Dahkla

On arriving back in Dahkla at just after 7pm due to a fuel problem with Til & Ane's vehicle, I thought that I could get an 8pm departure north on the Agadir bound SATAS bus. Driving into town a few buses passed us, I wasn't too worried as I knew I could get a later one.

Directing Wolfgang in German through Dahkla was something I could manage, but I had to remember he was towing a trailer so I had to give him plenty of warning. We made it to the CTM office who's bus had passed us earlier. They said that the next one wasn't till the morning and that the next departure was around the other side of the souq with another company. We drove off and found the next office, it was pandemonium, people & packages everywhere.

I was told that there wouldn't be another seat until Wednesday - WEDNESDAY? That's the day my flight was due to leave from Marrakesh! Panic set in and I found out that people were leaving early due to the Eid festival. We drove around to Supratours & SATAS offices and discovered the same problem, the earliest seat out was Tuesday and it had been like that all week.

Giving up we all went out for dinner before driving back out of Dahkla to the campsite on the edge of town. On arrival Wolfgang asked for somewhere to park the vehicle and I asked for a room for the night as Wolfgang would be sleeping in the Land Cruiser. Sorry, we're full ... my nightmare was getting worse, it was already 11pm and I was 10km from Dahkla and I couldn't ask Wolfgang to drive me back into town. Suddenly the guardien said he could arrange something for me and offered me his room in the newly built block that didn't have electricity. Fine, I took it for 30Dh!

The next morning I asked around, everyone was heading south, there was a convoy of noisy oiks from Plymouth, UK who were driving a lot of bangers down to the Gambia much to the amusement of everyone there. The problem was that they woke the rest of the campsite at 6.30am with horns tooting. I went to say goodbye to Ane & Til; Wolfgang was still asleep and got a lift into town in the campsites Land Rover.

Arriving into town I got to the grand taxi parking and saw all but one of the Mercedes that would normally be there had gone. The going rate for a place to Laayoune was 150Dh, the guys wanted 200Dh as it was Eid. I agreed to pay but they said that I might have to wait the day or so till another Mercedes came back. Pointing to the remaining vehicle I asked for a lift in that one, but it was taken by 5 soldiers who had paid for 6 places. I have reservations about soldiers abroad, having been arrested on Zanzibar, Tanzania by some; but hoping these were different I went over to talk to them. They apologised and said that they wanted the comfort, sitting on the wall I didn't know whether to go back out to the police post and hitch or wait for another grand taxi to return.

One of the soldiers came over, his name was Mathir and asked me where I was from etc ... then he asked about my job in France. I told him that I was a teacher to a part of the French army, a yell went up and he told his friends, suddenly they all wanted me in their taxi as I was 'one of them' (however much I told them I wasn't in the army but contracted to it, they were still convinced I was part of the army!)

We set off northbound, I was elated, maybe I'd make Sidi Ifni tonight after all!! Driving north we were stopped only the once by the police posts probably because I was travelling with Moroccan military, the one that stopped me for my passport asked me who I was travelling with; I said '5 Moroccan soldiers, can't you see?' which caused racous laughter with the police and my group!