We made a run for it. Shortly after our last blog post and the hundred days celebration we took our chances to get out of Marrakech and into Zone 1. Our journey finally continues outside the 5km radius of Marrakech.

DECONFINEMENT STARTS – BUT NOT FOR US

On the 25th of June, the next phase in Morocco’s deconfinement started. This allowed all people in Zone 1 to move more or less freely. Large gatherings remained forbidden, wearing masks is mandatory and museums etc. are still closed, but people can travel. On the same day, all prefectures switched to Zone 1 except Marrakech and the coast from Rabat to Tangier which remain in the much more restricted Zone 2. 

Looking at the map, the prefecture of Marrakech ends only a few kilometres north of our camping. While leaving Zone 2 for Zone 1 is possible (like Ahmed and Rawad did when they finally returned home after 4 months of working 7/7 on the camping), it requires papers. These papers from the local government are only issued when travel is necessary for work, for medical reasons or upon request by the embassy with a valid boat ticket.

FERRY CHAOS

To get into Zone 1 we needed some convincing papers and a bit of luck. Looking at the ongoing lockdown we were willing to travel back to Spain. Therefore we signed up for the list of interested people for a repatriation boat organized by the French embassy for the 29th and 30th of June. Initially, our hope was, that we would get called by the ferry company a couple of days before departure, allowing us to take our time travelling north and see some more of Morocco. Unsurprisingly the French preferred their own citizens, which in turn had us sitting by the pool and hearing from happy French campers, that they received their call. 

We even tried calling the ferry company ourselves but to no avail. We had to wait.

Manuela kindly let us know, that they received papers to transit to the port very quickly despite not yet having a ticket. We contacted the Swiss embassy right after signing up and indeed received the document within a day. The document stated that we have a reservation code for a ferry with Balearia (not yet true) and to let us pass to Tangier-Med.

Our hopes on getting on the French ferry were reduced every passing day. Some people on the camping got called on Thursday and were informed that the embassy organized two more boats because there were so many French trying to leave. 

Friday morning we decided to try our luck the next day independently of our ferry status. The timing was right and with the paper, all they could do is not accept it and send us back to the camping. Hours later we learned that the additional French ferries now got cancelled, as they couldn’t get the port approval in time.

SAYING BYE

Having taken the decision to try our luck, meant that we had to finish all unfinished business beforehand. We wrapped up the Camping Le Relais Book and implemented the discussed puppet theatre for the kids on the same day. The story of a treasure-hunt was quickly established and the roles distributed. Carole was a Tiger narrating the whole story and I played a lion who still learned how to roar. The back of Tom and Nicole’s van had some drapes which were ideal for the puppet theatre. It was super hot but the little play was a resounding success as the kids loved it. 

Saturday morning we said bye to everybody. After all the time we got a bit attached to the people as well as the place itself. It was weird to say bye without knowing whether we’re going to be back on the same afternoon but also very exciting to finally be on the road again.

POLICE STOP

As we approached the border to the next prefecture there was a police / military checkpoint. Unsurprisingly they stopped us and inquired on our business leaving zone 2. We showed them our papers and indeed he wondered why we took that specific road heading east instead of the highway going north to Tanger. I told him that we wanted to avoid the highway due to its costs. The officer mustered us up and down for what felt like an eternity. We knew that if he asks for the reservation code mentioned in the paper, we would be on shaky grounds. But to our relief, he waved his hand and wished us a safe journey. Quickly we proceeded to set off not giving him any more chances to revise his decision. A couple of hundred meters we started laughing and howling, excited to finally have escaped our confinement.

ESCAPING THE HEAT

After the initial checkpoint, we passed through desert land. We did not know what to expect in zone 1 and were curious to see how measures were implemented. One thing we quickly learned was that we would get stopped by every police checkpoint. To our relief, they were all super friendly and just curious about us. 

We stopped in El Kelaa des Sraghna for a quick lunch break. Right, when we received our meal my phone rang and to our surprise, it was Balearia offering a ticket to Algeciras for the 5th of July. After making sure that they were indeed Balearia we gave them our credit card details and got sent the ticket within minutes.

