Day 28 - Tata (Last day)

Lovely bright sunny and warm day. It was not cold last night unlike when we had been at Tafroute so it made for a more pleasant sleep. Our plan today depended on whether the street market that we saw last year was going to be there again today. We were told by the guardian that it was on Sunday and not Saturday. We decided to take the short walk and go find out for ourselves. Hoorah …. it was the same as last year.

Tina loves to explore and she has to look at all of the clothes, trinkets, carpets, cooking, food etc stalls. There really isn’t much that she doesn’t explore. We ended up buying some nuts, vegetables and great big thick pieces of steak at a very reasonable price of 103MAD (£7.30) which is enough for 2-3 meals.

Just after we woke we noticed that the electric had gone off. When I enquired I was told the whole town was without electric. So when we had walked the length and back of the street market we decided to sit with our friends and have a coffee. Some ordered coffee whilst others order Orange juice. Soon the owner came back and explained that there was no coffee as he had no electric. Juices all round then…  Next he sent a boy off and he came back with the oranges, next it was for the cake we asked for and then someone was sent to go and buy some glasses for the orange juice. You would have expected all this to be expensive by now but the bill was still less than £1 each.

I sat and listened to AFC Bournemouth commentary over the internet. It worked pretty well up until the last 15 minutes when I lost connection. By the time I got it back the game was over and I missed the winning goal. How frustrating is that. The others enjoyed sitting around the swimming pool soaking up the hot rays. However, you really wouldn’t want to swim in the pool as the bottom looks like it could do your feet some damage.

We had decided to eat out tonight so we left the vans at around 7pm to go and find somewhere suitable to eat. After 30 minutes of wondering around we found a street side restaurant and all 8 of us sat down. It was still 16ºC and very pleasant. Meals, drinks, bread etc were soon consumed over convivial chat. It was a most relaxing time. At the end the owner offered us the bill but seemed to get his adding up wrong but we paid up our share of 80MAD per person or less than £6. Perfect. The temperature had dropped to 12ºC by the time we left but still not unlike a summers evening in England. Nothing like end of January in the cold and wet stuff I guess everyone is enduring back home.

We move on again tomorrow to Foum Zguid. This is yet another place we visited last year.  We should be able to catch up on some washing over the possible three days we will stay there. After this we will be in new territory as we have never gone further east than this point. The adventure continues …..

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Day 27 - Tata

Up early again this morning after thinking too much about things like batteries and electrical systems. I should learn to shut my mind down more.

Packed everything away after breakfast and said our goodbyes and we were on the road around 10am. I will miss Tom & Angie who we have been travelling with since meeting them at Estepona. Tom helped me out with his mechanical knowledge and also was an excellent chef cooking us some superb food. I hope that your trip back to Agadir is successful and that we see you in the future. We also said au devoir to Tim and Ally who we may well meet later in the trip as they could be following our route over to Zagora albeit a few days later.

After a couple of hours travelling through some superb scenery we stopped at a small town and had a coffer and cake. The total cost, including a tip, was a staggering 70p each person. It was great to be able to have a break and feel refreshed ready for the second part of the journey. The other two vans arrived just as we were leaving the cafe. They had left about 30mins behind us. Whilst we were there 2 police officers started to set up a check point and came across and politely asked us to move our vans down the road. They were so welcoming and kept repeating “Welcome to Morocco”. As we drive through small villages we get waves from young and old…. some expecting us to stop and give sweets or pencils / pens but mostly genuine friendship waves.

By 3pm we had pulled into the site next to the municpal swimming pool. Terry and I had been here last year. Unlike last year there were only two french vans parked on our arrival. We were sitting out enjoying a freshly brewed cup of tea when the others arrived. Eventually we were all parked and connect to the electric however all 6 vans were using the same plug outlet. After a little discussion Robert and I were given a separate feed of our own and so we are now sharing one feed whilst 4 vans are off the original cable.

We sat out till quite late having beer o’clock and putting the world right. Soon it was time to go in and have the dinner that Tina had prepared. Unlike Tafroute the internet speed is substantially better so I had the opportunity to wish my mother happy birthday on her 94th birthday. It seems that Morocco has blocked the use of Skype so I had to find a way around this which I duly did by using a VPN. I also took the opportunity to update the New Forest DA web site with the latest newsletter and some corrections I had been notified about.

The forecast for today was that it was going to be cloudy. It was somewhat but the temperatures didn’t seem to suffer. It was certainly above 20ºC. The outlook for the next couple of days is clear skies and high temperatures. I do think about you all at home but not for very long…. Ha Ha.

Will take a look around the town tomorrow and show our newbies a little more of the rustic Morocco.

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Day 26 - Tafroute Last Day

After yesterdays walk in to town we both were a little stiff so it was always going to be a relaxing day by the van.

Tina continued with her hairdressing duties and cut Brenda and Lynne’s hair. Whilst she was busy with that I was attempting to reconnect the pressure sensors on my tyres back to the display in the van. This was necessary as we had two new tyres fitted and all changed around just before Christmas.

After trying all the wheels it became apparent that the batteries needed replacing in the sensors so I will have to buy some next time we find somewhere that might stock them. Not an easy job as they are the flat round thin type.

Tom had walked into town to buy yeast for the pizzas he was going to make for us all at lunchtime. He prepared everything himself and then nearer 2pm he cooked them on his cadac bbq. They were delicious with a crispy thin bottom. Yummy…. we will miss hime when we move on tomorrow. They have only one month stay in Morocco and have yet to have their van completely resprayed in Agadir which will take a week.

