Transmission miracle

At some point, when we are sitting at Chez Latifa with the other pilots, one of them talks about this saying that will haunt us often: "C'est tout possible au Maroc". (= Everything is possible in Morocco). We agree with him, but add "everything except finding a replacement transmission for us". Apparently we hit a nerve there, because on the same day we have a contact with the scrap yard in Marrakesh. Since we - naïve as we were - still think our ferry is leaving on the 16th, we set off to see him in order to get everything done in time....

The Scrap Yard of Marrakesh

We meet Rabiae at the biggest junkyard we have ever seen. However, one must not imagine only one big place now. Rather, it is many, small warehouses. Sometimes only with engines, then only with car doors, all kinds of spare parts etc. He finds us a mechanic who removes and analyses the gearbox. The "discoplato" is apparently completely broken and he gets a new one. They even find a replacement transmission. Up until that moment, we didn't dare to believe in it. However, Rabiae does not let us buy this one. It is a self-made one and apparently much too expensive. He suspects the seller has seen the Swiss licence plate and now wants to screw us over.

Instead, he offers us that we can spend the night with him and he will look again tomorrow. His boss also drives back to town with us, gets to know us a bit and then uses his contacts. And lo and behold, the very next day we have a replacement transmission. The right one indeed. Half the price of the one we found the day before. Unbelievable. The guys install everything lying on the ground and the same evening we can go back to "Chez Latifa" - that is Aguergour and the paragliding spot (the ferry has been cancelled in the meantime). And this time we even drive without annoying and unpleasant noises when shifting gears. The first time since France 🙂

Back at Karine's permaculture farm

As the weather is somehow not that great now, we go back to Karine after a few days. We can visit a second village (Tizi N'Oucheg) from the Open Village Project with her and Ahmed to film there again. These takes finally let us finish the films we started in the next few days. It's nice to know that you suddenly have contact points in a country that was actually foreign before. They tell us several times that we are always welcome and can just drop in whenever we want. And the most beautiful thing is to know that they really mean it!

After a few days on the farm and the acceptance that we now really have to stay longer in Morocco, we set off again for the coast. So many people have told us about Essaouira and now we have time to visit it.