Fatima’s Farm

On the road to Imichil we found our next overnight site – a layby adjacent to Fatima’s Farm.  This was not a formal campsite rather a spot of land next door to a farm owned by a lady called Fatima and so a second night of wild camping.

Fatima's Farm
Fatima’s Farm

On pulling into the layby we were immediately surrounded by the children from the 4/5 houses that make up the farm; everywhere you go in Morocco, whether it’s roadside or on a campsite,the children ask for pens, paper, sweets and even clothes. They are persistent but not nasty when you keep saying no and they usually wave you away with a big smile on their faces. Life on the farm is basic, subsistence farming; they grow grow crops and raise sheep, goats and cows. What is not needed is taken to market and sold to buy what they can’t provide themselves. Electricity is in the form of single bulbs in some rooms and that comes from solar panels. But despite the hardship, Fatima and her extended family were very welcoming and hospitable – we were all invited in for tea and homemade bread, butter and olive oil on arrival.

 

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Just a couple of the bags from Chantal

We had very generously been given bags of childrens’ clothes by a good friend (and dance teacher – thanks Chantal!) and left a few of them here where they were very much appreciated.

After dinner around the campfire and music played by the children we went back into the house to find Fatima making butter – hours of swinging a large container of milk. This woman is in her 60s and in the short time we were there she had gathered feed from the mountainside for the cattle, joined us for tea and made butter for the following day. They didn’t eat dinner until after we left (around 10pm) and she was up again at 5am to bake bread for us to take away with us.

 

 

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Yes through these trips she is obviously better off than many farmers here but still it’s a life none of us would opt for – our major problems were working out how to cope without electricity or topping up water for three days. Puts a lot of things into perspective……

The road to nowhere….

Tues 14th – our 2nd wedding anniversary and what a way to spend it!  Today we are continuing our journey through the Middle Atlas but heading south towards the High Atlas. It’s a long driving day today of 245km which doesn’t sound a lot but on these roads it’s a full day.

After an earlyish start it’s off to Zeida for another pancake and nus nus breakfast and then on to another long and winding road with the accompanying stunning scenery.  Luckily for me Bob is happy to drive so I can hang out of the window taking photos which can never do justice to the location but will provide us with a lifetime of memories.

We knew the roads were going to cause a few problems today as even the map has them marked as “difficult or dangerous” but as we reached the town of Aghbala we noticed that the other vans in front of us had stopped on a bend on the main road through the centre of town.  Hammed, who had recently rejoined us, came running towards us and pointed us in a different direction as it seems the road ahead really had run out!

Try to imagine the scene; one main road through town, no road and then five motorhomes and van towing a trailer trying to do u-turns.  Although we didn’t have to turn around, the alternative route we had been given involved a short steep slope which is not so good when you have a large overhang at the back and a tow bar. Still 30 mins or so after
bringing the entire town to a standstill we all make it out in one piece and regroup further along the road.

Tonight’s stay is on the roadside around 25-30km north of Imichil adjacent to a farm owned by a lady called Fatima and that merits its own entry.

Into the wilderness

Mon 13th and a relatively short drive today heading into the Middle Atlas and the Cedar Forest.We left Fes heading towards Azrou with a short stop at Immouzer for a breakfast of pancakes and coffee (nus nus for me – something like a latte but half milk and half coffee) and a little shoppping in the markeyto top up the fresh supplies. Just before Azrou we turned off into the cedar forest for tonight’s camp and our first night of wild camping, ie no campsite and no amenities.

Despite having been before we were not disappointed with the site in the middle of the majestic trees and we were soon joined by the barbary apes who live in them. Sadly no campfire this time due to the dryness of the surroundings but that didn’t stop us all sitting out after dinner cooked by Mohammed and enjoying a glass or two…well under the rain started that is!