The afternoon sun was very hot and we soon drifted in to Beer O’clock. We were joined by Darren & Lynne. Much talk and laughter… a fine afternoon of socialising. We also had some unexpected visitors ... 2 donkeys. They showed no fear of the dogs yapping at their legs as they walked around the vans. Made sure we did not feed them as they continued to come after we drove them away. I was expecting to have to go and find a vet if one of them kicked out. Luckily nothing happened.

Tomorrow we are off to Tata for a couple of nights. We will be starting our journey east towards the desert.

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Day 25 - Tafroute

Leisurely start to the day...

Breakfast this morning consisted of a hand shaken drink instead of the luxury of a blender. Hence I did have one or two blobs of powder which was not pleasant. Tina has suggested that we use a hand whisk so that will be attempted tomorrow. Lets hope that works otherwise I will not enjoy breakfast like I have up to now.

In the morning Tina cut Mary’s hair and trimmed Elspeths whilst she also gave me a quick wash and cut. Without the inverter available and therefore the hair clippers it was not quite the complete job.

There was a group of walkers, taken from our little group, that did a 4-5 mile walk around the area and were to finish at a hotel in town. They planned to start at 10am and left soon after. The remaining part of the english contingent which included Tina and I left the site at 1pm and were to meet the others at around 1:30pm. The timing was spot on as we both arrived simultaneously.

We entered the restaurant and all 20 of us sat and ordered our lunches. Tina and I had ours served last and were most disappointed and the other couple refused to pay. There were some that thought the meal was great. Perhaps 20 brits was all too much to handle.

After the meal we wandered back and took the opportunity to show Tim and Ally where to buy some items they were looking for. Our route took us past the shop where Tina bought a very nice red top yesterday so she was drawn to this shop again. Yes you guessed it she found something else she liked which of course was slightly more money. This time we battered and agreed a price of 160MAD (£11.50) after starting at 320MAD….. a bargain it seems or maybe not.

Back at camp we sat around and had some tea and chatted. Soon the sun went down and the temperature plummeted from 30°C earlier to maybe 10°C. It wasn’t long after we all retired back into the warmth of the vans.

Looking at the forecast for the next few days it seems that Friday could be cloudy and therefore a little cooler. I have decided to move on to Tata and I think the others may well follow. I did sit and make a rough plan of our journey and potential stops over the coming weeks so that we can see all that we want and not be rushing back to port to catch our ferry back into Spain.

Yet another hot day in the sun…. cooler in the shade but so enjoyable even with the disappointment of the meal.

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Day 24 - Tafroute

After using the small inverter all night I asked Tom to take a look at my inverter to see if he could figure it out. After practically taking it to pieces we were no nearer what the problem was just that the switch seemed to make no difference. Gave up and resigned myself to using the borrowed inverter for the rest of the trip for my machine at night. It does mean that I will have to mix my shakes by hand to continue my lifestyle change although the food out here is changing this somewhat.

Morning was spent sitting and chatting. At lunch Tom cooked up a beef tagine on his Cadac BBQ. This was full of vegetables and spices etc and was delicious. All of those assembled had a bowl with some bread. Wonderful and so generous of his time.

We were going to play bridge again. At Tiznit Tom, Robert, Ann and I made up a table to play bridge. Ann had never played before and I was very rusty as it was many many years ago since I last played. We spent most of one afternoon playing. We wanted to repeat this again but the inverter and other things got in the way. Heck there is always another day when we can sit around in the sun playing bridge. Its a hard life.

We welcomed Tim & Allison back to the fold. We last saw them at Essaouira. There was to be a 5 or 6 mile walk by some around this morning but this was postponed until tomorrow. Those that are not walking will meet the walkers in town for a meal at the restaurant. Tim & Allison were invited to join us.

This evening Robert and Phyllis joined us in our van and we taught them “Spite & Malice” a card game for two people. They picked it up really well and I am sure they will try it out in their own time.

Lovely and warm today which enabled us to socialise and enjoy each others company. The outlook is more of the same. Roll on tomorrow...

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Day 23 - Tafroute (First visit to town)

After using Brian’s inverter all night I tried to remake the connections to the battery. Still not completely successful. Tom soon came and helped and remade the connections…. we think it will work now.

Late morning and we strolled down to town visiting the ATM on the way. We had lunch in the Chicken shack where most of us had checked and chips with a soft drink mainly fresh orange juice. The cost turned out to be 75 MAD for two people or £5.30.

Next was the stalls down the side of the dried up river bed. Tina bought some veg and then some assorted spices for a Tagine she will cook. Our next purchase was a decorative gas bottle cover. The asking price was 40MAD to which I responded 30MAD and Tina then promptly offered 35MAD which he quickly accepted. Still it was only £2.50.

We continued to stroll around the village and our friends were buying all sorts of things. We ended up buying an aluminium windbreak for the gas burner we are using to boil a kettle outside. Then it was some morocco slipper shoes and finally I succumbed to the pressure and bought a man bag that Tina had been encouraging me to buy for the last week.

The walk back was a killer and I had to take some pain relief which helped. The sun soon went down and so did the temperature so we retreated back inside the van. Soon the local girls arrived with soup and bread. It wasn’t very warm so we heated this and had it for our evening meal. Tasty but not exceptional was the verdict.

Tried the inverter again and it still doesn’t seem to want to work. Really not sure what the problem is so maybe have to take another look in the morning.

Expensive day (by Morocco standards lol) but very enjoyable spending time with a great bunch of people.

