Overland to and then a tour around Morocco. Winter 2016-2017

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Preview

As this is our 5th overland trip to Morocco, and our route down through France and Spain to get there will be the same as the previous trips, then I will not bore you with the pictures and text of going through the same places unless we see something we missed previously, but if you wish you can refer back to the previous trip we have made, as we are sure that the weather is going to be just as cold and unhospitable as it was before at this time of year!

Brrrr! Now where did I put those thermal thingy’s?.

However, the good news is that our tour around Morocco is slightly different this time so below is the route we will be taking…..



After that we come back across the Mediterranean Sea for the route back up to the UK which has been included as we again make a diversion into Portugal and a new place to have a look around in Spain…



So now all that remains to be said as we make sure all the things we need are packed including this time the 12Kg of Porridge!

A warm ‘Welcome’ to previous and new ‘Travellers in the Third Seat’ which we hope you will find comfortable in ‘Flamenco Red’ (That’s the Swedish ‘Tug’) and enjoy this tour as we haul the ‘Tin Tent’ (That’s the Caravan) South to a warmer climate as the forecast is for a Long Hard Winter in the UK!

Next Stop…………Eurotunnel!

[Da Tow'd]

Glad to hear"We" are back on the road again
I'll bring some maple syrup for the porridge
cheers
Hank

[XCovlov70]

Glad to hear"We" are back on the road again
I'll bring some maple syrup for the porridge
cheers
Hank

I thought I could hear you 'Chomping at the bit'!

I like the sound of a spoonful of Maple Syrup for the porridge in the mornings!
It could take over from my 'normal' spoonful of Honey!

Thanks

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 3B – Third day in Mohammedia.

As our second day in Mohammedia was a total washout our third day was a complete change in the weather with bright blue sky while being very windy which was good as it meant we could get the clothes washing done and out of the way!…..

After getting that out of the way along with a trip to the Marjane and local produce market we then took a nice ride on the bikes along the sea front.
As we have traveled along we got the impression that in a very short time it will be the same here with enough property to cover the next 10 years of people looking to buy apartments to live as well as ‘holiday homes’……













From the sides of the new properties either side, this old Blue & White coloured recreation area is literally falling apart!…..



The new building work is so intense….




The ‘Portakabin Sales Office’ for a block of flats under construction….



While on the other side of the road inside the small blue and white building is the Mains Electricity Distribution Sub Station (You can hear it ‘humming’ as you walk across the doors!)…..



The next ‘plot’ for development, which currently is being used as a dump for everyone else’s construction waste material!.....



A nice little bay a bit further along the coast…..





Even the ‘graffiti’ artists are getting to work!.....



As we see some of the more ‘permanent’ but I have to say ‘Wild’ residents on a traffic island in amongst the properties…..



With the horticulture on the wall of one of the older properties that is also in the process of falling apart…..



For me this block of flats stood out more purely because of its design and colour, as the others just looked like concrete boxes piled on top of each other, but this one had some character to it…..





Time to move on tomorrow so it’s back on the road……

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 3A – First day in Mohammedia.

While the next ‘greeting’ this morning as I opened the door of the ‘TinTent’ in Mohammedia was another ‘Paddling Pool’!



The rest of the campsite in parts was in even worse ‘condition’!



Shortly after we hear this ‘knocking/banging’ and opening the door I see this…...



As the ‘sinkhole’ lets the ‘Paddling Pool’ disappear, but the hole stays there till I put the stones back in place!……..



After breakfast we decide as the rain has stopped to head into the town of Mohammedia for a look around, initially heading for the Port which we then found we could not get to as it was behind the wall on the left of the next picture as we saw the beach to our right…..



As the Sea looks to be quite ‘calm’ here…..



The rather expensive ‘Ship Restaurant’, down by the Port…..



As we then come back to the nice gardens to stroll through as we make our way to the town centre and the Medina…..



With this church on the right hand side ……



Now inside the Medina and the Mosque is just ahead…..



Not everyone is ‘Open for business’ thanks to the weather…..



As we found a replacement ‘Kettle’ which met the required ‘Spec’ we headed back to the campsite and for a walk along the beach going the opposite way to yesterday, but keeping a careful eye on the next belt of rain that was approaching!!!....



Looking back we could see how the campsite was being ‘squeezed’ between the two blocks of Holiday Apartments who we understand are trying to put the campsite out of business, by initially making it difficult to access the campsite……



While on this part of the coast the Sea is still in ‘Storm’ mode…..





As we then felt the next LARGE raindrops descend from the sky above it was time to head back rather quickly to the campsite and take cover in the ‘TinTent’!!.....



While it looks like more of the same weather tomorrow.....

