The day after the crash, 1st February, was pretty somber. Waiting in the campsite for news from the others. A couple nursing hangovers. We checked out of our comfy hotel room (small luxury after the accident and we were all a bit stiff) and set up our tents.
Hanging out around a white plastic table munching the communal food we’d scavenged from the truck. It was like we hadn’t seen food for days. We might have spent the majority of yesterday waiting for the truck to be pulled out and for the taxi but seeing everyone eat like cave people eating whole peppers, oranges, carrots and bread was hilarious looking back.
As soon as we heard news that everyone was going to be ok we headed into town. I walked around with Shani and Lukas, the youngest two of the group. Shani with her billowing black skirt, green head scarf and henna enhanced orange hair. She reminds me of my niece Maia, maybe because they are both Steiner educated or perhaps just because they have a unique style and when a thought comes to mind they both rush the words out in a flurry of information. Then they look like they question what they just said by scrunching their brow as if in wonder where that information came from. Perhaps main stream education teaches us to look outside of ourselves for the answers. Maybe Steiner schools nurture the inner knowing.
Lukas has a lighthearted sense of humour. My drawing of him made me think of beavis and butthead. I would like to make a drawing of everyone on the trip. He’s into photography and is making a documentary of this trip alongside Bjorn. He wears a lot of blue including a Paisley print shirt and a double length headscarf to fit in with the Berbers.
We stocked up with avocado, tomatoes, olives, pancake bread and peanuts before spending the evening playing cards in one of our three man tents. It was warm in there!
We woke early the next morning and, after a frustrating time trying to call my insurance company, hiked to the gorge. The way was easy as we had the river to follow. It was mostly farm land which made for a pretty walk.
A wee man saw us coming and walked with us pointing out all the different crops. The highlight was the blossoming almond trees and learning that alfalfa is used to dye cloth green.
Along the way a family was having a snack of tomato paste bread. On passing the father handed us each a piece, insisting we take it. I’m glad he did as it was the tastiest bread I’ve had so far! Soft and fresh.
The gorge itself wasn’t quite as impressive as the walk there. Christian and I sat by the river to eat a picnic of avocado and tomato sandwiches. The others found a cafe.
Back at the campsite I called upon my knowledge of French trying to organise two taxis for Marrakech. What I love most about Morocco is I can talk in both Arabic and French together in the same sentence and I’m understood.
It was also my niece Primrose’s birthday that day, the 2nd. I remembered just in time to send her a voice message. She sent me one back which made everyone smile.
The 3rd was my fathers birthday. We didn’t get to Skype as I spent most of the day in a car driving to Marrakesh. But he liked the glass coaster I’d made and left for him.
When a taxi driver knows you’ve just been in a car accident you’d think he’d understand by driving safely. I managed to sleep for the first hour or two then I noticed Martina next to me looking nervous. On looking ahead I watched as the driver raced past cars, narrowly pulling back in after overtaking.
“Has he been driving like this the whole way?” I ask as Martina’s hand clutches the seat, “yep!” I was glad I’d been asleep for the first part. While driving in the centre of Marrakech the driver hit another car. Luckily just a scrap but still we had to sit and wait while he shouted at the other female driver. We think she had right of way when three lanes merged into two.
Bjorn and Jussi were already in Marrakech so Jussi could have surgery on his hand. Bjorn kindly went round a few hostels and hotels and found us a good deal at Hotel Afriquia. We would be sleeping on the roof terrace of a mosaic tiled riad which means guest house with an open air courtyard in the middle.
Four orange trees grew in the courtyard providing shelter for squabbling birds. It was the only place to get the wifi so we had to be careful with the bird poop and falling oranges!
We spent six nights in Marrakech. It’s a very busy place. We were two minutes walk from the main square. Here you can find everything you need.
And everything you don’t need.
Snake charmers that demand money for a photo. Henna ladies that gave you a present then demand one for themselves i.e. money. Men making monkeys dressed in clothes do back flips. Fifty fresh orange juice sellers shouting at you to come try their juice. Circles of onlookers watching men box, children do acrobats, musicians singing and drumming, storytellers and gypsies spinning tales.
In the bustle of the night, tents filled the centre with restaurants that had matching menus and charming men sweet talking potential customers. Each one has a number- remember one one seven will take you to heaven. We ate there one night and heaven was not involved, just an extra charge for the so called free bread.
Behind the square is another maze of small pedestrian streets with all kinds of stores.