City Life

SAt 11th and we leave the lake for our first major city – Fes, the former capital of Morocco.  But first we had
to get through the market at Ourtzarh where it seems everyone had come to sell their wares and at one point it
looked like someone was trying to load cows into the back of a transit!  Having negotiated our way through the

The office ..Morocco style
The office ..Morocco style

mayhem of the market, it was back across the rickety bridge and then onto the main road to Fes.  The dramatic mountain scenery has temporarily been replaced by green rolling hills and fields of crops; farming here plays a major part in the economy but there seems to be little machinery and many families go to and from the fields on their donkey (and usually with the man riding and the woman walking a few paces behind).

We get to Fes without incident but then panic a little when the sat nav seems to be taking us right through the centre of the city.  Luckily we stick to a main road running along the outside medina walls and find our way to the campsite fairly easily. After lunch provided by Steve and Muhammed, it’s a quiet afternoon around the van and with
a decent power supply we can use the coffee maker and the air conditioning although not at the same time – it’s not that good!  Campsite facilities are basic but clean and useable.

There’s a great pool area and even a bar
selling alcohol (very unusual) but sadly the pool is empty…..we would all have appreciated it in this heat.

Morocco style travelling
Morocco style travelling

Sun 12th and we’re off for a tour of Fes.  The campsite is in the Ville Nouvelle which was designed and built by the French before Morocco gained independence.  We travel through the more decorative Jewish city which contains the Kings Palace and then to the Medina (the largest in the Arab world) where the shopping begins…..

 

 

 

 

The Potteries
The Potteries

First to the potteries where we see ceramics being made in the traditional way with a lump of clay being thrown on a wheel and crafted into plates, bowls and tagines and then painted by hand.  Mosaics are made here too with the plain coloured tiles being broken and cut by large hand held hammers before creating intricate patterns.  A couple of small purchases here and then it’s back into the labyrinth of the medina and the carpet shop which is based in an old
several storied house.

 

 

The Tanneries
The Tanneries

We did actually intend to buy a rug on this trip and after a talk on the history of how carpets are made and a glass of mint tea to help with the negotiations, we succeeded.

As usual with the guides here they direct you to shops where they receive the best commission and after a “Berber” pharmacy and a leather shop by the tanneries, people were starting to flag a little so it was back to the campsite.

The long and winding road

The following morning we went for a walk up along the track which ran behind the campsite and up the mountain where we had spectacular views of the valley in which Chefchaouen is nestled.  The afternoon was spent trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid the heat as it is apparently unusually hot for this time of year – temperatures are around the mid 30sC  during the day although the evenings are considerably cooler and sleeping is not difficult.  Another group meal, this time at Casa Aladin which is set on four floors overlooking the main town square and again ridiculously cheap at Dh85 (£6.50) each for a three course set menu.

Fri 10th and up early for the journey to tonight’s wild camping beside a lake.  As the crow flies this is a journey of no more than 50miles but with the bulk of Rif Mountains in the way and lack of decent roads this becomes 150miles which takes 5 1/2 hours.  The driving is, shall we say, a little on the iffy side; no thoughts about lanes, overtaking into oncoming traffic on blind bends, the road shrinking to one vehicle wide……

The scenery continues to be breathtaking as the road winds its way up and down and around the mountains.  We drive through Bab-Berret where people, cars and cattle cross the road as they want.

Lunch
Lunch

Lunch was at Ketama and literally at a roadside butchers; you have to go through the carcasses hanging outside to get into the seating area where we had freshly made lamb keftas and cutlets.

The road continued through the Rif and we headed towards Ourtzarh across a bridge; well I say bridge….it was one lane wide, just, and in places the river below can be seen through the holes in the boards.

The campsite that night was on the banks of a lake with just donkeys and sheep for company.  However given the intensity of the driving it was an early night all round just after a beautiful sunset across the lake.

