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Time in Tagazout

So we are now hanging out in Tagazout. It used to be hippie heaven and has turned into a bit of a surfer paradise. The official campsite in town is quite far out and looks quite institutional with its perfectly lined up miniscule trees so we opted for the free place, with no showers, closer to town with lots of trees and more motorhomes and overlanders. We have had a great time here. Andrew has been having a great time hanging with and learning from all the overland men. We are learning so much.

He was hanging with amazing people like Elia from Italy who scored this great big truck from and expedition company and travels with his big dogs. He just took off with about 4 other italian overlanders for Senegal.

And Martin from England who has a full workshop and welding kit ready to go on board his old fire engine to pay for his journey.

In addition to the  30+ white plastics and the 10+ overlanders alot of moroccan families came in for the day. What a great place!  We made necklaces, drew pictures, painted nails.

played on the hammock,

took a camel, oops dromedary, ride.

btw if you are going to take a dromedary ride in Morocco make sure and watch out for the lurch at the beginning and the end of the ride as this tall animal gets up and down.

I tell you the morrocans really know how to picnic. I am used to cold sandwiches. They bring these little gas stoves and prepare elaborate tagines and mint teas. The hospitality cant be beat as well. One family that set up camp at a tree next to our truck served us tea and bisquits and wouldnt stop feeding our kids orange slices. Later in the day was the best by far for me. The mothers and grandmothers and aunties of the little girls we were spending time with came over to their camp behind a wall of veils where they fed me tagines and mint tea. The wall of veils were taken down just before the call to prayer so they could put them on as they took turns to pray while facing mecca. I think they really put us to shame hospitality wise. How often do we open up our celebrations and meals to complete strangers just for the sheer kindness of it and no agenda.

3 Comments

  • Melchior on April 8, 2010

    I think i have met this Martin from England and his fire truck.
    Did he live in Cigarone near Orgiba in Spain? He was also a welder with a fire truck (and a beautiful London city double decker bus, but he left it there i think). He did weld my front suspension.
    Can you give me the rout to this place?
    When we cross i would like to go there.
    Greetings, melchior

    • admin on April 10, 2010

      I think it is the same guy. He is a handyman like you. He must get around. Or did you meet him in Tagazout and it is us that get around?

  • Joanna on April 6, 2010

    Hospitality is such a forgotten art in the Western world and I believe we have a lot to relearn from other cultures. I don’t do well with a constant number of people around me but I do know that if someone comes to the door you don’t leave them on the doorstep. Thanks for the glimpses of how others demonstrate hospitality