In Tamtattouchte we take a break, here we stay for 3 nights. At least if Hamid 1 of the brothers of auberge Amazigh does not propose us to visit the salt mines that are nearby. The plan to rest for 2 days and to work on bakkie is exchanged for a guided tour to the salt mines of Toumlilane and Aid Daoud. Well, what we see there defies all imagination. We are back in the era of the 16th century, Because they have been exploiting these mines for so long. It still happens the same way, old men with a pickaxe on a branch. Unseen, unimaginable, the men work in 3 shifts and each dig about 200 kg of salt, pure and industrial salt. They put the salt in bags in their hand-dug mine and then they bring it up. To take their mined “salt” 6 km further in the village by donkey. 1 day, 200 kg, one-way ride to and from their village, we were looking at this with disbelief, in 2020 … unimaginable.
Hamid the guide asks to bring this to the people as much as possible. No not to get the old men out of their mines. But that more tourists are coming to the mine so that the miners can earn a little extra with it. After the salt mines, he takes us to a nomadic family far in the mountains on an almost unreachable track. We get tea and bread with olive oil. In fact it is almost embarrassing, these people with children naturally live here with almost nothing, with just their tent, chickens, goats and a few donkeys. And we arrive there with our MAN 13 ton. Oh, not really thinking too much about it. According to our guide Hamid, the nomad are very happy people who will never be able to live in the busy world full of obligations, laws and regulations.
That was in short our guided day with Hamide from auberge Amazigh in Tamtattouchte. We stay for another day to make a video of our day with Hamid. We continue through the Todra Gorge to Tinghir and then drive to Zagora via a 2 day track.
It is again a difficult track, through small villages, beautiful oases, through sandy plains, stone fields and lava mountains. Brilliant that variation, but then Psshhhheeeee, psssshhheeeeeeee, yes lap band broken. 4 km before the end of the track on a very narrow road. It becomes difficult to work there, but an hour later and a lot of sweating we are on the road again. Zagora will be for tomorrow .. We sleep in a beautiful spot and enjoy our well-deserved sunset.
The next day we drive on to Zagora where there is a well-known garage, one known to the overlanders, very well-known even. But no we can’t find that tire, but we can fix it Small patch on the inside and an inner tube inside and a day later the tire is ready to pick up Then we continue to Ouled Driss to our already known site “camping Carrefour de nomad”. It is operated by a Belgian, he is not there but it does not matter. Here we are going to stand for 5 days before we cross the desert to Foum Zguid. But that adventure is for the next blog post….