Floating on cloud nine we made our way through the Oued-el-Abid-Canyon to the Ouzoud Falls. The highest waterfalls in Morocco are well worth a visit. Initially, we were a little concerned, about being welcome as tourists, but this worry quickly disappeared. In the contrary, we got welcomed very friendly wherever we went. Also, the worry, that all the hagglers now focus on us as the only tourist was unfounded and we spent a lively couple of hours at the waterfall. In the restaurant, we even got invited for lunch from some other guests but we politely declined, having just eaten. Even with the mist of the waterfalls cooling a bit, the heat was still intense and we decided to venture on into the mountains. We took small roads and admired the ongoing wheat harvest (99% by hand and donkeys). Finally, we set camp in the aptly named “Happy Valley”. What an absolutely marvellous day!

CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS

Looking for the long-missing adventure we set out to traverse the Atlas on pistes and small roads. After a calm and comfortably cold night, we went into Tabant. The small village was busy because of the weekly market. From all across the valley people made their way to the town on foot, by donkey, by bike and mini-busses.

After a small breakfast, we crossed several passes reaching altitudes of over 2650m. All the area is part of a geopark and indeed there’s an impressive wealth of rock formations along the way. The next day our mountain adventure continued. Even above 2500m, the thermometer would show 35° C and whenever we descended into a plain or valley the temperature would approach 40° C. Along the way, the tires started to shift on the roof and I had to fix them up again on one of the windy passes. We also lost part of the isolation of the hatch which meant that there was a 1cm gap in the rear where all the sand and dirt could enter our sleeping cabin. Adventure is dirty!

Our next stop was the Cascades of the Oum Rabia spring. Quite a bit earlier we got stopped by police which informed us that the springs were closed but after explaining that we would like to continue to Azrou they let us pass nonetheless. Through backroads, we made our way to the cascades and indeed it resembled a ghost town. What must be an overcrowded tourist place was now mostly empty with hundreds of little restaurant stalls boarded up. The only other person we met was a French guy who was surprised that we got there as the police on the other access road would not let people pass (he apparently made some kind of deal with them after long discussions). We travelled on to Ifrane where we already passed through on our way south. Immediately we were hit by a sense of nostalgia. 

A lot of times we would use Park4night to look for a good spot for the night but as we were travelling on backroads we had to find the spots ourselves these days. This led us to follow some dirt tracks into nowhere just south of Ifrane. The terrain was difficult, but up here the thermometer finally showed sub 30°C temperatures and we didn’t want to risk getting back into the heat again. After nearly half an hour on a sometimes challenging track, we found a lovely spot and decided to call it a day.

BERBER HOSPITALITY

We decided to take a shower and despite seemingly being all by ourselves set up the shower tent. Refreshed and cleaned we decided to explore our perimeter and indeed we saw some shepherds on the horizon along with the sound of barking dogs. On our way back I stepped on a loose rock and tumbled down the hill. Besides some minor bruises along the body, the only pain came from my wrist. 

Carole bandaged me up and we had a cold beer to fight the pain. Shortly after two young Berbers appeared and surprised us with a huge plate of couscous they insisted on giving to us. Over the last days, people were friendly to us but this took it to the next level. 

Later they passed through again and asked us to light their cigarettes. We asked them whether they want some dessert or something and indeed they were happy about two cold beers. Later we were wondering what to do with the plates as the men didn’t seem to reappear and so we set out to look for the village to return the plate. We took some dates with us as we didn’t have anything else as a thank you gift and were convinced, that the women who made the couscous would not hear from the men about the beers. Shortly after we found them and in turn got invited for tea which we kindly accepted. We managed to communicate a little with our hands but it was challenging. They speak a Berber language and only very few Arabic words as do I. After some tea and some polite declinations of spending the night in their tent we bid farewell. My hand was still hurting but I couldn’t wish for a different evening.