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 7A – Our first day in Sidi Ouassai

WOW! What a really peaceful and quite night last night, with possibly the best night’s sleep I’ve had since we set off on this trip…….

After breakfast we ventured out to go for another of those delicious ‘Hobs’ from the little Boulanger that we called into as we arrived and here it is…..



Having then got our ‘Hobs’ for the day, we set off back along the road to the campsite…….



But then turned right just before the campsite as something caught my eye at the end of a road on our right, and it was this strange looking ‘oven’.….



From the signs on the outside, it looks like it is used to cook Pizzas, but as this is ‘low season’ with very few visitors then the building alongside is closed…..



So we then head off on the beach road …..



Watching the rain showers move in further along the beach…..





Going back along the road we pass by this Café/Restaurant/Hotel which is huge while it is open for business…..



While as we continue along the road we see the places where all the rain has washed away the roadsides and left quite deep grooves in the soil at the side as the roads here have no built in drainage……



The turning left we find the Hairdresser with some rather attractive prices for a haircut for both men and women, while they also offer ‘showers’!!!….



While a little bit further up the road we find what look like several ‘dung beetles’ walking around……



As we continue along the road and come out the other side we see yet another rain shower along the beach coming off the sea……



As we then get back to the beach by the campsite……



Getting closer I can see clumps of Muscles clinging to the rocks, but the tide was on its way in and with nothing to carry any that were collected I decided to return tomorrow with a plastic bucket or bag to get some……



As the view along the beach starts to get a bit misty……



Going back into the campsite at the front gate which is directly onto the beach we can see what was the restaurant that is now going through a complete refurbishment while they are hoping to have it open by 15th December 2016 …..



Around the back of the restaurant is this artificial well complete with the type of water bucket that we have seen in other southern parts of Morocco where the village water is drawn from a well……



This water bucket like so many others we have seen is made from a Truck Tyre!…..



If you look at the next picture closely I hope you can see the letters up near the top edge of the bucket……



A little further back are the Berber Tents…..



The swimming pool…..



As the holiday apartments outside the campsite continue to expand……



As we come to the end of a reasonable day……



The Sun sinks once again over the horizon…..





While the weather is supposed to be ‘improving’ tomorrow, I am not inclined to try holding my breath, especially when you look at what is happening currently in the rest of this planet of ours…..

Good night……

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 1 – UK to Algeciras (Spain)

Our first part was from South Wales down to Folkestone and Eurotunnel for the trip under the English Channel…..

As we rolled along our ‘regular route’ from the UK to the bottom of Spain for the ferry to Tanger Med in Morocco I think we had caught out ‘Mother Nature’ as the further South we got the more vivid the colours of the leaves on the trees became, which with the wet and cold weather it was quite surprising to see!







No matter what the weather is like, in all the towns we have spent time, mid afternoon sees all the Boules Players out having another game, while some places like this one have that many players they have matches between teams!



While in the town of Roullet it was good to see that the local supermarket has been acquired by a multi-national company and is now back up and running, but being Monday in France it was closed!



While today after a rather long day and 334 Miles we are now in Spain where the HOT water in the Heated Facilities Block on the campsite was very refreshing, as my socks after their removal very kindly made their own way to the washing bag!
Must have been something I said about ‘Feet’!

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 4 – Mohammedia to El Jadida and then on again.

We decided to head out of Mohammedia on our 4th day and set off for El Jadida.

As we had stayed there before we knew what the campsite was like as no maintenance seems to be carried out from one year to the next and when facilities breakdown they do not seem to register for repair, so we decided on one night as we had our own facilities to keep us going if all else failed.

While the rain did not let up that noise was joined by the barking dogs which were outside the campsite and made sleep a virtual impossibility!…..

So at 08:30 the following morning we were back on the road heading to a place called Ounara and Essouaria.
Little did we know what was in front of us on the N1 (Route National)!

An ominous sky and a lot of rainwater around from yesterday and last night….



As the rain then backed off there was still a lot or rainwater on the ground….



But life went on over here…..













It looked like this place had had another downpour just before we arrived and started to make our way through……







A new water tower under construction on the left as the old one on the right does not have enough capacity for the ‘growing’ town.....





At this point we found the rain water starting to come off the surrounding land and across the road…





Then a couple of miles further along the road we came to a ‘bigger problem’ with all the traffic stopped …..



As we pulled off the road and everyone else stayed on the rainwater was coming off the fields, onto the road and then off the road into the gulley in front of us, while further along the road it seemed to be around 3 inches deep…..





Meanwhile it didn’t stop traffic coming the other way……



So with that this little car takes off after having a few ‘words’ with the Gendarme who was supposed to be in control of what was going on……



Then a couple of minutes later we see this truck rolling towards us…..