 

The Bridge
The Bridge

 

The Bridge
The Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the coast to the mountains

We left the madness of the border and headed to Martil and Camping Al Boustame – no real change to the campsite since the last time (no shower heads and only one proper loo with a bucket of water instead of a chain) but the town itself has had millions spent on it;  the promenade along the front could be any resort in Europe of wide pavements edged with cafes.

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Martil Campsite

A little admin done and it was time for our first proper mint tea….nothing quite like it.  Most of the group decided to have dinner at the onsite restaurant that night. We had the swordfish which had been delivered fresh that afternoon and was cooked to perfection.  It was take your own booze so the two course meal for the two of us was the vast sum of £24!

Not so early start this morning before heading into the Rif  Mountains via the supermarket and petrol station; at today’s exchange rate fuel here is about 64p per litre so we will try to leave the country will a full tank!  It was our first trip into the Rif that started our fascination with Morocco – everywhere is so green and the scenery is stunning.

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Chefchauoen

The stop for tonight (Wed 8th) is Chefchauoen, the “Blue Town” and a favourite site based on location (don’t think we’d ever rate a site here on facilities!).  After the usual briefing meeting to orientate everyone to the campsite and the town (and this time with the extra of cake to celebrate several birthdays) it was a short walk into the maze of the town.  The four of us (we’re here with Penny and Chris who we met on the last trip) got totally lost trying to get to the main square.  We were finally shown the way after Chris promised a shop owner he would visit again tomorrow to buy something – sadly we are busy in the morning! A quick wander around the town and it was time to watch the crowds with a mint tea. a pattern we’ll repeat in most towns.

Main Square Chefchauoen
Main Square Chefchauoen
Chefchauoen Campsite
Chefchauoen Campsite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chefchauoen Main Square

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chefchauoen
Chefchauoen

The journey down – UK to Martil

So here we are four years on from when first thought about coming back to Morocco (that was actually half way through  our last trip in 2009 with www.desertdetours.com).  Due to work we leave the UK on the evening of Friday 3rd May and have to be at the meeting point near San Roque in southern Spain by lunchtime on Monday.  After a bum-numbing 1953km and 21 hours driving time we make it with time to spare. For those interested we stayed at the Aire Baix de la Somme, Abbeville on Friday and Aire Bidart, Bayonne on Saturday.  Sunday night was in a nameless service station to the south of Seville, having taking the more picturesque route through Spain via Salamanca and not Madrid.  With time against us we had to stick to the toll roads at a cost of almost €180 but they are empty so well worth it.

After the hours spent travelling over the weekend the quick 90 minute hop over Los Alcornocales on Monday morning into Algeciras was nothing!  A little shopping to top the cupboards up and ensure the wine cellar is fully stocked (Morocco is a dry country), then it’s off to the meeting point at Casa Bernardos, another well used restaurant/service station/lorry park to join up with our fellow travellers and the tour leaders.  A smaller group this time with just seven vans plus Steve our leader/guide.  Ray is with us to begin with and will then disappear to do a recce of Eastern Morocco for future possible tours before catching up with us later in the trip.

After a sleepless night (lorries coming and going, dogs barking) it’s a 6.45 start to get to the port for the 8am ferry.  We only lose two vans on the way to the port but they soon find us and it’s a gentle crossing to Ceuta and the dreaded border crossing into Morocco.  It’s quite difficult to describe the chaos at the border and you cannot take photographs; there are just bodies and vehicles everywhere!  Moroccans shop in Ceuta which is still part of Spain so cars and people are constantly being stopped to see who and what in going in and out of the country.  Three marked lanes become about five cars wide and some cars are doing U-turns as they are turned away from entering Morocco for who knows why. Lots of men want to “assist” us with immigration and the van importation but for a fee of course.  And to top everything else the port is undergoing major reconstruction so there are workmen and dust to add the the usual melee.  However Ray has taken care of all the necessary “expediting payments” and after an hour or so of watching the chaos we’re through and the trip can begin……

At last….

