Blogs from Tangier-Tétouan, Morocco, Africa
May 22nd 2012
We set off for Tarifa, both now on F800GS, via the superb A-355(?) which swooped around the foothills of Marbella, winding slowly through its descent of the hills. As we approached the coast you were rewarded with pristine vistas of the med, dropping away far to your left in an azure blue sky and you could clearly see Gibraltar sat up proud and arrogant. Once we hit the coast motorway there was less interest until it again climbed near to Tarifa and at last you could see Africa looming as close as the Isle of Wight. Surely even Vince’s stomach would hold for that? Err no. We messed up the ferry times so had a 2 hour wait at the dock, but finally the catamaran got underway. Once Vince’s yawn rate exceed more than 2 a ... read more
Chefchaouen, cidade azul nas montanhas
Published: May 7th 2012Africa » Morocco » Tangier-Tétouan » Chefchaouen
April 28th 2012
O caminho a Chefchauen eh lindo. Rodeado de montanhas, ovelhas, muito verde. Chegando lah, encontrei meu novo host na estacao de onibus, ainda bem, pois estava chovendo. Ele mora com mais dois amigos, que sao bem legais, um nao fala Ingles, o outro sim. Mas na hora do aperto a gente se comunica de qualquer jeito. A lingua dos sinais funciona. Eles me levaram no topo da montanha para ver a cidade, abaixo de chuva. A chuva estava caindo devagar, entao sem problemas, mas estava frio... e eu achando que estava no Marrocos, calor, bermuda, camiseta, mas que nada... frio mesmo!!! A noite comemos uma especie de risoto Marroquino e assistimos TV. No dia seguinte, ficamos em casa boa parte do dia, pois nao parava de chover. A tardinha, quando a chuva parou, fomos dar uma ... read more
Vez de Tangier, pertinho da Espanha
Published: April 30th 2012Africa » Morocco » Tangier-Tétouan » Tangier
April 26th 2012
No onibus a caminho de Tangier, sentei do lado de um homem que falava Ingles. Achei bem legal, pois tinha que telefonar para meu host em Tangier que nao fala Ingles. Pedi para ele ligar para ele e falar que estava indo. Nao conseguiu ligacao. Deve ter visto na minha cara que estava fudida. Se ofereceu para descer do onibus comigo e achar um hotel barato. Achamos um hotel por EUR15 e fiquei ali mesmo. Ele prometeu de vir mais tarde para caminhar comigo, mas acabou ligando e dizendo que nao podia. Na verdade adorei, pois queria dormir cedo, pois estava cansada, viajar cansa... hehehehehe Sai para comer um sanduiche perto do hotel mesmo. Mas nao dah para sair sozinha, os homens todos falam com voce na rua. Eles veem as bandeiras do Brasil, NZ e ... read more
April 13th 2012
Just arrived in Tangier (came from Tarifa). We found internet cafe here, but the computer is incredibly slow, so I don't think I'll manage to write the entire blog here. And I don't get the french keyboard here (yes I managed to change the language. no, it didn't help much). Anyway, I'll continue the entry at our hotel back in Spain this evening. See you.... read more
April 13th 2012
April 13, 2012- Our wake up call was very early today and our tour guide picked us up at 6:10 am and we were off on our way to AFRICA! We booked a one day guided tour to Tangiers, Morocco. It was still dark outside and we made many stops on our way down the coast to pickup others that were going on the tour. We dozed on and off while enjoying the views of the Spanish and African Coast. Our ferry left from Tarifa, Spain and we had an hour ride on a hydrofoil ferry. The immigration process was smooth and we quickly found a seat on the crowded ferry. Rick Steve's gave us an idea that even thought we traveled 8 hours to Spain, we would see the biggest cultural difference as soon as ... read more
March 19th 2012
As you may know, I visited Morocco this past weekend and all I can say is -- Wow! What an eye opening experience. It was the first truly third world country I've ever been to, and it was definitely unlike anything I've ever seen before. On top of it being a third world country, it is also an Islamic dominated country as well, so seeing all the Muslims was also an interesting experience. I just want to say first of all that the travel agency, WeLoveSpain (which I went to Morocco through, and will be going to Lagos through) is completely legitimate, and I would highly recommend going on trips through them. It was $250.00 to go for the weekend, but it was totally worth it. This may sound a little expensive for a 3 day ... read more
March 13th 2012
Tuesday Day three This morning most of us were woken by the first call to prayer. At 5am. I awoke in surprise but was content in my sleeping bag listening to the closest call, the mosque being just behind the camping grounds, and could also hear another call from further away, both combining to make a lovely melodious tune. It was a less hurried morning as we weren’t leaving until 9am which gave us plenty of time. The conversation was lively in the truck as we made our way to Chefchaouen which I hadn’t been to on the previous visit to Morocco and was very much looking forward to. Eventually I drifted off to sleep and awoke to winding roads which took us high into the hills to a campsite that overlooked the valley below. Tents ... read more
March 12th 2012
Monday Day Two Alarms started buzzing and beeping around 6am and tent zippers followed soon after. I didn’t sleep as well as I would’ve liked but the warm shower soon sorted that. Breakfast was a variety of cereal, bread toasted over hot coals, fruit and tea and coffee. I sat on the curb opposite the truck to survey the scene as the sun rose higher, also bringing much welcomed warmth. Dishes were washed and then dried in the traditional way known as ‘flapping’ which also doubles as a bit of early morning exercise, waving your arms back and forth until the dish is at least somewhat dry. Water was poured on the coals, firewood packed back under the truck, bags packed and then quickly unpacked as we remembered what we wanted in the truck cabin for ... read more
March 6th 2012
Motorhome News from Europe 49 6th March 2012 Return from Morocco: Tangier Med, Algeciras, Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, El Torcal, Nerja Caverns, Alpujarras, Cabo de Gata ‘Life begins at Seventy’ OK. Hands up. It's time to put it on the line. At 76, going on 60, I'm looking back on a mis-spent youth and a quadruple heart by-pass. That's how it was and that’s how it is. There’s no turning back, so let’s make the most of what’s left and live the joy of travel. I guess I'm not your average blogger. I seem to remember I did my last days work when I was 69 and self employed ... read more
October 2nd 2011
So Friday I went to Asilah! Kerry and I decided to go first class as we still didnt feel too well and couldnt be doing with the hussel and bussel! First class was good! Aircon all the way and a large seat for the 4 hour train journey. The journey wasnt too bad at all and we arrived in Asilah around 5ish. We decided to stay at hotel Belle Vue. Although there was no Belle vue! The rooms were beautifully decorated but the factilites were slightly poor to say the least! The first night there was a wedding ceremony around the town. There was a horse and a sort of box on top which contained the bride. The whole town seemed to party and celebrate! It was excellent to see and something different to experience. The ... read more
