Week 14. No farewell from Morocco.

Short break by the pool. (08.03.2020) We slept well, although it was very noisy. It felt like the mosque was right next to us. So we were right in the middle of it instead of just being there when the call to prayer was made at 6 o'clock. There's always something. Wilma was in charge today. So after breakfast, we went to the pool. The way to the pool was the main activity all day long. Besides putting on and taking off swimwear. It was a beautiful day. Super warm and so we just took the time to do nothing. Short lunch break. Back to the pool. Short coffee break. Back to the pool. Short pool break. Short walk into the area. We saw sheep, goats, and argan trees as far as the eye could see. Wilma and I thought that argan fruits were good for our skin and 'salved' ourselves with them. In retrospect, I first dealt with the production of argan oil. It was complete nonsense. We tapped a 'ripe' and dried fruit and I tried the two seeds from which the oil is extracted. Doesn't taste good. Can leave it. Back at the spot, we took another walk and looked at the grounds of the campsite/hotel. Very nicely laid out. Finally, we went back to and into the pool. We drank another pot of mint tea. And just like that, the day was over.

Paradise Valley (09.03. - 10.03.2020)
After a relaxed day, it was time to drive again. The ferry was still the goal. But relaxed. Mathias and I had read in advance that there is a kind of national park nearby, which is quite beautiful and is called Paradise Valley. We chose a route. This led us through the mountains. It was really adventurous and at some point, we were supposed to turn off. Next to us was a narrow, sandy path with a felt 90-degree incline. Okay. We're not doing that. We drove on. Problem, the road ended. So we can't get to Paradise. So we drove the entire way back and took the route via Agadir. The advantage now was that we passed by a supermarket. Yeah. We were very happy. Normal shopping behavior. We bought meat, a cola, etc. Great. Mood enhancer for us. With great things, we continued to paradise. Mathias had chosen a place at a restaurant. It should take 30 minutes to get to the valley from there. When we arrived there, it was okay. Somehow I didn't feel comfortable. The valley was not a 30-minute walk away, but by car. So we drove back a bit and found a nice place on the road. We stopped there. Felt comfortable and safe.
Today there was no tomato salad. There were sausages. Grilled sausages. We were almost excited and very happy. We made ourselves comfortable in front of the camper. I bit into the sausage with pleasure. Great. Not. Lamb. We had actually bought beef sausages. In the end, it must have been a mixture of beef and lamb. It tasted okay. But I wanted beef, not lamb. Wilma and Mathis liked it. A few Germans joined us on the pitch. So we weren't alone anymore. But for the first time in Morocco really free.

The night was great. We slept well and peacefully. After breakfast, we were supposed to go to the valley. Our neighbors told us that we could park directly at the entrance and then walk for about 20 minutes. That's what we did. A nice parking attendant was already waving. We parked. Put on our hiking boots. Put some water and cookies in our backpack and off we went. Our path led us on a narrow path through palm trees. Up and down. At the top, we could look directly into the valley. Palm trees. Water. Beautiful. It was really beautiful. A few years ago, there was much more water here. Due to the drought for 2 years, the level has dropped. When we reached the bottom, Wilma immediately took off her shoes and wanted to go into the water. So we walked back and forth. The further we got into the valley, the less water there was. Until we stood in front of a big waterfall, which also had no water. Everything dry. The highlight here. Baby monkeys. That's what Wilma called six puppies that lived there. No idea why she thought they were monkeys. The dogs were really cute. We filled a water container for them. We would have liked to take one with us, knowing that they will not have a good life. But of course, we can't save them all. We went back to the rivers. Here you could sit in the water and have a drink and/or eat something. We had our lunch break in the river. Wilma splashed around us. We ate a tajine. It was delicious. Then it was time to go back to the camper. After all, we still wanted to reach Marrakech today. We still had more than 4 hours of driving ahead of us. Wilma let herself be carried upstairs. We saddled up the camper and off we went. Wilma slept and we drove through a magical landscape. Through the mountains with a great view. We zigzagged through the mountains for 2 hours to get to the highway. Then we drove for another 2 and a half hours on the highway to the next stop, a parking lot about 10 km from Marrakech. When we arrived there, the door didn't open at first. 5 minutes later it opened. Thank God. The place was beautiful. We placed ourselves. Quickly realized that our neighbors were Heidi and Peter. We had met them on the campsite in Zagora. Wilma checked the pool and we settled in. So that Wilma could rest from the driving for a day, we decided to stay for two nights. After all, we still had more than 7 hours of driving ahead of us. We had dinner and Wilma went to bed. It was after 8 pm again.
Mathias and I had dinner alone later. We talked to Peter. So far, we had been following the corona situation from a distance. Peter told us that a couple on the site would only go shopping with masks and gloves. We also heard from good friends in Germany that AIDA will probably suspend travel. We were already wondering if it would affect us. The news made us uncertain. But so far there were no signs of acting quickly. Anyway, we were on our way to the ferry and our goal was to cross to Spain on Friday the 13th of March, not because of Corona, but simply because we wanted to finish Morocco.