…. the day has arrived. We have both been like 8 year olds in the way we have been looking forward to this trip. I can’t recall being like this for the 2009 trip to Morocco, but maybe we were.

Stopped at a garage to top up the gas system and tyres. While there I was approached by 2 separate people asking about the Motorhome. My answer, as always, is…. If you have thought about it do some serious research and go for it.

I left early for Ashford, where I will be meeting June, as I just wanted to get around the M25. A lot of people knock the London Orbital motorway but if I’m honest I have only been caught in tailbacks a couple of times. And I didn’t want this to be another.

It did mean I had to stop off at services once or twice for a Costa. It’s a tough life we live.

Getting Close

We the departure date is getting closer. With my eldest son moving in Thursday so the house is occupied although it s a bit further for him to drive I feel better knowing he will be here watch the place….

 

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The Route

Penny and Chris have already left for a steady drive down to the South of Spain. Ours will be a little less sedate though as we leave Friday :).

The last bit….

Unfortunately the internet access was not all that we expected, be so the blog is being finished from the comfort of home. After four weeks in the van our little 2-bed cottage seems like a mansion and the joy of having a washing machine and hot water without having to queue for it cannot be put into words! For those interested, we’ll post another update with a link to the photos – we promise we haven’t uploaded the 3000 or so that we took, and our thoughts or what we could have done to make the trip easier. So onwards from Todra which now seems such a long time ago….

All fully recovered, we left Todra and made our way to Ouarzazate along the road which was surrounded by ancient kasbahs and then through the Vallee des Roses, stopping to buy local rose based creams and lotions. This was a brief stop for us before heading back over the Atlas Mountains. We caught up with the rest of the group for dinner that night (our first restaurant that was licensed!) and Chloe joined in the dancing again.

Our next stop was Marrakech but before that we had to pass through the Atlas Mountains again – this time via the Tizi n’ Tichka pass (or chicken tikka pass as it became known!). We weren’t travelling in convoy this time as the road was narrow and 14 vans would cause quite a hold-up – the Moroccans are not the most patient drivers and we saw some REALLY hairy driving on the trip.














The journey out of Ouarzazate passes across large plains before heading into the foothills
where we stopped for a coffee and some rock collecting – we even managed to get
one of the other couples into examining what was lying on the floor! From there it was up
into the mountains to a height of 2260m and then back down via the pass.















The drive was spectacular along a narrow winding road through numerous hairpin bends. Asides from the scenery the most memorable part of this trip was lorries coming in the opposite direction with cows and sheep perched on the top above, what to us would be, the usual size load.

















Oh, and along this road was another cache and as we had only picked up one on this trip we stopped to find this one as well. It was a case of pulling into a small layby and hoping that nothing too big came around the bend!

And then Marrakech – a total contrast to anything we had seen already and words probably cannot do it justice.

The campsite was some 10km from the city centre which was probably a blessing at we were able to escape for some peace and quiet!

We joined a guided tour of part of the city in which we saw

Le Jardin Majorelle (recently owned and renovated by Yves Saint Laurent before he died), the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs. During the tour we also had a brief introduction to the souks and the main square Djemaa El Fna.

The guide obviously had a deal with one of the local herb shops and we were ushered in for a talk and massage – very reasonable at under £2 for neck and shoulders, before coming out laden down with various creams and oils! After a brief supermarket visit it was back into the city to experience the square at night.

Throughout the day and night the square is home to entertainers – snake charmers, story tellers, musicians, and the atmosphere is electric. We had freshly squeezed juice from one of the stalls before taking a walk around the food section. Here people come at you from all directions to encourage you to sit at their stall and the choice of food was something else – tanks full of snails and even the choice of sizes of sheep heads! The smell however was wonderful but after a huge lunch we weren’t hungry so we just grabbed an ice cream before heading back to the camp.

The next day we were on a mission to shop much to the girls delight! We first went to a government shop which sold every type of souvenier you could want but at a fixed price. After that and another juice it was into the souks proper and Bob really got into the bartering. Laden down with shopping we came back to the camp for a few hours relaxation.

