Maroc

Route: Marrakesh - Valle de Oureka - Quarzazate - Marrakesh - Tanger - GibrAltar ....
coming from India on way back, june 2014 or 2017 below

    Marrakesh - Valle de Oureka. Staied about one and half week in the so Beautiful Valle de Oureka (1hrs south of Marrakesh by taxi) had two rooms one very small but excellent because with good hooks on wall, some storage cases and the bed direct under the window, so i was able to watch eagles in the mountains during changing colours during dawn and sunset. Was roaming the deadly steep mountains second day so excited i was, had a rest up under the oak-trees (Steineichen) and wacholder bushes after i hiked up from the village about 500m and had to cut-sharpen my shoes profiles not to slip down the deadly steep slopes in case of slipping, dry and easly moving gravel mixed with thorn bushes so i imagined the way down rolling with gravel over thorn bushes, not too amusing.

    A good challenge for adventurers, but know the risks. Climbing up you get through apple orchard fields, passing huge old walnut-trees, some opuntia cactus growing (Ohrwaschlkaktus) other side of the valley (southern slopes), quite moist areas by the small streams coming down the dry hills and the biotops, its vegetation changing within meters from wet to dry.
    Hoopoes, Zwerg u Schlangenadler, rare Woodpeckers, a few arab horses, camels, frogs in the riverbed, young fish, guess troutas. Trees as walnut, figs, herbs like salvia, menta, and the mroe also opuntia cacti at the sunny dry side in the rocks.

    The first days after arrival every evening, so at around 7 - 8 time, an eagle was showing up over Sete Fatma, the village at top end where about the street ends, i could watch from bed through the open window over the walnut tree just too much ...
    As it was during Ramadan families took sofas along the main stream while sunset n preparing for dinner, looked very funny and relaxing, for me the contrary between the stones, river gravel, some huge rocks and in between many sofas and comfort places was special. Here and then i took a sofa and a little snack totally amused by the arrangments - rocks and sofas (french futons) in good mix for children, patriarchs and wives, brothers n sisters happy looking foward to get the meals after sunset.
    After one week the family running the guest house told me i d have to leave because next day they d start painting the house ... so i got into a bid strange stiled kind of **hotel (most were closed), shower attached and with big veranda facing main street, decorated it with my goan.in bedsheets. During mornings i had cofee out there and maintained my travel gear when needed.
Nature observations. Further route: Marrakesh - Quarzazate - Marrakesh - Rhabat - Tanger


Route 2o17: Marrakesh - Valle de Oureka (Sete Fatma) - Marrakesh

Findings: Marrakeshs airport is strange to me as I name it a behauvioristic aerport (ficus benjamini) with duty free. But teh special thing about that Duty free is it has 2 money sections with magic border. In the t-shirt and food section you can pay in Dirham and euro.

   Aeport: In in the None T shirt section which has jewels, Shishas, marocan crafts, candies, rings, arts, also Toblerone, or Wodka, Tequila, Yeni Raki and the more you can only pay in Euros, thats the reason why I called it part of Ghana, Liberia, Simbabwe and Sierra Leone, since some months part of the African Union again. Never experienced before that kind of duty free zones, but the ticket there the same day was a fast one. In seperate duty free, later on for Wodka and a Toblerone the money was not lasting. Not possible at the 25th of december, the day of snta Claus by duty free, forget it. In a way you can see it as a discriminating Duty free, a kind of apartheid Duty free.
   Even Shishas you could only pay in euros. Anyway the ticket I got there after 7 km on foot from downtown and Sukh Marrakesh (freiwillig and I wanted to save the 300 Dirham from first day taxi, aerport to Marrakesh), the ticket was a good fast one from aerport that afternoon.

   Overall marocs people are friendly, good craftsmen and hard bargainers, just take care of hotels or guest houses of rumors over years, also bedsheets with changing place blood drops in the same, and guys and girls in sticky busses who dont understand a packbag and need to trample therefor on the best partly wrigged mountain boots. Now put up Biwak for mountaineering, a tent stick is missing since Peru !

    Travel WARNING: Hotel Azgaour in top end of valle de Oureka gets a Travel warning. First moment WiFi showed normal conections. later on it always saied: "relax and keep calm"for days (3nights).

    The security like looking roomkey did not help much, and bedsheets blood drops were moving in bed ends direction after ghaving been out over day. A glasfront like window but it had a iron soemthing under it, good enough for city jumpers and climbers .... means good enough for "balcony and room crawlers" (150 dirham/night).
   Waking up with stiff neck once I call it chemical horseback riders.
Last 2 days even to aerport i did about 25 km on foot, last bus was too special, with a couple in front of bus which was trampling on best of european trekking boots. The way to city and aerport was much sticky in bus, I staied in front, an once the leg got trapped in the front door of the same bus .... lol ...


    Climate: During winters it is snowing sometimes from about 1500 m. Was quite impressd the most of the time, also by the natural bath settings in the valley clsoe to the upper village.

    Savety: usually no problem but also some room crawlers here and then, prices can be of fantasia.

    Health: In the mountans you need to be robust during winters, laundry service can be tricky up there, also post offices. Travel warnings for other close to spanish american regions will come later ! Uber not necessary, simple old taxis ... good enough to reach the Oukamiden

Nature observations de Maroc and spring offensive

   French are mostly friendly, the grande nation since revolution, Aufklaerung and state of liberty, salu !

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