Last Morrocon Surf Installment

Ok folks, I made it out of Morocco alive and mainly
uninjured. I think the greatest damage I did to myself
was at least once a day banging my head on the top of
the door frame in the kitchen where I was staying. You
see most Moroccons are midgets and some of the older
houses are built accordingly. I can't really complain
about the house though. My landlord, Rhaouti was a
star. Not only did he work in the chemist and sort me
out everything I needed to cure my Deli belly but he
was an outstanding cook and sorted me out almost every
day for a cooked lunch and then a cooked dinner.
Generally there were also his Moroccon friends around
and I got taught some Arabic and about Islam and about
Morocco. Very friendly and warm people.

I'm now in Essen in Germany where my good brother has
picked me up from the airport and delivered me safe
into the arms of civilization. I can once more be
aquainted with the joys of queing and watching people
wait when the little man turns red. Aren't we modern.
I'll be staying here until the 3rd of Feb when I'll
catch a plane back to Australia. HOME .... What I'll
do when I get there nobody yet knows but it will
probably involve reaquainting myself with many
Australian beaches.

Anyway the last email I sent I suggested that I may
have to sit out my last week with no surf. Luckily I
was proved wrong and on the 9th of Feb a big swell
came through. Eager beaver that I was I downed my
bannana, honey and cinnamon breakfast loaf of bread,
put on the wetsuit and basically paddled out to the
break from my front door. Very very good day. Big
clean waves and I caught a number of them and a number
of them caught me. I had a conversation with an Aussie
girl I met on the beach the next day and we both
agreed the best way to start a session was to get a
good hammering straight up, then everything after that
seems tame.

After about two hours of that I washed up on the beach
and had something to eat and then rushed up to Anchor
point to take some photos. I took about 30-40 pics
there and hopefully some will show how good the surf
was there. Eventually I'll put some on a web site
somewhere for all to see.

Had an amusing incident in the surf about two days
back. I jumped off the rocks at Panorama point in the
afternoon and paddled out to the break to be
immedially harangued in arabic by a surfer allready
there. I threw up my arms and tried to explain that I
did not understand Arabic and that I only understood
English. Well this just made him madder. He switched
to English and then proceeded to lecture me that if he
came to Australia he would learn English and that I
should do the same by learning Arabic in Morocco. Fair
point I guess. Then he proceeded to order me off his
break and to find somewhere else to surf. Having none
of that, given this was a really nice place to surf I
just looked at him as if he were a nutter and stayed.
He quietened down when he saw I was not going to
budge.

Next day. Same time, same place, same situation,
except this time I was ready. I paddled real quick up
to him waved, smiled and in my best Arabic said hello
to him. Well he just beamed at me as if I had made his
day. He appologised for being so rude the day before
and said it was good I was trying to learn some
Arabic. Then we were having a good ole chat out on the
break and everything was cool. I'm sure there was a
lesson to be learned there somewhere.

The journey back was not that eventfull, except when I
got to Inzgane, a small town halfway between Agadir
and the airport I had to change busses. The conductor
on the connecting bus threw a tantrum when he saw my
surfboard and told me ( I assume from all the hand
waving ) to bugger off and get a taxi and that there
was no way I was getting on his bus with a surfboard.
Not withstanding the bus was big and virtually empty.
Luckily I looked around and found a friendly who had
some words, soft and loud, with the conductor and then
I was escorted onto the bus under protection and my
surfboard was placed carefully where it would
interfere with nobody. In the end the conductor was so
ashamed of the situation that he didn't come up to ask
me for my fare and I saved myself 4 dH, about 40
cents.

With my last dirhams I bought a lamp and a scarf at
the airport and managed to knock about 40% and 60% off
the marked price of each respectively. I then boarded
the plane and said goodbye to Morocco.

The only other vaguely amusing anecodóte is when I was
at Munich airport and dying for a beer. Can't say I
drank no beer in Morocco but they were few and far
between. So I got my bottle of beer off the shelf with
a big plate of lasagne and sat me down to dinner.
After finishing both I was puzzled by the complete
lack of effect of the beer. Not even a slight feeling
and all who know me know it doesn't take much :)
Another look at the bottle and I manage to decipher in
German that I have accidently selected a bottle of
alcohol free beer. Morocco has one last laugh at me.

Cheers

Brad

Happy New Year

Happpy New Year to all.

So what did I do for New Years Eve. Excitingly I spent
it in bed with a book. Actually over the last few days
I've become a fan of the trash crime thriller. Back in
Taghazout and recovering from my tonsilitis I managed
to pick up a super case of Deli Belly. Man if they
ever need to send a man to Mars I've got the
propulsion system. Take one sample of dodgy Moroccon
food, add one pathetically soft European digestive
system stir and wait. Little I could do for 3 days
other than lie in bed reading books with a bead on the
dunny door. Luckily the room I now have in Taghazout
is rented to me by a Moroccon guy who works in the
chemist and he sorted me out will all sorts of pills
and powders and today I am fine and ventured into
Agadir to check email.

Also checked the swell forcast and it looks like zip
for the next week so I may not get any more surfing in
until I leave on the 12 Jan.
.

Best wishes to you all.

Brad