From Marrakech we moved on to our final destination of the organised tour, the port of Essaouria on the Atlantic coast. The town has a very European feel to it – lots of whitewashed buildings. We walked into the port where boats are still made by hand and many fisherman still fish from small wooden boats all painted blue. There are grills on the front where you can choose the fish you want to eat (everything from baby squid to a whole shark) and it will be cooked there in front of you. We bought some fish (no idea what it was but it looked good!) and took it back to the campsite to barbecue where we were joined by some others in the group who had decided to do the same. June also managed to find a small shop selling linen clothes which had a tailor on site to do alterations on the spot – needless to say there will be lots of linen in her wardrobe this summer!

For our second and last night Ray had organized another dinner. This was at the Hotel Riad al Medina which had been used by Jimi Hendrix amongst others during the 1960s. It was a good night although a little sad as we were all heading in different directions the next morning, although Ray’s choice of clothing for later in the evening gave us all something to smile about!

We decided not to head straight back to Spain and along with 3 other vans, we took a more leisurely drive along the coast to El-Jadida via some roads that were… a little off the beaten track, shall we say! But despite the detour and Andy’s speeding fine, we got there in the end and spent the evening sitting around the vans eating and drinking. Having read the guidebook, perhaps we should have actually gone into the town as the old Portuguese city is a World Heritage Site.


And then there were 3! Delaying the border crossing by another day we then headed to Asilah which would definitely be our final stop in Morocco as we had to be back to Calais for a crossing at 9am on 3rd May. There were no campsites here but motorhomes are allowed to park in the car park next to the walls of the old medina after a small payment to the guardien of the car park. This was another pretty village with lots of whitewashed buildings and blue shutters. One last shop before dinner where we were competing with the Chelsea vs Barcelona game for the attention of the staff!

The next morning we all headed off for the border and exiting Morocco was definitely far easier than getting in! We all got back into the Spanish territory of Cueta without any hiccups and made a ferry that gave us a couple of hours driving time in Spain. The journey when back in Europe was pretty uneventful and that’s despite June taking her first turn at the wheel! Our stops on the way back were at an aire in Archdona near Granada, another in Aranda de Duero, and in France near Niort and finally Cite Europe in Calais (we avoided the aire this time!).

Todra

We left the Sahara and travelled along one of the main routes to the south of the Atlas mountains, our destination being Camping Le Soleil, somewhere between Tinerhir and the Todra Gorge. The campsite was by far the best we had stayed in so far – they even had a washing machine(!), and the girls made the most of a swimming pool on site. We were given the option of an extra day here or moving on to a more basic site in Ourzazate and because a couple of us were suffering with dodgy stomachs we decided to stay. The extra day gave us a chance to relax – you can’t describe this trip as a real holiday, and recharge the batteries before Marrakech.

The old and the new – we find ourselves sharing the road with donkeys, horse and carts and all forms of transport. But wherever we have gone we have been given a smile and a wave.
The campsite. A beautiful place to stay surrounded by soaring red sandstone walls. The extra bonuses being an electricity supply that didn’t fail and our own water supply!

The girls enjoying some downtime. They have been so good on the trip going wherever we’ve dragged them and the extra day

here gave them some time to do what they enjoy.

Further up the camp were some rabbits so if they weren’t swimming then they could

be found feeding them. Chloe also had another astronomy lesson that night – we’re waiting for the request for a telescope!

Before moving on we went to Todra Gorge. We could go on about the geology of the area but won’t (we’ll put up a separate website when we get back for those interested as the whole trip has been a geologist’s dream) – all we will say is that it is stunning. The gorge narrows to around 20m with walls of 300m. With our other hobby being geocaching, we moved further along the Gorge and after Bob had scrambled halfway up the side of the gorge, we claimed out “first to find” with a cache that had recently been placed there. There are some great places to stay in the area.

