Overland to Morocco. Winter 2015-2016

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Kenitra – El Jadida

Back on the road at 08:30 this morning and very surprised at how light the traffic was as we came out of the campsite and headed back to the Toll Road to continue South…..

Passing the Police Horse Training Grounds….



As this traffic island has a crown on one side….



Then it was back on the Toll Road and getting past this Lopsided ‘Truck’ resting on its axels, on the back of another Truck that was struggling to keep going and did not look particularly safe….



As we then got ‘Buzzed’ by the Army in a Chinook Helicopter.
It is still surprising the number of people who have never seen a caravan over here!…..



Next large city that we go around the outskirts is Rabat….



So that meant coming off the Toll Road and onto the National Route ‘N1’ which gets rather congested as they are trying to build a wider road due to the amount of traffic….





Single Cow Transport which is a quite common sight in Morocco….



Some of the new houses/flats that have been built in the last 18 months around Rabat….







Finally get back on the next section of Toll Road and pass this Gas Cylinder Truck, which was interesting to see as we have not seen one before that has been equipped with 2 Spare Wheels, one for the Tractor Unit and the other for the Trailer….



Total surprise as we see this rider on a Moped coming towards us on the Toll Road, and he waved as he went passed!......



We managed to stay well away from Casablanca which we understand can be a nightmare to drive around, and by doing that it was not much longer to the campsite at El Jadida…..



Reception, which is the only place to get any Internet Access as there is none on the campsite itself …..



Campsite which has had from looking around no repairs or maintenance carried out since our first visit 4 years ago, so we will stay just overnight and continue South tomorrow….



Having got set up and it wasn’t that late we decided to hoof into El Jadida centre to have a look around and see what has changed….



While this Ex Hotel has still not been refurbished as you can see doors and windows missing from some of the rooms while it is in a prominent position on the beach front…..



While the Theater has had a make over and looks really nice, but today they were having some ‘problems’ with the 3 Water Fountains that are supposed to work in front but today they were not.
We understand that performances are run inside the theatre for patrons….



Off up the main street we first drop into a small restaurant for Chicken & Chips with a small salad for lunch and 2 cold drinks which cost just over £4 ($6) and were quite filling as we could not finish the 4 Loaves of bread that came with the meal!....



As we passed this side alley on our way further into town hoping to have a look around the Market…..



It wasn’t long before we are there with all the colourful clothes, which we think are Pyjamas as some people wear them to go out in as they are warm when they feel cold, even though the outside temperature can still be 19C+!...



Then we get into the Market and other shops…..









While a visit to the Cite Portuguese (Portuguese City) is also a must and it’s on the other side of this large wall, and one of the entrance gates is on the other side of the Surete National Car which is backed onto the wall, so come on off we go!…..



Turn in through the gate and this is the view that greets you, while underneath the large building is a water cistern that supplied all the fresh water to the Portuguese City, and still does to a large extent…..



Walking down the road on our left is the old lighthouse….



As we then get to the end of the road and up onto the walls that face the sea…





While this section faces across the port entrance as you can just see the fishing boats moored up….



Our next view was of a Dock being reclaimed for launching boats….





Waiting patiently are 2 Dhows which have been worked on for at least the 4 years we have visited the town, and it looks like they will be ready for launching as the ramp is finished…..



While there is the little fishing fleet…..



Then we looked over the wall facing the Sea and were not sure where these two guys came from?.....



The Sea Wall with the (Open) door of the Bakery which we visited on our previous trip and it turned that it used to get its flour delivered by boat….



Time to head back to the campsite as we head back through the town….



As we spot the guy in front of the Electronics Store who looked like he had been playing with Plaster in the building that was being constructed a few doors along as nearly his total body clothes included were all covered in white!….



As we walked along we then spotted a building that is not normally open.
It is a Museum and contains the history about El Jadida and the liberation of the city during the revolution, which although it was in Arabic & French, at least you could understand some of the information in French, while the two Moroccan ladies did their level best to also help with the translation and it worked!.....
We spent over an hour in their company and the information was interesting, as we then went upstairs into the Library which was not normally open to the public to see the view along the beach which was very nice and is repeated below.....







So, it’s back on the road tomorrow and heading for Essouaria….

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

El Jadida – Essouaria

Interestingly our one night halt at El Jadida was nearly the same price for our two nights at Kenitra while I don’t think we will be going back there, while last night it got very misty in El Jadida…..

So it was up and away just before 09:00 today making our way through the mist that was still hanging around albeit a bit slower than normal as there were a number of cars who had no lights showing at all as we headed for a Campsite that is a few miles outside Essouaria, and as we get further South we think the scenery gets more interesting…





Roadside stalls selling wicker bags and baskets….



While as this was the ‘N1’ road, initially the road surface was good….



