Day 3: October 3

On the way, we are stopped by the police. One of the cops is cleverly hiding in the bushes with a speed recorder; I notice him at the last second. Two others are standing a little farther away, somewhere a couple of kilometers off, catching violators. We were driving 70 km/h instead of the allowed 60 — that is the verdict. Volchiy does not believe them. They call the one with the recorder, and he comes to us on some passing ride. He shows his device. The device is solid; it even recorded video of our little car. Everything is clear — the video shows us, and we really are driving at 70. Many people wrote online that the police do not fine tourists. Others wrote that if you ask for an official receipt, they let you go. None of that worked with us. They did not want to take a bribe. Only an official fine — 450 UAH.

Before reaching Imsouane, we stop at a viewpoint overlooking the village and the beach. Beautiful. Children run up and ask for money for no apparent reason :)

We arrive in Imsouane. It’s a very small village, if you can even call it a village. Just houses out in the middle of a field. Somehow it doesn’t feel cozy. Although the beach is nice, with lots of surfers. But for some reason, we don’t feel like staying here. We decide to keep going to the town of Taghazout. Many people praised it too. Let’s see what awaits us there.

On the way, we stop at a café to have some tea. While we wait for the tea, Volchiy buys a round loaf of bread and bananas at a nearby shop. Tea in Morocco is very tasty, green tea. They add a whole bunch of mint, which gives it an incredible aroma and flavor. They pour the tea from a height into small glass cups. Moroccans apparently drink it very, very sweet, because they brought us two huge cubes of sugar.

There are many visitors in the tea house - all men of different ages. We sit at a table outside, watching the life of the town.

Then we continue driving along the ocean. We pass several beaches. At one of them we decide to stop and try swimming. There are only locals on the beach. The ladies swim fully dressed - some in jeans and T-shirts, some in a burqa. I feel a little awkward in my swimsuit.
The water first seems freezing cold. But then you get used to it, and we even swim, it’s great. The sun is already getting ready to set. If you get into the strip of sunlight, the water feels noticeably warmer, so amazing.

At sunset we arrive in Taghazout. While we are trying to find parking, a local guy comes up to us. He asks what we are looking for. Volchiy says we need accommodation. The guy visibly perks up and says he will help us. We follow the guy and end up on a street right on the oceanfront. I like this town. It feels like a real little town. The houses hang over the ocean. There are lots of cute cafés here. And the atmosphere is very welcoming.

First, they show us a very simple room. Then very expensive apartments. Then the guy calls someone and says we need to wait 20 minutes and he will show us something we won’t be able to refuse. We wait, and the guy walks with us along the beach.
The owner of the place arrives. It turns out to be a large apartment with a kitchen, bedroom, and living room. And most importantly, with a balcony and a stunning view of the ocean. And this house is located right on the oceanfront. So the guy was right — we can’t refuse something like that. Moreover, we decide to stay here for two nights instead of one.

Checking into the hotel, of course, took a while. But it was worth it.
A little later we head out into the town. At a shop we buy mint, eggs, and bread. At the neighboring shop we buy cookies. Here, cookies are sold individually.
We have dinner on the balcony to the sound of the ocean. We eat tuna salad, olives, and bread. We drink a little Moroccan wine (the one we bought the second time; it turned out to be more or less okay). And then mint tea with cookies. Great!