The Desert….

After the lushness of Meski we headed off to the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Sahara for a three night stay at the Auberge Cafe du Sud, originally a French Foreign Legion Fort. Part of this stay included a 90 minute camel ride into the dunes for an overnight stay at a Berber camp where we would be able to see a spectacular sunset and then get up early to watch the sunrise. Well that was the plan…. The guidebook says there is on average one day of rain in this area and guess what day it happened? So although we got to see a bit of a sunset we were all quite excited by the following thunderstorm and lightning show! However we then realised that the tents were nothing more than large blankets and the rain was getting in. Luckily it was only a short sharp shower and our overnight bags hadn’t got too wet. After a surprisingly comfortable night we were up at 5.15am to get back on the camels for our not so comfortable ride back to the Auberge as the sun rose. We all agreed that although it had been a good day and night out, none of us were in a rush to get back on a camel again anytime soon!

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The girls having a ride across the desert in Ray’s Unimog.

One day snowballs and a couple of days later, the desert. We think we managed to take away a large portion of the desert judging by the amount of sand in the van and our clothes!

Another campfire on the day we arrive. Throughout most of the trip we have been at altitude and the nights have been quite cold. For our night in the tent we all slept in our clothes

We shared camels with the girls – Amy and Bob on the way home. Looks like the camel behind is after something in Bob’s rucksack!

Our luxurious accommodation in the desert. Yes the scarf may look silly but with the wind and the sand it was needed!

A camel train. All ideas of the desert being deserted were soon put to bed – it was more like Kings Cross at rush hour. On Saturday night all the locals come out as well and sit on the dunes to watch the sunset.

There is nothing elegant in getting off a camel!

Another camel train passing the van.

Chloe watching the sun through a telescope. One of the guys on the trip is a keen astronomer and had bought some of his equipment along as the desert is a great place to look at the stars ….assuming that there are no clouds around of course!

June and Hymie!

Meski

The campsite at Meski was on the site of a naturally occuring spring – the pool was OK to swim in providing you didn’t mind sharing it with fishes and frogs. However the girls decided it was too cold to swim in so we gave it a miss and just dipped our toes instead.

We paid a visit to the local school. The school is very close to Ray’s heart and we all bought donations of clothes and basic equipment such as pencils and paper with us. It was quite an experience for the girls whose biggest hardship at school is having to share a laptop.

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The girls had bought some of their own school pencils with them and after the teacher had introduced them and the class had sung the spelling of their names to them in Arabic, they gave one to each of the children in the class.

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Us! The campsite here is in an oasis – it is a lush and very green spot.

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The girls are the only children on this trip and are being spolit rotten. They had a trip on Ray’s quad bike around the village

The route to Meski…

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Each day’s travel has shown us new sights. Travelling from the cedar forest of the Middle Atlas mountains we passed through the eastern edge of the snow covered High Atlas range before moving down to the edge of the Sahara. The scenery is breathtaking and constantly changing. Of course the girls have missed much of this as they have been too busy singing (that’s using the term very loosely!) along to their iPods but even their slightly off key singing beats a continual chant of “are we nearly there yet?”!

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A brief stop on the way for yet another cup of mint tea! A couple of days into the trip we worked out the reason for the tea being so good – it might have something to do with average of 4 teaspoons of sugar in each CUP!

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One of the bigger vans on the road as we are approaching the desert. We climbed to a height of around 2100m before descending to about 1000m travelling along some windy mountain roads. Thankfully with the drivers’ strike, the roads were fairly quiet the journey was fairly easy.

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One of the numerous kasbahs we passed. Much of this part of the journey was alongside the Ziz river which has carved massive gorges in the rock.

To the Cedar Forest

After two nights in Meknes we headed for the Cedar Forest in the Middle Atlas just after the town of Azrou for another night of wild camping. The forest is home to Barbary apes some of which have no fear of humans – especially those with food!