With that as the truck passes by 3 cars in front set off and we followed keeping an eye on the right hand edge of the road and trying not to set up to much of a ‘bow wave’ while keeping the engine revs up!…..



Now we can see the road!......



Now you don’t and this section was deeper than the previous bit……







As we got through that lot, after another mile we came again to a ‘dead stop’ to be advised by the Gendarme on duty that a bridge on the N1 road ahead had been washed away by the rain so the road was impassable and we would have to turn around and head to Safi and use the coast road as an alternative!



So having then turned around we headed back the way we came for several miles and then turned left onto the road to Safi and as time was marching on we decided to head for the campsite in Safi as both the ‘Tin Tent’ and ‘Flamenco Red’ were covered in the residue from the rainwater while it had also been a very long day to have covered the short distance that we had traveled…..



As we pulled onto the campsite my good lady got out to check the position and then came to tell me: “The rear of the ‘TinTent’ is missing”!

Somewhere after turning onto the Safi road and negotiating a couple of sections of the road were the floodwater on it meant going around, the rear plastic panel including the registration plate and lights for it had been torn off the ‘TinTent’!!!



While ‘Flamenco Red’ looked like it had just come out of a mud bath!.....



So tomorrow we are off to see if we can get a number plate ‘copy’ made, along with an illumination light and with the help of that wonderful ‘invention’ called DuckTape and a few screws get ourselves sorted out and back up and running once more!...

This has to have been the wettest trip we have had to Morocco for us, but even after what we went through today, considering there is a large ventilation hole underneath the gas fire it still works when I tried it tonight, and there was no water inside the ‘TinTent’……

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 2 – Algeciras Port and then Tanger Med and Morocco.

After our week of travelling down through France and Spain we then headed for the Port in Algeciras to get the ferry across to Tanger Med in Morocco…..

Waiting for the Ferry Check In Office to open!





While as the Sunrise appeared we could see a really red sky over the security fences in the port area.



We hit a problem at the ferry office check in as our reservation could not be paid for at this office, so I had to make a very quick trip to the main office in the terminal building to pay for the reservation after going there first and being told that I paid as we checked in!!
As a result after a very frustrating 20 minutes in the terminal building, it was a quick dash back to ‘Flamenco Red’ and the ‘TinTent’ to head off to the ferry that was already nearly finished loading, as we then watched this rather long outfit struggle to get onboard……..



As the ferry then moved out of the port we could see that the Container section was considerably lighter with containers this year than last year which seemed to tell us something about the economy……



Heading out of the port entrance we swung around to head off into the Mediterranean with the view of the Rock of Gibraltar ahead of us in the early sea mist…..



One of the Cafeterias on board this Ex Stena Line Ferry which we think was previously used in the UK as a number of pictures in the ship were of scenes in the UK……



90 minutes later and we are swinging around in the harbour in Tanger Med to dock and start disembarking to head to the Border & Immigration Control check points…..



Clear those points and then it is off onto the Moroccan Motorway to head for our first campsite in Kenitra……



More of Kenitra tomorrow…..

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2016-2017

Stage 4A – Safi and the ‘Temporary Repair’

Well it got a little better today but sadly it didn’t last…….

With the help of a young Moroccan man who offered his help we went into Safi to purchase a ‘copy’ number plate for the ‘TinTent’ which was made by spraying the ‘Yellow’ background onto a Moroccan car number plate and then putting the letters on after the paint had dried!!!

It looks better than the original UK plate but thanks to this thing about Internet Security, then you are only going to see the’ XCVolvo.com’ website link as the number plate is in the back window of the ‘TinTent’ underneath the ‘XCVolvo.com’ plastic cover…….
Sorry, but Privacy is so important with this ‘unsecure thing’ called the Internet!



After getting the number plate in place & blanking off the ‘voids’ on either side of where the centre section of what is called the ‘Hobby Bumper’ fits, which to be honest would impact if a Chicken jumped up and pecked it as you went past, as it is for ‘Cosmetic purposes’ only, we felt ready to get back on the road South………except!

In conversation with the occupants of a ‘Camper’ after our experience of the road being ‘closed’ on the Route National ‘N1’ due to a bridge being washed away, it turns out as they set off to ‘Go South’ via the Coast Road today that on advice from the Gendarme the ‘Coast Road’ is unadvisable due to a large amount of Road Works being in place, so they took that advice and returned!

So it seems like we are a bit ‘stuck’ here for a few days as the Military and ‘Bailey Bridges’ are not something you will find in Morocco even though this type of weather has been knocking on the door and happening for a few years now…..

Let’s hope the Sunshine continues tomorrow…….