Salam

9th Jan

Wake up to a sunny morning, last night it was 14c at about 9pm. After a brisk walk with Max along the beach, we pull out of Asilah at noon and head down the coast to Moulay Bousselham.

The view from our bedroom window this morning

 

It is only 90km away and the journey was good. We are stopping at Camping International N 34º 52.542' W 006º 17.309' The campsite is spacious, set in woodland alongside a large lagoon, in an area called Merja Zerga. Google tells me it's a birdwatchers paradise?  We are told to pick any spot we like, 80dir a night all in EHU and wifi.

 The lagoon

 

 Moulay Bousselham

 For those that don't speak Arabic "Toilet"

Camping International next to the lagoon
 

There is one single main street, with lots of little cafés and a small enclosed "medina type" area at the end. within this is a maze of shops selling everything, from fruit and veg plenty of fresh fish and butchers stalls, and some hardware and junkshops. I buy an aluminium Tagine pot "hard barter required" and a hubcap "loaf of bread"
Back at the site, once we have set up, I encounter a problem? While fixing Max's chain to the underside chassis of the van I get a tingle, "I know this feeling being an Electrician" I try again and shite the whole chassis is live!!! Pull the plug out and get out my meter, I test the socket? The polarity from the onsite socket is reversed. (no pat tests here) I then had to strip both ends of my extension lead and cross over the lives and neutral's. Thank god I felt it, otherwise Max would have been attached to a live chain!! I will check all sockets from now on in.
We have booked in for two days. Tomorrow we will walk down to the lagoon, I will take my binoculars and do some twitching. Later on Sam is doing the laundry while I watch the match, fair swap?
I took this video while crossing on the ferry into Morocco but had not posted it on YouTube for last weeks blog

10th Jan

Another bright sunny day, a few clouds in the sky, but at 10am it's 19⁰. Shortly after the sun had evaporated them and it is clear blue skies. Saturdays are generally lazy days for me at least, due to the footy.  So we took Max out and walked to the lagoon.

 

Reflections:
I was pleased with this photo.

 

Then we headed back so I could watch the footy stream. Half way through the match 1-0 down "damn that Carrol he always scores against us" and I then loose the internet, I got it back a bit later and it's all square, "good lad Gomis" but I loose internet again shortly after, and it's intermittent for the rest of the evening.

Max can't believe our grass cutters

We watched another spectacular sunset by the lagoon before retiring. On our way back we met a British couple Bob and Judy from Cornwall, we stopped and chatted a while, they are here for two months, it's their third year visiting Morocco.

 Another fantastic sunset

I took this video while watching the sun go down

 

11th Jan

 

We left Moulay Bousselhem this morning and drove south towards Kenitra along the A1.The one thing that has struck me since arriving in Morocco, is the amount of rubbish strewn everywhere. It's a shame as the country is beautiful.

Arriving in Kenitra without satnav, and not knowing how we were to find the campsite was a tad stressing. The road in was busy, and you had to keep your wits about you with cars and motorcycles weaving in front of you with a blink of an eye. And through the corner of my eye I spotted an electrical appliance store similar to Currys and pulled over.

I come out the new owner of a TomTom XL with Europe and Maroc installed. "I feel better already" We charged it up and set it to the campsite co-ords, only to find it is 3.2km back down the busy road we had arrived in?

 

Arriving at todays stop. Camping le Chenaie  34°15'24.9"N 6°34'04.3"W 60dir all inclusive., there are quite a few vans here, once again after setting up, I find there is reversed polarity on the sockets? That sorted, we have a look around, it is not too bad a site, by Moroccan standards? it's in the centre of the City with all the facilities and decent wifi? 

 

We had a visitor not long after setting up. a guy called Patrick, an Aussie touring alone on a motorbike with a tent. He his travelling down the west coast of Africa to South Africa. He was so glad to see us, due to the fact he had not spoken to anyone in a few weeks because of his limited French. He is on Facebook and an interesting guy, although I would not fancy driving through Nigeria at the moment with Boco Harem? a lot of the country is lawless!!

We sat around and enjoyed a few beers, he has been to so many countries in his 36 years. South America, East Africa but Antarctica being the one that impressed me. With him be'in an Aussie meant we had a lot of sporting chat to enjoy, and the banter that goes along with it.

