Morocco Encore and a long run south....

A final ride from Camping Asseiceira (as by the time I return to the area Gary will have sold up and moved in to his very nice local cottage) took me across La Fontera in to Spain as I wanted more ready cash for Morocco and beyond. In Valencia D' Alcantara I tried various ATMs until one paid out without commission and more importantly I selected 'without conversion' as the better option. A coffee and cake in warm sunshine saw me ready for the return route passing an interesting dolmen and a craggy outcrop near the border where perhaps two dozen eagles were lazily circling high above.

 

Gary kindly took us out for a final meal and then I was away first thing Friday feeling quite sad that I would not be staying here again in similar circumstances - I have visited and stayed many times over the years and the site has left me a host of happy memories.

Anyway I was over in to Spain and again in search of gas to no avail but decided the ready availability of cheap Moroccan gas and cylinders rendered the CampingGaz unnecessary so instead rolled on to the walled town of Olivenza for a quick scout round including the stunning twisted columns of the Santa Maria del Castello church.

 

South again brought me to Jerez d De Los Caballeros with its three Baroque church towers followed by a lovely drive through the wooded hills of Tentudia where I stopped in Fregenal de La Sierra which has a remarkable bullring located within its castle walls. I pulled up at an aire outside the small village of Cumbres Mayores just down from a large Dutch 4x4 Merc van with a Hymer conversion. On a chilly evening I walked in to the seemingly silent village only to note families heading in to the centre. Here to my great delight I came across a carnival procession of about ten decorated lorries with children in various outfits throwing out small gifts to the crowds and a lively brass band adding to the occasion. It was all to celebrate the arrival of the 3 Kings at Bethlehem and made for a very entertaining couple of hours which the Dutch couple ensconced in their van had unfortunately missed entirely. 

 The Eber kept me warm overnight and I was away after breakfast calling briefly at a caravan place in Seville in search of a bathroom tap, mine having developed a split - it's not one I use so Mandy can bring one out from the UK in March. After the final run down to Tarifa I parked behind the beach on the long track that is popular with the kite surfing community. As always there was every size and shape of van and even lorry parked up and the shore was full of the enthusiasts and their colourful kit. I chatted to a couple from Auckland, but originally the UK, who had come over to explore Europe for a few months having bought a van. Their time was nearly up and a ferry back to the UK booked but both Jeremy and Abby were clearly inspired by the prospect of Morocco - next time perhaps folks. I walked along the beach to Tarifa for a welcome but pricey beer and then returned to the van for a lean supper as I had yet again been caught out by all the shops being shut for another holiday.

I was away before dawn on the Sunday, arrived at the Estacion Maritime in Algeciras as the sun rose and had my paper tickets in hand within ten minutes having steadfastly ignored the various touts trying to lure me to their booths. Sat in the queue for the ferry other vehicles turned up including 3 Portuguese 4x4 enthusiasts and a ludicrous 6x4 German truck.

 

Loading and departure was an hour late which made no odds and the customs, immigration and vehicle insurance formalities were as easy and efficient as last year. Thus after an hour's drive I arrived at La Ferma, a small hotel offering camping as well which we had used last year - it made sense after a long day to go somewhere easy and I was soon set up for a quiet evening. Next day after a quick shop in the nearby (and expensive) Marjane supermarket I withdrew more dirhams at an ATM and then headed west to reach the Atlantic coast taking care to avoid the occasional tortoises that were lumbering across the warm tarmac. I managed to swop my one blue and one red gas cylinder for two reds (the more ubiquitous apparently) for the ridiculously cheap price of 90p each (£48 in the UK!) and arrived after a busy town centre at the Kenitra Municipal Camping which was more or less full of Europeans, mostly French or Dutch.

Leaving after a quiet night I followed the coast south to Rabat and stopped to visit the Botanical Gardens at Bouknadel which were lovely and contained a small vivarium with various snakes and reptiles that caused the three visiting school groups to shriek even more loudly. I decided that the chaotic driving in a city is far more risky for a dent or bash than the equally chaotic smaller towns where it is mostly pedestrians, donkeys or hand carts rather than vans and taxis so decided to hit the peage until past Casablanca. Ironically within minutes the bonnet of a BMW in front flew off and came at me like a giant steel frisbee. Fortunately with empty lanes on my left I was able to swerve violently and avoid the projectile and of course the car which had screeched to a halt. Anyway the tolls were very reasonable - I was classed as Class 1 due to size and was soon round Casablanca and following the coast once more.

