On the pasture. (February 10, 2020) Our tenth week of travel could not have started any better. We followed Laura and Paul's tip and found a place just 5 minutes away from our previous location. We arrived at a pasture surrounded by horses, cows, donkeys, goats, and pigs. In addition, we had a beautiful view of Tarifa, the Atlantic Ocean, and
Morocco in the distance. Mathias immediately made friends with a donkey. Love at first sight. After meeting in the pasture, Mathias brought him home with us. All that was missing were hooves, then he would have been in the motorhome. Wilma was thrilled with so many animals. While I prepared lunch, they set up the table and chairs. As soon as we brought out the plates, the horses approached. We sat down to eat. Well, we tried. The horses were very curious. One horse was almost eating from Wilma's plate with its mouth. The other horse was constantly being pushed away by Mathias. And I was also surrounded. We were probably sitting on their favorite feeding spot. So, we decided to eat in the motorhome instead. But before that, we had to remove a horse from our garage. Just its head, though. After lunch, we went for a walk. Wilma, Mathias, and I petted donkeys. We met a horse with a mustache and played hide and seek. We climbed big rocks and pretended to be the greatest mountaineers. When we returned to the motorhome, Wilma played farm and had to milk her cows. We enjoyed the sun and the view. A passing car informed us that it was okay to stay for one night, but not longer. That was fine because we didn't want to stay longer anyway. Later in the day, a few vans (buses) drove past us. But for now, we remained alone. In the evening, an expedition vehicle and two vans joined us. Honestly, we were hoping for a quiet night. Unfortunately, it was louder than expected. Different people, different ways.
Errands (February 11, 2020) We enjoyed the view during breakfast and packed up. Today, we had to do laundry, so we went to a laundromat in Tarifa. We parked in a parking lot near the laundromat. While the laundry was running, we went to the LIDL across the street and got something for lunch. YEEAAHH, hot dogs. In Spain, they also have sausages, but mostly chicken ones that I don't really like. So, we had bread rolls and hot dogs. Wilma and I watched Heidi. Mathias took care of the dryers. When everything was dry, we folded the laundry right there in the laundromat. And you won't believe what happened next. I was daydreaming out the window when it happened, a car with a license plate from my hometown. Crazy. We've seen a few German license plates, especially from the north. But we had never seen one from my city. Today was the day. We can be happy about that. With the laundry done and packed, we continued to Algeciras. It was a beautiful drive with a view of the sea. We spent what felt like an hour at a Pepsol gas station to empty, fill up on gas and water. Then we went to Los Barrios. What were we doing there? Buying ferry tickets for Morocco. We could have bought them at the ferry port or online, but we decided to take the recommendation and buy them from Carlos. Carlos has a travel agency right in the industrial area of Los Barrios. Everyone we had written or spoken to had bought their tickets there or had bought them in the past. It's a small unimpressive shop. But what was happening right next to it was crazy. A huge parking lot full of motorhomes. Everyone wanted to buy their tickets from him. There were two others in line ahead of us, then it was our turn. We quickly got the tickets. It cost us 210 euros. As a small gift, we received a plastic bag with cookies and wine. We parked on the same lot. Initially, we wanted to drive to the ferry terminal and stay there for the night. But then we decided to stay here. It was convenient as well. There were supermarkets all around us, so we could do some shopping. Mathias was already outside the motorhome, waiting for me. He was excited and said, 'Hey, there's another person from our city behind us.' Ha, another motorhome from my hometown. Of course, we said hello. Andreas was also happy. We chatted briefly and lent him our road map of Morocco for the duration of our shopping. It was really loud around us. The evening was relaxed, and I was excited. The night was okay.
