For a whole week we were at the so-called Desert Point ? in the south of Morocco. Suddenly there were five of us and Nisha was a new member of the family. Now it was time to get the little one ready for the onward journey to Europe. But that had to wait a few more days. On our last tour from Desert Point, to Agadir for shopping, we had a short stop in Aourir at Ali's Car Workshop which Sjoukje and Florian had recommended to us. We explained the problem with our brakes to Ali and made an appointment. So finally today was the day and we set off for Aourir, hoping that the brakes could be changed without any problems.

Ali's car workshop is located directly in the village centre of Aourir on the main road. Only a small narrow driveway reveals the entrance to the backyard. At first we were unsure if we were in the right place, but then saw one camper next to the other standing in the yard, being worked on diligently. Frenchmen are standing next to Germans and Brits in the yard. One car was being welded, the other was being painted and the next camper truck was getting a new trailer coupling. Now we are beginning to understand. Ali seems to be well known among the campers. We were assigned a parking space and settled in for an overnight stay as planned, since the work could not be done in one day. By the way, many of Ali's customers stay overnight directly on his farm, some even for weeks, depending on the work to be done.

The mechanics were slowly working on our camper. The emphasis, however, is on slowly. First we were asked if we had a jack with us. Yes, we had, but certainly not one designed for a longer repair. So a jack was sought. None there? Finally, the jack was quickly removed from under another car. In between, of course, there were always problems with other vehicles. Sometimes the mechanic worked on our camper for five minutes, then again for half an hour on another one. Well, it will work somehow, we thought. The time dragged on and at the end of the day, at least the front brake pads were replaced, which were no longer in good condition, as it turned out later. Apparently they had become too hot at some point and seemed to have burnt on the surface. At least that's how Ali once diagnosed it. Fortunately, our assumption that the brake discs were ruined was not confirmed, because they could stay on. However, Ali recommended that we check the drum brakes on the rear axle the next day.

Now we spent the first night with our newcomer Nisha in the backyard of a car repair shop. For her, everything was now completely new. Lots of people, lots of noise, new noises and smells everywhere. Fortunately, there was an undeveloped meadow right next to the site, where we could take our dogs for a relaxed walk. The other campers sat together in the courtyard until late in the evening, made campfires and the noise of the cars and the many people still on the road late in the evening came over to us from the street. Despite everything, we had a very relaxed and quiet night in the middle of the city.

The next morning started like the day before. Many mechanics took care of too many things. No chaos, rather haphazard. But somehow nice to look at. We had no time pressure and so we just let them do their work. Our rear drum brakes were taken apart and now it became clear what our brake problem could have been. The drums were completely dirty. A mixture of rust, dust and abrasion from the brake discs. The brake discs and the drums themselves were still in perfect condition. Everything was cleaned thoroughly and suddenly another day had passed. So we stayed a second night and Ali and his mechanics did the rest of the work on Sunday morning. Better safe than sorry.

If you have to repair things on your camper during a visit to Morocco, we can definitely recommend Ali. By the way, everything you need for your daily needs is within easy reach in the village, and the small patisserie opposite the car repair shop offers extremely delicious food. Avocado orange smoothies on. You should definitely try it!

Now Nisha was due for her first visit to the doctor. As it was now Sunday, we spent another night outside Agadir at the little village of Takate on the Camping Takat between German and French permanent campers. A dream ? The vet in Agadir, Dr Khabous, was lovely. Nisha was examined and got her vaccinations and the formalities for leaving the country for Europe were prepared. We didn't visit the city of Agadir itself, but we took the opportunity to fill up all our supplies in the big Carrefour. Our new night's lodging was the small campsite at the hotel called Paradis Nomade near the village Azrarag. It offers space for just a handful of campers, most of whom are passing through. It offers little comfort, as there are no facilities for disposing of grey or black water. There is no fresh water either, but at least there are showers. Only its tranquillity and remoteness was worth a visit. We were able to relax here after the hustle and bustle of the last few days.

Our next destination was Marrakech. The route took us north on the well-built motorway over the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The drive was long and it had become hot in the meantime. Not far from Marrakech, we stopped at the rest area and realised, damn, the brakes on the rear axle are red-hot, despite a long drive on the plain after the Atlas Mountains without much braking. Now it was time to think and weigh up. Do we risk the approximately thirty-minute drive on to Marrakech, or do we order a mechanic to the rest area. To be on the safe side, we decided on the latter and asked the nice petrol station employee who had filled up our camper shortly before for help. Barely a quarter of an hour later Mahjouba mechanic, was already around the corner with his car. He unpacked his meagre tools and asked for a jack. A déjà vu! So now we had to use ours after all.

Patiently we watched Mahjoub as he jacked up the truck and began to adjust the brakes. Sometimes left, sometimes right, then left again. In between, he cursed at his poor tools. Communication with his sparse French was complicated. He signalled for someone to sit in the cab and step on the brake pedal. "Freiner" he called out, which meant brakes. "Un, deux, trois, quattre, freiner, démarrer, frein á main! By that he meant step on the brake four times, then switch on the engine and finally release the handbrake. No sooner said than done! Suddenly there was a jolt and a rumble and the truck began to roll away. The truck was still standing on the jack when the handbrake was released and plopped down very roughly. Marion, who was in the back of the cabin, and the rest of the interior were thrown around. After the brief scare, Mahjoub said that everything was fine now. Let's see ? The whole thing didn't exactly inspire confidence. At least we had exchanged numbers afterwards in case there had been further problems. We eventually continued our journey to Marrakech. And the result of the action? We arrived in Marrakech and the brakes were at least better than before. No longer red-hot, but they still had far too much temperature. Anyway, we were now in Marrakech and could take care of the problem in peace.