At Oualidia I stopped in a large carpark with numerous other vans and paid Ali the 40 dirhams (£3) to stay the night. The superb beach ten minutes walk away was a real delight with beautifully decorated oyster stalls on the way up. The golden sands and crashing surf combined with a setting sun made for a remarkable backdrop to a horse and rider and the colourful fishing boats looked lovely hauled high above the tideline. Back at the carpark I chatted with Steve and Fiona who live off grid in Spain south of Valencia and were fascinated that I have lived van life now for almost twenty years.

 

Another steady day along the coast past a huge petrochemical works and port near Safi, took me through smart Essaouira and down to a surfing village at Sidi Kaouki where a few miles further south at Camping Azrou (see P4N) a young couple are making an effort to establish a small campsite just in from a superb beach. It's early days yet but they were friendly and enthusiastic and I enjoyed a quiet and warm night after walking the beach at sunset. In the scrubland behind the beach were a number of vans free camping but I feel we should support facilities if available as the majority of European vans can well afford it.

The N1 twisted its way inland for a while and after stopping to buy 20 kg of oranges for a tenner I stuck to it before taking a side route to Tifnite where overnight parking is no longer allowed. Thus I carried on in to Tiznit and cut through more hilly lands having glanced across at the rugged mountains of the Ameln around Tafraout. I had filled up with 70 litres of Shell V Power for £80 and the friendly pump attendant had offered me the chance to fill my fresh water tank which was good news. The steady driving had produced a remarkable 48mpg from BP Ultimate fuel and should save even more money as the always numerous police checkpoints now have far more radar guns than before - thus 60km/hr is the default for anywhere with housing and it's only 80km/hr on most of the other roads.

 

Arriving on the coast again I was soon pulling off down a dirt track to park at a previous favourite perched high above the stunning Legzira Arch. Sibi was occupying the small shack and keeping an eye on the few friendly stray dogs but said there was no longer any charge to stay. He was a really nice guy and had worked in Leipzig last year but decided he would rather live more simply back near his family.

There were a few other vans scattered about and I took the rocky path down to the beach to enjoy the spectacular natural feature as the sun set. Overnight a warm katabatic wind blew down from the mountains and quite a lot of dust spilled over those parked on the far side of the scrub.

I decided a break from moving on was justified having covered 2000 miles from home (not including the ferry crossing which adds another 500 or so) with about 700 done in Morocco. Layounne is another 300, Dakhla 600, Nouakchott a 1000 and Dakar 1500........................

Thus I walked down to the beach again, through the arch and past the simplest of shacks that fishermen occupy tucked hard against the cliff. Whilst rounding a headland I got caught by a rogue wave and my phone took a quick dip. The screen flashed up a raindrop icon warning that there was water detected in the charging port and advised me not to insert a charger until dry. This was easy enough in the warm sun but I shall have to be more careful in future. Another remarkable arch led through to a beach and a track up to the cliff top after which it was a fair walk back to the van. I passed a simple shack where presumably grandma was washing a few clothes and a beautiful young mum came out with her two infants to shyly say hello. How they live there with no water or power and stuck in the middle of arid rocky terrain I cannot imagine.

Back at the van an Austrian van had decided that parking right next to me and totally blocking my view was acceptable. Initially I though it was just for that all important Insta picture but when they set off walking I queried their intentions, received a dismissive response so decided to move fifty yards or so to be away from them : I am well aware of the contrast between my petty concerns and the hard life lived by the family I'd met just minutes earlier.

 

Later whilst doing this blog Sibi came over to borrow a small hex bit as he wanted to dismantle a rechargeable drill which we managed but to no avail as it was still kaput. I then put a meter on the battery which turned out to be flat. I could have easily charged it for him but the charging unit was back at his family home where they have basic solar power so we had to leave it. Later he bought over some tea and we enjoyed a good chat in 3 different languages. Finally I took another walk down to the arch as the sun set behind it before returning to cook a spag bol for the next few days and steak and veg for tonight's meal.

Tomorrow I will head south again but with two months until Mandy joins me at Agadir in March I have plenty of time to explore what for me will be pastures new south of Fort Bou Jerif. It's a long haul across the Western Sahara and my progress may well be determined by factors outside of my control so with luck I will post again in a week or so, meanwhile enjoy more piccies

 HERE