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Day 22 - Tafroute

Up and ready for the electrician to arrive at 10:00am. He arrived soon after the allotted time and set to and refitted my inverter. It seemed to work when he left but later in the evening I tried it and I had flickering lights or nothing. Perhaps a loose wire so will need to investigate in the morning.

After we paid our fees of 80 MAD per night and serviced the van we were soon on our way. We filled up at the fuel station just up the road and bought some bread which looked more like a pizza base. The girl was pulling it out of the oven in front of us. A little more expensive but very tasty.

Our journey took us through spectacular scenery and we climbed up the mountains to over 3000 feet. It was still very warm even at this height. In the morning I obtained the co-ordinated for the painted rocks from another Funster and we stopped here for lunch. A great photo opportunity for our newbies.

We drove down into the small town of Tafroute and out the other side to find the Guardian parking site we had used a year before. Our little group were soon placed to take advantage of any sun with an area where we could socialise. Kettle was soon on the boil for a welcome cuppa.

It became very cool as the sun went down. Warmer clothes obtained we sat out and chatted for a while and at around 9:00pm we all said good night.

This really is a great place at an exceptionally cheap price 10MAD (70p). Everyone was most impressed…. tomorrow will bring more surprises when we go into town.

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Day 21 - Tiznit (washing day)

This was the day we needed to prepare for our time off grid i.e. no electrics so we needed to have all the washing done and the van fully serviced ready for the following week when we will be in Tafroute.

The electrician came in the morning to look at the inverter. He fairly soon decided that he couldn’t fix it in the van but had to take it away. He informed me that he would return in the morning at 10:00am but I wanted to get him back later in the day because we were moving on in the morning. I lost the conversation and it was agreed that he would return at the appojnted time. I started to worry when he cut off the metal connectors so he could feed the wires back through the surrounding wood partition. I am sure it will all be right in the end. The small inverter worked fine last night so whatever happens I will be OK for the rest of the trip. Note to self: Get a spare inverter or a 12v lead so that this situation is avoided in the future.

Whilst all this was going on Tina was getting on with the washing using the machine I had dragged out of our garage earlier. She did all our washing from the last week together with sheets and towels. The line was overflowing however there was a warm breeze and it was soon dry making room for more.

During the afternoon we sat with Brian & Ann and enjoyed the sun, warmth and banter. Later we all got together outside of Robert & Phyllis van where they put some music on. Tina and I tried “Touch on” but it wasn’t very successful. We also tried the stick game and this caused some laughs. It was a little warmer than the previous evening so we stayed out later.

Tomorrow we are of to Tafroute

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Day 20 - Tiznit

Following our dinner last night Mike (Makems) sent me some information and photos of the place they visited at Mergouza. I have been planning to go there for some time and now that has made me even more determined.

Washed, dogs walked and breakfasted we were soon driving around to Mustafa’s garage to say our goodbyes. Gifts given ...Chocolate for the little one and english tea for Mustafa.

We started the drive out of the city and our radio batteries were flat so we decided to try and charge them on the inverter as we travelled. We had done this previously so no worries. However this time the inverter didn’t want to play…. it had worked all night so might only be a fuse. We pressed on down the road with the intention of visiting a small coastal village called Tifnit. However I turned off the main road 7km too early and we eventually reached the end of the road …literally. It was a small village that looked deserted but people were still living there.

We took the opportunity to sit and have lunch and enjoy the early afternoon sun and warmth. Tina and I with Brian & Ann together with Robert & Phyllis chatted and shared this moment. Ann and Phyllis went down to the sea. A big wave came in and soaked Phyllis up to her knickers but Ann was fortunate as she has longer legs. It was very funny when they related the story back to us all. We are really enjoying their company.

Soon we were packing up and started the remaining part of the journey arriving at the campsite at around 4pm. Once in place Tina did some washing. The remaining clothes will be tackled tomorrow. I asked for an electrician to come and have a look at our inverter so I hope he will turn up. It will be OK tonight as we are on Hook Up.

Brian offered me a small 150W inverter to use and this will run my machine at night so even if we can’t get the 1000W inverter to work all is not lost. What is annoying is it was only bought 12 months ago at Halfords whilst we were on the New Year meet.

The evening brought us all together for Beer O’clock. We sat around and joked. Tina and I tried the drink we were introduced to by a german lady back in the campsite at Estepona …Vodka with Caramel. We mixed it with coke and it slid down wonderfully. Tina got quite tipsy and became very funny…. not like her at all.

9:00pm saw the party break up as it was getting quite cool. Wonderful day with some great people….roll on tomorrow.

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Day 19 Agadir

Today our group made a temporary split. Terry & Brenda together with Derek & June made their way down to Tiznit to a site we have used before. The rest of our party were making our way to Mustafa, the Motorhome repair garage in Agadir.

The drive down was idyllic as we followed the coast south seeing the sea crashing in against the rocks and the occasional beach. We did see some motorhomes parked up on the beach enjoyed the warm weather. We later found out that the Police come along at night and move you on if you stay. We passed by Taghazoute where we were the last two years and enjoyed some really great times. They are now building some small wooden huts on stilts which I believe will be used by the surfers. It is real shame that no provision has been made for cheap camping along this coast. The motorhome community used to bring alot of business and income to the locals which they have now lost.

Robert was having an extra battery fitted whilst Tom was having a few odd jobs done including spraying a front bumper and some access doors. I didn’t intend to have anything done but mentioned to Mustafa that our gas hob central ring was not working and the sparker also had given up the ghost. Prior to coming I had the van serviced and had the gas hob specifically looked at. The verdict was that I needed a replacement gas control valve. Tried to contact Wokingham Rapido who promised to come back with a price but still waiting. Mustafa had one of his guys look at the offending burner and declared that it needed cleaning. No more than 30 minutes later both the burner and the sparker were back in action. The cost 200 dirhams (£14). Result I do believe. Saved me what would have been a big expense.

