Once I’d finally returned from Congo, it was time to go up and pick up the yurt via Ben’s place in Arcos de Valdevez, thus I filled up the landy and set off for northern Portugal and Galicia…I’ve never been before and what a stunningly beautiful part of the worldl; Green, mountainous and of course, wet…yes it did rain almost the whole time I was there…thus the green!
It’s funny when you are looking in to something that you feel is right but for which you are taking something of a risk, things just happen..Tbh, I love camping but starting a new project after all the work in Fez, felt…feels, hard…hoever the people I have begun to meet I have found to be, inspirational.
Figo Verde. Ben and his girlfriend landed in Arcos De Valdevez on New Years day two years ago (2011) …..and started camping, brrrrrrrrr! Their place was filled with overgrowth but they had a dream and just got going. The result to date is beautiful and he is slowly integrating and practicing with different types of perma culture ideas, such as these plant beds using pieces of wood that are dug in to the ground to absorb and slowly release water and nutrients into plant roots, see Hugelkulture . The results are amazing.
Obviously any perma culture/Glamping site needs a set of composting loos and grey water recycling solar showers. In my work with OXFAM and British Red Cross, I’ve dug a few pit latrines in my time, but setting something up for a slightly more refined camping experience is something else. Ben’s composting loo system is made from wood and fills large plastic tubs which have saw dust/chippings put on the faeces to absorb fluids and prevent bad smells. When filled these are sealed, placed in an out of the way section of his land and left to compost.
I’m thinking more along the lines of a double brick built fosse where in, the faeces are left to compost in the fosse though, of course, it’ll need to be more refined for tourism!!! I have thought of building a stone/pise building, but we’ll see…it all needs planning, but Ben’s example helps my thinking…d’ya think this is all a bit nurdey?
The solar showers are also home made with black plastic piping curling round a home made frame, covered by plastic and fed from a local water source, all facing south. Simple, cheap and very effective. Obviously there are issues when the weather is cold and grey, as it was on my visit, but then glamping is seasonal and I imagine that from April – end of October in Xaouen, chances are, most days will be hot. Again this provides plenty of room for thought.
Finally I was able to see the bell tents in action and erect and compare my own (there has to be a joke in there somewhere…couple of guys meet on line to compare their bell tents!!!!). OK they aren’t yurts, but at this stage they will do very well and we’ll see if we can’t get some yurts built in Morocco at a fraction of the price of buying new. By the way hanging from the tent above is a solar lantern…again very effective for internal lighting…and available from IKEA!!!
On the way back to Morocco I was able to see the difference by staying at Tarifa Yurting, a small glamping site just outside Tarifa. Again this was another inspiration, beautiful and filled with possible ideas for xaouen…oooh it gets me all gooey and just wanting to get started!
The only problem now was to get back to Morocco. As you might imagine the landy was pretty full what with one yurt, 5 bell tents, a WC tent and a couple of extra canvasses for shade and cooking areas. At Tangiers ville I was pulled over and questioned…what was I doing with so many tents…”going camping!!!”….It’s a pretty relaxed customs office at Tangiers Ville, but though the chief officer waved me through, his subordinate wrote in my passport that I might be importing tents and would need to declare 5 tents on exiting again…umm, now that might be difficult!