One more day in Azrou Tiznit

We desided to stay one more dag in Azrou Tiznit since we got in contact with a Paris Dakkar mecanic, and we wanted to take time talking with him. One thing lead to another, and before we knew it, the car was at his outoshop. The car got a checkup, and the local people were much admired over thebig wheel screen  a "PRADO" for those of you who know's this name that is used by many in the rest of the world instead of land cruiser 120 model.
We were all under the grease pit and looked under the car, we applied grese between the axles of the car, and I had to scream stop many times because they only pumped and pumped in more grease. There are some plastic cups in each end of the shaft cross that snaps out if you pump too much grease, it's enohg with 2-3 touch as I call they ask me if I am a mechanic, and I tried to explain to them what I was afraid of. The chief mechanic came and bossed some little young boys standing with the pump, there was no doubt that the chief mechanic had a bearing on things.
We've blown clean the radiator and check the bushings and bearings, etc.. Not one thing was wrong, something he was very surprised for since he had Landro that needed fixing in the the garage all the time ... (Internal) I have a land rover deffender 110, so I nodded slightly agreing but some disagree and ....;)
Have washed the car with just water. They wanted to use an old brush, but I said no since the brush looked like camel hair, so we said just water. The car was not clean but the windshield is good and clean ... We will stop on a later occasion when we arrive Zagora. Probably some high pressure washing there if we are lucky. But probably just smart driving around with dirty dirty car so it does not look so expensive out and maybe the kids will stop jumping around so much, which we experienced yesterday evening when we loaded up on the blog.
We had to drive about 10 minutes away from where we had camped because the satellite must have a clear view of the South, when we found a nice space and open space david jumped out and rigged in place the antenna, not until everything was up and ready and we had started the upload that can take from 5-15 minutes, came a whole bunch of children running at full speed towards us from a school we did not noticed about 400meter wake. Nooooo, said Martin and locked the car doors again ...
We could not run away when the equipment and satellite worked. So we chose to wait. They stood at the window and clawed for your attention, probably 20 children. They talked frensh, and they bumped hundred's of times on the window while we try and concentrate on getting the blog uploaded. Eventually they began hammering on the car, and as I got out and shut the car door they jumped away as if they thought I was going to beat them. I said I speak only English, and said they had to be kind and not hamre on the car, but not after I closed the car door again they began even more.
I went out and hold them at bay while Martin looked over the pc work is done. They tried to turn off the valve caps on the wheels that were silver from the arctic trucks, and I thought something I never should have done. And it was to distract them away from the car, I remembered I had a lakaroel mints of licorice in my pocket I had just opened and said to them where they stood with big eyes, that they could get a taste of candy from Norway. They were completely wild, and I tried to hand out one by one but it was not long before they all rushed around my hand and took it all. The mints taken on the ground and they all threw themselves on the ground, some began fighting. Little boys 7-12 years old threwfists against eachother and I just said Not nice, Not nice. Then I jump in the car and just drive away. As we drive away we laughed. The salty licorice was not something they liked, and spitting it out again, and they looked tricekd, Martin shouts DRIVE!! hehe.
We saw the kids laugh at eachother, they thought that the Norwegian has a strange taste for candy. Fortunately, we got away with the car in well preserved state, and all valve caps in place. And Martin did not have any lasting trauma. hehe.
Today we've shopped on the market and bought more water and food for the next 3-4 days. After Zargora we shall start our drive towards the Sahara, so this will be fun .. We would like resting more today because we know what awaits us, and we are on the timetable so we have time for an extra day here.

Pictures in the auto garage

The car really needs a wash :-)

Cleaning the radiator

The Tiznit camp

Dakar Defender

Dakar car repair garage

David with the nice people of Morocco

David with the "crew"

Giving the car a thorough checkup

The front window gets cleaned. Doing a good job, since they aren't allowed to use the camel brush :-)

Getting the hose ready to clean the car.

Our local camel buddy, sleeping 3 meters away from our camp!