Later in the afternoon we were taken around to some guardian parking at a school. Never stayed here before. It has cost us 10 dirhams or 70p. We met up with Mike & Gwen who we have met here on our last 2 visits. They suggested that we visit the local roast chicken shop. Ten of us sat and ate a starter of salad followed by Chicken. Chips and rice washed down with soft drinks and water. we paid 300 dirhams for all of us which included the tip which equates to £4.20 per couple. How expensive is that !!!

Tomorrow we will make the short journey to Tiznit but probably stop at the Marjane supermarket on the way and get some fresh supplies.

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Day 18 - Imsouanne

Heading for Imsouanne today. This was a place that was visited recently by a member on the MotorhomeFun forum. We hadn’t been there before. However, he did warn us that there was a steep hill to go down and he would not recommend large vans / RV’s to attempt it. One of our party has an 8m Frankia and he was worried he might have a problem. It turned out fine getting into this village where surfers could be seen riding the waves.

We parked up alongside the road where some kerbing and foot paths were being constructed. Soon the workers asked us to move over to the other side of the road. The views across the bay and the sound of the waves crashing was simply outstanding and well worth the drive of the main road.

The girls took the dogs along the beautiful beach and put the world to rights. They shared their experiences of previous Moroccan trips with the newbies. Robert went swimming whilst Phyllis went in up to her knees and very nearly got knocked over by the waves. A couple of young lads were skinning some squid and octopus and preparing it for their evening meal.

Later in the afternoon we strolled over to the village where we had coffee and the girls looked at the shops many of which had surfing gear. Tina spotted a blanket which she “had” to have. The price started at 350 MAD (£25) she bartered the price down but was still too expensive. She walked away.

Sitting over coffee she continued to state that she wanted this blanket and how lovely it was. The weather was very warm and we enjoyed the company and the banter. Tom came back to the table and showed us their latest purchases  … a Jacket for their son and two pairs of Moroccan slippers….all from the blanket seller. Pressure what pressure …Tom was going to negotiate a better deal. Price 120 MAD (£8.50) so I gave in and she made the purchase and I have earned some "brownie points”.

Walked back to the parked vans and we were soon told that we had to move. No guardian was the explanation so we quickly packed up and moved to the adjacent campsite. This was down a very rough track which was taken at no more than 5mph.

Really enjoyable day… warm weather, good company, great location…. what more could we ask for. Bring on tomorrow.

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Day 17 - Essaouira last day

Last thing Tina said last night was wake me up early because she wanted to go to town in the morning with the others…. I dutifully obliged.

After breakfast we watched everyone start their walk to town whist we arranged a taxi. Neither of us could manage the 2km walk along the promenade. We met everyone at the other end and promptly had a stroll around the port part of the town. Even though we have been here a few times before we had never done this. So many people trying to sell their catch of fish and the variety that could be purchased was staggering. Everything from small, tiny fish to shark.

We had arranged to meet the others at a restaurant that Terry, Brenda and ourselves used last year. We started the casual stroll down the medina to join them for lunch. On the way Tina couldn’t resist looking in practically every shop … I joke but only a little. She bought some trousers which she even haggled and paid for herself. Yes I made a mistake and let her carry my wallet with all the money. I thought it would be safer but hadn’t reckoned her.

Near the end of lunch Tina decided to try and enlist the help of the waiter to go and get the best price for a shawl. She eventually bought it but I am sure the waiter didn’t get the best price. Having brought it back to the table she proudly showed the others and then found out it was gigantic… much to big for a shawl. No problem she must have thought as when leaving she spotted another more sensible offering. 60 dirhams was the price. I started at 40 and after much debate he at 55 and me at 50 we agreed the price at 50 as I threatened to walk away. Tina paid over the money and then tried to pay “this poor man” the extra 5 dirham I had reduced the price buy. I have to say this didn’t  happen.

It was now mid afternoon and we had all enjoyed a very paletable meal in the courtyard restaurant in the warm sunshine. The only thing missing was an alcoholic drink. We started on our way back to the taxi rank so that we could let the dogs out from the van.

Once back at the van Tina spread the initial shawl over the bed and duly proclaimed that it was a bedspread and how wonderful that it matched the carpet we bought yesterday. Amazing how things work out wouldn’t you say!!

We had a quiet evening in the van. Tomorrow we are driving further down the coast to a small fishing village we have not been to before. Its about a 100 km drive. Hope there will be space for the vans when we get there!!

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Day 16 - Essaouira

We move further south today even though we had some warm weather and the locals were really welcoming.

We left at our usual time of around 10:30 - 11:00 am and made a short trip of 40 miles to Safi where we visited a Marjane supermarket for a shopping fix for the girls. Tina insisted that she was given time to browse the shop. I am sure she would still be there if I didn’t occasionally chivy her along. The newbies were surprised at the extent of the products that can be purchased from white goods to toilet rolls. A number of them came out with plastic buckets with lids for all manner of purposes.

Tina spotted a clothes boutique and a jacket in the window. She entered the shop and eventually bought a long sleeved jacket for £25. There was no bargaining her and I was most disappointed.

When we got back out we found cars parked up in between the vans although there was acres of space in the car park. Brian commented that they must be brain dead. Soon a policeman turned up and was discussing the stupid of this action with the driver. He was very thorough looking through this guys papers. Eventually he was allowed to leave. I bagged up some sweets and gave them to the policeman saying they were for his children. He was most appreciative.

