Being Still

And this is how still it can get here on the campsite !!! These three peaceful practitioners of Zen meditation are our immediate neighbours, so we don't get any problems with noise!! Simon on the right, Jean-loup in the middle and Hugette on the left. They are not always as still as this! and at times can be quite mobile! The reflected image in the window is rather intriguing and I promise I don't use photoshop. Power of the mind eh?
Our days here at Imsouane are merging into weeks, two to be precise. Each day starts with Simon dropping a warm loaf of bread in through the window with a surf report. Yesterday I was in the water before 9 am! With Krysia doing a photo shoot of the remarkable event. Hot bread, hot sun and a lot of paddling at ' The Bay ' and all before nine!!! This is turning into a very cool stay.

Being still can mean different things. Time for this early morning surf session, time to chat to passing folk and time to say goodbye! Because all of us are here only for a short while and Daniel and Kristin had to leave as their visas had come to an end. So we had a special dinner to send them off with love. All five of us made contributions to a lovely meal and as a German saying says, 'leave with a tear in one eye and a smile in the other'! Which they did. Us too.

I wouldn't listen to a word the old fool says if I were you Daniel and tell him to get out of your van!

A happy gathering of smiling faces and who wouldn't be smiling, that's a carrot cake on the table!

With carrot cake consumed, we can only count our blessings for meeting up and being still enough to get to know each other. Drive safely Daniel and Kristin, may our paths cross again.

And here is the lady responsible for the already mentioned carrot cake. She sits proudly holding her second offering, which was a surprise for a supper with some other good folk around a campfire with much fresh fish and music. More of that and them in in a moment as the cake needs a little explanation.. Cakes need an oven as does bread. Mrs Beynon here has discovered a marvelous cooking utensil that acts like an oven but cooks on top of a gas stove !! Making fresh bread and cake a reality in the van as ordinary gas ovens in camper vans have little more value than being cupboards! Which is what ours has always been. The natural hole left in the center of the cake ( due to the design of ''the oven'' ) has been filled with oranges coated with cinnamon, mmmmm a very Moroccan desert. And what a smile the cake brings to all who see it. Some things you normally have to let go of when travelling in a van but not when Mrs B and her magic oven are around


Now to the company of the grilled fish extraganza of the second carrot cake.
Renan, Solange, Sonam and Lazhar are a fabulous French family who have decided to travel the world for a few years instead of staying put in Paimpol, Brittany, where they are from.

Sonam, Renan, Solange and Lazhar

Before work and time takes over this precious period of their lives together, Renan and Solange want to bring their two children up in an atmosphere of love and freedom, seeing the world in all its wonders and meeting people who can influence them in a worldly manner. Their plan is to travel in their van for two years, across Iran, Asia and beyond, all the while teaching them standard education through constant contact with the French syllabus via post and the internet. With Sonam being 14 and Lazhar being 5, some might think them 'crazy' for taking their children out of school and setting off on the road. We think of them as being very brave and loving for daring to challenge the ' system ' and taking such responsibility for their children. The world of facebook and iphones will be changed forever for these two young people and they will be better off for it. Whatever the outcome !!!

Now I introduce to you, Jean-loup and Hugette who come from Toulouse or thereabouts. Jean-loup, like Simon seems to be a permanent resident here. He too was here last year and is as local as a ....local! A man with a rich past in many different areas of life, he is a constant source of information, especially of the amusing kind. A Joker, was a smoker and a midnight toker. he definitely played his music on the run!!!
Hugette is on a two week holiday as she still has interests that keep her in France, so has come to share a while with her ' local ' man who shares her passion for Zen Buddhism and life. She is a loveable soul who spreads warmth to those she meets.

And last but not least, pictured here in the van with Krysia is Wolfy. A lovely German from Berlin. He is travelling alongside his parents who are on a voyage of a lifetime, sometimes only now is the time to travel as waiting can lead to disappointment. He is very proud of them and loves them to bits. He is a sweet loveable chap who is infectious with his smile and manner. He also happens to restore Mercedes 608's for a living which might just come in handy if we care to go to Berlin and give him charge of our beloved ' vanny '.  Insha'allah, we will see!!

So including dear Simon, that's a gathering of 10 in total to share a feast of fish and music, jokes and laughter. We have more fresh fish than we can eat, bonito, shin char and dorado served alongside bread, soup, ratatouille, roast peppers and a drop of red wine to wash it all down! Finishing off with the surprise cake a la Mrs Beynon, we have an evening to remember and make beautiful music to suite the occasion.