Then as we got into each town/village, the road suddenly got wider!….



The back outside the town/village it became narrower with the sheep or goats grazing at the roadside, and a shepherd looking after them to stop them running into the road…







While the further South you get the more people still rely on a Donkey or Horse and Cart for their transport…..



With this rather nice looking property at the roadside….



Glad we didn’t get stuck behind this on the narrower sections of the road…..



As we then start to pass through the centre of the town which as we found out was heavy and slow going as the market was in full swing….



While on the other side of the town we come into our first section of road in need of repair!......



Animal feed being harvested from fields just up the road and being transported by Donkey and what looks like an overloaded cart…..



While this tractor driver was really keeping an eye his rear view mirror as he moved over to let us pass him in plenty of time…..



Left over puddles from the rain that came down a few days ago in the area….



Heading into another town that was in the middle of market day…..



And it got more congested…..



And even more congested……
But around here ‘That’s how life continues’ so you just have to slow down and go with the flow…..







Aahh! Back on the open road, and it was a nice surface again….



As we then caught up this little truck in front with 3 Cows in. The BIG guy was on the left, the Middle size was on the right, and the little fella was in the middle while going around the bends was not much fun for him in the middle!...



As we then spot this Donkey having a ‘snack’ on some juicy grass at the front of the garage!…..



Yippee another market to squeeze our way through at around 3Mph!....







Well we saw the Gas Truck with a couple of Spare Wheels while now we see a Donkey Cart with a Spare wheel on the side! The owner has possibly suffered with punctures in the past, especially when we see the condition of some of the tyres on the carts!…..







The large light coloured area in the next picture is a MASSIVE Plastic Sheet Greenhouse, and considering it was 24C outside as we travelled along I would not like to be working in there in Summer when the outside temperature can reach 45C+!



As we then get into the nice scenery in the countryside….









As we came to the next town/village it was close to 12:00 so lunch time and everyone parking on the main road while they went off for something to eat.....



While on the far side of the town/village were all the Donkeys no doubt having a well earned break and some food…



As we then pass a group of men who are ‘trimming’ the trees at the side of the road, except they remove all the branches!....



The campsite we were heading for was supposed to be not far away now, but when we got to the location provided by the website of the place it was nowhere to be found, while people at the roadside could not help point us in the right direction, so it was forget that one and head for another which took us down our first ‘3 Wheels On & 3 Wheels Off’ road to Kaouki Beach!….



The ‘3 Wheels On & 3 Wheels Off’ comes about when you meet a vehicle coming towards you, as you slow down and then with your right hand indicator going slowly put your nearside wheels onto the ‘piste’ as the drop from tarmac to piste can be a couple of inches unless you spot somewhere lower to carry out the manoeuvre. The tarmac is not wide enough to allow you to stay on with all your wheels and pass each other…

Sometimes drivers, both Moroccan & Tourist like to play ‘Chicken’ and will pull over at the last possible minute in the hope that you will get off completely and let them stay with all their wheels on the tarmac so they don’t cause any damage to their tyres, as they will not slow down….

Then it is not very long and we are Camping Kaouki Beach, which when we came last year at the same time of year, there was 18 inches of rainwater from the very bad storm in the entrance, while the campsite had no electricity or fresh water, but they are now back up and running and the facilities are nice with Wi-Fi available as well.....



All set up after an interesting day in getting here…..



The start of Sunset….



The end of Sunset….



We will take a look at the beach and other areas tomorrow as we are staying here for a few days….

[ssicarman]

As always great pictures. Looks nice and green this year.

[Da Tow'd]

Thanks for taking the time to show us the sights
cheers
Hank

[XCovlov70]

As always great pictures. Looks nice and green this year.

Thanks ssicarman. The majority of the pictures are thanks to the 'Co Driver' with a few from me, so I will pass on your comments.
As for it being 'green' I am thinking that even though it has rained it was just enough unlike last year when the storm washed a lot away!

[XCovlov70]

Thanks for taking the time to show us the sights
cheers
Hank

You are very welcome Hank.
They say 1 Picture is worth a 1000 words so I can rest my fingers when it comes to typing the commentary!

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Our time at Kaouki Beach 1st Day

I must be NUTS! (NO feedback/comments required thank you!)

I got up at 05:00 this morning to have a look at the heavens and I must say it was spectacular even though there was quite a bright Moon



While I also tried to take some pictures of the stars as it was very clear down here with virtually no background lights it proved impossible with the camera, so I went back to bed, only to be woken up again at 07:30 with bright daylight, which was a surprise as we are normally very dark until around 08:00.

So after breakfast we decided to sort out a few things inside and found that our 6 bottle wine carrier had all but disintegrated on our journey here, but the bottles were intact!