After filling with fuel we were on our way again. Driving through some of the villages you have to take great care. People, bikes, donkey carts and cars come from all manner of directions without, what seems, and consideration or care in the world. Knock me over please seems to be the message.

We get to our destination and there has to be 60+ vans here. The most I have ever seen and I think we have been here at least 4 times. We are right up the end. The temperature today was a steady 24°C and we did see on our dashboard 31°C whilst waiting to get into the fuel station. Much better that back in the uK I believe. We still haven’t gone as far south as we plan and it should get better.

Evening meal done and we sit and watch a film… Ricky and the Flash. I was expecting a negative reaction before the start but actually got a positive reaction at the end. Merrill Streep was very good in it. Didn’t know she could sing.

Oh just to mention we did buy the cake we ordered. The guy pleaded that he lost money on the last one so the price was back to the original 30 MAD (£2). When asking shall we have a slice of cake. “No, thats for when we all get together” comes the reply. Most disappointed but at least she’s trying to help with my weight loss program. Krish will be pleased !!

Probably go into town tomorrow and sit and have a relaxing lunch in the sunshine. It has to be done. I will think of all of our friends and family back in the UK in the cold (but only for a second ha ha)

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Day 15 - Oualidia second day

Relaxing day spent in the warm sun….

Around breakfast time we had one of the local traders call and offered us a “Tagine” made by his wife which he would deliver to us in the evening at the time we specify. Our choices were either fish or chicken…. we chose chicken and have it delivered at 6:30pm. The meal is like a spiced vegetable stew with the chicken added. It arrived at the appointed time and I have to say it was delicious and fed both Tina and I for £7. Tina got away without cooking again today! We also bought an orange and grape cake from him which was in the shape of a round doughnut of about 6 inches diameter. The cost about £1.50….there goes my diet especially as Tina ordered another for the morning when he delivered our meal. I am sure she wants to feed the 5000!!

Later in the morning our group decided to walk up the steep hill to town. We asked our friendly meal man to order us a taxi which we shared with Ray & Mary. £1.50 per person for the return fare. We strolled around the town and bought a few things ….. some very large T-bone and fillet steaks (£7), teapot for £2 (ours broke back in the UK), some bread for 14p and some bananas for £2. Everything here is so cheap to the cost in the UK. We sat in the local coffee shop and had a cafe au lait which was just 9 DH or 64p. It would have been at least £2 back home. Our newbies can’t get over how cheap everything is.

This afternoon the racing commenced. Brian and I wondered over to watch the first race. They were using the local streets to form a lap which took about 2 minutes to complete. They drove 12 laps in total. The cars were mainly small renaults that had been tuned up. They did try and provide some security for the crowd in the event of an accident but it certainly wasn’t european standard still it was good to see something different and free to watch.

The weather today was very warm and the wind had dropped. It was a day when you could get burnt if you were not careful and sat out too long. Moving on tomorrow so we sorted out where we can get our water tank topped up… done a deal with the guardian for the water for £1.50. We will also drop into a supermarket and provide our newbies with this new experience.

Lets hope the sun continues to beat down and the warm weather gets hotter as we move further south. Until tomorrow ...

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Day 14 - Oualidia

Woke the morning thinking will she or won’t she…. start that is following our battery problems. The answer we found out later was indeed YES.

Last time we will be on electrics for a while so we took the opportunity to use the site electric to heat the water for showers saving us our valuable gas. As we opened the van we found everyone servicing their vans and attending to their windscreens. All shiny and bright now.

We left the sight at around 10:30am leaving Terry & Dereck to catch us up which they did just before our destination. We chose the scenic route down along the coast. It included many small villages with all new sights for our newbies.They all said how they enjoyed the drive down which we took at a leisurely pace.

This afternoon I listened to the AFCB commentary which worked wonderfully compared to my other experiences in Spain. We were playing Norwich and won 3-0. Great result.

When we arrived at our Guardian parking area we were greeted with a security screening access to the road needed to gain entry. Lots of road racing cars where being off-loaded ready for a road race around the local streets tomorrow. Practice commenced in the afternoon and the noise was either heaven or hell dependant on whether you like cars. There is also supposed to be a market tomorrow but not sure of where yet. I of course told my fellow travellers I was fully aware of all these extra attractions. They were not convinced…. I wonder why!

The photo is of a breakdown truck that fortunately I didn’t need this morning but just to show these things are available here.

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Day 13 - Dar Bouazza

Thought I woke early this morning at around 7:00am and would try and do a couple of things on the computer so turned it on and soon came to realise that the time was actually one hour earlier. I had not changed the clock by the bed. So it was 6am when I got up. No wonder I am tired as I write this.

After breakfast we agreed that we would leave at around 10:30am Terry & Ray where back at the Maroc shop getting new sim cards so would be awhile yet. Went to start the engine and nothing. Yet again I relied on the generoisity of our fellow FUNsters to rally round with jump leads and connecting to Brian’s van. Not long after and we were off up the round …. four vans in convoy.

Half way to our destination we pulled in to some services at around 1pm. Terry and party soon turned up. We went to leave after our short lunch break and yet again the engine wouldn’t turn over. We were now getting used to jumping our van. This was getting embarrassing. On the road again…. through Rabat where there were major civil engineering works with underpasses and major roads being built. Toll road past Casablanca and we arrived at the site.

