Morocco by Camper Van

Monday 18 January

We spent Christmas 2009 and New Year's Eve with the family and…… under the heavy snowfall that came down in abundance. ……………………off we go Tuesday 19 We drive a few more kilometres until we reach Ametilla de Mar, where we settle at the campsite. Wednesday 20 We continue our itinerary, getting closer to Algeciras. When we reach Totana, along the road, we notice a sign indicating a campsite. Thursday 21 We go down to Málaga and then reach Algeciras while it's still daylight, where we stop to buy the ferry tickets for the next day. Friday 22 We arrive at 11 and queue again at the Tangier customs. While waiting we phone our friend in Tangier, telling him we're at the port, and he rushes to meet us just outside. After lunch we decide to continue the journey and not stay in Tangier, because, although we're welcome guests, we'd certainly put our friend in difficulty as he has to go back to work.

We reach Asilah and head to the port to stop for the night. Tuesday 26 In Tiznit we buy some good fish and have lunch in the little square right next to the optician's, who comes over to greet us. After lunch we set off for Sidi Ifni Wednesday 27 It rained tonight but in the morning the sun is warm Thursday 28 It rains during the night and it keeps raining in the morning too. Friday 29-Saturday 30–Sunday 31-Monday 1 February The sun is steady in the sky, it's warm, it feels really good. We spend the days taking long walks along the ocean Tuesday 2-3-4-5-6 We enjoy lovely sunny days together with our friends Sunday 7 We decide to go and see the big market. Monday 8 – 9- 10 -11 We set off; we've decided to head down towards the south. We spend the days fishing in the Oued Chbika.

There's lots of sun, beautiful dunes towering over the lagoon and in the large square — watched over by the police — there's even a pool of hot spring water. Friday 12 We head south. At lunchtime we're in Laâyoune; we head to the port for a colossal feast of fish. Monday 15-16-17-18 During the night it rained very hard for a short while because a wind got up so strong it kept us awake. We're amazed by this sudden change in the weather; we also hear the opinions of other campers, who tell us they have news of heavy storms in central and northern Morocco, and also of rivers bursting their banks with serious consequences too.

Friday 19 This morning we go into the centre of Dakhla to do the shopping: the city is buzzing, the roads are all being asphalted, big works for new buildings, a new stadium, everything is newer… Wandering around Dakhla we find a good restaurant where we're served mutton cooked over charcoal. Saturday 20-21-22-23-24-25 We spend the time fishing and in the end we even get sick of fish, so much so that after eating it, keeping it in the fridge, making fillets… and giving it away. Friday 26 We go to Dakhla to see the festival again; Mary takes the opportunity of the day to go to her hairdresser to have her colour done, and as soon as we arrive we're welcomed with a joyful hug, they're happy to see us again. These are hectic days for the people of Dakhla, who are getting ready for the festival.

Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 In the morning we stay at the campsite; Antero goes fishing and catches two small cuttlefish, but enough to make a delicious cuttlefish sauce pasta. In the afternoon we take the taxi that takes us into the centre; we go inside the old medina of Dakhla, then into the huge square where the last preparations for the festival are in full swing, and meanwhile we meet other people with different customs and traditions because they come from other neighbouring countries too. We spend Sunday in the big festival square; we watch the camel races and the displays of the Tuareg horsemen. Monday 1 March Still in Dakhla for the last day of the celebrations. Tuesday 2 Back in the lagoon, where we spend the night amid great confusion because of the coming and going of police vans.

In the morning we learn that a German tourist has been missing since yesterday and nothing is known yet; then helicopters arrive, planes flying very low, and finally cars with divers to search the sea. Wednesday 3-Thursday 4 Here the weather is beautiful and warm; instead we have news of disasters in Meknes and Fez because of the heavy rain. Friday 5

Today we're guests at the hairdresser's home. Saturday 6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13 Our friends have returned and we spend the days with them. Tuesday 9 Antero notices that one of the camper's tyres has gone flat; so we go to the first tyre repairer… but he doesn't have the right equipment, so we start wandering around Dakhla, then we find someone who has the equipment and, in a short time, the tyre repairers locate the fault (a screw had gone into the tyre, which was losing air very slowly and, little by little, going flat) On the way back to the lagoon we notice that the camper's bumper is broken; most likely some kids in Dakhla tried to climb up the ladder by leaning on the bumper, breaking it Sunday 14 We set off early; behind us the lagoon and Dakhla, ahead of us the 700 kilometres separating us from Cap Boujdour, where we spend the night. Monday 15-16..

We're back on the cliff of Oued Chbika and we notice that sand barriers have been built to hold back the river's force, so much so that the lagoon is almost dry and fills with water only at high tide. Wednesday 17

We wake up because of the very strong wind coming from the desert inland, and soon a sandstorm engulfs us. Quickly, very quickly, we get moving in an attempt to leave the storm behind us, but it instead accompanies us right to the gates of Tan-Tan.. Then the sky turns clear again, the sun warms us and we continue our journey to Sidi Ifni. Thursday 18 We ask the campsite manager if he knows anyone able to repair our bumper; in the early afternoon three people arrive, who make a brief inspection of the work to be done and then tell us how much they want. Friday 19-20-21-22-23-24 While they repair the bumper we enjoy the sun. It's very hot, very humid, and a very hot wind blows from the east, from the desert; luckily we're on the ocean shore. We spend the days taking walks, then we decide to phone our friends and ask them where they are so we can catch up with them through the mountains.

Thursday 25-26-27-28 We've learned that our friends are stuck in Tata, where we arrive and stop until the 27th under a scorching sun and a terrible mugginess that forces us to stay shut inside the camper. The air doesn't cool down even at sunset; in the afternoon it reaches 42 degrees and only after 10 pm is there a bit of coolness, but it doesn't last long because even at night it's very hot, which stops us sleeping well. Monday 29 At nine, when we set off, the thermometer reads 28 degrees; we continue along a new road recently opened that runs through the mountains and leads us to Tagmoute, where we find a sandstorm that accompanies us to Aït Benhaddou Tuesday 30 When we reach Ouarzazate we almost don't recognise it anymore, it has become so modern, clean and welcoming. Wednesday 31 We continue through the mountains, reaching 2,000 metres on a new road that runs alongside some rivers.

We're inside some canyons; the road, first asphalted, is now damaged after the heavy rains, we find fords to cross and a coolness that makes us regret having left the south. In the evening, after covering many kilometres, we make