La Palmeraie, Tifnit (Morocco 87274) return to.

The waxing moon last night was absolutely stunning. A thin curved sliver of light pierced the only blue sky. We'd never seen anything so fantastic. The moon, the sky, the palm trees. What a setting. So taken with the sight we were later to bed than we should have been, so this morning we were both tired. But we couldn't linger. There were coloured boulders to visit. As we left Tafroute we felt we were leaving the film set for The Flintstones. For those of you not old enough to remember, The Flintstones were a modern stone age family. The programme was animated and was one of the highlights on television in the sixties. Back then, it was comedy at its best for children and adults alike. Soon Marge was off the tarmac road and on a rough track off into the unknown. Around three miles of bumping, over soft terrain until in the distance we could see the spectacle we'd come to see. The painted rocks of Tafroute.

Back in 1984 the Belgium artist Jean Verame painted the rocks in tribute to his late wife. Whilst his original painted rocks are beautiful, the other rocks painted by, well anyone who fancies a go, are garish. Jean Verame was the reason we drove all the way down to Tafroute. 

His painted rocks were on John's list of places he wanted to visit. It was early morning, the only other visitors with us were two motorcyclists who were on the campsite with us last night. Early morning is always the best time to visit places like this. Less crowds, and the light is normally better for photographs. But we needed to make haste. Leaving this outdoor art installation we trundled back along the dirt track, spotting  some Dorcas Gazelles who flashed across in front of Marge and then hid behind the nearby bushes.

We'd decided once back on the main road we would retrace yesterday's journey back to Tiznit. We are now heading back towards Agadir, but the road from Taftoute directly to Agadir wound through the Anti-Atlas mountains with steep descents and continuous switch backs. Obviously it wasn't for Angela! What also didn't suit her nerves was low cloud over the mountains, with little visibility, that we had to drive. The plus side, John had the responsibility of driving us down safely, and because of the reduced visibility you couldn't see the drop. The Moroccans being the craziest drivers we've ever come across didn't feel the need to switch on their headlights and tail lights. Well, why would they? Originally, we'd decided to return yet again to Tiznit for a third night, but decided not to, stopping only at the town briefly to eat a hastily cobbled together lunch. Tomorrow we are going to be once again stopping at Agadir. We need quite a lot of shopping, fuel and want to return to the souk to eat a tajine at the correct cafe this time!

Then we will head east to the only campsite open on the road to Marrakech. We are now heading inland away from coastal breezes towards a  diverse landscape of mountains and valleys. John has had to research our onward journey to accommodate Angela's fear of mountain roads. He wisely decided the road where motion sickness pills should be taken before setting off was probably best avoided!

Camping les Trois Palmiers,Tafroute (Morocco 85450)

With Marge all fuelled up it was time to set off across the Anti-Atlas mountains to Tafroute. As we were preparing to leave the garage a Moroccan in a 4 x 4 asked if we wanted to follow him to the small Sahara to see camels. Firstly, your 4 x 4 is not in the same league as Marge, proven by the fact there were quite a number of very old land rovers in Tiznit, and secondly, we've had our fill of camels for the time being.

Not long after leaving the outskirts of Tiznit we found ourselves travelling through a sandy, dusty terrain with very little vegetation, save the odd sad looking argan tree, and a few scatter green shrubs, all thirsty in this barren landscape.

As we approached the Anti-Atlas mountains, dilapidated houses of thick stoned walls sat alongside modern terracotta new builds, built into terraces that clung to the hillside. We were surprised at just how many people lived in the area. Some of the homes were very grand. Almost palatial. Once Marge had negotiated the winding roads up to the summit and over the mountains we decided it was time for a refreshment break, so we stopped at a cafe adjacent to a fuel station where we enjoyed conversation with a local man. He'd been to England, his brother lives in Peterborough. Angela asked him why there were so many properties in the area that seemed uninhabited, and he told us the owners were away working in places like Casablanca, and that they returned to the area for three weeks in August. He suggested we take the scenic route down to Tafroute, which although winding was downhill and suited Angela a lot better. She really has a problem with the heady heights of the mountains, suffering with acrophobia, which triggers your brains response to threats leading to panic and anxiety. She can assure you, she wishes she didn't suffer from it.

As we approached Tafroute the landscaped changed. Stunning rock formations of red granite lined each side of the road. Honestly this area should be a UNESCO world heritage site. Tafroute is bustling and vibrant, alive and yet sleepy. Every business imaginable is here. We are almost a thousand metres above sea level, and we think we expected the air to be fresher. Quite the opposite, it is hot, very hot, the air oppressive.

So we waited until after five to walk out, sitting in Marge with three fans running until we ventured out to look around the town and buy some fruit and vegetables from the market. We have come to Tafroute to see some coloured boulders. Why? You might ask. Well in tomorrow's blog you'll see why.

Camping municipal de Tiznit (Morocco 85000) day 2

The English couple here with us advised that it's best to leave early in the morning, as the roads are quieter, and the Moroccans are not so hot headed behind the the wheel. So, taking their advise, we did just that. The scenery and the terrain here was not as Angela imagined it would be. The road cut through and over the hills.

The landscape rugged and arid. Surprisingly hundreds of bee hives were scattered over the lower levels of the mountains. Somewhere in this area there is desert and coastal flora which the bees love. Personally we couldn't see any flora of any kind. Our first visit was to Legriza to see the mammoth red stone arch. Leaving Marge parked precariously above the beach we set off to view this impressive feature.

From a distance the rock looks like solid red sandstone, but on closer inspection we were surprised to see it was a collection of red sandstone and sedimentary rocks.

However it was very impressive, and of course there were a couple of camels on hand for rides or photo opportunities.

First photograph of the camel was free, but if you're savvy you can take more without anyone noticing. As we walked back along the beach. A mix of soft golden sand, and pebbles we decided to stop at the beach cafe for a drink. Everyone else chose to sit up on the veranda behind, we decided a seat near the shoreline was perfect.

 The beach was busy with visitors. The last time we saw tourists in quantity we were at Essaouira. This part of Morocco seems a little remote, and as we drove on to Sidi Ifni on the south west coast it began to feel as if we were leaving behind the Morocco we'd become used to. We had planned to stay overnight at Sidi Ifni, but all the campsites were closed, and we didn't really like the area, so we decided to drive back to Tiznit just under an hour away, which we didn't mind. We walked into town to buy onions and bread, returning to catch up on some washing. Today has been a nice day, albeit it tiring. Tomorrow we will need to be up and away early as we will be embarking on our return journey north, visiting some interesting towns and cities along the way whilst hopefully enjoying desert and mountain landscapes.