My first task was to organise a replacement battery… the campsite manager wanted to take my battery in the morning and bring back a replacement by 11:00am. I had other ideas. I insisted that it had to be done tonight. It was agreed that we would take out the old one and they would procure a replacement. Tom soon set too and had the old battery out from under the floor between the seats. Money handed over and they were off to get the new one. It certainly wasn’t long before they were back with a replacement. Once again Tom reversed the procedure and the new battery was in place. Try to start the van came the shout. Success…the engine immediately fired up. Lets hope its the same in the morning when we come to leave. The cost was 1350 MAD and I gave them 100 MAD for their efforts which converts to approximately £103. Certainly not been ripped off...job done in under 2 hours.

Quiet evening in the campsite with only us brits…. seven vans in total. Last of the electric hookup for a while so charging everything up. Spending the next few days with less travelling and relaxing a little. Cost tonight 95 MAD

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Day 12 - Assilah

Its strange how you can lay awake and worry about the smallest things like how to get a quart into a pint pot. I am referring to, of course, how we are going to manage with our ablutions in the morning with an almost overflowing toilet cassette. Luckily with a little thought and a lot of luck we seemed to manage it. I won’t go into detail.

After breakfast Tina & I walked across to Carrefour just as it was opening at 9:00am. I wanted to draw out some more euros in readiness for changing the money into Dirhams, the local currency in Morocco. At around 9:25am we all decided it was time to leave for the port. Turn the key and nothing happened…. Flat battery. Disaster. Terry had tucked away some long jump leads which he duly found and started to attach whilst it seemed everyone else stood around and made helpful suggestions. All the men loved it….an opportunity to get their hands on something mechanical. Luckily after a few attempts it started. I had not been doing anything different to cause this so the conclusion has to be the battery is on its last legs…..it is the original 2010 battery so nearing the end of its life.

Drove down to the port and started the long process of getting on to the boat. Daren’t turn the engine off just in case it wouldn’t start again. After maybe two hours from arriving we are driving onto the boat. This is not a “Roll on-Roll off” ferry. They had been loading the lorries by getting them to back on to the ship. We are now loaded and leave at around midday local time. We were told it was the fast ferry but later found out that it was faster but not quite as fast as we expected.

We land in Tangier Med and reset our timepieces back an hour … the same time as in the UK. Drive around to the entry point where passports and documents will be checked. “The computers are down” comes the message so everything is being done long handed and taking an exceptionally long time. Whilst we are waiting I spot someone empting their cassette in the public loos. What a good idea so off I trot. What a relief? Strange how the littlest things give pleasure. Some hours latter we are released into Morocco. Two of our group are still being processed and insurance needed to be purchased so Terry elected to stay back and escort them to our overnight stop whilst I take four vans on down the motorway. Took it steady because I remember our first trip and how it was good to take the new sights in slowly.

After the stop at the fuel station and filled up to the brim (diesel was 56p a litre) we continued to our overnight stop at Assilah. Terry arrived within maybe 5 minutes with his group. Our next adventure was to get everyone sorted with internet. Last year this process took 5 hours. We all wandered up to the Maroc shop (the BT of Morocco). Purchased the sim cards and recharge vouchers and was out in maybe 90 mins. Then it was my job to get all of the MIFI’s working. There were a variety of makes and after a lot of perseverance the job was achieved. Two of our group bought the D-link model in Spain. It was showing Meditel (another service provider in Morocco) even though it had a Maroc sim card installed. That had me scratching my head but in the end I had to ignore it. The procession of people sitting in the van finished at around 8:30pm and Tina and I could sit and have our meal.

Tina was tired and took herself off to bed whist I visited Terry to sort out where we would be heading for in the morning. I had already decided and I think most of our group will be tagging along with us for at least the next few days.

The adventure is now quickening and gathering pace …. happy days. Oh and the temperature today was 18ºC Lovely !!

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Day 11 - Algeciras (Ticket day)

Our plan today was to be down in Algeciras no later than 1:00pm but on the way top up the gas supply. The distance was 70km in total and would take us about an hour so we were planning on leaving by 11:30am. Just before that time Tom & Angie came over to me and needed assistance in putting the co-ordinated into their Garmin Sat Nav. Never used one of these devices but immediately spotted they were inputting the numbers in under the wrong format and also had written one down incorrectly. Soon had it sorted however I later find out that I forget to empty the loo. The consequence is we have a warning light on saying it needs emptying and nowhere to go with it whilst we sit on the Supermarket carpark. Impending doom I think especially in the morning but will have to deal with it then.

On arrival at the carpark we went shopping in Carrefour followed by Lidl and Mercadonna. Essentials like beer and spirits including the drink we had been introduced to yesterday were purchased, freezer and fridge stocked up again we are already for the off.

The evening we had dinner in another of the W@K chain of chinese buffet restaurants. Very nice indeed and we enjoyed the company of Brian & Ann who we met last year but did not spend too much time with. They had only a month last year but are likely to spend longer this year and may well follow us as we progress around the country.

We have an 11:30am boat tomorrow and so we are being encouraged to leave at 09:30am. We should land in Morocco around 1pm all being well so until tomorrow when we will be in Africa its good night from us...

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Day 10 - Estepona final day

After a pretty grotty day it had to be better today and it didn’t disappoint. Most of the afternoon was taken up with my belated birthday party. Drinks, cakes and left over mince pies from Christmas which were surprisingly still very edible.

There were some german campers on sight and one of the ladies spoke extremely good english … she had been educated at an english school in Germany. She introduced us to couple of new drinks one of which was very tasty. It was Vodka with caramel and we vowed to look out for it at the Mercodonna supermarket in Algeciras when we travel down tomorrow for the tickets.