Every now and again a food shop pops up, from smoothies to pancake bread, sugar cane juice to lentil soup, little donuts to the fruit and veg stalls. We found a few vegan friendly restaurants. Eating at Earth Cafe was a treat.
At Henna Art Cafe we found humous! You can get world class henna art done too. The proceeds go back into the community.
Lots of art to inspire here.
Carrefour (supermarket), Tishkiwin museum,
Chatr art shop. We drank mint tea on a roof terrace at sunset, saw some shooting stars, watched sunrise, drank beetroot juice that gave me a dicky tummy, drank cardamom tea with choco balls, washed clothes, did yoga, meditated, tried veg pastilla (pastry), cut Lukas’ hair (I channelled Beavis and Butthead again), and read a lot.
Had some interesting conversations with Milly from Montpellier about life, love and what’s it all about. She reminded me the power of conversation and encouraged me to talk more about religion, the environment and what I care about, without discussions we cannot grow. Milly said we should paint a message on the side of the truck, perhaps “reduce, reuse, recycle,” or “save the humans.”
During our stay Jussi rejoined us with two pins in his hand and a bandage. Then once Gloria had left for the plane back to Barcelona, Tom V and Gudbjorg came. She needed an operation to repair the crushed disc in her back and unfortunately doesn’t want to rejoin us. I believe it will take some time after to recover but we hear she is recovering well.
On the 9th and 10th we camped on the outskirts of town at Camping Le Relais. The site had a pool and jacuzzi but it was so cold I just enjoyed lazing beside it. Some people got thrown in and others who didn’t want to shower had a swim.
The children all followed us around in the village calling out bonjour. Some knew how to ask what’s your name in French. The village had a good vibe about it and no one asked us for money. It was so cold in the night in my season one sleeping bag and tourist blanket I went into the village again with Lukas and found a proper blanket while his mission was to talk to some locals and get some photos.
The truck joined us again in a new state of health. A new window in the back and windscreen, also a juju truck (mini version).
That evening we got our complimentary juice drink and played ‘which would you rather.” We put our mobiles in the middle of the table and Bjorn was the first to take his. We made him hop round the table backwards shouting “free willy.” What a good sport.
Saying goodbye to Marrakech we headed for the coast town Essouira. There was a small cloud of nerves being back on the truck again and the first few bumps gave us some nervous laughter. But we have every confidence in Frazer and Ryan’s abilities.
Essouira is really laid back with a hippy vibe. Behind the wall we found the medina. Lots of small streets where Shani and I found a falafel sandwich and negotiated a tub of humous for the following days lunch. The man was so nice, I was so happy to find the humous, he gave us a free spoon of babaganoush (aubergine dip).
In a large square we couldn’t work out quite what was painted on the ground so we went up top on a roof terrace to see the art.
Two nights we spent at Camping Le Calme. There was another freezing pool, peacocks, and a comfy lounge with couches and working wifi! But then it was on the road again and a night of wild camping. One member of the group has been pissing everyone off. For the second time today he took a pee while we were driving. The first time he used a bottle, this time he did it out of the back door ten minutes after we’d stopped for a pee break. He happens to be in my group and after not helping with dinner at all the night before or at breakfast we argued when he wanted to experiment with the dinner. Everyone can be selfish, it’s in our human nature, but he takes the biscuit.
Thankfully after dinner Lukas, Jussi and I spent the evening laughing laughing laughing 🙂
Valentine’s Day passed us by. We stopped for lunch in Tantan and found fresh donuts for the next days breakfast. Wild camping by the beach seemed like such a good idea.
But ended up in broken tent’s!
It was very windy and dinner took ages to cook never mind we had a slacker on our team. He’d bought a chameleon on the last day in Marrakech. The poor little guy was very cute but didn’t much like bouncing around all day in the truck. On the beach he saw his bid for freedom and ran for the nearest bush! Farewell Arthur, good luck!
Martina, Frazer and I decided it was too windy and slept on the truck. At 2am Travis and Christian joined us, shortly followed by Jussi. Six is probably the comfort limit in the back. Tom V and Bjorn’s tent broke (why is it always their tent that gets damaged?) so they slept under the truck.
We’ve not been having much luck with the weather. It’s already been six weeks and still rather cold. I thought it would only be cold the first couple of weeks. Really looking forward to getting into Mauritania and heading south into some warmer climates.
Let’s see how the conflicts pan out and whether the accident really did pull us together. I’m not feeling that yet but we’re still early days.