The girls make a new friend….

Thecampsite. Very beautiful although at almost 2000m it was a little cold and we even had to put the heating on for a while!

Collecting wood again and preparing the fire.

Snowball fight! A little into the trees there were patches of snow left from the winter.

Meknes

Meknes is just great… we wandered around the Souks and markets on the first day getting a few spices and such like. The market was very busy – the description of it being like Ikea on a Bank Holiday was pretty spot on! The girls were not too keen on the meat area – the standing joke was that the meat was so fresh any good vet could have revived its owner. But it was all part of the experience.

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Stalls in the market piled high with olives.

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The outer wall of the royal palace in Meknes which is one of the original Imperial cities.

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The girls enjoying their banana juice in the main square – a great place for sitting and just watching the world go by!

The second day we had a horse and cart ride around the town which included going through the market street – stalls were literally being moved out of the way to let us through. Going back to Ikea – it was like pushing the biggest possible trolley in the opposite direction to everyone else!

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The girls with Ahmed, our slightly made driver!

Managed to buy a breathable mat for along side the Motorhome (much cheaper than the UK…).

For the second day we had a problem getting a taxi back to the site (we were carrying the mat and a taxi would have been really good!)… later found that there is a strike among ‘professional’ drivers.. including petrol tanker drivers … so we may be here for a while… No, Ray is using his contacts to locate fuel so no worries there so far. Food is another matter as shops run low but we are OK for a few days and won’t have to resort to raiding the cupboards for a bit!

Now at Meknes…..

We left Chefchaouen and made towards a wild campsite near the Roman ruins at Volubilis. The roads started to get a little rougher and at some points all there was was a vehicle’s width of tarmac in the middle and gravel either side.

We stopped at a cafe for lunch where you see the meat cut up by one Moroccan and then it is cooked by another before being taken into the cafe to eat. Really nice lamb chops and Kefta.

The campsite for last night (Friday) was a wild site in a wooded area. A problem for a couple of our vehicles but nothing unsurmountable.

The girls helped with collecting logs for the camp fire.

Once the fire was alight everyone soon gathered around with a drink or two…..and hot spuds….

No too an early start (8.45) as we drove off to the Roman ruins….
We had an English speaking guide take us around the various houses and streets, impressive.

Having left Volubilis we had about an hours drive to the campsite at Meknes which, again, is basic but this is Morocco and not the Caravan Club. It can be seen though, that at one point this was a really nice site. The site is in the town only a short walk to the souks and square.

And into Morroco……

We are now in Morocco….. The crossing was something else..It appeared total chaos…. But there was a system.. I think!

1 hour later and we managed to clear all the check points. Ray earned his fee for that part alone.

The first night we spent at Martil. Not a Caravan Club site but we were warned not to expect UK standards ( having said that I have spent nights at worse sites in the UK);

We went off to the town to change our money and then to the beach where Chloe and Amy had a swim… albeit the water was not very warm… Having collected several kilo of shells we returned to the Motorhome and ate at the site restaurant.

Today, Thursday, we had a 9.00 start and then via a supermarket we drove to the camp site at Chefchaouen. The route was through some of the Rif Mountains… it was much greener than we thought it would be. Very beautiful. We also came across our first Moroccan driving….. !

We had a short brief with Ray ( the tour leader for those unaware) and then walked down to the village…; with blue building… Very pretty.

We wandered through the narrow streets and stalls. Felt totally safe..; Not too sure what we expected though…

Stopped in the main square for a Mint Tea. Never had a real one before and will be having many many more I am sure.

Visited the Kasbah which gave a good view of the town square.

Grand taxi back to the site for just 30 Dirham ( two pound fifty or there abouts) ….well it was a steep hill back! And with a sane driver. 

We have all had great fun and Chloe and Amy are having a great time.

Hope to put up some photos soon but not tomorrow as we are wild camping at Volubilis near to the Roman ruins.