The day was very pleasant and warm until the sun started to sink in the sky. Terry took advantage of everyone being together to brief the “newbies” to Morocco on what to expect. Items included roads, fuel, internet, food, campsites, gas and many many more things. It is surprising how ill prepared some people can be but they all seem to get by in the end.

The evening had me trying to listen to the commentary of the Bournemouth match. The campsite internet and the 3G signal were all very week and I had to follow the match using the live blog….. very disappointed. We lost 3-1 by the way which even more disappointing. Saturday will be a big game against Norwich.

Tomorrow will be leaving day so we will be driving down to the port area to buy the ferry ticket and get last minute supplies. Tomorrow will be busy ….

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Day 9 - Estepona (Retirement finally)

The day had finally arrived when I officially pick up my State Pension. I have not worked for 4 years so the idea of retirement is not alien to me just that now I will be paid for the privilege.

The weather today was not kind.... Drizzling and la ittle cold for southern Spain so Tina was very happy that she managed to get the washing done yesterday when it was dry and sunny. We spent most of the day waiting for others to arrive. The first was mid afternoon followed by another in the early evening and then the final arrival was 10:30pm. All had used their Sat Navs and had got lost and taken extra time to find the campsite.

The morning saw me having my beard cut short. It was perishing sitting on a stool with my tea shirt off. As I said it was fresher yesterday.

I caught up on some reading in the afternoon whilst Tina was out with the dogs.

We sat and watched Tomorrowland, a Walt Disney film, in the evening as Tina had over exerted herself with the walk to the beach with a German lady staying here on site. They had conversed through a language translator on the phone for some difficult words and school English as the lady had said. It was also off to bed early for Tina as she was in pain.

Let's hope tomorrow will bring better weather....

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Day 8 - Estepona again

Well after arriving yesterday we needed to catch up on some washing and a few jobs.

Tina paid for two loads of washing in the site’s machines and then I was asked to pull our washing machine out of the garage to spin dry the cloths before we placed them on the line I had just erected between the trees. Fortunately most of the items are now dry and put away ready for the next couple of weeks.

We said good bye to Phil & Mena who had stayed the one night and were off down to Algeciras to buy there ticket ready for a Monday crossing. Unfortunately they failed to realise that today was Sunday and the supermarkets are closed so its going to be an early start in the morning to get their provisions before the ferry at 10:00am

We also said good bye to Wayne who is going down to Gibralter for a few days before meeting up again on Wednesday. During the morning we were just discussing between us whether Ray & Mary would be coming as we had not heard from them for quite a while. At that moment they appeared and then duly parked up with us ready to meet everyone else. We now have 4 vans on site with more to come on Monday / Tuesday.

During the afternoon we all sat out in the warm sunshine and drank tea and ate cake, We even had a german lady introduce us to a really tasty alcoholic drink she had bought in a supermarket in Spain. Note to self: I really must try and find that when next in Mercadoona.

Lets hope the warm weather continues for tomorrow.

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Day 7 - Estepona

Today was always going to be a day when we went a little slower...

We woke later than we had done the last few days. It was actually light when we got up. It had rained during the night and there were still one or two showers early morning but soon after breakfast it cleared up and the sun shone. The Saturday market had been setting up in the market since 8:00am so when we left the vans it was really up and running mid morning.

Tina bought a couple of items of clothing and we bought berries and nuts for my ongoing "Herbalife adventure” as Krish would say. Later Tina went and bought some more milk from Aldi whilst I went back to the van and kept the “boys” company.

After lunch we travelled on down to the campsite where we will be joined by some of the others we are crossing to Morocco with. Very soon after our arrival we got speaking to a van that was already in place who was part of our group. They were going to Gibraltar tomorrow and meeting us on Wednesday at Algeciras.. Another couple arrived after about an hour who we had met last year and they were staying just the one night and then planning to cross to Tangier Med on Monday. Brian & Ann arrived later in the afternoon. so we had 5 vans here that will be crossing mid next week and we still have 3-4 vans due over the next few days.

My new MIFI that I bought whilst we were travelling in France was waiting in reception for me to collect. Whilst changing the sim card in my Netgear one of the pins broke so it was necessary for me to get an alternate shipped to our only certain address here in southern Spain.

It was pleasantly warm in the afternoon at a balmy 22ºC. very pleasant and very different to the UK after learning about the weather from my mother. She still hasn’t grasped that we will be in another continent on Thursday let alone another country. Tomorrow is going to be washing and sorting out the van and generally enjoying the warmer temperatures.

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Day 6 - Calle De La Noria

Our overnight stop was on a quiet new Aire with open fields as our outlook. At night the 3 windmills on the hill top were all lit up. Delightful.

The temperature last night was quite mild compared with previous nights so much so that we didn't have the heating on. We are getting towards the south of Spain me thinks!!

We left at around 10am and had a long drive ahead but all on fast roads. We tried to stop at a supermarket in Granada but the height barriers foiled us so we carried on and stopped at some services a few miles down the road. After an hour we continued on our way always looking for somewhere to shop.

We did have a couple of detours close to our destination but still did not find anywhere to shop. It'll have to be tomorrow we think.

We arrive at the site where there are 50-70 vans already in place. We spotted a new Aldi just as we came onto the site so that was our next adventure. We collected a few things and walked back to the vans with our shopping.

Later that evening we went and had a Chinese buffet meal in the restaurant at the entrance to the golf club. It was lovely to sit and gave a relaxing meal. Let's hope we get more opportunities to eat out as it gives Tina a rest from household duties.

Till tomorrow and looking forward to the market which is on a Saturday.

