What are you hiding, Morocco?
Although it is located in Africa, Morocco draws heavily on Europe in many ways. Starting with the common French language, mainly because of being a French colony, ending with roads or buildings.
I wasn't hoping for too many travel events. Morocco's landscape is extremely diverse - sandy beaches, snow-capped peaks or deserts.
It turned out that the country hides a lot ...
We spent the first night right next to the gas station with the permission of its staff who were not surprised by the travelers setting up the tent at all. In the morning it turned out that a proud peacock was walking around the area. In the midst of endless fields, it was possible to see a man with a child wandering on a donkey.
Virtually abandoned waterfalls in Ouzoud - only a few tourists in the area.
The water hit the stones with a bang, soaking other sounds. You have to be careful, because there were stinky monkeys lurking in the area waiting to jump on a careless traveler.
Having caught a young driver on foot, we moved down the mountain at great speed, constantly approaching the snow-covered peaks.
Once we got to town, we spent the night on cold tiles right next to the gas station. It wasn't very comfortable and it got cold and foggy in the morning.
After a long while we were able to catch the opportunity and escape from the station. How good it was to get in a warm car!
On the further journey we got stuck covering short distances practically all day. Just before going in search of accommodation, a Jeep stopped with two Moroccans who did not speak English.
We had the phone number of another Moroccan who knew English. We gave it to the driver, he called him, talked for a while and handed us the phone. We didn't learn much, we gave up the cell phone, and the driver and passenger high fives each other. The car began to climb a hill that was not on the map.
It quickly turned out that the place was quite suspicious, which was reflected in the concerned glances of the locals. Fortunately, they had no bad intentions, they simply turned out to be curious about the newcomers.
The village was the site of an illegal hashish factory, also known as "mountain chocolate". The driver and his son showed us around the village, bragging about animals or a well. The several-year-old son was afraid of us, holding his father's hand tightly.
After a really long time, our host brought Moroccan tea with mint. Fortunately, there was electricity which allowed us to recharge batteries. The building was constructed very simply, but enough to protect against the cold night.
After a short, rather complicated conversation consisting of gestures and scraps of French, we went to bed.
The next day we ended up in the back of a vehicle driven by two farmers. They took us a few kilometers, although it was not pleasant because of the nightmarishly uncomfortable seats.
Waiting at the intersection for the driver, we heard the roar of a donkey. Moments later, an aging farmer appeared, wandering in the direction only he knew.
We arrived in Chefchaouen in the late afternoon. The driver we'd hitchhiked, while leaving the vehicle, asked if we were interested in "mountain chocolate". Blue buildings can be found practically everywhere, much more difficult for their inhabitants, due to closed blinds.
A few hours later we found ourselves in a small village where our peer took us. He was happy to receive newcomers from Europe. It turned out that the city has two parts - in the photo the so-called "slums" and two girls who lived there. Interestingly, our host scolded them for asking us for money.
In the center there were several shops with meat hanging on the very front. It would seem strange, but it is quite a typical sight.
We managed to reach the snowy part of the Atlas Mountains, fortunately the weather was quite bearable. We passed snow-covered hills in a car whose driver listened to religious music, consisting mainly of a monotonous recitation of the Quran.
The air was extremely fresh, unlike in cities and villages that smelled of exhaust fumes. Interestingly, you could find plenty of sheep left unattended around.
It was getting late so we stayed in one of the mountain towns. The night was extremely cold, but with the help of the locals we managed to find a safe place.
Two Swiss drove from the mountains towards warmer areas much closer to the Sahara. The valley by the Ziz River surprises with contrasts between the forest-like area and the sunburnt stones. It was not difficult to catch signs of life, mainly in the form of houses or hats.
One of the drivers left us in a very attractive place. It turned out that there is a gas station from the horror movie "The Hills Have Eyes" by the road. What a place to hitchhike!
As surprising as it is, the area is a popular place for recording Hollywood productions.
A little later we found ourselves just before Agadir in Tiznit. We spent the night there with one of the local teachers. She had a friend from the USA who expressed a strange interest in drugs.
In Agadir you can visit a small, free zoo, guarded by a horde of cats. Some of them were really neglected and immediately ran away after getting closer. In the zoo you can meet well-groomed flamingos, usually resting on one leg, as long as they did not look around for food.
Just before departure from the country, we went to the beach, where moments of rest were interrupted by Moroccans offering a camel ride (at the right price).
