19 April Ech Chiana

New place, new surroundings, new setting, new experiences. Last night in Larache was so not tourist. Tonight we have moved down the coast a bit to luxury accommodation, but could really be anywhere. We are sitting around a swimming pool, we have a very nice room opening out onto a little patio overlooking the pool, shaded by palms, bougainvillea, amaryllis. It is all very posh and very touristy, but it will do well for an overnight stop.
It was dull and overcast when we left Larache this morning, and we were not long on the road when the rain started. We went through some heavy showers and in places there was evidence of recent rain. We had decided not to take the motorway but stick to the minor roads in order to see more. However we went wrong at Kenitra and ended up on a dirt road at the edge of a large sprawling souk. Miraculously we managed to find our way back the way we had come through the town and took the motorway turning. It was a good move, we sailed past Kenitra, then Sale, then Rabat. We turned off and took the coast road to this resort hotel.
Even on the 'motorway' the trip was interesting. It was certainly not 'motorway' as we would describe it. There were sheep and goats grazing at the verges, and small settlements could be glimpsed through the trees. Once again there were wonderful landscapes of patchwork in different shades of green, intensive agriculture. Potatoes were being irrigated, despite the rain. Yet again we saw crops and trees on steep, interraced slopes. In one place we must have been close to a sugar processing plant, we saw lorries laden with cane coming out of tracks leading away from the road.
I suspect that this strip of coast, between Rabat and Casablanca is pretty touristy, getaways for well-heeled Moroccans. We walked along the beach in both directions from the hotel. The first way we met quite a fast flowing river going out to sea, so turned back and went the other way. The tide was quite a long way out, but it seemed to be on the turn and waves and spray were crashing against the rocks. Unfortunately, even though the rain had stopped and there were occasional glimpses of sun, the sky was still overcast and visibility was not so good. We saw a track and turned inland, and came to a clearing with a small cafe. Well, there was a building, a few chairs outside, two young men drinking Cokes and some older men playing cards. We sat down and had some drinks, we could have been anywhere in Africa. There were even some banana palms close by. It was a nice stop, away from the plushness of the hotel.
We have changed our plans again! The idea was to move further down the coast tomorrow, somewhere fairly close to Casablanca so that we could take public transport in. We have decided we can't face it, even though we will have to admit that we have been to Morocco and not been to Casablanca. So instead we are heading inland again, even though we know it will be cold and could well be raining. The waterfalls at Cascades d'Ouzoud in The High Atlas Mountains are reputed to be a wonderful sight and one of the musts for Morocco, so that is where we are headed for. At the moment, we intend to head back to the coast again for the end of the trip, at the moment.....