Banjul Challenge – Tisi-n-Test – 1/20/2023
Feb 12th, 2023 by rallyadmin
We (the five cars that have formed into what is rapidly becoming our “group”) leave Marrakesh after breakfast. We’ve decided to head pretty much due south, away from the autostrada that would bring us back to the coast. Instead, we plan on following some smaller, two lane roads into the Atlas Mountains.
The paper map that we have doesn’t show any detail for the urban area of Marrakesh so we follow the GPS. Of course, the GPS is determined to find the shortest way through the city streets and alleys and that leads to some serious disagreements between the Garmin GPS, Google Maps and the Maps.Me app. Part of the discrepancy is due to the fact that the Garmin and the Maps.Me app are using static data while the Google Maps is using live data.
One minute the assorted GPSs have us on a city boulevard, the next minute they have turning into tiny city alley ways. Couple that with one way streets that none of the GPSs know anything about and we find ours selves driving in circles and not getting anywhere, certainly not leaving the city which is vaguely reminiscent of trying to leave Tirana, Albania years ago.
After we’ve had enough of this silliness (and checking a paper map), we decide to hop on to a large city boulevard that seems to be heading in the correct direction and appears to be parallel to a route shown on a couple of gthe GPS apps. Eventually, we start seeing smaller buildings, farther apart and industrial areas that indicate that we’re finally getting out of Marrakesh.
What have we learned? We have learned that GPS devices and apps are all in league to simply entertain themselves while we make fools of ourselves. It’s hard to believe that we used to do this with just paper maps (or no maps at all). <sarcasm>We have come such a long ways.</sarcasm>
The drive to the mountains takes us out of the Marrakesh area and into some smaller towns and hamlets separated by an increasing number of fields. Some of the fields are obviously irrigated and green with crops. Others look dry and barren. The farther we get from Marrakesh, the more barren the area becomes.
Finally, we are back in the desert where there are only small groups of house and very few people. The paper map shows a route to the main entrance to the mountains that seems to turn from paved to unpaved roads. We leave the paved road and start down a fairly good gravel road that takes us through a number of very small villages that seem virtually unpopulated. After a few more turns, we and the GPS apps are pretty much lost. Another stop to try and guess if the “road” (track really) that we’re on is actually going where we want to go. The paper map spread out on the hood, we arrive at a consensus and head off once again. We get back to a paved road (and agree that we are back on route) and start heading up.
More hamlets, some with people some without as the road climbs. We aren’t in the mountains, yet, and then road crests through a pass and starts back down into a green valley below. On the way through what look like cultivated olive groves, we stumble onto what looks like a small inn or tea house. We stop for a break.
It is what would have been called a caravanserai back in the day. Today, it is being set up as a tea house and eventually a full inn and it’s a long way from ready for travelers. We stop and the owner brings us some tea and tells about his plans. There will be a small restaurant, some rooms, a gift shop and a pool. The only indication of the plan is the unfinished pool, now mostly a hole in the ground with cement block walls.
While we talk and drink tea, there are some para-gliders flying over us. It’s a beautiful day for flying and the colorful sails standout against the clear blue skies as they disappear into the fields below and land. It’s time to get moving again. Back in the cars and we continue back down into the valley below.
Soon, we start climbing up into the mountains proper. The road narrows and gets considerably steeper with more and more narrow switchbacks. We don’t need the GPS apps now. There is only one road and it’s taking us up to a high altitude pass known as Tisi-n-Test.
Our only concern other than the precipitous drop on the outside of the road is whether it will still be daylight when we get out of the mountains. We’ve spent most of the day just getting to the bottom of the mountains and now we are trying to guess at how fast we can make to the south side of the mountains where the daylight will last much longer than where we are now on the north side. We really don’t want to have to drive down in the dark and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to camp.
After some quick calculations about the time, the time of sunset and the map distance to Tisi-n-Test, we’re sure that we’ll get there easily before sunset. And that there should be enough light left to avoid a harrowing mountain descent on the narrow road. Finding somewhere to stay, however, is another matter.
We cross what has to be one of the last rises before Tisi-n-Test and there is a hotel right over the top of the rise. We pull in and park. There’s a couple who turn out to be a pair of Celts sitting on the sun swept front deck of the building admiring the truly gorgeous view. “Yes, it’s a hotel. And, no, we’re not staying here. We’re staying in the RV around the corner.” We look around the corner and there’s a bright orange converted military vehicle that has been built into a Unimog type camper. It turns out that they are “Those Trucking Celts” and they’ve been on the road for 2½ years. Remarkable.
We walk in to the front room of the hotel and ask the kids in there if there is any room. They giggle and run off for an adult. The hotel owner comes out and says, “Yes, we are open. Yes, we have rooms. Yes, we have 11 rooms. Yes, we have dinner.” He doesn’t say that they don’t have heat and probably not hot water. But rooms for the night and dinner seals the deal. No night time descent. Hooray!
The sun is still above the horizon and we talk for a bit with the Trotting Celts . They are retired and they are traveling around Europe and Africa with their dog. The husband takes us down to the RV and shows us about.
The RV was built by another person who sold it to them after he tired of traveling in what is a very small space. On their (the Celts ) first trip they rolled the RV and had to have it righted on to its wheels by attaching a tow strap to the underside of the truck frame, running the tow strap over the roof and pulling the truck from the other side, a common technique for righting large trucks. The righting got the truck back on its wheels but did a substantial amount of damage to the living area of the RV.
That turned out to be a blessing in disguise. There were a number of things that the Celts would have changed to make the RV more suitable to their needs and likes. Now that the RV had to be substantially repaired they made the changes they wanted and they’ve on the move ever since.
As the sun slowly sank towards the horizon, the temperature sank with it. We moved the party indoors to an upstairs sun room. Out came our illicit vodka and gin. After a very full day of driving even warm vodka or Bombay can taste very good.
Soon the sun has set and, as it gets dark, dinner is served. Dinner is one of a couple of different tagines with lots of flat bread. Tagine is a conical earthenware pot with stew-like meal of beef, chicken or fish with vegetables. The meal and the pot share the name. It’s not a terribly fancy meal but it is filling and usually quite tasty, especially after a day of driving.
After dinner, it’s back to our rooms for the night. The lack of heat is evident and the beds all have at least one very heavy woolen blanket, sometimes two. It has been a very long day and the hotel has been a very pleasant surprise. Tomorrow, the descent and back to the desert.
Obi
