country if we hadn't had the well organised schedule of the tour leader.
One of our first observations was how green Morocco is. They have good agriculture and the quality of the produce in the markets and at the roadside is very fresh and good quality.
A briefing and a meal cooked for us on the open fire.
This is Ray the tour leader and his Companion Alice. We didn't take George on this trip, he had a holiday relaxing at a Dog Spa in Portugal. Our first two day stop was to visit the blue town of Chefchaoun located high in the Rif mountains.
On the road again this time bound for fez. The journey was broken for a night wild camping in the forrest.
One of the team Hammed who met up with us at Martil on the first night. He is cooking something up for us here. Usually quite simple but welcome after a day travelling.
We left the wild camp and drove the few miles to the roman town of Volubilis. there is still much more to be uncovered here and it is an ongoing project. The Lisbon earthquake was responsible for destroying much of the site at the same time covering over many fine examples of mosaic and stonework which are now being slowly uncovered.
A lunch stop at Meknes and my first chance to go in search of safron in the souk.
We have now reached Fez and an early meeting in the morning for a full day minibus tour of the city. Our guide for the day took us to the points of interest and I feel those were, where he got his comission for taking the group to spend money!
The Kings Palace in Fez is not open to the public. He uses this Palace from time to time as he tours the country. His wife is from Fez, however their main home is in the capital Rabat.
This is the medina of Fez where 600.000 people live and work their houses crammed into tiny passages. To loose the tour guide here would probably have meant we would still be there.
Of course we had to be taken to the carpet shop! given mint tea then came the hard sell. Four of the group looking ready to make a purchase! Perhaps not.
The white pots to the rear of the picture are filled with lime to cure the skins and they are then transferred to the dye baths. Leather goods are considered a good buy in Morocco.
Our next destination is Meski an oasis village. We travelled through snow capped mountains and ended in a palm tree oasis in one day. Fantastic.
A stop for supplies and lunch. A tagine is the moroccan take away here they are being cooked over charcoal at the roadside.
Overloaded!
The landscape was becoming more arid with the odd oasis here and there.
Our campsite Source Bleue De Meski.
Meski is the home of Hammed our Moroccan guide and he is keen to show us his paradise.
Beni was pleased to show us inside his house and give us mint tea. His wife would do washing for anyone who needed. Olive oil and dates were offered for sale.
Mike couldn't resist this! its a jam jar!
The tour organisers are doing a good job in helping to fund this school at Meski. We were invited to look around and enjoy some entertainment by the children. We were asked in advance to bring items for the school. When we left they had a nice collection of books and pencils.
The Sahara is rich in fossils. We stopped at a factory in Erfoud and here I couldn't resist buying a couple of items.
A left turn off the road and we were heading into the desert on nothing more than a track. Our escort did a splendid job and we were wild camping in the Sahara. Wow! An Auberge a short walk away offered some facilities we were able to use.
The view from our van.
Sun setting over the Auberge
Some well deserved service for the Mog after escorting us safely to our desert location.
We chose a 4x4 ride into the dunes. Fossil rock is just lying there.
A Berber family.
The kitchen. Raw meat hanging from a string in the corner.
Invited into the Berber tent for tea.
Senegal musicians entertained us at lunch time.
We left the desert behind and headed for the Todra Gorge. Here we spent two nights. time to catch up with washing and prepare to make the reverse journey and onwards to Marakesh.
Impossible to capture this amazing drive.
Each time we completed a section of our trip we would tell Ray how impressed we were with the drive that day. The reply would be "better to come" he was quite right and the drive from here to Marakesh was the best.
The Tiz n' Tichka pass winds its way through the High Atlas. Its quite a challenge in places.
More splendid scenery and a full two days in Marakesh.
The Yves Sant Laurent garden in Marakesh.
Grinding the Argon nuts for oil
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Marakesh by day
Marakesh by night.
The tour then moved on to the coast at Esaouira. A quite uninteresting long drive on a very modern toll motorway. Esaouira is a coastal fishing town reminding me very much of Portugal. We had a farewell dinner there and each chose our option for return to Spain. Some went back to the motorway and headed for Tanger in one very long drive from where we were to take the ferry. Others took their time on the slower coastal road. We took the non motorway option to pass through Rabat. The road was slow and in poor condition. With very little scenery of any worth. An overnight stop and we were at the port of Tanger Med to cross back into Spain. We had decided to visit Gibraltar on the way back whilst we were without George the dog. The lovely clean campsite at La Linea was a welcome change from the Sites in Morocco which are poor at best and apalling at worst. Something we learned to put up with to explore this amazing country.
Gibraltar from the ferry
The cave
The monkey
The rock
The main St.
Our day in Gibraltar with a lovely lunch was just what we needed to round off our holiday. We then headed back to Ayamonte a three hour drive. George was pleased to see us when we collected him the next day.
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