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Day 5 - Puerto Lapice

We were up earlier today and serviced the van with water as in the winter you are never sure if the tap will be switched off. We were ready to go by 9:45am and then drove round to the fuel station. The price was 1 cent cheaper at 97cents per litre. I like the prices here.

With a full tank we were soon on our way for a 300 mile drive south to our overnight destination. The winds were really bad and were affecting the handling of the vans. Terry was struggling with keeping his van to an economic speed going uphill and along the straights. It was very much colder as we climbed to higher altitudes.

Our final resting place tonight has an outlook over open ground in a small village. There is one other English van on their way back to Blighty via Santander. They have an estate agency in Wareham of all places and know other friends from our DA .... Geoff & Lorraine Shaylor. They live on the road that runs down to our holiday site. Small world eh!

Spent some time chatting to them and then having an early night as its been quite tiring with the long drive...we arrived here at 5pm just as it was getting dark.

Tomorrow will see us do some shopping and continuing south to the coast where it should be getting even warmer. The temperature rose 5°C as we came down from the mountains where we were seeing 14°C. It should be the last of the day long drives for a while.

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Day 4 - Vitoria-Gasteiz

Long drive today using toll roads and motorways. We covered 249 miles after starting out at 10:15 having fully serviced the vans. Got soaked as the tap was one of the push in buttons and no pressure so had to decide which end to hold. Got it wrong and the van end came out covering me with water. Ha ha I hear you laugh... I was swearing under my breath.

We had a lunch break of about an hour and arrived at the site at 16:20. The area we stayed in is in the corner of a large car park in a residential part of town. I am surprised at the fuel cost. We paid €1 a litre in France and have paid €0.98 here in Spain. This equates to £0.74 per litre. I understand that locally in Andover it is still £1.04.... What a difference.

We had a walk in the early evening to look for a supermarket but later found out that it was epiphany day....a bank holiday in Spain and the shops were shut. Spoke to an English couple on their way home and they said how busy The Algarve was over Christmas and New Year. Let's hope that all the French have decided to go to Portugal again this year instead of Morocco.

We hope to push on again tomorrow with yet another long drive so that we will make the southern coast by Friday night.

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Day 3 - Montguyon

Once again we left early at 9:30am. It does mean that I have to get Tina up before 8:00am so that she can have her medication to allow her to get up. She really isn’t used to getting up regularly at these times. It should be noted of course that the clocks here are one hour ahead and consequently it is still dark first thing in the morning.

Soon after we left the Aire we were travelling through the village in a 50kph zone and was flashed by a mobile police camera unit. I think we were doing 54kph. Later in the day we were flashed by a camera for exceeding the 3.5 Ton 80kph limit. I will be monitoring the post with interest when we return back to the UK.

The journey was otherwise uneventful with periods of rain, wind and brightness. We arrived at the overnight stop which is behind a sports pavilion. This was chosen when we were having lunch. Our distance today was similar to today.

We have tonight planned the next few nights stops and planned routes. It seems that we will be down on the southern Spain coast on Friday evening. Looking forward to a warmer climate and a few days to chill before we cross on Thursday next week. Route tomorrow will take us into Spain to Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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Day 2 - Chåteaudun

Our plan today was to make our way to Châteaudun. We left at around 9:45am and on leaving the site my brain was in autopilot and I started driving on the left. With oncoming traffic I soon switched over to the right especially as I was prompted by Terry on the radio. It's been many years since I made that mistake. My excuse was I was concentrating on my new gadget I acquired before Christmas.

I have bought a few cheap Chinese dashcams in the past and have had very little success. It would either be poor video quality, inconsistent recording or not record at all. Together with using a proprietary piece of software that only ran on Windows it really didn't fit my needs. So I splashed out and treated myself to a Blackvue model with built in wifi that records in avi format and will play on any of my devices. Later in the day I extracted the footage of my mistake for all to see how it's not done.

Another of my purchases was on a test run. I bought on eBay and had fitted a Sterling Battery to Battery charger that charges the leisure battery using the excess power from the engine alternator. On leaving Wissant we were 40 amps down however we were soon pumping in 15 amps an hour and the batteries were fully charged again very quickly.

We travelled about 250 miles today and arrived at our destination around 4pm local time. This parking place had around 6 units staying overnight on the car park in front of the beautiful chateau. Nice quiet and free site we have used before and will do again I am sure.

We spent some time in with Terry & Brenda planning our approximate destination tomorrow. We left early as Tina was suffering with her chesty cough and feeling drained. Lets hope she is better after a good nights sleep. We intend to travel in the direction of Bordeaux and see how far we get. We’ll probably make a decision over lunch where we intend to overnight.

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Day 1 - Wissant

We left our New Year meet rally around 10:45am. We had met some old friends as well as made a few more. We spent time with Linda & Michael Reading who were two lovely people. Looking forward to the next time we meet.

On to Tesco to do a few bits of shopping.... The bits we had forgotten in our preparations. Then onwards to the meeting point with Terry & Brenda, our travelling companions for the next couple of months. We arrived at around 2:40pm and was only waiting 10 minutes so good timing by all.

The tunnel was uneventful but we did get an earlier train by 45 minutes. Our picture is us waiting in line ready for boarding the train. Didn't have to wait long. Then onto Auchan for fuel. Surprised the price was €1.02 per litre which makes it around £0.78. We then decided to have a meal together to celebrate the start of this years adventure.

Our overnight stop was once again at Wissant and there was surprisingly quite a lot of room left. The evening saw us planning our trip to southern Spain over the coming days. It could be long days with slightly earlier starts but we will get to the sunshine quicker we hope.

So let the future begin again .....

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