And all of this comes from Being Still at Imsouane and allowing life to unfold gently! 

Side by Side

No, this is not another series of surf shots of Ted. Krysia happened to catch me here looking rather nimble! which is quite unusual these days. So I thought I'd use it as the start to this blog entry which is really about the life at the port in Imsouane and it's coexistence with surfers.
They are a busy lot these fishermen and as long as the swell isn't too big, they manoeuvre their way around the breaking waves as best they can to get to the open sea and the fishing grounds.

The surf at 'The Bay' breaks often or not, right at the mouth of the port, just at the end of the modern jetty. So while one sits and waits for a wave, a fishing boat will run for it in front of the next set to get to the calmer waters inside. This can be quite exciting and intimate as the small open boat full of people and catch, can pass almost at touching distance. It is also a good idea to get out of the way!!! The fishermen appear to be indifferent towards you until such times as you either need them, they have been known to save floundering beginners, or they need you!

The method for securing the fleet on dry land is manual and the captain pictured alongside me, did not hesitate to ask for support when it was needed. I am delighted to be involved and lucky not to have pulled a muscle or worse as I have completely thrown myself into the task at hand with an enthusiasm of a small child.   Which is typical of me and I am lucky to escape uninjured.

So with a wooden pole front and back to lift and 6 or more men to pull, the full of catch boat and engine is slowly dragged up the ramp. Wahed, zuz, tleta and heave, and slowly the boat moves to its destination, safe amongst the mass of other craft high above the water line. That's about 12 men needed per landing and needless to say, as a boat approaches, helpers appear from the shadows.

Now should there not be any helpers in sight, the fishermen wait patiently until the word spreads onshore. There is still a swell at the waters edge and anyone who has ever landed a small craft at a jetty knows that this can be a dicey time. So all hands have to be at the shoreline waiting, before landing starts. To get the boat onto dry land is a priority before the back end can get swamped, making the boat even heavier.

So, Side by Side with time for a chat, these two cultures merge together through circumstance and affinity.

                                                            The Sea.

                                                      Imsouane at its best

Beautiful Neighbours

We have them in Holts Field and we have them  in Imsouane. Are we not lucky? We are.
Neighbours. Bless 'em. There when you need them and giving you enough space to breath if required. And in between just lovely people to share a minute, an hour or an evening with.
We have been parked alongside Simon, above and Daniel and Kristin, below,  for 10 days now. They have become good friends, a little triangle of fun and caring.

Simon, resides her it seems as Imsouane has all he needs in Morocco, so I think he has been here about 5 months now. And loves it. In fact, he was just arriving when we were leaving last year so I'm not sure whether he really has been here all along. So to find him here when we arrived was a pleasure and we've had enough time to get to know this jovial fellow who always wishes to share a smile, a pearl of wisdom,  a spot of Buddhism or anything he has! He is a mine of information on all things Imsouane and the campsite  ! He'll happily get you bread in the morning, if you like. Simon is a sweetheart in every sense of the word!

Here, he and Daniel are taking me under their wing as we are off to the 'Bay' for a spot of surfing. My first time this year at the other wave here in Imsouane. Last year I left a little dejected as I could not get the handle on this popular and at times difficult wave. This day was to be different as with both lads encouragement, I managed to overcome last years voodoo and had some fine rides, as they did too.

Daniel and Kristin are a lovely couple from  Mannheim, Germany who have known Simon from other meetings on the road. They are young!!!! Now we won't hold that against them, in fact we are blessed with the fact that they don't hold our 'age' against us! They seem as intrigued by our tales of all things yesteryear as we are with their youthful reflections on life. Being full of energy and ever so supple, they surprise us one morning with a show of acro yoga! which the following images will hopefully dazzle and amaze as not only do they appear to defy gravity but Simon is happily introduced to the discipline as well as Krysia and myself becoming converts, well to the idea at least if not the practice! But great fun is had by all and our two young friends delight in our participation.

Simon quickly gets the hang of it under the guidance of Daniels legs!! and Kristin's instruction.

                  and when the two young 'uns take off, we are dazzled by their acrobatic yoga.
 
