Thursday 29 January 2015

We haven’t kept up with a daily blog because we haven’t really done much worth writing about. Our days have been spent generally chilling out, a few chores and lots of chatting with our fellow Funsters. The weather has been clear blue sky with shade temperatures in the low 20’s, but cooling off once the sun sets about 6-ish. Today started a little cloudy but by lunchtime it had cleared away.

The friends we have been with since the start have yet to return – they’re having a few extra bits done whilst they've got the chance so we’ll probably not see them until Saturday. However the crew that broke down in Spain have finally caught us up after joining with another Funster to come across to Morocco.

Yesterday was market day in Banana Village (no idea what its real name is, there’s just a lot of bananas for sale!) so, needing a few things, we decided to get the bus to visit. In the end there were 8 of us and while waiting a taxi-bus stopped and offered his services. We've probably mentioned these things before but basically they’re old, and I mean OLD, Ford Transit 1 tonne vans with a couple of benches or bottle crates for seats in the back. There are usually windows in the side but not necessarily with glass in them. Seat belts? What are seat belts?

But at 5 dirhams a head they’re cheap – the bus fare would actually have been the same – so we had an adventure. It was a laugh though uneventful but there were a few worried looks on the ladies faces. We were handily dropped right at the entrance to the market.

This is an important market for the area and is quite big, with sections for clothing, furnishings, “tat”, pyramids of herbs and spices and a huge area for fruit and vegetables. These are piled high, often on the ground, and bought by simply filling a washing-up bowl with what you want which is then weighed. Mix up as much as you like, although generally keeping fruit and vegetables/salads separate, and you pay by weight. It is as fresh as you've ever seen and the quality matches any UK supermarket, at a tenth of the price – we wondered how they ever made any profit! We took advantage to get our vegetables and salads for another week. Incidentally you don't haggle for foodstuffs.

They also had a few butchers’ stalls and we bought a huge turkey breast for around £4 which will last us 3 or 4 meals. (We were told if we’d come an hour earlier we could have talked to the turkey……!).

Bren had been looking for a metal tagine, so of course there was a hardware section where we also bought a gas ring to fix to a butane bottle and use to cook outside. Helps to eke out our gas supplies too. Then back to the village itself to buy a baguette before joining other Funsters round the swimming pool of a (the?) local hotel for coffee.

Intending to catch the bus back to the campsite, we walked along to the stop. The usual tout tried to offer us a taxi, an obviously unlicensed heap that looked like instant suicide and in no way was capable of holding 6 people, so we declined and waited for the bus. A Grand Taxi turned up – these are official and could (just) take 6 – so we grabbed that, just as the bus pulled in. However we were committed and it was still only 5 dirhams each and of course much quicker so we crammed in.

After lunch Terry walked into Taghazoute village and bought a Camping Gaz bottle for 80 dirhams, about £6. These retail for £64 in the UK…… So that’s our backup sorted, at a cost of less than £10.

As I write, Bren is not feeling very well. At first we thought it might have been a tummy bug, but I’m ok so we think it’s a touch of heat-stroke. A couple of our friends have had similar problems but they have responded to the rehydration sachets we carry so hopefully she’ll be fine tomorrow.

(This is not really close to us - it's actually Merzouga - but was posted by another Funster on our forum thread. I thought it was such a good picture, typifying what Morocco is all about, that I just had to show you all.)