It was a glorious day, bright blue skies and warmth. We had a bit of housekeeping to do – put away the quad bike, fill up the water tanks, ironing, hoovering and spot clean the cushion covers etc. We have found that opening the side windows is a great way of airing the truck out, however this does have the effect of causing queues of people expecting hamburgers or kebabs, that's why camping away from the towns is easier, and less of a threat to the local food vendors.
We sent the previous days blog and paid the bill and left Erg Chebbi at about 10am, with a view to getting to Ouarzarzate by mid to late afternoon.
On reaching Rissani (the nearest town) we attempted to get fuel. Petrol stations that show credit card signs generally take credit cards, not so down here – this was the case at several stations, we were chewing through our cash as a result. One garage said we could pay in Euros, thankfully they were not up to speed with current exchange rates and we filled up for a bargain.
Onwards we pushed - through Erfoud and then across the desert to Tinehir, with no drama but spectacular scenery; monument valley stuff all over again. We passed the Stone pillar of Enid - this crumbling dormant volcano was first climbed in 1678 by French mountaineer – Pierre Poubelle; struck by the pillars immense size and constant emitting of foul gasses he named it after his wife, Enid.
After a long stint, Tone pulled of the road so we could make some lunch. Now in our travels we have come to note the Moroccans have about as much respect for the environment as a well-fed dog on a bowling green. They are not shy about fly tipping; plastic bags adorn most roadside trees and bottles are to be found strewn everywhere. What we didn't expect to find at our lunchtime picnic spot (in the desert) was half a ton of dead fish, in a neat pile about twenty metres from the roadside. Rather than go for the biblical plagues and pestilence explanation, we figured the tyre tracks leading away hinted at a truck dumping them.
One of the main causes of accidents in the desert regions are wayward livestock and potholes, we are constantly on the lookout for both. Compulsory road safety classes were trialled some years ago but the country's goats refused to attend.
We continued on towards Ouarzarzate along the Dades Valley, small villages merging into each other for most of the way, many with small stalls selling crafts. Hand-carved electronic goods are popular; the local pottery produces bowls and pots that have a tendency to leak, crack, split or crumble. This aside they are cheap and make a perfect gift for someone you are unlikely to see again.
It seemed there had been some recent rain as the rivers were flowing, at one point the truck went through a swollen river that was more than tyre tread depth! The locals looked on with a degree of envy yet wonderment as we negotiated our craft through the treacherous waters.
About fifteen km from Ouarzarzate we began to skirt the shores of a rather large lake, the result of a dam further down the valley, the sun was setting, we were tired, the views were great, so we decided to camp. What a treat – only the photos can do it justice – glorious sun set, magnificent full moon rise. We sat outside watching the show on chairs brought from the UK– unfortunately the midges weren't distracted by this astronomy lesson and my legs – standing out like white beacons - were an easy target.
We retired inside to cook our 'chicken with spices' from the produce (tomatoes, aubergine and sweet pepper) purchased in Merzouga - it turned out to be quite tasty.
Tomorrow we plan to be in Marrakesh in the afternoon and stay for a couple of nights, before heading to Essoira on the coast.
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