Blogs from Tangier-Tétouan, Morocco, Africa - page 25

Having loaded the car and found I could litrally walk into the boot without bending my legs it was time to fit some uprated springs and give the Landrover some pride in her appearance as she had spent the last thousand miles dragging her fat arse all the way here. So after a day in Chefchaun spending most of my time avoiding the Kif merchants, a loud wistle is the first sign one wants your attention and for at least the first 10 times it works, you always look up. The route from the border is mainly hashish farms so without warning they run into the road holding up there packets in attempt to entice you. While in Chefchaun I meet an American Dave who tells me how he ended up in Morocco via Captaining yauchts ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 9. Spain November 2004 Donana National Park, Huelva, Cadiz, Cabo de Trafalgar, Seville, Jerez, Tarifa and Old Tangiers First of all, I have to add a footnote to our last newsletter which omitted one particular birding day when heading south from Monfrague to Aracena, where we spent a whole day driving along potholed narrow back roads, hunting for bustards. We saw numerous red kites, buzzards, black shouldered kites, great grey shrike, hoopoes and EIGHT LITTLE BUSTARDS - yes, they really do exist! More recently here on the south coast of Spain, our bird sightings are of Flamingos, Egrets, Stilts and more Kingfishers. We’ve found wetlands on the border between Portugal and Spain and again in the Donana National Park and around the estuary of the Quadalquivir River between Huelva and Cadiz. Aren’t ... read more

A day in Tangier is not like a regular day at work. Despite serving as a gateway to Africa, with all the tourist traps associated with that, for a European it's a step into a different world. It can be very culturally educational with a couple of open eyes. The semi-Spanish, semi-Arabic guide leads the group through the Kasbah - the old city center, resembling a maze, with seemingly no order or logic. But we do get to a number of interesting locations, and at least the itinerary seems to be planned. A Moroccan pharmacy is nothing like a European pharmacy. Spices and herbs are lined up in hundreds of jars on shelves, and a visit is an experience in scent rather than cure. A Moroccan meal is nothing like a European meal. Platters of unknown ... read more