My trip to Morocco again, after corona

 Finally I could travel again after this terrible Covid period year 2020-21 so it was beautiful. I flew to Marrakech, then by shared taxi to Ouarzazate where I rented the car and began my travel trough Agdez to Tamnougal. 

I've been planning to go to Tamnougal for a long time, I've been reading about it and hearing about it for years, so I finally managed to go there. It was wonderful there, so many palm trees, so many kasbah's around, it was a very nice valley.

 I took a short tour through the Kasbah but it was a bit too hot and a bit too difficult to walk there so I went back to our Kasbah Chez Yacob where we would spend the night.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very nice place, nice room and good food on a wonderful terrace with a view of the valley and all the palm trees and plantations there, opposite a mountain range. And lovely dinner and breakfast.

Self Chez Yacob was very comfortable and exciting on some way. It was old Kasbah so it made it exciting of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But I not stayed longer than one night there and after breakfast continued back to Agdez and towards Erg Chebbi via Alnif and Rissani to Khamlia.

I arrived later in the afternoon and it was nice to come to Khamlia where I usually stay with my friends. The whole family was waiting for me, welcomed me and we were happy to see each other again.

                                                          
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next days I traveled around, only in the desert which I like and because I heard about that they built paved road which would continue behind Taouz until Ramlia so I drove there on this new one road. But honestly I not liked it, it was more funny to go in the pist. But of course, I understand habitant there were happy to have a properly road, so I accepted it. Had no other choice either LOL

 

One other day I was going to look at my favorite hotel Kanz Erremal where I stayed a couple of times before. 

It was still the same, I liked this hotel, beautiful place on the edge of Erg Chebbi, right in begin of sand dunes. 

 

But I became a chock when I saw that even here, in Morocco some camp provider began to use those terrible bubble tents which are not suitable to the desert. It is like a ghost there, have nothing common with former Nomads life. I hate it, actually and not understand it, it is made in China which is a good marketer or something like that. If it was at least fitting but it isn't. Thankfully they do not belong to Kanz Erremal, but are just neighbors and belong to the other hotel next door.

So I took a couple of pictures, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After one week I went back to Ouarzazate where I took the flight to Casablanca, rented the car and continued my travel to El Jadida. There I booked the tent in one hotel there and it was nice, I liked it very much. It was on the terrace with wonderful view over the town until the sea. Pity only that the weather was not so good, a little chilly and rain felts in the air. But it wasn't rainy, only foggy it was almost the whole time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In El Jadida I stayed a couple of days and met also two friends there and did a small trip along the sea.

Then it was only to go back to Marrakech for one night and next morning to the airport and home.

And Erg Chebbi again

I landed in Casablanca and only stayed overnight at the hotel near the airport because in the morning I would take a flight to Ouarzazate where I rented the car. 

It was not properly hotel but something like airbnb though it wasn't airbnb, LOL. It was private house where they rented a couple of rooms to people. The room was spacious and nice with balcony, but the place was not so good because near there wasn't nothing to do and no any restaurant. 

The man who own the house took me to some bar near there, but I got not properly food, only sandwich and pommes fritter, but ... it was funny there any way, locals were sitting there watching football and made such noise it was impossible. I had funny in any case to look at the life there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dinner for which I got to wait one hour. 

I ordered even tea it took probably one half hour more than the sandwiches, ☺

Next day early morning I flew to Ouarzazate, pick up the car and drove right to Erg Chebbi, to Khamlia where I have a couple of friends and can stay with one family there which I know since many years ago and visit them each time I am in Morocco.

By the way, on the way to Khamlia I saw this one "thing" and wonder what it can be. No idea. It was on the road from Alnif towards Rissani.

But, after a little searching now got I know that it is Gara Medouar, geological formation ("erosion cirque"). In the 11th century it was developed into a fortress with a military garrison for to protect Sijilmasa (now Rissani), where gold coins were minted, and the trade routes from the south. Likely had the fortifications built of the Almoravid dynasty , which included a wall of up to 12 meters high. 

Jebel Mudawwar may have been the Tasagdalt mentioned by one of the amirs of the Banu Midrar dynasty which was Berber dynasty, Muhammed Ibn al-Fath, who fled from Sijilmasa to "Tasagdalt, a stone fortress some twelve miles from Sijilmasa" sometimes between 909-913?

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gara_Medouar

I love this desert there and village Khamlia, it is silence, not so touristy, only when they go and eat at the best restaurant in Erg Chebbi area, Cafe Nora. Then it can be a little more lively during lunch and dinner.

 

I stayed there about 10 days and drove around tried to find new place where I not have driving before. Mot so many new I found but a couple anyway. There was nothing special, only joy to drive and look and bee there.                                                   

It was some military post behind Taouz there.

This time I was lucky and saw many flamingos when I drove to the lake. Too bad the light was pretty bad and maybe even the sun came from the wrong hole so it was not visible their pink color.

Near Rissani are many small ksars so one day me with my friends were we going there to finally to visit it. This I wanted to do many times but on some way not managed to do it. 

About 4 km North-east from Rissani is Ksar el Fida, important and most ancient of the Alaouite ksar in Tafilalet. It dates back to the King Moulay Ismail, the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, in late of sixteenth century.

One other was Ksar Oulad Abdelhlim near the Ksar Abbar where Moulay Ismail, founder of Rissani was born

nice and lovely boy Mehmed

and his mother

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of course when I was there in Erg Chebbi I could not miss to go to sand dunes also which are wonderful there playing with many different color which depend of the sun and sky

Then it was the last evening there in Khamlia with my friends and even last dinner which was delicious, as all meal I have all the time there. They are exceptional cooks, all of them, though my friend's is the best anyway. LOL

We were driving back to Ouarzazate via Alnif and Agdez, this route I like more than the other via Tinerhir where is much traffic etc. while this one is almost empty, really a desert road. Also to skip to drive twice the same road, because to Khamlia I was driving from Ouarzazate to Tinerhir, then over Sargro mountain to Alnif and Rissani.

I stayed 2 nights in Ouarzazate because this time I wanted see even Fint Oasis which is only a couple of kilometer from there.

Then it was only  Ouarzazate to leave the car and next day at morning flew I to Casablanca and back to Sweden.

Rent a car company was in new building and I was nice surprised that they build houses in traditional style can I say. Modern but with suitable and nice, tasteful style ☺