There are a few mosques around the area of the campsite and we hear the cry to prayer. it is quite loud! I feel like I'm in Finsbury Park,  Patrick tells me it happens five times a day, starting at 5am. Better not wake me up at that time!!  He had also met Graham and Rosie "Suggy" a couple from the Motorhome Fun forum, a few weeks ago on this same site in Kenitra and sent on his best wishes "it's a small world"

Tonight we are dining on Sam's homemade meatballs in tomato and harissa sauce.

Tomorrow we will move on. Kenitra is too busy for our liking, we will shoot down past Rabat towards Mohammedia.

 

12th Jan

 

 

Today I find out Swansea have sold big Wilf to Man City, for peanuts in my opinion?

I wish him well he will be missed? but we have cover as always and we make a few bob on the deal.

We left Kenitra this morning, stopping at Marjane supermarket on way, I bought a cheap phone to use over here. We take the A1 through Rabat and arrive at Mohammedia, the TomTom finds it easily, Result!

 

We are staying at a campsite called Le Ocean Bleu N33°44'15" W 07°19'28" 90dir all in lecky, wifi and a good shower block. It is over looking the Atlantic, we have a nice pitch and will stop here a few days.

 

There's about 20 odd vans here at the moment, mainly French, there are also quite a lot of cats on the campsite which is driving Max wild! Sam has cooked Piri Piri chicken for supper, we will have that a bit later with a hubcap and have an early night.

 

13th Jan

 

Today it is overcast but still nice and warm 18⁰. We took a stroll towards the town centre but got put off by quite a few packs of stray dogs. Max was grabbing their attention and they did not appear happy to see the new kid on the block. I normally carry a stick while walking with Max, which I raise when wild dogs approach, but today I was stick less, I had also read that a French guy was bitten when his dog was attacked by a pack last year and ended up in hospital getting rabies jabs!! So we decided to take a dirt track road that led back to the coast and back to the campsite to sit outside the restaurant with a café au lait

 

An overcast day at Mohammedia

Then the unthinkable happened! It started to rain at 4pm. The first rain we have had since Peniche. We are sat in the van listening to the patter of rain on the roof listening to the Moroccan radio, I don't understand anything that is being said, but their traditional music is so much better than that Taylor Swift dirge we had been listening to in Portugal. We are making plans for the next few stops before we eventually arrive in Agadir

 

14th Jan

 

We left Mohammedia at 11.30am the road was busy through the town, but not half as busy as it was to get? 15km further on, we approach the outskirts of Casablanca. Two lanes became three I tried to stay on the inside lane, but the inside lane was more like a drop off zone or people would just leave their car to go for a coffee? So I was constantly having to move out into the centre lane "Blind" Vehicles kept tooting me. Moroccan drivers do not stay in one lane for a minute. We went through the industrial area then onto the financial district, and about an hour later we had reached the other side shaking. How we came out unscathed beats me!!

The road after that was a doddle, just the odd donkey and cart. Until the new satnav took the shortest road and took us overland on a one track road for 20km, through villages and farmland eventually pulling back onto the R320 which we left earlier? We then went through a busy town called  Azemmour and onto our destination Camping International El Jadida  33°14'24.5"N 8°29'19.2"W

 

The satnav found it ok, and after pitching up it was time for a cold one and a quiet night in

 

15th Jan

 

The campsite is spacious but a bit weathered and the toilet block alike. Its 65dir all in, but wifi is at reception only? There are a lot of vans here 95% French with a few Dutch and German, there are also Peacocks wandering the site, and again lots of cats

 

 

We walked along the promenade, the town is nice quite modern in places. The weather this morning is overcast but warm, the beach is fantastic and as long as the eye can see

 

 

 

We then went into the centre and found Maroc telecom. We need to buy a sim for our new Maroc phone and to recharge the data sim for wifi? This was problematic and took two visits but eventually we left with both items.

The sun finally burned the haze off and by mid afternoon it was glorious.

Beef Tagine and two small hubcaps. Delicious According to my Sous Chef

It is 7pm and you can hear the call to prayer, there must be a mosque nearby?  The one thing for certain you cant say you didn't make it because you slept in!!  

Tonight I am making another of my specialities, Beef Tagine. Tomorrow we will take the R301 coast road to Safi, we may stop in between if we see somewhere nice. That's the beauty of travelling like us, home is where you pull on the handbrake..

Saturday is Sam's 43rd birthday! Anyone wishing to send their regards please leave a message for her ta.