Morocco Day something or other...

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Day one started ok, we missed the 7:30 ferry which put us an hour behind, and I also went to the cinema the night before (Captain America, Civil war - really good film) so only had 5 hours of sleep, this meant i was starting to get very tired near the end of the day. Due to French non toll roads being though little villages and slow roads, when we reached a campsite we had only done 350 miles, and to top it off the campsite was shut! Another we passed was also shut, but luckily the third one was open. It was a well kept site and we were the only people on it. It was a municipal site with a swimming pool and sports centre next door, which tonight was host to a party of some kind. This kept the parents awake for a while into the night, but I stuck some ear plugs in and was out like a light.

We were packed and on our way out of the camp site by 10am. This was an hour earlier than we had left Calais, and only gained us 70 miles as we managed to cover 420 to reach Burgos. Unfortunately by avoiding toll roads, we had ended up with it being quite late again when we arrived. Day three started off an hour earlier than the last, which was nice as we had 390 miles to cover to reach Monestreio. Most of this was quick as the non toll roads in Spain tend to be Dual carriage ways and not very busy, so we arrived with plenty of time to setup and chill before worrying about dinner. Every time we have stayed at this site before, there has barely been anyone apart from us, this time it was packed, though they did mostly disappear by the end of the day. Day 4 was the easiest of all as there was only 190 miles to get to Tarifa, so we decided to head for Carlos to pick up the ferry tickets first. This should have been a quick morning but half way through, the winds became gale force which slowed us down tremendously. Tickets bought and a shed load of pastries picked up from the nearby Carrefour, we headed on to Tarifa for the campsite. When we first walked into to buy the tickets, she said the next ferry was at 5pm, this meant we had an hour if we wanted to cross today! Both me and Dad looked at each other, the thought that we could be in Morocco today was very appealing, but we decided to leave it and stick to the plan of laundry and shopping before the crossing tomorrow. In hindsight this was a mistake, as the winds were still giving us hassle, but this time it was the tents taking a battering not the trucks. I managed to get a bit of sleep, but it seemed every time i dropped off a gust would shake the whole truck from side to side, so that was meant i was awake again!

Packing up and breakfast the next morning went quite quick, so we were at the port an hour early. This gave us enough time to ring nephew Rory for an update on how nursery went the day before. Boarding went smoothly as was the sail across. Moroccan Customs were a bit more chatty this time which made it feel like it took ages, though this was nothing compared to Tangier! With customs done and money drawn from a machine, we headed off to tangier, which felt amazing! The roads were twisty and and the views incredible, which gave me the feeling of excitement and relief that we were finally here.

All I wanted from Tangier was a USB modem to update my blog and contact family, but there were three or more Maroc telecom shops. The first one was very helpful but wouldn't have any in stock till tomorrow, so sent me off to find another. By this time we were all hungry so stopped for a bite to eat at a tapas place. After we tried to find the second shop. This took us past the trucks, so Mum and Dad stayed there while i carried on looking. I managed to pretty much walk out of the city and back before finding it, only to be told again they didn't sell them and to try the shop near the police station. Third time lucky this shop sold them, BUT, you have to take a ticket and wait your turn and there were 21 people in front of me. After nearly an hour of waiting, and having to decide if this poxy modem was really worth it, my number was called and I finally walked out with it.

Getting out of the city was chaotic at times, especially as by now I was really tired and hadn't had a drink since lunch. But we made it to Chefchaouen with just about enough time to setup and eat, then again i was out like a light. That evening while eating dinner I had attempted to set up the modem, but the software on the laptop was to new, so refused to work! So I left it till the next morning to figure it out, at which point I found out the inverter that changes my 12v batteries up to 240v mains had died! So I was out of power and had a dead modem. Luckily Dad had brought an extension lead and adapter, so we moved camp closer to the mains sockets. This solved the power issue, but ironically I now needed internet to solve the problem of not being able to connect to the internet. The campsite now has free WiFi, and Dave had lent me a MiFi unit, so I was then able to solve the internet problem too.

As yesterday had been a long one, we decided to stay in Chefchaouen for a second night to rest up and actually make this feel like a holiday again. The day started off super foggy, which gave the place a real mystical look. Then the sun came out, followed by the storm of the century! The rain flowed across the back of my truck under the room that attaches to the roof tent, leaving me standing on a small little island of dry land not knowing what to do except laugh at how crazy this felt. Once this eased off to a drizzle, we assembled the tarp between the trucks, in case it started again, so we would have somewhere to prep meals and such rather than crowding in the small room under the tent. In the mean time the parents had wanted to go into town for a walk about and a coffee, but every time they went to leave the rain would start again.

Tomorrow we're off to look at some ancient ruins near Meknes, and hopefully some warmer, drier weather, though I think this won't happen till we're out of the Atlas mountains and nearer the dessert.

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