TRAVEL|Morocco

Off The Beaten Track

From Bin El Ouidane to Ifrane

After a simple but nourishing breakfast of coffee, juice, and flatbreads topped with jam and honey, we packed up and headed down to the lakeside. We really wanted to get that stinky smell out of our nostrils.

Boat trip on the lake

Stacey had organised a boat trip for us around the lake. It looked like rain and I was eager to get on the road as we had another big day driving ahead of us. But I dragged my sorry arse onto that boat, getting a wet bum in the process, and sat in the light rain struggling to enjoy it.

I was wet and cold and had hurt my knee getting onto the boat. Also, I was in a foul mood because I couldn’t find my makeup bag so my lips had dried out. As Stacey would say, first world problems. I hope she didn’t take a photo of me in this sad state.

Anyway, I survived the trip around the lake and up to the dam wall. The lake is about 30metres lower than its normal levels and is still about 40metres deep. A couple of intrepid fishermen were out in their tiny boats braving the weather catching carp, trout and eels! I hate eels! The boat had an eel’s skull as a talisman up on the roof. Disgustingly ugly.

I spotted a lovely house on the hill and wondered why it was deserted. Dreaming of squatting and making it my own. What a beautiful spot on a promontory overlooking the lake! My dream ended when we bumped ashore.

I had to sit down to get off the boat and get my bum wet all over again. But I was soon happier — I found my makeup bag and proceeded to apply the travel basics in the sun visor mirror. It was so easy to see in the daylight I decided I might do this every day.

Off the beaten track

And we were off driving across the dam wall and up the mountainside. At the time, this was the worst road we had encountered. We made it all the way down the mountain and stopped for a toilet break in Beni-Mellal at a Burger King of all places.

Stacey ordered two burgers, and cheesy fries, but she must have ordered the meal deal because they came with coke too — one large and one small. We ate in. We’ve been eating in the car ever since we picked it up. The burgers were pretty good — I’d say better than in Australia but I don’t usually eat burgers in Australia so I don’t really know. I do know the cheesy fries were disgusting! Neither of us could eat them and that’s saying something.

Source Oum Rabie

Talk about off the beaten track. At one stage, I thought the road would just peter out. Not a single car came from the opposite direction, but our map was still saying we were on the right road. Eventually, we arrived at a cluster of buildings — I hesitate to call it a village — at a stream with some pretty rapids. Surely this can’t be it. It wasn’t.

The waterfall was marked as 650metres upstream. After walking 625metres, the guide said I could walk no further, so I didn’t even get to see the bloody thing. Talk about frustrating! Stacey did though and took some great photos for me. But it was me who wanted to go here so really wanted to see it for myself.

At least we don’t have to go back on the track the way we came. We crossed the rushing river and up the mountain on the other side, and drove across a plateau in the fading light. This was the worst road we had encountered — it was bitumen in patches but the water-filled potholes were treacherous — there was no knowing how deep they were — a smaller car would have gone in and not come out. We didn’t see any cars but we did see a monkey, a fox, a rabbit or hare, (not sure of the difference), goats, sheep, dogs, cats and of course donkeys. One poor donkey had been hit by a car, presumably, and had died on the side of the road and been left there.

By the time we reached the end of the plateau and were driving along the ridge, it was pitch black but I could see lights twinkling far below and knew we were at least a thousand metres high. For once, I was pleased to be driving at night. In the 49kilometres, which took almost an hour and a half to traverse, one car came towards us. This wasn’t just a rural road marked as an R road, this was a P road: potholed, partly bitumen, passable, but in actual fact, it is for path (as in goat path, I think!), but it took us directly to our lodgings for the night, a hillside farm named after the hosts, Gîte Chez Hachimi, Hachimi’s Place.

Gite Chez Hachimi

Our host called the dogs off, welcomed us, and carried our bags up the stairs. We sat chatting around the potbellied stove until dinner-time: chicken tajine. Again. And probably the best yet; flavoured with saffron, and served in a huge tajine. It was the first time we couldn’t finish a meal but we did our darndest! Fruit for dessert, but I’d have more chances flying than fitting in another bite.

After showering, we climbed into bed and covered ourselves with the warmest blanket in the universe. It was 100% acrylic and made in Morocco. It was just as well it was warm because our bloody window kept blowing open. It only took a few seconds for our room to become an icebox. I kept waking up to shut it and eventually just stayed awake. Stacey slept through the whole night.

Stacey has wandered off to visit some waterfalls behind the village. It’s been raining all night here, so there should be a good water flow. I’m knackered. I haven’t had a whole day’s rest since arriving in Morocco. We are off to Fès today and Stacey wants to visit Meknes and Volubilis on the way there. I just want to get to Fès. Dry and in one piece!