Foum Zguid and Lac Iriki, Morocco Week 91 6th - 7th January 2013
                 
Still restless we left Tata and set off east for Foum Zguid.
 
The tilt of the land is about 30 degrees.

To our right is the escarpment.

To our left is gently rising hills.

And in the middle is enough water for palms.

 
Slowly getting drier and sandier as we are on the edge of the mountains.
 
Looks like a maize to us.

Not dunes. Heavily eroded soft rock.

 
Tissint. The policeman must have forgotten he had his sign out.

When he didn't wave us on we stopped.

Then had a conversation which began with him asking us why we had stopped!

All very friendly though.

 
Foum Zguid is just on the southern side of the mountains. The main road passes through them.

Its near the Algerian border and has a strong, though relatively unobtrusive, military presence.

 
I think we mentioned that Moroccan architecture is rectangular.

That the water tanks are rectangular (the only country we have seen that.

Even the storage tanks for solar water heating are rectangular.

And of course the roofs are flat.

 
We camped at Sable D'or (golden sand?).

The signpost points at where we want to go. Reputedly a bit of a rough track.

 
We watched a German truck set off. They stopped after a km to offload the motorbike and put someone on it.
 
Not sure what the boys were doing but certainly disrupting the traffic.

A convoy of French Citroens (2CVs).

The following truck driver was less accommodating of the boys and gave them a blast.

Seems to be a habit to stop the traffic and ask for manger, cadeaux or bon-bons

 
About 500m west of our campground is another track to Mhamid.

The "smoother", more southerly track across the dry Lac Iriki.

 
Our campsite host had mentioned it first - I asked about the unusual mountain in the distance and he told me it was a military house and the road we should go on went past it.

One of those fortunate miscommunications we are prone to!

 
The restauranteur in the center of Foum Zguid who whistled up the bread delivery for us also told us of the easier southern route.

Lots of traffic. At least 4 vehicles going the other way. And a couple that overtook us.

Stony and corrugated. Third gear, 20 km/hr and less.

 
At first it was a crawl across the rocky plain - reminiscent of gibber plains.

We stopped for a chat and were told keep right, then after descending to the lake bed keep left.

Sounds easy.

 
We are better prepared for navigation than Mongolia.

Two very good electronic maps plus paper.

And the Moroccans are used to being asked the way.

The sticky up bit in the middle is rectangular at the top (of course). The mountain I was asking about.

 
The slight descent to the lake bed.
 
And easier going.

We made it into fourth gear.

 
Fasinating shapes to our left (the north).
 
Getting sandier.
 
With distant dunes. (ergs).
 
Its a mirage.
 
We passed one herd of goats.

Not sure how the donkeys survive.

 
Not quite the deserted road we've seen described.

The white bit is a large sign for the hotel 500m later.

It looks like no two vehicles have followed the same track. A sort of 100 lane highway.

 
Haven't a clue!

Though there was a hole beside it on this side and a pile of new mud bricks on the other side.

Maybe a brick works!

 
These two vehicles had passed us earlier.

Off for a play in the sand.

I heard the landrover as it dug itself in deeper. After an hour they'd taken the photographs, dug it out, and were on their way.

 
Meanwhile we stopped for the night.

Believe it or not, we drove around a sand dune to hide!!!!

A visit from the Imam at Zaouia Sidi Abd En Nebi. About 8km away.

Its very difficult to be alone in this world.

 
Lac Iriki and Mhamid, Morocco Week 91 8th - 9th January 2013
 
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