was tempted at 195Dh, about €20) in the ladies wear section to the food. The first thing I noticed was Carrefour’s own ‘budget’ range of products was about the same price as their normal range, then I spotted the wildly varying prices – 250g of feta cheese ranged from 15Dh to 80Dh (€1.50 – €8) depending on which brand it was. Of course the locally-produced stuff turned out to be the cheapest, so Arabic labelled yoghurt (12.50Dh for 8) went into the trolley along with a decent chunk of goat’s cheese, badly wrapped in clingfilm with a smudged label, for just 20Dh (about €2). I also picked up a cooked chicken for just under €4, which we devoured in two meals once we reached the campsite.
Of course the best part of going to a foreign supermarket is all the strange stuff you can buy to try. Along with a bottle of spicy Harissa sauce we are now the proud owners of a tub of preserved lemons. Stored in salt and vinegar they are used in Moroccan cooking, which is just as well as they are a somewhat acquired taste when scoffed straight from the jar. Finally I flung in the trolley a few of the local chocolate wafer bars that we see being sold on every street, after chomping one with a brew we worked out that they were less than 10p each, so we’ll be picking up a few more of them next time we see them.
A present from the supermarket for Jay, but Charlie is keen to know what peasants taste like too
The best buy though, which was in close competition with the cooked chicken, was a small bottle of rose oil for a friend which cost 70Dh (about €7). If bought in the UK it would be more than double, maybe triple the price. So we’re now on a mission to track down some more bargain rose oil.
Since arriving at the campsite we’ve done very little. We’re officially resting now ahead of the half marathon on Sunday, and eating as much as we can in the name of ‘carb-loading’! However it feels like we’re hanging around waiting, not for anything bad to happen, but just something that we’ve talked and joked about for months, almost a year.
The pristine (and cold!) swimming pool at Camping Ourika, Marrakech
Bad colds/mild flu put a stop to any serious runs since we took part in the 10k Fes at the start of the month, so I’m relying on my previous training runs. Thanks to our amazing lifestyle those runs weren’t in a gym staring at the TV or around the same streets in our town, they were run in many countries from the UK, France and Croatia to Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Those runs were along beaches, around cities, besides fjords and through some of the most fantastic scenery. I jogged my way around Stockholm and even squeezed in a 10k along a beach on the Algarve. While I know everything will be great on Sunday, if anything should stop me getting to the finish line I don’t mind as I’ve got some wonderful memories of what it took to get me here in the first place, and there will be other runs.
eeek!
Ju x
Good luck and enjoy your runs!!
Erm you aren’t supposed to eat preserved lemons out the jar! Scrap the insides out and chuck away then finely chop the skin and add that to tagines, stews, casseroles or anything else featuring gravy and stuff. They rock!(wish I could find some in Sicily at the mo)
But good luck for the half!
That would explain why they didn’t taste so good, interesting, but not something I would have as a snack! We used them in a curry too and they were better then. Some things you just have to try :)
You’re a hero for trying them straight out the jar (well better you than me)Try them in a salad. Chopped tomatoes, chopped roasted red peppers (in a jar or DIY), chopped coriander, couple black olives and chopped skin of a preserved lemon. Bit of olive oil – awesome!
Good luck for tomorrow!
Thanks Sue, we all made it round in one piece. Another bonkers experience! Jay
Hello
Just found your useful blog, thanks. We are planning to take our caravan from the Scottish Highlands to Morocco in Jan/Feb 2020. We have a small dog and have been trying to find out how easy or difficult it is to take a dog from Spain into Morocco and then back into Spain and what documentation is required. Can you give us any information please?
Thanks.
Keith
Hi Keith
We took our Cav twice to Morocco. Officially you need import paperwork to take a dog to Morocco, as far as I know, but no-one asked us and (anecdotally) we never heard of it being asked for. Coming back to Spain you’ll need a valid Pet Passport, with a rabies test included which complies with the EU regulations for bringing a dog into the EU from an unlisted third country. I’d strongly suggest talking to your vet about this as early as possible. Also, be aware that Leishmanisias is endemic in Morocco and much of Europe, so it’s worth getting a tick collar or spot-on type treatment which specifically covers this. There’s more info in our book – Motorhome Morocco (click here to see on Amazon.co.uk) – cheers, Jay.
Hello Jason
Thanks for that – book ordered. Whilst we are taking a caravan rather than a motorhome I’m sure that most of the information will apply. I must admit that the thing I’m most worried about (after looking after our wee dogie) is navigating. I have the Reiss Know-How map of Morocco for long distance navigation, but towing the caravan through towns is a concern. Unlike in a car or motorhome it is not easy to do a u-turn if needed. I have a great sat nav but you can’t get Morocco maps for it and i don’t want the expense of spending a few hundred pounds on a Tom Tom, which you can get Morocco maps for.
Thanks again.
KH
Hi Keith
If you have a smart phone, get the free maps.me app and download the offline Morocco maps. It’s accurate but be aware some roads look good on the map but are in poor condition in reality – stick to the main routes and you’ll be OK. There’s a fair bit in the book about the roads but give me a shout if you have any questions.
Cheers, Jay
Brilliant Jay, thanks. We have ‘dumb phones’ but were considering smart phones so we could use the Google Translate app. I can get by in French but my Arabic is non-existent! So, now we have two good reasons to get a smart phone.
Thanks a million
KH