Fly Air Arabia

We had heard that Air Arabia flew Manchester-Agadir last year but already had our flights booked so yesterday was our first opportunity to use them and it was wonderful. Firstly they were daytime flights; we could leave home in Wales at 9am and be home in Taroudant at 6.30 pm. Secondly their pricing structure meant having 30kg of luggage each was comparable to Easyjet and we got a free meal. Best of all there was an airbridge and the      seat spacing on the plane gave extra legroom to all so it was much more comfortable. The food was good too, better than BA and as I was going off rapidly I had an extra Chicken and Lemon sandwich which was soooo good I must learn the recipe.

Sadly they seem to have discontinued the route from November. Come on Air Arabia now Thomas Cook's defunct re-instate the route! If any of you  out there are lucky enough to have an Air Arabia route give it a spin.

The 50p Dinner

One of the best things that has happened here is that about a month ago a takeaway opened across the road. It sadly doesn't open on Sundays or Fridays but is useful on other days and I hope to use it tonight. It sells only one product a roll of chicken kebab with onion, olivea, Harissa and gravy. 5Dh. it is next door to the patisserie which is open in the evenings with slices of cake for 1Dh. so, as there are 12Dh to the £ dinner for 50p.

The girl in the Spider's Web

We went into town today to pick up my cushion. I had at last finished the tapestry. It took me a whole year which is at least twice as long as it would have taken me 10 years ago but my eyesight gets worse and worse and | cannot sew for long. I got the upholsterer to make it into a cushion for my green chair and I think it goes well.

Town was busy, or at least the area around Bab Taghout and we couldn't understand it being a Monday but our friend in the Souk, who was not finding it busy at all, explained that there is a 2 day local moussem at the kaaba of a local marabout about 200m from Bab Taghout. Lots of villagers have come in to feast on camel meat and that may explain why the water was only a trickle even downstairs yesterday as apparently they have to shower after eating camel meat before they can pray.

We took the opportunity to do some last minute shopping to take home; coffee.preserved lemons, harissa, dried apricots and a woodenn ladle and spoons.

Slam dunk

                                                   


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBY4PMk39QM

Tiznit Murals

I fist noticed the fashion for large scale mural portraits on the sides of buildings with the Berber portrait in Marrakesh but Tiznit has grown some good ones.

This one on the side of a nursery school is particularly apposite.

More Stone Age Carvings

I was unwell after our trip to Akka as I had  deliberately let myself get dehydrated because of the lack of toilet facilities. I paid the penalty overnight and was left in a darkened room whilst Beloved went with a younger guide to see some other carvings only 23km west of Icht at Ait Herbil. He said it was just as well I didn't go as it was very scrambly and I wouldn't have managed the climbs but at least they were accessible from an asphalt road. 

These carvings are clearly not as old as those near Akka and are not deeply  incised into the rock so are in some instances less easy to see. They are more like the engravings of goats  so may be 3.000 years old or perhaps even more recent. .In that regard they are more like the Anazani petroglyphs near Alberquerque.

They also reflect a change in the climate from rhinoceros friendly swampland in the the most common animals depicted are cows.

I was also struck by the occurrence of the spiral symbol which is found at Aberquerque and New Grange but also in New Zealand, Ausralia,, South America, Scandinavia, the Balkans and the Far east.

The Guide

In the past we have used guides in Fez and Marrakech and they have been relatively expensive and taken us to shops selling things we have no wish to buy but we realised that we would probably need one at Akka. Our first surprise was his rate which was considerably less than those in the cities. Then , looking back, I realise that there was no suggestion whatsoever that we may wish to go somewhere to purchase something, in fact it was I who insisted we stop off at a cafe where I knew there were english loos. 
If you need a guide in the area his name is
Mouloud Taarabet
8405 Touzounine
Akka-Tata
06.62.29.18.64

He is referred to in our 12 year old guide book and has been guiding for over 30 years. He took us to the hamlet where he lived as a child off the piste to the carvings although he now lives in a modern house in Touzoune with his wife and five children