Bonjour Morocco. (February 12, 2020) We were relaxed because we had an open ticket, so we could take any ferry we wanted. Some motorhomes had already left to catch the 11 a.m. ferry. We had a leisurely breakfast. Got ready and went to a supermarket one last time. We wanted to buy some insect repellent. We were supposed to leave at 2 p.m. with the ferry. But at 2 p.m., we weren't even on the ferry yet. Eventually, we boarded. We found a spot outside and waited for the ferry to depart. It finally left at 3:30 p.m. We were expecting a delay, but not 1.5 hours. Oh well. We stayed outside for a while, then we went inside and got in line for customs. That went quickly too. It was too windy outside, so we stayed inside and looked eagerly at Morocco. I already felt a bit uncomfortable among all the men. Especially since I had chosen my outfit too carelessly in the morning. Of course, I had informed myself in advance about the customs and traditions. But I thought that a dress without a neckline, with long sleeves, and reaching well below the knees would be enough. Apparently not. I could feel the stares, or maybe I just imagined it. Well, I couldn't change it anymore, so I tried to ignore it. We arrived at Tanger Med at 5 p.m. We still had to go through local customs. There were already other motorhomes in front of us that were also on our ferry. A customs officer approached me and asked for the vehicle documents and the owner's ID. I thought the car was registered in my name, so I gave him my passport. About 10 minutes later, the same officer came up to us with a serious expression. 'Are you sure the vehicle belongs to you?' Um, no. Mathias and I remembered that it was actually registered in his name. So we gave him Mathias' ID. He asked several more times. But then I realized that he was joking. It was a joke. Hahaha. Another 10 minutes later, I got the papers back with 'Hey Mathias, here are your papers.' The officer grinned and wished us a good trip. Well, now we were in Morocco. Another camper had told us that we needed cash. You can't pay tolls on the highways with a card. So we stopped 500m later and withdrew some money. Finally, we headed to Asilah. Our first stop. We didn't want to be on the road so late, but oh well. Wilma handled it well. The roads were better than expected, and the surroundings were beautiful. It could have been somewhere in southern Germany. Thank goodness we withdrew cash because cash is still king in Morocco. We finally arrived in Asilah at 7 p.m. Originally, we wanted to stay at a campsite. But we saw a parking lot by the sea with motorhomes and parked there instead. The Ludwigsluster and all the campers from our ferry were also there. We paid 40 MDH (about 4 euros) for the parking space, including security. We were immediately asked about souvenirs and shown the menu of the restaurant next door. Well, hello, different world. We didn't buy any souvenirs because we didn't have any, and why would we? We studied the menu but didn't want to eat fast food. We said hello to the 'gang' at the parking lot and exchanged a few words. Afterward, we returned the menu to the 'restaurant.' It was actually just a plastic hut with numerous cats. The hut screamed food poisoning. But the owner offered us couscous, fish, or a tajine. The cook, probably his wife, smiled at us. She was happy to see Wilma, and we decided to stay. We didn't regret it. We had delicious couscous, fresh calamari, and a tajine. It was super fresh, very hot, and mega delicious. We were served very friendly and attentively. In the end, we paid 155 MDH (about 15.50 euros) for three meals. Not cheap by Moroccan standards, but totally okay for us. We were unsure about the tip and gave 10 MDH (about 1 euro). By now it was already 9 p.m. Wilma really needed to go to bed. When we arrived at the motorhome, the caretaker was waiting for us. He asked us for things like clothing. Phew, we gave him one of Mathias' jackets. We declined everything else. Then we went to bed calmly and satisfied. The waves soothed us to sleep.
Completely frustrated. (February 13, 2020) We had a great night's sleep. Had a relaxed breakfast, and then we planned to visit a phone store in town to get a Moroccan SIM card. Just before we could leave, someone knocked on the motorhome again. But this time, it wasn't a vendor. No, it was a camper from our ferry (from Hamburg). She asked if everything was okay. She has been coming to Morocco for 12 years and wanted to give us some tips and advice. Very nice. We listened and asked a few questions before we headed out. The telecom shop wasn't far away. Mathias took care of everything, and I entertained Wilma a bit. On the way back to the motorhome, we bought two fresh flatbreads for 4 MDH (about 0.40 euros). We had a little snack for lunch. Our destination for today was Rabat. We wanted to park on a parking lot with a view of Salé and explore both cities. In theory. We drove and drove. Wilma wasn't in the mood for driving and made sure we felt it. Unlike in Spain, we now need all four eyes while driving in Morocco. That means no one can sit in the back with Wilma and entertain her. In Rabat, I almost went crazy. 4-lane roundabouts. Cars upon cars and a few motorcycles in between. Finally, we arrived at the parking lot, and the view and location were beautiful. But the attendant told us that overnight parking was not allowed. Great. So, we had driven forever just to be told that we couldn't sleep here. It was already 4 p.m., and Wilma was really going crazy. I was completely stressed from driving, and now this. We decided to stay here for 1-2 hours at least to figure out what to do next. We all yelled and argued, all three of us. After realizing that we had to continue because there was no other parking space, we took a calming walk by the water and then through the streets. It was good for all of us. We calmed down. Saw a bit of Rabat despite not having enough time to explore the city that day. When we got back to the motorhome, Wilma got something to eat. We explained to her that we had to continue driving. She didn't feel like it anymore, but she handled it well. We headed to a campsite just before Casablanca. Another hour of driving. Another round of city madness. We arrived at the campsite completely exhausted. We were assigned a spot that looked okay. The attendant didn't speak any English, only French, and my broken French was only of limited use. I drove the motorhome to the assigned spot. Then Mathias and the attendant signaled for me to go in. I was supposed to go directly into a bay with another camper, with our rear end facing the other van. You didn't need to be a genius to see that our huge ship, including the bike rack, would never fit there. But they kept waving and waving. Eventually, I ended up parking completely crooked and almost in the middle of the road. Huh? No. We didn't have enough space to set up chairs, and I didn't want to block half of the campsite. Round two of arguments. I tried to explain to Mathias that it was stupid and that I wouldn't park like that. We maneuvered back and forth, always under the watchful eyes of the other campers. Great. Eventually, I parked properly and was satisfied. Now we had to cook because the child had only had bread for lunch. Great. We had two leftover chicken legs. Mathias put them in the pan and filled the whole motorhome with smoke. Mathias ate at the dinner table. Wilma was too tired to eat, and the chicken wasn't cooked enough for me. Where did the lightness from Spain go? Destroyed within a day. I didn't want it like this. I wanted to go with the flow. Not be so trapped. But that was only possible to a limited extent in Morocco. We are forced to stay at official campsites for safety reasons. Driving is limited to the daytime because it's too dangerous at night due to the lack of vehicle lighting (cars, donkey and horse carts, motorcycles, etc.), and the travel times between places are extremely long. We decided to stay at the campsite for a few days to get settled. To get used to Morocco and its conditions.
