A Sola Backpacker - Part VII

Once in Taghazout, I tried to look for the hostel I booked a room at. I found the owner and he informed that my reservation was cancelled because I didn't answer his phone call, which I never received. When asked him to check the phone number he used, it was definitely mine but the last two pair of numbers were misplaced. My bad.

The room I booked was already taken, so he suggested that he himself would look for suitable accommodation for me. Eventually, he hooked me up with his cousin who owns a house and rent separate rooms. I got a room in the second floor with shared kitchen, bathroom and living room. It was clean and in rather secure place, so I took it. Upon my arrival to the said house, I found to foreigners about to check in.

Besides the owners of the house, I was the only Moroccan amongst two Irish and a group of 3 Spanish surfers. My room was next to the Irish guys. The Irish guys and I arrived at the same time to the house, so when the tenant was showing me my room, his brother was showing the Irish guys theirs and asking for their passports to complete the formalities.

The Spanish group were settled in the roof floor, been there for almost a week, I heard. All I heard from them were the "hola" and the sound of their struggle to bring up or down their paddle and surfing boards. They were beyond sun-bathed and often stoned.

The Irish guys, on the other hand, we became friends. One in his late fifties and the other in his late thirties. I learnt that the two of them knew each other on their flight to Morocco only and they have traveled together in improv. They visited Fez and Chafchaouen and they intended to go south. When I say friends, I meant friends who didn't worry about or bother memorizing the names of each other because it was fine. 

A Sola Backpacker - Part VI

What stroked me the most is that most of the people I encountered were very friendly. You smile and they immediately smile back, that if they don't actually smile first. As far as I go, the urban features are getting simpler, or rather more 'primitive', if I may say. Less fancy houses, less fancy cafés, less schools, less entertainment areas, less health services, less "civilization". The more I walked, the more I felt content and at peace. The bigger that satisfaction, the bigger grew my excitement and drive and the more I felt hungry :D. 

I stopped by a restaurant. Ordered the easiest meal on the menu, I was starving. Meanwhile I started chitchating with one of the waiters. "First of all, he said, you are eventually in Tamraght." Then, he pointed out that there are not many hotels around and that the owner of the restaurant might arrange a room for me, given he own a small hostel. My guts said no. I told him that I wanted to book a room in a hostel but it was busy. He said that it should, given that it was surfing season and all hotels, hostels and apartments tend to be fully booked. 


A guy undoubtedly was ear dropping , as once the waiter left, he started a conversation with me regarding a place to rent. I let him make his offer: a bed in his little cottage down the beach, cheap, clean and safe; conveniences: no electricity, no private bathroom, no neighbors. No. So I looked for accommodation in Taghazout and luckily I found one. 

I enjoyed that little break and decided to keep going to reach Taghazout.

It was a bit difficult to carry on in the same pace as my stomach was full, so I took it slow. Along the way, there were lot of construction projects, so I passed by trucks, workers, and dust. One security guard advised me that if I want to reach Taghazout, there is a quick shortcut after about 10 min walk to my right, it'd take me down the beach. I asked him about the other main road, he said that it gets up to the mountain, circling the buildings at the bottom of the hill. 

As tired As I were, I opted for the shortcut, bearing in mind that there are touristic residents ashore and that it would be secure for me to walk along the beach even if it were deserted. To my surprise it was not. As I discovered later on, the said beach is only a 5 min walk from Taghazout.

I reached Taghazout around 5 PM. -ish. It was busy, lot of vans and caravans parked along the way; coffee shops oozing with tourists, lot of surfing boards and wet-suits.....