A local salesperson who wanted to exchange all our beer for other goods. Martin say'd: NO DEAL :-)

Martin chilling near the camel

In the grease pit, checking up the car

Martin getting the hang of speaking Arabic :-)

From saturday. Black Mountains!

Today we have crossed the black mountains, and it took 5 hours. It's about 150km in 5-30km / h. Very rocky and narrow roads with steep cliffs on each side. We have climbed about 2000 meters, and now run back down to 1000 meter.


Yesterday evening we got a chance to take a shoer, and some German canned food, Stew and Moroco bread. It was nice, and we swallowed it down with a cold beer. Temperature tonight wasn't bad, compared to the night before. It was about 14c. 

Today, the temp will be around 35C, and the weather is just glorious.We have been a little more careful with the AC'en in the car. We have felt some cold symptoms at times and splitting headache, but drink plenty of water during the periods and and it pass itself soon there after.Now we will run approximately 1 hour and willarrive at Azrou TiZnit where we can wash the car for the first time, it has been very dirty lately..When we drive on hte small rocky roads over the mountain, young children pop up from nowhere. They throw themselves into the road and begin to clear away the stone and help us on our way, but they want a pencil or ballpoint pen in return for the work. we have given away all our toyota pens. We'll se if we buy some more in a small village.It's almost not a single person here who speaks English, some French, but whether we understand or not, the body language clearly show what they want, money or smoke. Nothing we can do at times than apologize with our body language. This happens every day. 

We have met several other tourists also on off-road trip, and headingl in all directions through this great country, and the Atlas mountains today. This morning we met an older French couple who had rented a pajero and taken chances on some off-road without any equipment. They had punctured a wheel on the top of the mountain and tried to get the wheel off for a long time when we was driving past. Other passers-by had stopped. we were quick to help them. Martin stepped up an used his muscle and replaced the wheels.We allways have time for good deeds. Next time it can be us who need a helping hand. But the way the car has been on this trip, I don't expect getting any problems. The car functions perfectly.Diesel seems to last longer and in Morocco than in Norway, because in Norway they put much kerosene in the diesel so lt start better in cold weather, down here there's no need for kerosene, and the diesel fuel is in many ways purer something you would not really believe. We think mostly of the water we can get the fuel down here, but then again the car has its own water separator.The hours are long, and since we've heard all the songs on our Ipod, we often sit and stare out on the hardworking people who do such good work only with they're hands. We often drive without music. We cant listen to to much Moroccan music because Martin can't take it :-)
Morocco should be experienced by Ola Nordmann who complain at home over the simplest things, here we get things set  quickly into perspective.Hope you offroad enthsuiast and followers on the blog will one day make the leap and pack the car and experience Morocco like this. We have have got memories that we'll mark the rest of our life. And it's just the best way ..
David & Martin. Zogora.

The Arctic Truck on the Black Mountain!

The Atlas roads

A local school in the Atlas mountains

Friday evening camp

David making an emergency pee stop ;-)

David cleaning the braking system. Better safe than sorry :-)

David setting up the satellite system to update the blog

David checking up and fixing the air filter

A moped on the Atlas mountains

Fauna camels we passed by

Mountains as far as the eye can see :)

