Morocco, Taghazout. A surfer’s paradise
So, I came to Taghazout. Why did I choose this village?
Morocco Taghazout; First of all, the ocean, the ocean and the ocean! Nothing but ocean! Well, almost. It gives you time to do the most important thing: daydream.
Secondly, it’s a surf town. Just right for beginners. All the gear is available for rent, but no big waves. Well, often.
Third, the price. The neighboring town is more promoted, there are a lot of schools, swarming people in the waves like ants. And here there’s space, a couple of surfers, there’s a couple more. That’s why you can find a place to stay at half or half the price. And food is cheap.
Fourth, fresh food. So fresh that I even once heard a chicken once! (Vegetarians, turn away!)
And stopped clucking. And it probably went in the soup afterward. And the eggs are laid by the chickens in the store. And goats run around the mountains.
Fifth, the city of Agadir from Taghazout in half an hour’s drive, if bored, you can always swing into And Taghazout beach is one of the most popular beaches in Agadir.
Considering that Morocco in principle has many outstanding beaches, it is important to note that among them Taghazout is popular among surfers.
Taghazout beach is relatively small in size, but it is characterized by silence, tranquility and cleanliness. The gentle entrance makes it ideal for beginner surfers as well as professionals.
The best time to surf at Taghazout is from September to April. That being said, the summer months are better suited for learning, when the waves are more gentle.
Morocco Taghazout; Taghazout is a place for wind,
waves and surfing enthusiasts.
What I also like here in this village is that at night it is absolutely quiet. No noise of cars, no voices of people, no dogs. It’s quiet. If you wake up early, you can hear a cat running across the roof. Or a bird calling at dawn. And you can hear the mullah, of course! It’s a Muslim country, after all.town. Hang out.
There is also one “cool” street in Taghazout village. There are several expensive hotels, a yoga center, a couple of “a la European” restaurants.
There are expensive foreign cars near these hotels, and I saw glamorous girls in the bar.
But, frankly speaking, all this looks somehow alien against the background of the rest of the city, and the food is more expensive and not as tasty as in the usual cafes for locals.
And lucky for those who have windows on the ocean in this hotel, otherwise the view on the dusty street will spoil the whole impression of the city.
And I had an apartment in the city, but on the mountain and I could watch the sunset from the terrace.
By the way, about my apartment.
It was an apartment of 40 square meters , shower, kitchen, living room and bedroom. And also exit to the common terrace overlooking the sea. And all the pleasure of 20 euros a day. Five minutes to the bus station, the market and seven to the beach. Maybe they’d be cheaper locally. I’ll have to check next time.
Morocco Taghazout; I would like to share my tips on choosing an apartment:
1. It is better to book as early as possible. Ideally six months in advance or at least three months in advance, then there is a wide choice and discounts are greater
2. be sure to read a lot of reviews or use the advice of friends
3. evaluate the location, so that it would be convenient to get on your own to what you want to see
4. look for places where you can cancel without penalty, and book multiple reservations. There’s little chance plans will change.
5. places without breakfast included, and find somewhere to eat breakfast on the spot
6. sign up for some website newsletters to know about sales.
Morocco Taghazout; Book this Taghazout Surf Planet Hotel
So, I arrived, and I started researching what to buy and how to buy it.
I went to the market, bought tea, mint and sugar. As is customary here, the sugar was taken out of the box by the seller by hand, wrapped in a newspaper along with yogurt. Service! What did you think!
Morocco Taghazout; And I had a real Moroccan green tea with mint.
It is prepared in such a way: in a teapot it is necessary to pour green tea, then put there more mint, then a couple of pieces of sugar (pieces as on the photo). Then pour the tea into a cup and pour it back into the teapot. And so two or three times to get the sugar mixed in. Then you can drink it.
The flavor is awesome and very soothing.
At lunch I went to a cafe where they only make tagine.
I can’t even believe I ate this huge chicken tagine by myself! Well, three cats helped a little bit. They also gave me some red seasoning. I ate a little bit of it…and cried 😉
I also love their tradition of soaking the bread in the sauce. So you can dip the bread into the dish, and you can lick your fingers! Whatever you want! By the way, the bread is very tasty here!
On the first day I walked around the village, lounged a little on the beach, met a marvelous sunset.
But the most important thing was on the second day! I finally did it! What I actually came here for. I didn’t sleep half the night, I kept thinking, can I do it? Isn’t it “too old” to start?
Once I read a book how one middle-aged (so to speak) lady sold her house, rented a house on the beach and every day learned to do THIS. Because it was her dream. That was the first sign.
Then I was in Portugal, and I saw – there are a lot of people doing THIS there too. That was the second sign.
Then, when a friend of mine went to Morocco, she also did THIS. And she described it in colors.
And when I asked my friends where I could find a warm sea in November and vacation without a visa and I was told Morocco. …Everything! That was the last straw and I decided I had to try it!
And here I am! I sprained my dislocated toe, I fell into the water a few times, but I rolled on this damn board! I got up on my hands and felt the takeoff. And I loved it! And even though I didn’t get up on it, but now I’m sure I can! I just have to practice!
Morocco Taghazout; But the first lesson remained the first and the last this time.
The next day I took a big walk.
I walked 6 kilometers along the beach. I met five people along the way. It’s a little scary walking alone. But what to do? I reached the next village, Tamracht.
Surfing life is booming there. Groups of Germans are training. They’re doing their best. It was interesting to see. I went to a cafe with a beautiful view. I ordered a fresh fish fry. Lovely, beautiful!
Morocco Taghazout; And back six kilometers along the beach. It was a good walk.
