Morocco, February 2006
Wildwinter
Sun 26 Feb 2006 20:08
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Sunday, 26 February. Near Erfoud,
25k west at Ksar Jallal, Fezna Oasis.
In spite of the cold, we spent a warm night in
comfortable beds and woke to a bright sun and a dusty wind. Breakfast was
downstairs in the cafe where many of the local men were coming in for coffee.
All very friendly. We set off via the petrol station where the attendant
hosed the car down to get the dust off too, and a very insistant fossil seller
wore me down enough to sell me some boxed and labelled ones, then
south towards Erfoud. By now we had dropped from the Atlas mountains to
the plain below them, but they made a fine sight running along our right
hand side, with the snow shining in the sun.
Our route was across flatish stony desert,
but we soon came to the pass over a shoulder of the Atlas. The guide book made much of the Ziz Gorge and
the Legionnaire's Tunnel so we looked out for them with anticipation. The
road passed between some highish cliffs and went through a 20 yard tunnel but we
were looking for something rather grander on both counts. Over the brow of
a hill and there before us was a lake, shown on the map to be south of the
Gorge! We had been through it without realising. Not quite as
impressive as the book maintains!
Down to Errachidia, a big sprawling town, and just
beyond it, a little oasis on the edge of the Ziz (Gazelle) river. It is
called the Source Bleue de Meski as the spring that feeds it runs into a pool
that looks feintly azure. It has been somewhat commercialised and
concreted , but is an attractive spot nonetheless and the sun was really hot in
ithe shelter of the wadi walls. In season, it is popular with locals who
come to swim in it and have picnics around it and
it incorporates a camp/caravan site too. Before going down to it, we drove
along a track above the wadi and looked over to an old, and quite large, ruined
ksar (mud walled village). Very photogenic looking across above the palm trees
and little fields beneath them. We paid our parking fee down below and had
a look round. The spring is very low after 6 years of minimal rain, but is
still deep enough for swimming and has very clear water.
Spoke to some of the motorhomers who seem to travel
in large groups, though several on their own. A good country to travel in
as the roads are excellent and there is little need to take to the rough side
roads unless you want to get up into the mountains or into the desert. We
bought a couple of Tuareg headdresses, had some tea and coke and then decided to
run straight for Ksar Jallal and find some warmth and comfort. We passed through
Erfoud which is the sort of gateway to the desert (though there are more towns
further south) and is lifting with 4x4s waiting to take you out into the desert.
Turned west and found KJ down a little bumpy mud track, through a tiny village
and into the middle of a palm grove. It is superb. Built by Helene 3
years ago, it is beautifully built in the style of an old kasba from mud
brick and has 7 rooms dotted around 2 or 3 buildings, all set in a lovely garden
and furnished in a luxurious local style. Considerably more upmarket than
last night, we all fell instantly in love with it. And the sun was shining
from a clear blue sky and the wind had dropped. Here was the Morocco that
we had been looking for, rather than the icy, wet blasts of Fes and
Meknes. They gave us a very warm welcome, a super light lunch at 3.0pm and
we decided to stay put for 3 nights. Tomorrow will be a rest day and we hope to
take Abdul, the general factotum, with us into the desert on Tuesday, away from
the massed tourism trail. Inshallah! We walked off lunch with a
gentle stroll through the palms and back by the edge of the desert, just in
time to see the sun go down from our roof terrace.
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