The ever changing landscape.. that's Morocco

Sonny (the motorhome) is parked up by a beautiful beach in Oualidia a beautiful fishing port and lagoon beach.

Before setting off further south into Morocco from the campsite at Moulay-Bousselham, Mel got talking to a young man (looked about 25/26 years old) from Hong Kong.  He was on the campsite in a tent and making his way around by bike, with a budget of €10 (100DH) per day – our budget is 5 ½ times that!  He's cycled from South Korea, through Russia and Europe to Morocco and then he is cycling back to South Korea. He has done a total of 25,000 kms already and we thought we had a long journey today - 180 kilometers!  This is his second time of doing it and he goes back to Hong Kong only to earn enough money to do it again - wow what a guy.

I decided I would do the 'lion's share' of the driving, and regretted it quite early on.  Heading down the motorway at 60mph, there were sheep/goat herders walking alongside to feed their flock on the little bit of grass there was, followed by young children (11/12 years) jumping out in the middle of the road to try and get us to stop, random men and women just walking up the middle/side of the motorway and then this guy hurtling down the motorway with a women (presumably his wife), a young child and probably all their worldly goods in the back.  We feel for them all but really wished they had more value for their life.

A shepherd with his flock at the side of the road!

Fruit and vegetable sellers by the roadside

We saw more evidence of the railway that they are building and have since learnt that its going to be a high-speed rail network between Tangier and Casablanca.  Work started in 2011 and was supposed to be a four-year project but looks like they have a long way to go still!   Travelling through the ever-changing landscape we then came across this modern looking bridge!

We skirted around Rabat, deciding not to stop, as we have read it is just a very built up modern and cosmopolitan city and the Medina not having much appeal.  So, as we continued south we thought we were doing so well following the road signs, but this sign was just way too baffling for us.  

All signs so far have been in Arabic and French but the simbols underneath the Arabic looked like something from the Da Vinci Code!  Okay, quick look on the internet and it turns out they are Berber symbols.  Apparently, there are quite a few people in North Africa who are Berber-speaking, although mostly those living south, down near the Atlas Mountains.  French is still the official national language, although Arabic is widely spoken.

We arrived at Mohammedia and picked up the signs for Ocean Bleu Campsite (N33.7375 W7.32436).  Lots of modern day hotels and apartments being built but sadly right next door to run down areas where a lot of families live.

On arrival, we once again had to fill in a registration form - that asks you everything but your shoe size.  To be fair we have found out that these forms are used by the police to help look for missing people (foreigners), so we understand the importance of filing them out accurately.

A lovely stroll along the beach to stretch our legs was welcoming.

The next day we took the motorway around Casablanca – another place that is very built up and we didn’t fancy visiting this time around.  This was the last drive we would take on the motorway as it ends at our stop for the night– El Jadida.

Parked up on the International Campsite in El Jadida we took a walk along the sea front to the old walled Medina, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The sea front, with the Medina in the distance

You can walk around a lot of the ramparts, with fantastic views across the sea. It was originally under the Portuguese who held it from 1506 to 1769 and is still known as Cité Portuguese.

The fishing boats bringing in their catch

The old Portuguese Cistern is a subterranean vault that mirrors its roof and pillars in a shallow film of water covering the floor.

Portuguese Cistern, where Orson Welles filmed Othello

There is quite a large outdoor market, selling fruit, veg, spices and the usual things you find on markets.  However, here we found the selling of live chickens - enough said!
When we got back to our motorhome we had a visitor– a peacock!

 We took a few minor roads today to get down to Oualidia (no more motorways for us) and nearly disappeared down a few potholes and into ditches as we swerved to avoid lorries and scooters – all good Moroccan fun!  Once we had gone a few miles the roads weren’t too bad and the scenery following the coastline was beautiful.  All the way down and both sides of the road men, women and children were working the fields using donkeys to carry whatever they picked – mostly carrots, cabbages and cauliflowers.  

A lot of them stopped to wave to us, as they aimlessly crossed the road – not sure they see many motorhomes coming this way.

It was about a 50 mile journey that took us just over 2 hours given the conditions of the road but we enjoyed every inch of the journey. Parked up we walked down to the lagoon beach. You can pick your fish - Oysters, Lobsters, Dorado, Sardines, Octopus, Squid etc etc and they will cook them for you to sit and eat on the beach.  Think we will have to try this beach café tomorrow.

From here you can take a boat trip around the lagoon to see the birds.

And then up into town, where we bought a few oranges for squeezing - obviously not quite all of these!

Then it was off for a drink. Think Mel would have liked a nice cold beer but had to settle for a mint tea – a gentle reminder that we are in Morocco and no alcohol in public!

Sally x