2nd HOSPITAL VISIT IN MOROCCO

The next morning my hand was hurting even worse than the night before so we decided to play it safe and returned to Ifrane to see a doctor. We found a small hospital where we were warmly welcomed. We had to wait an hour before the radiologist showed up which gave us plenty of time to observe the comings and goings. Just beside our feet was a huge squashed scorpion which the cleaning lady pointed out to us and her colleagues with laughter. Luckily the X-ray showed no fracture and so I received a professional bandage and some painkillers. Again we were baffled when it came to paying and learning that all of it was free of charge. 

GETTING TO THE COAST

With the hurting hand, Carole’s duty as a driver was invoked a second time on this trip. She had some warm-up time crossing empty roads and high altitude deserts. Later we reached the town of Imouzzer Kandar where the weekly market was held today. The streets were chaotic, a very good first challenge for her.

After having lunch at one of the market stalls we continued on even more remote pistes. We crossed some more passes more than 2000m above sea level before spending the night on the roadside (over the 10h we spent there 3 cars passed) in the cedar forests.

The next morning we drove to Tazzekka National Park. On the way there we saw a local market and decided to buy some vegetables. The amount was so small, that the vendor ended up gifting them to us. Only seconds later the police approached us. After showing them our papers, the car and our route, they asked us what we want to buy. For the rest of the shopping, they guided us through the market and made sure that the vendors gave us what we wanted. The national park itself wasn’t really spectacular and we weren’t lucky enough to see the mountain goats the park is known for. The famous cave was also closed for maintenance. Therefore we searched for some water and found a reservoir. Unfortunately, there was no access to it but we soon found a spot at a little creek where the locals set up for the day in the middle of the little stream.

Then we finally reached the mediterranean sea near Al Hoceima. We followed the coastal road and settled in Cala Iris on a campground to do some laundry.

The next day, we followed the stunning coast to Oued Laou. Here we spent the afternoon at the beach and I was finally able to take out the fishing rod we bought right before the lockdown. Soon the family beside us lent me some worms (apparently better bait than our corn) and a stand for the rod. And indeed we caught some Sole which we barbequed on the beach for dinner. 

Initially, we were a little hesitant to go to this region as it’s apparently the most notorious criminal region in Morocco and there’s more than one report of police and drug dealers working together to rip off tourists. The Rif mountains are the source of up to 80% of the marijuana sold in Europe and indeed from the main road, one can spot some fields. Growing marijuana for personal use and non-hallucinogenic industries is legal and as a result, the fields are not really hidden. On our way, the only obstacles were several rockfalls along the steep coastal road but all of them were cleared away enough to pass.

Having spent the night right at the beach we continued north through Tetouan where we finally found a place to print our ferry tickets. The afternoon we spent really close to Tanger Med at Plage Dalia. Here the military is overlooking the beach to make sure nobody attempts the passage to nearby Ceuta or mainland Spain by boat. Unfortunately, the wind was very strong and we got an involuntary peeling while lying on the beach.

AND OFF WE ARE

We were told to be at the port latest by 9am to take the ferry intended for 2pm. We spent the whole day at the harbour which felt like the annual waiting for the entrance at the open-air St. Gallen but without the booze. Before boarding all cars had to go through a huge X-ray machine. We were a little worried about our drone as Ashleigh and Rhys reported back at the camping Le Relais, that their drone got confiscated in Tanger Med when entering Morocco.

But there were no problems and we boarded the ferry along a lot of French caravans.

We ended up leaving the port 90 minutes late and had an uneventful crossing and a surprisingly speedy debarquement in Algeciras. When entering Spain everybody had to fill out a questionnaire but other than that and the masks there were not a lot of differences from when we left in March.

CONCLUSION

Finally, our journey continues. We left our home of the past months with a weird feeling. Overjoyed with excitement to finally continue exploring but also some sadness to leave the other people. Travelling through this beautiful country meeting all these lovely locals were awesome and reinforced our longing for travel adventures. 

Taking the boat back to Europe feels like a new chapter. We’re looking forward to exploring Portugal, which we heard so many good things about. At the same time, it also feels a bit like defeat. It’s great to know that Portugal is nice to visit but it also means that it is a well-travelled country where we will miss stepping into the unknown, the drastically different culture and the thrill of adventure.

We will have to decide in a couple of weeks where our route will take us, but until then, let’s enjoy being on the road.