Dwti Draig

As we exited the busy port of Tanger Med the road lulled us into a false sense of security, as it was smooth, fast and long. We paid the 28 MAD toll, and somehow, without us really noticing, the road quality and the scenery began to change. A journey that should have taken us about 3 hours took us more like 5.5. We struggled to go over 20 miles per hour in places as the road was so bad, with splits, cracks, cambers and general all-round bumpiness! It got quite uncomfortable at times, and I had to resort to holding on tight as I was often bounced right out of my chair. Add to this the 36 degree heat, and I was not at my most chilled!

The scenery was amazing though, as we drove through the Riff mountains. At one point we hit a heady scent of weed. A quick google showed that marijuana is illegal to grow, buy, sell or use in Morocco, and yet it is one of the world’s largest exporters. Surprise surprise, it is grown mainly in the Riff mountains, right where we were!

We were heading to many people’s first stop in Morocco. There seems to be almost a set route people take to see the sights of this country, and you decide whether to do it clock-wise or anti-clockwise. We had decided on clockwise, so the town of Chefchaouen would be our first stop and not our last. By the time we got there we just wanted to cool off and chill as we were exhausted. We slept well until the call to prayer woke us at 5.50am!

Chefchaouen means “look at the horns” in the local Berber language, which refers to the two striking peaks of Jebel Kelaa and Jebel Meggou. The town sits high in the Riff mountains, at about 600m and overlooks a lush valley and dramatic mountains. It was founded in 1471 and began as a small fortress to defend the region against Portuguese invasions. Over time it grew into a sanctuary for Muslim and Jewish refugees fleeing the Reconquista in Spain, who brought with them Andalucian architecture and traditions that still exist today. 

The town is famous for its blue-washed walls, which are said to have been introduced by Jewish inhabitants in the 15th century as a symbol of peace and spirituality. It has now become the town’s unmistakable signature.

We camped in the only campsite in the area, which sits high above the town. It took all of Lyn’s skills and Dwti’s raw power to crawl up the steep windy roads. To get back down to the town we descended down some uneven, slippery, rocky steps through what looked like an abandoned Muslim graveyard.

We entered the town and were soon lost in a myriad of narrow alleyways, all with different shades of blue; sky blue, baby blue, turquoise, cerulean, cornflower blue, if you can think of it, you will see it! The medina is small and quite relaxed, and at no time did we feel hassled or pressured to buy, unlike the busy medina of Marrakesh. It was a pleasure to wander around, queuing patiently to wait to take photos at some of the more scenic spots. We were lucky we were not there at high season, and had got in before the tour buses. Many picturesque photo opportunities are furnished with straw hats, or hanging chairs etc, and a basket for cash donations. It managed to feel like somehow we were wandering through an Old Town on a Greek Island. Blue is absolutely my favourite colour, and 90% of my wardrobe is blue, so it was a no brainer to dress to co-ordinate.

We stopped at one of the many cafes with a roof terrace and got some drinks before wandering again, before stopping for lunch. We had an amazing spot on another high roof -top terrace, looking across the town with its mix of crumbling walls, washing lines and Mosque minarets. It was surreal to be sat there listening to the call to prayer from one tower, and hear another joining in a few seconds later. It is definitely a haunting sound.

Of course we then had to make the journey back up hill to our campsite, in the blazing heat, and with full bellies. This time we took some slopes out of the town and joined the road, which evened out before getting to the campsite, enabling me to reduce my 170 bpm heart rate before collapsing in through the gate!

The campsite was excellent. Camping Azilan (220 MAD for 2 nights with electricity) had clean toilets and showers, and we opted for the free cold ones, rather than pay the 100MAD for a hot one. We needed to cool down! Lyn got chatting with other campers and was blown away by some of the travel stories he heard!We were able to sit outside in peace and look at our lofty view over the mountains and watch the sunset. We also overlooked a football pitch which was constantly full of kids training, just about every boy we see in is football gear. It had been a good day.