With two days left, this warm-up event ended in retirement.
This rally was a test run ahead of the real Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, so
once I reframed it as a way to avoid retiring in the real thing, every bit of it became a lesson.
And so! With no more driving left to do on day 10, I spent the day sightseeing instead.
Off sightseeing by bus!
A sightseeing spot we stopped at in Agadir gave us an astonishing sight!
That's right — “goats climbing trees”!!!!
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Do Moroccan goats actually climb trees??? Apparently this particular tree, found dotted around the Atlas Mountains, is
an “argan” tree.
The goats supposedly climb after the argan fruit, though whether it's entirely natural or a little staged is anyone's guess (laughs).
You get more or less forced into holding one for a photo (laughs), and then they ask for a tip.
Well — call it a tip for the goat, I suppose!
Next stop, the “argan oil factory” in Agadir!
Argan oil, famous from Morocco, is known for its excellent moisturizing power and skin-activating effects, so it's widely used as a skincare item, apparently.
Locally, it's apparently also used in cooking, as a seasoning and cooking oil.
They crack the nuts open by hand, skillfully, and extract the oil!
I hesitated over whether it was okay to photograph the Moroccan women there, but as you'd expect from a proper tourist spot, everyone was happy to charm the camera, and I even got to try cracking the nuts myself alongside them!!
This turned into a genuinely precious experience for a Morocco report, but let's not forget — we're still mid-rally here (laughs).
Day 11 finally brings the ferry crossing from Morocco, over the border, aiming for the finish in Spain!