Laundry day. (11.03.2020)
We had a relaxed night. The owner of the site brought fresh bread rolls. We had a cozy breakfast in the sun outside. There was nothing else planned for today. Wilma wanted to go to the pool again. I wanted to write on the blog and Mathias had the care of Wilma.
We spent the day relaxed. In the afternoon, I used the washing machine at the site. Now that Wilma wants to sleep without a diaper more often, we have a bit more laundry. I filled the machine as usual. Set it to hot wash. Sure. It always takes a bit longer, but after 2 and a half hours, it still wasn't finished. I stopped the process. Now I had to carry all the wet laundry across the entire site. Mathias and I now 'spun' everything by hand. Also worth an experience.
For dinner, we had vegetable lasagna. Before that, we went swimming in the family pool again. Finally, Wilma went to bed relatively early. I talked on the phone with a friend from Germany. Here too, Corona was a topic, but of course, other things as well.
I had a beer with Peter. Of course, we also talked about the world situation. However, it wasn't as important to us anymore, because Heidi and Peter were also on their way to the ferry. The two of them wanted to cross on Saturday. 

Everything different than expected. (12.03.2020)
Today we've been in Morocco for a month and we want to end our trip in Africa for now. We packed everything up and headed to Asilah. We spent our first night in Morocco here and wanted to spend the last one here as well. We comfortably drove back on the highway. 6 hours of driving. We took a lunch break at a service station. We even had ice cream for dessert. Then we continued. We finally arrived at 5:30 pm. Quickly got some water, a little bread, and some cookies for the ferry tomorrow.
When we arrived at the site, we went to the water and then had dinner. I think it was around 7:30 pm when my sister sent me a message. 'Spain is closing the ferry connections at 12:00 am'. This message hit us, but we couldn't grasp its implications. We researched on our ferry's website. There was indeed a small hint. But we couldn't find anything on the Foreign Office, nor via Morocco and the Embassy. To digest the shock, I wanted to talk to other campers. There was a vehicle from WL next to us. I knocked on the door. But no one opened. I went around the camper to see if there were other German campers on the site. A man from the vehicle called out of the window, 'What do you want?'. He was more than unfriendly. Zero empathy. I was actually sadder than before. Helplessness rose within me. I just wanted to chat. Discuss together with others what we can do now. Forget it.
Mathias and I looked at each other. Helpless. We are stuck. A feeling that we had never experienced before. Before, we could always move freely in our lives. Especially now on our trip. We were free, freer than ever before. Gone. Suddenly it was all over. The carousel of thoughts started spinning. 'Hey. It's been gone for a long time.'
Somehow we tried to get to sleep. Agreed to think about it further tomorrow. We informed Heidi and Peter about the situation. 

