Morocco Part 2: Rabat to Tan Tan

And so our collection of Moroccan urban and rural sights continued.

Moroccan Car Insurance?

Roadside Tagine for Ollie

Roadside Fish Sales

Why pay a Franchise Fee when you have a Billboard

Old Medina Rabat

The rural pastime - roadside herding

Outside the butcher shop - some goat feet for teatime!

Peugeot 205 Taxi Rank

From Rabat we hit the big industrial city of Casablanca – smog and crazy traffic with a plush D4 quarter and an Irish bar that charged 6 euros a drink – same price as the hostel accommodation!

Then onto Marrakech, with a sleepover in a local school on the way. Abdraheem, the school caretaker insisted I join him in his hide away from family duties, for an evening of satellite TV.

Abdraheem - school caretaker

Marrakech lived up to its rep as a most intriguing city with miles and miles of souq alleyways and deep cultural vibe. However Arthur Daly himself wouldn’t escape from being fleeced at every turn.

And then onto the Atlas for some amazing scenery, more roadside tagines (causing a few Olympic toilet trips) and lots of donkey scenery.

Atlas Mts from Marrakech

Summit Tagines

Donkey Snacking

Some Rain Cover

Well Duties

Agadir, as expected seems the most Western of Moroccan cities. Impressive beachfront and bar strip with lots of fellow pasty people around and Derek departed from us again at this point.

Waka Waka Hostel Marrakech

Getting used of the mosque prayer sirens – kinda like the Angelus Bells – a portion of people take notice and hit the mat and a portion seem to take no heed.  Impressed by how safe Morocco is – thievery just not part of the culture – also impressed by the developing economy – ecommerce doesn’t seem to have fully hit yet but with such a young educating population, all seemingly happy with the new King (Monarchy TV pretty funny) – seems like an economy to watch.

Trip total 3,903km – nearly 8 weeks on the road - Ollie holding the daily record of 185km!

Lost and Found – 1 passport, 2 laptops and 1 kindle – lets hope our luck continues!

Daily expenditure decreasing nicely to 15-20 euro levels (3 euro accommodation is current record)

Wind is new enemy now (4 hour struggle for 40k 2 days ago) and its starting to get sizzly too. On the edge of the dessert now – barren and dusty camel country – head turbans will soon in be use!

Entrance Guelmim

Roundabout Tan Tan

Other random photos:

Majorelle Gardens Marrakech

 Miloud, a friendly tour guide in Taroudant, explained that to pick up a traditional girl - you watch out in the street and then when you spot one- you follow her home to see where she lives and then go talk to the father or the brothers - no chatting to the girl beforehand never mind a trial run!

Meaty Tagine

Twin Mosque Casablanca

Rooftop Satellite Dishes for everyone

Barmaid English Pub Agadir - head scarf separated her from all the hookers!

40 cents fresh orange juice Marrakech

Cats are Kings in Morocco - they are treated so well everywhere - on the counter in the train station

Helping a local with a puncture

Irrigation System North Morocco

Pic from Spain- no horses or carts on the motorway

 Young Plasterer - Hostel Rabat

Goodbye Spain - Hello Morocco

A relative description of cycling from Tangiers Port into the Old City / Medina was to cycle through a collection of Moore Streets on a Saturday afternoon in the 80’s – madness – rubbish in random piles  – streets crowded with traders – beggars on every corner – locals curious of the 2 pasty lads on the fancy bikes with all the bags – supposed streets without even an Arabic Street Name.

After the initial shock of what we had just entered (unhelped by the fact that it was after dark due to a storm delay on the ferry from Tarifa) we began to realise that Morocco is a world among many worlds. There’s the world of the crazy/ nervy market and port towns. There’s the world of the traditional and primitive rural towns without running water, electricity, scare mechnised transport and strict religious adherence. Then there’s the world of the modern and liberal cities like Rabat, with tram systems etc. and an emerging liberalism and gender equality where woman dress and act in a western sense and bars can be uncovered in hidden locations, full of locals and even a female bar maid partaking herself (Ollie need not have stocked up on Lidl whiskey in Spain)

But in all worlds, toilet paper is a premium!, get accustomed to being ripped off and get accustomed to the smell of weed as getting stoned is locally acceptable! … the living car museum is also amusing, lots of Fiat Uno taxis blasting away over here - get used of blasting loud speakers from mosques - get used of cycling nervously on the hard shoulder!

Spot the washing machine on the back - and the Prince Worship

Taxi Rack - 240 D Mercs

Start Up the Donkey

Donkey Raincoat

Outside Rabat Medina

Medina Tangiers During Prayer Time

Road to Rabat

Ollie as stand-in pulley-boy in Asilah

Ollie Rooftop terrace Tangiers

Prior to our 2^nd world initiation, Andalusia, Spain offered up some incredible scenery with picturesque whitewashed hillside villages like Funcaliente, Montilla & Vejer De La Frontera

Bumped into 35 yr old Christian from Strasbourg who has left the grid without a telephone, email address or any electronic engagement apart from his bank card.

And I spend how much on gear!

 Micheal was super host once again in Tarifa before we got the ferry – foddering and feeding us.

Only 2 punctures so far and surprisingly haven’t been chased by dogs yet – dogs ridiculously sedate over here – there must be a verse about beating your dog every day!

Trip total 2894 km – stalled in Rabat for 2 days to get Mauratanian visa – managed to apply upon second attempt today – embassy opens only for 2 hours a day - and without a queing system madness breaks out every morning  – welcome to Africa:)

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Legacy lives on

When Nama finishes in Ireland

Shorter Toilet Trips

U were meant to take a right!