At last I bathed and ran to the cafe to watch the local show – sunset. At the same time I had a delicious meal.
And here’s what my fourth day was like. So that you understand the answer to the question: Was I bored?
I woke up from the call of the mullah. In ours it’s about half past nine in the morning (5-30 local time). Then I lie down. I sleep some more. Until dawn.
With dawn the birds and people wake up, the noise starts. I make myself a green tea with mint and have breakfast. Then I go to the terrace, say hello to the cat, have a rest.
Then I packed my backpack and went for a walk along the sea. On the way I saw goats, ran to take a picture. To the next town to go 6 km. An hour and a half of travel. The waves are higher. And the tide is higher. And it was Saturday. So there were a lot of surfers. It’s interesting to watch. With the song “We are the Champions” going on. No one around. But sometimes there are lonely Africans. Maybe they’re just on guard, and there’s a whole tabor in the bushes. It’s a little stressful. But it’s okay.
Finally I can think, dream. I recently read that 7% of the population work enough to provide for the rest. What do we do all our lives? It’s good if work is your high. But what if it’s not? We’re wasting the life we’ve been given. And we were created to create. Work can and should be done by robots. That’s something to think about, isn’t it?
So I was walking and walking, and I came to the beach near the campground. And there’s a lot of traffic. Camels, horses, dogs, vendors running up, offering something all the time. … Oh, I’m tired, laid out my straw, towel, lay down to sunbathe. ..closed my eyes, the sun is shining. ..good. ..and then I hear some shouting nearby. I open my eyes. And then. ..I was splashed with water! Did I tell you the waves are good this day? Well, I got hit by one! All my stuff in the water, in the sand, beautiful! Lucky my cell phone in my bag didn’t get wet.
Morocco Taghazout; So I’m sitting, drying off… There’s something to do,
though.
I’m watching surfers jumping, tumbling. . . And memories came flooding back.
It was a long time ago, when we were students, we went canoeing. Well, there were different categories of rivers. But those rivers that in spring, after the melting of snow, rise sharply, already from the second category and higher.
And we went on calm rivers. Or rather, me and my “captain”. Who doesn’t know, we sat in kayaks two by two, with the “captain” behind, he steers and gives commands. And in front of the “sailor”, he listens to commands and paddles where necessary.
Morocco Taghazout; It was April, the snow had not yet melted everywhere.
We came to the river by electric train
So, I, of course, am a “sailor”, and my captain was not very experienced. We collected our kayaks, loaded everything, tied them up properly and went…. Not long we swam, ahead of the rapids and bushes. So the first our guys passed, we followed them, and then we were somehow pinned to the bushes, I hear my captain squeaked, and here I feel that we bend, bend… and smoothly so I one! And in the water! And the water is +3 degrees. It’s not May. And all in clothes. Good thing I had a life jacket. My head didn’t get wet.
I jumped ashore, tooth on tooth. And let’s quickly change clothes (we still took spare clothes) And my captain got so upset that he said: I will not change clothes! We persuaded him, persuaded him, he didn’t agree! We warmed up the tea, drank it, watched others dive the same way. We packed the kayaks and walked to the next train station. And my poor captain, walking in wet clothes and saying: not to fat, to be alive! Not to fat, to be alive! That was our motto for that campaign. ….
So I remembered this story and I think that everything will dry anyway. If it is possible to dry clothes in frosty weather, then on the beach under the sun it’s a piece of cake!
I dried, of course, and went to “my” cafe. I ordered fish again. By the way, the waiter there was only one who spoke English.
In Morocco few people understand English. It is a former French colony and everyone still learns French at school and almost everyone speaks it. But English is not so good.
I did this in Tagazoota: I found a grandpa at the market who speaks some English and with simple words and gestures I explained what I needed.
Grandpa was happy to help me find delicious sweets or good olives at the market. And just to chat about the weather and plans for the day.
Grandpa himself sells spices at the market. He told and showed me everything about each spice in detail. If you will be there, I recommend to address to him.
And on the photo is the main square of Taghazout. On it boys often play soccer. And around the market and the ball often hits some “a la shop window”. But no one resents it.
In a cafe, a waiter recognized me, we chatted, and he learned a Russian word. I think it was “juice.”
Then we went for a walk back. Sunset. I like to spend my days like this. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get bored. Because the next day I have to leave.
Morocco Taghazout; So I’m at the bus station in the morning.
In addition to buses, there are “shared” cabs in Morocco. These are cars like our minibuses. They go along a certain route and fill up a full salon, only then they leave. And the cost is fixed. But that’s what these minibuses are! This is a song! Old big Mercedes. But in them should sit in addition to the driver six! people. Two next to the driver (one seat!) And four in the back.
It cost 10 dirhams to get to Agadir in this cab, and the bus cost 7.5 dirhams. You get on the bus, the driver has a cash machine, he writes out a ticket, you sit down quietly and ride, admiring the scenery.
So I recommend the bus!
I got back to Agadir, and there my host and his family met me. We went once again to the market, then to the supermarket, bought some things.
Morocco Taghazout; Have you ever been in a supermarket bathroom? In Morocco?
No? Well, go in, just for fun.
In Agadir, the public toilet in Agadir is not much different from the one at the train station in Soviet times.
Oh, you weren’t born then? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s a tiled hole in the floor, with protrusions for your feet. So you stand there and–
Morocco Taghazout; And also, as in Soviet times, there’s no toilet paper.
But there’s a faucet with a bucket underneath it. I don’t know exactly how they use it, I hope they don’t. Because it doesn’t look good.
But other than that, it’s the same as usual, I’ve even seen Italian coffee there. Cheap local yogurt. And tomatoes.
Leave a Reply