We'll manage somehow. (13.03.2020)
The night was short. In addition to the carousel of thoughts, Wilma also joined us during the night. We hardly slept. We woke up with empty heads. The situation was/is so surreal. Wilma immediately asked when we would take the ferry. For her, it was something very exciting. Now we explained to Wilma that it's not possible. How do you explain to a 3-year-old child what is happening in the world right now. We clicked through the internet to find more information. But still nothing. Except the confirmation that we can't leave.
We tried to stay calm and clear. Wrote with Heidi and Peter and agreed to meet at a campground further south. We initially drove back to Tangier. Shopping. Now we needed gas. A new SIM card and more groceries. We suppressed the situation. Did some shopping. Saw people with gloves and masks. I even bought a few pieces of clothing. Some of my summer clothes are almost worn out.
After lunch, we headed to Larache. That's where we were meeting Heidi and Peter. Wilma had to endure another 3 hours of driving.
When we arrived, Heidi and Peter were already waiting for us. There was only one topic. Closed ferry connections and Corona. We exchanged information. With knowledge from friends, family, and the internet. We discussed that we would like to stay together. It quickly became clear to us that we wanted to go a bit further south. Simply because the weather is better there. A Frenchman then brought us the news that the connection is suspended for a month. A long time, but finally a statement.
We are no longer free to act. What we enjoyed just a few days ago. Being able to drive wherever we wanted to, is over now. We are in a country that has a different healthcare system. In a country that operates politically and communicatively different from Europe. In a country whose language we don't speak. Where the mentality has already presented us with a challenge even in 'freedom'. A country where hygiene is practiced differently from what we are used to. Right now, we realize how much we need our family. How much we need Europe. How much we need to exchange with people who speak the same language. How foreign we are here. How much we miss our political system and the healthcare system.
How will things continue now. We went to bed without a plan.

Somehow, it will work out. (14.03. - 15.03.2020)
We wanted to stay today. That was good too. Arrive. Arrive in the situation and calm down, that's what we needed now. It had a touch of normalcy. We had a cozy breakfast. Talked to home on the phone. Wilma and Heidi were out in the morning. Either in Heidi's camper or at the playground. Mathias and I were able to breathe a bit.
Lunch was almost on time. We played puppet theater during the lunch break. Had coffee with Heidi and Peter. Then we went to the playground again together. Had conversations. About Corona, but also about other topics.
The weather was okay. The warmth took a break, though. So we decided to change the campground on Sunday. Heidi and Peter suggested a place near Marrakech. We hadn't been there yet. Although we were now driving to the region for the third time.
The day ended relaxed.

On Sunday morning, we packed our things again and set off on a long journey back. Back to where we came from three days ago. Mathias and I were a bit more relaxed. The events in Spain and Co. were changing by the hour. We still didn't know what was actually going on in this country. But we couldn't do more than accepting it now.
Wilma and I sat in the back. Talked to home again. Then a sentence came that reverberated. 'We're worried about you'. We don't know how many infected people there are here. But we think it's safer here than in Europe. That was my answer. A reasonable answer. Not the answer from my heart. That would have been: 'I want to cry. I don't want to be here. I want to go home. I want to be with my family. I don't want to be locked up.'
Mathias and I are holding the fort. We have to make sure not to panic. That doesn't help us, Wilma, or our family at home. Peter and Heidi are good for us.
After 5 and a half hours, we arrived at the campground. Here, there are plenty of French, German, Swiss, and other stranded people with us. The campground is big. Actually, we only wanted to stay here for a few days. But for now, we will endure here. We are safe here. Have everything necessary around us. Shopping facilities. Water. Electricity. Friends. Good connection to the highways. A playground. If necessary, even a pool. 

We hardly use public facilities. Stay away from other campers. Stay on the campground. Hope for news every day that there is a possibility to leave the country. Realistically, however, there won't be one. 

The only good thing is that we don't have to drive again tomorrow. We can stay in one place for a longer time again. Somehow, we will make it cozy.