Gara Medouar
Piste Jorf
Errachidia Province
Morocco
1 Night
A quiet night of solitude out on the track, only to be woken by the bright sunshine through the windows.
We had our breakfast outside, and it wasn’t long before we had finished, when two young boys strolled up, with the shabby old football.
They didn’t seem to say much and just stood there. Jo said bonjour, they replied bonjour, and that was about it. It all became a bit awkward.
Then another two lads came and joined in the silence. So I decided to have an English to Arabic lesson with them. If they did well, they got a bonbon (this is what the kids mostly ask for, sweets).
Using the translator on my phone, I translated chair, shoes, ball, and then sun. It was a difficult class, with minimal response, but I am no teacher, especially of languages. They sort of got it, and were rewarded with bonbons, and off they trotted.
We drove out the track, back to the road, towards our next destination.
Gara Medouar, a striking horseshoe-shaped geological formation that served as an 11th-century fortress and caravan stop, protecting trade routes for nearby Sijilmasa. Often called the “Portuguese Prison,” this natural amphitheater features dramatic limestone cliffs, a 1-km wide interior, and has appeared in films like Spectre (James Bond reference) and The Mummy.
After driving the 3km across the rough track, we were met at the entrance by Ali the Nomad.
What a character, he spoke his own version of English, but we got the gist of it. He wanted to take photos of Priscilla and us, and then us together, which took ages. Then he had the usual assortment of trinkets, Berber jewellery, camels carved from stone etc.
Finally settled in our section of the Portuguese Prison, we had lunch before climbing to the top of the cliffs surrounding us. The view from the top, over the vast area of desert, as far as the eye can see, fantastic.
The rest of the afternoon, we sat in the sun, watching the comings and goings. A few vans, motorbikes and a dune buggy.
Things quietened down, apart from an English guy with a dog, in a converted ambulance, with a puncture.