Marrakech

Our new home in Marrakech was the Camping El Ferdaous, just off the N9, at the northern end of town. A large campsite with a pool and a small supermarket. It was now mid-March and spring was gradually arriving. The many olive trees provided shade and the orange and lemon trees were just starting to blossom, giving off a fruity scent over the whole campsite. We stayed at the campsite for a total of ten days and noticed that spring in Morocco can already be quite hot. The temperatures rose higher and higher above the 30 Gad mark every day. At 37 degrees during the day, 20 degrees at night and just about 10% humidity, it was too much and it was time to head for the cooler mountains, but more on that in a moment.

The beautiful campsite was just ideal for us and a bargain at 75 dirhams a night. Although the adjacent road was quite audible, there was enough space and the campers were not packed together like sardines. We had found a spot away from the road and could now let the dogs play right next to the camper. The walk could also be done comfortably on the grounds without encountering all the rubbish outside. Now we could also take good care of Nisha, who made great progress during this time. She integrated very quickly into her new pack and already built up a certain education towards us. In between, we used the time for several visits to the city. One kind Shared taxi takes guests directly from the square to the centre and back again at a time discussed with the driver. The round trip costs 100 dirhams for two people. A fair price in our opinion. Alternatively, you can also use the public bus, which stops directly nearby.

Already on the drive to the city centre we experienced the flair of the city - fast, hectic, loud. Flashing his lights and honking his horn, our friendly chauffeur took up the entire width of the road, only to comment smugly on the bad driving of other road users. Tight tailgating and abrupt braking, quite normal for him. But we hardly felt unsafe and he told us a few things about the city and its history. We got out of the car and made our way to the Place Jemaa el Fna, the heart and epicentre of Marrakech. Every tourist ends up here at some point and takes his or her own impressions home with them. During the day, the square ekes out a rather soulless existence, but that changes very quickly in the late afternoon.

In no time at all, a huge food mile is set up in a large square on one part of the square, with an estimated thirty stalls. One stall resembles another and usually offers the identical standard programme of Moroccan cuisine. Grilled meat, grilled vegetables, tajines and the traditional harira. Recruiters stand in front of their stalls and brashly, but still friendly, try to invite passers-by to eat. If one is successful, this is rewarded with loud applause or even a serenade. It may not apply to all the other stalls, but at the one we chose, the food was rather average and the tricks are easy to see through. We asked for a vegetable tagine beforehand and so we were shown a lavishly filled clay pot on the grill as an example. The dish that was then delivered was, with good will, only half the size of the one shown before. Nevertheless, we didn't hold it against them, because we got our fill and that was the main thing. And it was nice just to sit here and soak up the fascinating atmosphere of the place.

Towards evening, the rest of the Jemaa el Fna filled up. The warm evening air was accompanied by the smell of grilled meat, smoking charcoal and incense. Women offered their henna art, snake charmers conjured their snakes and various gamblers courted the favour of the people passing by to perhaps leave a dirham or two. There were plenty of street vendors and an endless number of juice stalls loudly urging passers-by to buy a fresh juice. Only the trained monkeys with their rehearsed tricks left us with a bad taste. How one can be photographed with them is incomprehensible to us. At nightfall, various music groups spread out around the square and played traditional music on their instruments. People stopped around them, sat down and listened to the music in the dim light of the lamps. People clapped, danced or simply listened attentively. At first glance, one might think that this show is only for tourists, but if one looks closer, it is mostly the locals who are listening to the music. This evening atmosphere on the square, a kind of huge open-air spectacle, was really unique and a very special experience.

Of course, we also visited Marakkech's large souk, which spreads out like an entire city district. If you are not careful, you will quickly get lost in the maze of small alleys. Otherwise, the tourist is offered everything that belongs in a souk. However, the prices in Marrakech are among the highest in Morocco.

During the ten days in Marrakech, we finally had the brakes on our Dexter checked again. We asked at the reception of our campsite for a mechanic or car workshop. The employee made a quick call and half an hour later the mechanic we had ordered was there. It doesn't get any better than that. We stood at the campsite with our camper and the truck was repaired. The mechanic now did nothing more than completely dismantle the drums of the rear axle again, clean them and this time adjust them very precisely. We can say in advance that after this intervention everything was fine and we had no more problems. So ended a nice time in Marrakech and we headed for the mountains. More about this in the next article.

Links to this post:
Ali's workshop: https://goo.gl/maps/7eZXYytfRPjoyUWS7
La Maison De La Patisserie: https://goo.gl/maps/2spWeCCS6sx6khYx8
Veterinarian Dr Khabous Agadir: https://goo.gl/maps/S8sj5V5bJH2iwGMh8
Camping El Ferdaous Marrakech: https://goo.gl/maps/jxrzQ9NaXhu7aYsA6

Our driving route in this article

With pictures and locations (zoom in and click points, red dot = pictures, green dot = overnight stays).