                                                              Be dazzled too

Well are you dazzled now! because if you are not yet amazed you soon will be as Ted is about to acro yoga Krysia, which is really quite something. As you can see, Ted is very happy at the prospect and Simon takes a virtual image of what it's like to be Krysia at this crucial moment in time.!!!

Now does that not inspire you with confidence!!! Bloody old fool looks barking! Would you allow him to twizzle you on top of his spider legs?

Well Krysia does, with trepidation go for a spin, in fear of her joints never being the same again!

But hey, credit where credits due, here we are as nimble as our two youthful beens, acro yoga-ing it to the max!! Well for a split second anyway before gravity and age take over and a hearty cuddle of relief ends our plans to become new age converts in this startling discipline.

And with all our joints still working, we walk over to Josephs cafe in Imsouane for the finest ' burger and chips' you could get anywhere. A sumptuous omelette and chips for me and Simon while the others enjoyed kefta in a bun, chips and a drink for the handsome price of 25 dirhams each. That's 2 quid!
                                                  Joseph's is cool.

    And so is Imsouane, as we are finding out again. Krysia and I were here 35 years ago and we're still here!

        Don't forget, you can click on an image to a full size view of these extraordinary photographs! 

Khoupibga Plage

So what about this little track then? It looks like it goes down to a quiet beach? and come to think of it we brought the bike for a bit of adventure so lets have one, off-road. And in the distance we can see a small building and even a track carrying on to who knows where, so we'll do the first bit and see what happens. We've got the GPS so at least we'll know where we are if this is the ' End of the Road' ! So out of the comfort zone we go and over the top it is, into the wide blue yonder. So exciting for us as we don't know what we'll find.

Hold on tight, no photo's from here on down as we are concentrating and probably holding our breaths. It's a zig-zag downhill run all the way and pretty rough in places but the bike is well up for it and all I have to do is steer with confidence and keep my nerve ( gasp ) It sounds so easy on paper and this is our first trip out on the bike this year so in for a penny? ....in for 10 Dirhams ! And what we find as we descend is so typically Morocco. A tourist car is driving up as we reach the bottom!! They wave, well its not their car. And a cafe alongside the Marabout with a row of fisherman's cottages thrown in for good measure. The cafe is closed! as only a fisherman is here as well as a donkey or two, so that's a relief as we were after a more solitary experience not a tarjine for two. The fisherman respectfully leaves us to our selves, just touches his heart and says hello.
We walk down onto the empty beach and decide we really have cracked it !!!!! Pun intended as Ted quickly puts into practice his newly learnt mental power exercises, or is it just that Ted's gone mental on Morocco's mind altering effect of just being here!

And here we are and it's brilliant. Not a soul ( visible ) in sight but no doubt many past and future shadows are all around. But now it's just us and we are chuffed to be here. So happy that Ted has spotted a property that he's fallen for, a holiday home Holt's field style! ' come on Krysia ' he says ' we can always build and extension or two ' !

It's just the job, not another dwelling for miles around and a cafe in the summertime, perhaps. No running water I know but there's great potential. Scorpion soup and fish targine on the doorstep and with Agadir only 60 miles away, we can go to the supermarket..............occasionally!!!!!!!!!!

Get him out of here quickly before he goes mad, ....goes mad????? It's all going to his head and on top of all that's already gone up there..........get him on the bike, he stays focussed there. Easy Rider high on a dream

So a quick chat with the saint who's tomb this belongs too and he turns his mount and gets ready to take on the steep climb back up onto the 'main' road.

One more quick pose and we'll be off. Or is he putting it off! No, ...no fear Ted?..... Yes fear Ted ! But up and at 'em, hop on Krysia and hold on tight. Here we go........................

Concentrate, keep your eye on the track. no fancy stuff...............Go for it, while all the time, the intrepid photographer, who has full confidence in the old boys driving, keeps clicking away for the sake of our blog.

To keep all three of you mildly entertained for 5 minutes ( optimistic with three ??? ) ( 5 mins ?? )
Keep focussed now, no insecurities here over the viewing numbers. We're not at the top yet !

Possibly around the next corner, we just might find the top, which as the picture below shows is quite high up

And we're there. To be shadows once more when the sun shines. What a drive and only 27 kms of rough piste and tarmac, to get back to Imsouane.

Along the very same road we arrived here on when we were just young beens, looking around the next corner to where we were going. And we're still having fun trying to find the destination !