Relaxation. (February 14-15, 2020) As exciting as yesterday was, the night was relaxing. We had a leisurely breakfast. Gave Wilma time to settle in. Lazed around. Did some coloring, read books. Today, Wilma was in charge. We had lunch promptly at a little after 12 p.m. We were able to sit outside in the sun. Around us, there were chickens and cats. Wilma had fun. We quickly adjusted to the routine. After lunch, we took a walk around the campground. Looked at the water, and then went to the gas station, which was 200m from the campsite. We wanted to look for gas. We found a small 'supermarket,' a butcher, and a bakery. They had very tasty things. Wilma got an ice cream, and we got something for coffee. We relaxedly walked back to the motorhome and spent the rest of the day outside. The weather was great, very warm. Wilma played with stones and water while Mathias and I kicked back and relaxed. We played tag, hide and seek, and met Boris. Boris was a dog belonging to a couple from the Netherlands. Wilma kept disappearing to them.
Yes, Mom, Anca, and Dad, that's how I was too. Mathias and I looked at the map for a place nearby as our next destination. However, it's difficult to find a place nearby, often requiring a 2-hour drive or more. We found a very nice spot in the mountains with a great view of the landscape. That's the goal for tomorrow. We prepared Wilma for the long drive. We had 3.5 hours ahead of us, including Moroccan roads. We spent a relaxing evening and prepared the motorhome as much as possible for the departure. We wanted to start the day without rushing after breakfast. We had learned from our first day.
Hello North Africa. (February 16, 2020) It went well. We had a leisurely breakfast and all took a shower one last time. We said goodbye to Uwe and Silvia. Emptied and refilled everything. We filled up the tank for 9.5 MDH (about 0.95 euros) per liter. At the gas station, we were approached by a guy with a child in his arms. He was completely out of it, I don't know if it was drugs or alcohol. Anyway, he asked me to kiss the child. I declined, and then he said to me, "You just don't want to because he's black." What nonsense. I still decide for myself when to kiss someone. Apparently, in Morocco, you kiss children even if they are strangers. So, in the 11th week, I will have even more experiences. Our journey began. The roads from the ferry to our current spot were good. Now we got to know what everyone was talking about. Either the roads were eaten away on the sides or there was simply no pavement at all. Big potholes in the middle of the road were also not uncommon. So, we had not only a 3.5-hour drive ahead of us but also adventurous roads. But in return, we saw the land and the people better than on the highway. We constantly encountered donkey carts. Small motorcycles with trailers and so on. The houses became poorer and the garbage increased. Nevertheless, the landscape was fantastic. The weather was great, and people would occasionally wave at us and be happy. At some point, we stopped at a gas station. They always looked spick and span. Crazy. We had lunch here. Read a book before continuing. At some point, we turned off the 'main road.' We watched people in their fields. Children on the side of the road trying to sell potatoes. We saw countless herds of sheep. The road got worse and worse. But we were rewarded with a spot that couldn't have been more beautiful. I have no idea what North Africa looks like, but this is what I imagined. First, we stopped at a parking lot with a great view. Some Moroccans were already having a picnic there. But the parking lot was not the right spot yet. We still had to drive up a small steep road. And then it was there. A ruin and the caretaker, who showed us to a spot. There was no better view here. We were completely alone. After parking, we got out of the motorhome. We just wanted to take a walk to settle in. But then we were greeted right away. The caretaker told us that we had to pay 50 MDH (about 5 euros) for parking. I don't know if he made it up or if someone actually told him that. But for this spot, it was more than worth it. In whichever pocket it goes. Medi, the grandson, showed us around the ruins. He immediately asked if we wanted couscous or something similar. I ordered a tajine for Monday at noon. We returned to the motorhome and had dinner. The sunset was amazing. Such a red sun. The donkeys, sheep, and cows returned to their 'stables', and we went to bed. At around 9:30 p.m., someone knocked on our door. Mathias and I were already in bed. I said, 'Oh god, who could that be?' Mathias put something on and looked out the kitchen window first. There was Medi with the ordered tajine. The communication worked well. It smelled delicious. We graciously accepted it and set it aside for lunch. We saw lights and heard voices from the ruins. They were actually guarding us. While we noticed this through the skylight, we saw the amazing starry sky. Morocco can continue like this.