Beautiful off-road roads

Martin enjoying the view

Martin and David in the Atlas mountains

First class cooking

A little view of the Atlas mountains

Someone who sells jewelry

Pencils that we give away

Relaxing on the friday night with your cosy camp

Leaving Zedar

Today we left zedar woods and run through fiddles villagesmountains, amazing to see how people still live. But very impressive.We've went through several small towns, one in which we stopped and had localpancakes, it went fast and we were so hungry that we forgot the camera in the car .. Bought more water .. We drink more and more each day..Today we've had diverse temperatures  since we left 2000meters height from the camp of yesterday, and the run down about 1000 vmeter. Last night was a cold night around 5 degrees and we lay and sleep with clothes on.The temperature was17 degrees this morning to 30 degrees at the warmest.We have seen some monkeys along the way, but is difficult taking picturesof them.We've passed some Fauna Camels.
This morning we met children who had resess from school, when we came byfrom the mountains ay 2000meter. All smiling andwaving. We pave our way earlier today through narrow mountain roads where we suddenly encounterded a road marked, clothes and rice and lamb, etc. hangingaround everywhere ..Martin is quick to lock the doors of the car, which we always are carefulwith, you never know when people get too over anxious and sell us things andjust close the car doors, we can not stop along the way since we still have a long road ahead. Today we set up camp not far from the black rock (The Black Mountains)as it is known, and we begin our ascent there tomorrow morning,We will rise from 1000 meter and up to about 4500 meter. This will make it more difficult fo the car gettign oxygen, and we'll expect seeing black smoke.We have made it so that Martins driving, and I'm available to sit and write on the computer and get ready to blog and upload when we stop for the night, so we do not have to sit with this when the sun goes down, we switch regardless of driving regularly throughday.
It's not easy publising the pictures and driving at the same time. But we'll publish pictures at we go.Tonight we eat the stew from Germany since we are a little tired froma bad night's sleep from yesterday night due to the cold, so it will be instantly heatedand swallowed down :-)Another day closer to the Sahara for us and everything goes very well with us and the car ..David and Martin.(Ps think of you LM / MJ / DE I love you, from David ...

Off-Road, the best way to drive!

Today we finally started our off-road section through the forests and the Atlas mountains. Zagora is one of our first goals before we will commence the hardest part of the off-road driving, and there are several small places we have to go through. Morocco is a very big country ...
Today we've stopped to camp in the Zedar woods, and got some shade from the strong sun. We just stopped in Azrou a small town on the road to the mountains. We have traded food and more water on the market and had some hot food at a cafe right by the road where we have eye control on the car. 

Today Temperature's of 30 C in the lowlands, but here in the woods it's 22 C at 2000 meters. In the car it's about 25 C. Everything is bright and we have slept well last night. It was a very windy night, at times we thought the roof tent would collapse. Rumors say it's a sand storm along Algeria, but blowing west and will move us closer to our route  hopefully ....
Tonight we'll have a good long shower and treat our selfs a little extra. It was a great experience this morning taking a shit among cactus and all the weird sounds around the bushes ...
We've had a problem with the refrigerator, it has stopped at times, but found out the reason today was a switch failure, but I quickly fixed it, and now we have ice cold drinks at 2 degrees C :-)
Otherwise there is not much new to report about the car. It cruises along stylish without any problems at all. Arctic Trucks is turning stir in the country, but it's incredibly comfortable to cruise through the country with such an units..
Martin and I have heard through all the thousands of songs 2 times on the ipod in the car, and talked a lot about people and all the new impression and culture. Time flies and before we know it we're through Sahara and on our way home. We miss and think of our family, especially when we see so much unity the local people have down here .. But then again, we think the weather in Norway is not a tempting thought, when we have so lovely weather here in Africa. It's a trip we've worked long and hard to reach, so as the time fly things simply go too fast and it's hard to take in all impression .. It's processed bit by bit when we get home.
Otherwise, there are several 1000's of pictures we have taken, but it's slightly random what we post on the blog. We simply don't have enough time to work through every picture since it takes too long turning up a new camp every time. And last but not least, we are hungry and tired, it requires a lot sitting for hours in the car concentrating, when only the heat itself is enough to exhaust us.
Some photos from yesterday evening and today ...

2000m over the ocean

 Children waving along the road

 A split road :-)

 The car is finally looking great and dirty :)

 We keep a close eye on the car at all times

 Beautiful valleys

 Ready to set camp

 Norwegian woods?? Nooo it's Zedar woods, Morocco ;-)

 Hungry man, get's a his price. A nice meal

 Morocco style riding, with water on it's side

 Martin almost falling asleep wednesday night 

 Towards FES. 

 Mustang meat! Beef all the way

 Olive and other delicious foods

 Old roman ruins. All road lead to ROME ;-)

 Clear sky night with the roof tent up

Dinner?? No please pet me. Woff