As in most Muslim countries, a lot of praying went on in Morocco. Five times a day we could hear the call to prayer – at dawn, noon, in the late afternoon, at sunset and at nightfall.
We were not sure whether the chanting was pre-recorded and broadcast at the flick of a switch – or whether the clerics picked up the microphone five times a day and sang out their invitations to the faithful in strong tenor voices. In urban areas where there were several mosques in the area, the melodious chanting would start at one mosque, swiftly followed by another and another – filling the air with their evocative chorus. In the rural areas, if the mosque was more distant, calling-in the faithful was a quieter, softer sound, rather pleasant and comforting.
Our first stop in Morocco was at Tahadart near Assilah, an hour’s drive from the port of Tanger on the west coast. The camp site was at an open-all-day roadside restaurant. The restaurant had a butcher’s shop, a fish stall and a salad counter as well as a traditional tagine section. You chose what you wanted to eat, they weighed it and cooked it.
The meal was then served at table with fresh home-baked bread, a huge plate of salad and some chips. We had lamb chops one night, the whole meal cost £14, including a baklava type of dessert which we took back to the truck to eat later. The next night we chose a large sole and a couple of squid, which were grilled to perfection, the meal cost £26. No alcohol was available, just a bottle of water.