Some people reading this will recognise the ‘Asda (WallMart) wine carrier in the picture below which looks a bit ‘crushed’ to say the least!.....



After then spending a bit of time giving the ‘TinTent’ a clean up on the roof & walls, we set off for a walk down to the beach…..



Passing this local hostelry as we walked along the road…...





As we got closer we could start to see the Surfers in the water and a few Restaurants close to the beach…







While this is a picture of a young boy taking a picture of his parents standing close to a man on a camel on the beach…..



As we then take in the view to the far side of the bay…..



Turning around the mist is starting to rise from the sea along the beach….



But it doesn’t deter the surfers…..



While a bit closer we see this Horse who is also enjoying a bit more than a ‘paddle’!….





As we then spot this BIG guy having a rest, and had I brought my wallet I might have been tempted to enquire about the cost of a ride along the beach on him, but there is always tomorrow, and I don’t think he will get a Sunday off!...



Heading up off the beach with a look back…..





We really expected to see a notice hanging above this Donkey saying “Do not disturb, it’s MY lunch time!” ….



A short while after getting back to the campsite we got a visit from the Patisserie Vendor with a nice selection of Moroccan Pastries, so we got a selection and having sampled a couple they are rather nice and quite enticing to eat the lot in one go!…..



While the day has gone over too quickly tomorrow was going to be a trip to Essouaria, but we decided to have another ‘rest day’ here as the Sunshine has been just right for getting ‘browned off’ or ‘slightly pink’ in colour so we are going to have another!

Good night!

[ssicarman]

You know sometimes it is just not necessary to point out the sanity level of 5 in the Blessed AM people. Besides it may be dangerous to do so.
The beach and the area around it looks nice. Bit more of a tourist area I would assume based on the ride hires and mobile bakery.

[XCovlov70]

You know sometimes it is just not necessary to point out the sanity level of 5 in the Blessed AM people. Besides it may be dangerous to do so.
The beach and the area around it looks nice. Bit more of a tourist area I would assume based on the ride hires and mobile bakery.

Mornings for me are the nicest time of the day with the Sun coming up and the 'Thunder of the silence' as they say in Scandinavia!

Meanwhile you are correct in your reading of the pictures as it is an area for Surfers while at this time of year there are not that many, but the waves & water temperature is still good even though everyone uses body suits.

[XCovlov70]

Overland to Morocco.
Winter 2015-2016

Our time at Kaouki Beach 2nd Day

Firstly an apology as I am having a few 'problems' between the camera that I am using and Paint Shop Pro as the pixelations are not as good as i would like.

As I decided to stop in bed this morning until it got light outside, it’s a bit of a Horticultural look at first at some of the flowers around the campsite before we head off for a walk going left out of the campsite and then down to the beach for a stroll back to the village ….

No names sorry as I haven’t got a clue, but they look nice!.....









This one I do know as it is the herb Rosemary…..



Rosemary ‘close up’…..





Red Hot Poker?



While as we start the walk having got to the road and turned left, within about 300yards we come to this sign for another campsite…..



As this little Donkey looks at us a bit apprehensively from under the sign…..



As we get to basically the far end of the beach we see a few ‘hobbled’ camels getting food while a few cars are parked towards the sea with surfers out in the ocean….



While just around the corner is this large property complete with swimming pool which we could just make out the man who was cleaning it out of all the fallen leaves…..



Then just off to our right is this young camel who was also ‘hobbled’…..



Then just at the bottom of my feet is this rather nice little yellow wild flower...



Heading down to and along the beach next we spot this sand castle in Moroccan style which looks rather nice with the little entrance gate made up of stones…..





Walking along the beach and not keeping one eye on the sea I got caught out or rather in the waves as they ran up the beach, and while the water was cold it was not to bad….



With a nice little collection of a few of the various rocks that are all over the beach and are more than likely millions of years old along with the first complete Cuttle Fish we have seen in a long time....



As we got the ‘our end of the beach’ we spotted the Camels , and as normal after a bit of bartering a price was agreed and we climbed aboard for the Camel Ride!.....

OK, so what happens when he stands up?



I hung on for dear life and we are off!..



‘Yes’ Objective accomplished, and look Mam no hands, but you have to swivel your hips to stay on!



45 Days to Tombuktoo? You must be joking, after 30 minutes my ‘#@*!’ is getting sore!....



As we eventually turned around the camel behind came alongside me and I started scratching his head as he seemed to like it, but then he got a bit ‘grumpy’ so I left him alone as I thought of my right leg being very close, but then I was told that camels are vegetarians, so I felt better……



As we got closer to the end of the ride we pass these children out for a horse ride along the beach and boy were they young…..



While sunset tonight was rather nice after a really nice day…..



Time for a trip into Essouaria tomorrow to once again stock up on supplies and have a look around the town…

Good night!