Days of Contrast - but can’t escape the sand

 


 Over the past few days I have experienced both the beauty of a desert oasis outside the trading town of Tata close to the Algerian and Mauritanian borders and the beach at the Atlantic coastal town of Mirleft….both great but very different.

The Oasis Town of Tata

Situated on the Saharan plain at the foot of the Jebel Bani it has the feel of a Wild West frontier town where as well as turban clad bedou drinking tea and chatting in the shade, there are 4 military/para-military and police camps. The town itself is a bit rough and shabby albeit with some good cafe/tea shops to get the obligatory ‘Thé 
Morrocaine’ (v sweet mint tea), but was worth a visit just to walk round the palmeraie which surrounds a fantastic desert oasis….the dates were to die for after a long dusty drive!




On the downside I did get my first puncture of the trip which is worrying as I only bought one spare tyre with me….I will have to see whether I can either get it repaired or buy another spare in Marrakesh next week.   It is a concern to me however as I look forwards to the stretch of the trip where I will be travelling nearly 160km across desert tracks……a problem for another day.  

Whilst I managed to change the tyre without issue I am regretting relying on the OE jack and not buying either a high lift or preferably an airbag jack…..hindsight is a great thing.  I took a picture of the ground I was crossing so perhaps it was not a surprise…….this is what most of the Sahara is like in Morocco, whilst there are dunes, they are not common particularly outside of the oasis dune seas of Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga which I will be crossing in a few weeks.

And then Mirleft

So Mirleft ……. About as different as you can get, a sleepy town famed for its beaches and surf, it has become a bit of a Mecca for both para-gliders who fly from the nearby hills and surfers who enjoy some of the best waves on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.

Although largely off the standard ‘tourist routes’ Mirleft did host Jimi Hendrix for a few weeks in the 60’s and seems to have clung onto the coat-tails of this as it retains a real ‘artsy’ feel.

Absolutely loved this place and the day and the night I spent here, really chilled, the beach was great and empty apart from the obligatory highly tanned but stoned French hippies hanging out and being cool 😎. 



At the recommendation of my neighbour Matt (who, along with his wife Sally was one of those para-gliding sun gods in days past), tried the spider crab for dinner which was incredible ….and huge, a real treat.  Finished the meal with my first beer since Marrakesh…… probably the longest time between beers since I was 13!



Location: Tata, Morocco

Comments

  1. Life controllerMarch 1, 2024 at 4:05 PM

    Blimey, you must actually have food in your fridge and not beer! You don’t manage that at home 😂 the big question is if you have been eating spider crab how many other customers are wearing the bits???

    ReplyDelete

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