Morocco: Trip to Western Sahara, to Smara

Smara

We started in Ouarzazate and we're going via
Foum Zguid to Tata there we slept over.

I was in Tata already once before but I not liked the hotel Le Relais des Sable so we took one other,
La Renaissance and it was good hotel and price too. Were going to center for to eat dinner, the food was nothing special but it was OK and it was funny and interesting to look at people.

From the window in the room was very nice view.
I like Tata, it is an interesting city. Clean and orderly, no hassle, nothing what would destroy the stay there.

Last time I was there it was during Ramadan and
I had good memory of that trip so I was glad to see it again.

Intention was to go to Zag and from there on the piste about 20 km long to the road continuing then until Smara, so at morning we continued via Akka and Assa to Zag, but there it was stop.
The first check point with police before Zag so it was good I had ready so called fiche with all information about us.

But we could not continue as we thought to Smara from there because from Zag the piste was difficult to go on by normal car. If we had 4x4 we would get a guide who would take us on the safe piste without mines, self we would not be allowed to go there in any case so we were forced to go to Guelmim and continue from there.
Funny, we wanted go to Zag in any case, to take a cup of coffee and fuel also. But police kept passports while we were going there so they were sure we will not run away to the piste to Smara. Passport we got back first when we came back from Zag for Guelmim.

Zag is a tinny town without fuel station, but we found there one shop there they sold fuel anyway so it was good. And nusnus was good too.

So we continued back to Assa and then towards Guelmim. From Assa to Guelmim it was 145km and it was quite late but we continued anyway. The road and landscape was wonderful, it started to get dark and the light was really fantastic and thus the view towards the rocks and mountains we went through was fantastic also.

To Guelmim we came around 19.00, began to search after hotel. I was really disappointed over the city, because first time when I was there it was in year 2000 then it was a small city. But now, big very big and not nice, chaotic, much people and traffic too.

the view from the hotel

We found one hotel but it was terrible, so we turned back against Assa there we saw one Gite de etape. But they could not give us the dinner, kitchen was closed and she, French woman could not make some even simple food to us.

So we have gone back to Guelmim to one big and expensive hotel, 600DH but we had no choice. It was cold there and air condition for to have a little warm not worked.

As I liked Guelmim that time so I not liked it at all now. Tried to find those simple restaurant where we had eating dinner then, but everything was changed, new houses and so. At finish I found it, but not stayed there, wanted to keep in my mind the place as it was then, almost 10 years ago.

Next day after breakfast we continued against Tan-Tan and to Smara. I was surprised over Western Sahara, there it were mountains and that the desert was semi-arid. Stones and acacia tree and some green, smaller bushes.

Funny it was, we were driving and I began be coffee craving, but it does not seem any village or any cafe along the road and we were driving already a lot since Guelmim. But suddenly, in middle of nothing was one cafe, nothing other, but cafe in any case, so I got my nus nus. ☺

To TanTan it was about 125 km, we began be hungry so we took a pause for to eat some omelet and drink
the tea. TanTan was not so big, white with blue windows to the street but behind it was pink as other houses in Morocco.

The men had one other djellaba than I am used to see and it was nice. It was the same type as Tuaregs have. Unfortunately just I had not possibility to take a picture with that djellaba I mean, only with one normal Moroccan. But it looks like this one on the "stolen" picture below.

After lunch we continued to Smara. Now began the real desert, even if in beginning still semiarid. Suddenly I saw Fata Morgana, one big big sea and one other and other. First time in my life and it was fantastic and funny too to see it.

Some kilometre before Smara it was check point again.
Police here and even in Zag were very kind, no problems we had with some of them.

So we arrived to Smara, found one hotel, Paris, got one room near the shared toilet (clean almost) and shower. ONLY that when we came back from dinner and would take shower, the water not run, only very little. I was not so clean but better than dirty.

At morning we woke up and it was not water at all in the whole Smara, not only at hotel and they say it will not be water today neither. So we have to buy much water so we can clean us a little.

After breakfast I wanted to see the Sultans Blue mosque but the people knew nothing about or probably rather misunderstood and sent us to some place about 20km from Smara. It was one other, new to look at Zawiya in Sidi Ahmed Laaroussi, the place built for to celebrate the man who was very good in the life and did good things only.
(I wonder when they will build one Zawiya for me ha ha).

inside

When we went back we stayed at some cemetery or what was that, on a small hill. There the stones was so blue, I was surprised over the color. But strange, I took actually one small stone with me and then when I was home, the stone was gray, not blue any more. Neither on the picture they are blue, but they was so blue!

Then when we came back to Smara, suddenly we saw the mosque I wanted to visit. It was Zawiya of the Blue Sultan, built 1890 and close to was Mosque of Blue Sultan.

Funny, now it was some family living there and outside was one parabolic antenna, and they had also hanged the wash there.

Almost opposite the mosque over the street there were military barracks, with interesting roofs in dome, a hemispherical vault covering a round room, or square can it be also.

We stayed in Smara two and half days and only enjoyed the place driving around, going in the city, drinking coffee, trying to talk with the people and so. I was satisfied or not satisfied, it is not right word, I was happy, really happy to be in Smara and that I saw what I wanted to see here.

We were driving around and through Smara here and there, saw one other mosque not so old like Blue mosque of course. But interesting also because it was built in 2 different style can I say. One part was of the stone, other of mud or what it was for material.

Smara self is not nice city at all and begin be big. But still in the center it was quite interesting and anyway, the town breathed of the old times on some way.
It was airport there also and near there I think we found the road which continued to Algeria.

We left Smara and the desert there going to TanTan again of course, because we could not take one other way. I liked it in any case, 200km of only the desert, nothing than desert which I love so much.

TanTan again


back to Guelmim

After that we were going for to relax some days in Sidi Ifni and surrounding. It was quite big contrast against the desert of course. But funny too, first we saw one big desert and then the big sea.

Sidi Ifni remind me about a fish village, Ericeira in Portugal, before they began to build so terrible much so they destroyed everything I can say. So nice village Ericeira was until 10 years back, is so terrible big now, uch.

Anyway Sidi Ifni is very nice and I can think to spend some beach days in summer. Now it was still cold in the water and even the air was not so warm especially at evening. But it was wonderful surrounding there and the beach and rock there, it was fantastic. A lot of surfer I saw there.