Pirates on a loot

22.02. Foum Zguid - Agdz We are heading towards the mountains again, but not going up as high. After three hours, we reach the small town of Agdz with its 14,000 inhabitants. Its name means "resting place". That's what it used to be for the caravans from the desert heading north. Today, it is a resting place for the many travelers drawn to the desert. Times change...

We didn't even stand for ten minutes, I hadn't even arrived properly, when I heard Ricci's voice: "Wiiiillliiii." That didn't bode well. I rushed out of my motorhome... and there I saw Ricci standing in the driveway, the flag of the Motorhome Friends of Europe fluttering above him in the wind. He grinned from ear to ear and said, "Wouldn't that make a nice photo for your blog?" In earlier times, pirates off the coast of Morocco hoisted the black flag with the skull and crossbones on captured ships. Today, the leader of a group of motorhome tourists does that when he has conquered a campsite. Some things can't be changed by time...

Just before we left, I said goodbye to my Dutch neighbors Jeannette and Jan and thanked Jeannette for taking me to the hammam yesterday. I assured her once again that I will never forget this experience.

Our motorhomes parked right next to a huge swimming pool that was not yet finished. We were surrounded by dozens of stacks of tiles, and I said to Jeannette that next time we meet here, we could go for a swim in the pool instead of going to the hammam. She laughed and waved it off. "When we were here three years ago, the pool looked exactly the same. I'm afraid we won't be swimming here in the next ten years..."

That occupied my mind on the 140 kilometers to Agdz. Why don't people here make any progress? There are houses under construction everywhere that are almost ready to collapse. Nothing is finished, much is old and dilapidated. What's wrong here? The more time I spend in this country, the more answers emerge. The people here simply live. They don't need to get richer, wealthier, move forward, or rise up. Maybe they just sit by the roadside, enjoy the sun, the blue sky, and laugh at the people rushing around on the streets. Of course, they also need something to eat, maybe lunch, and if not lunch, then dinner. But not now. They are full now. That's why they don't think about food. Now they sit in the sun and enjoy the bright sky above them. For them, there is no time. They live from moment to moment. In the present, only in this moment. Not in the past and not in the future. And in this moment, there is only this bright yellow, radiant sun and the water blue sky. That is more than enough for them to be happy. Just to be happy - isn't that our goal? I believe many of these people here have already achieved it.

Who cares about an unfinished swimming pool...