Continuing south on the Atlantic coast road, we get a taste of the bad weather Morocco has been experiencing. The wind and rain blew us all over the road. It isn't pleasant driving but on a day like like today but we stick to our adage, if it's a raining day, its a driving day.
On reaching Safi, we decide enough is enough and pull in to a campsite. Campsites are plentiful in Morocco and the majority are open. With the rain still pouring down, we abandon any thoughts of an evening stroll into town and settle down for another evening playing cards. We learnt much from our Pakistan adventure, not least our two new favourite card games!
Sun 14th Dec
Before leaving the campsite, we chat to some fellow Brits. They took the plunge, sold everything, bought a very large Motorhome and have become "full timers." That is to say permanent travellers.
Our destination for today is Essaouira. It is not too far, so we should be there before lunchtime. On the road between Safi and Essaouira, we see some of the devastation we had been forewarned of. The earlier storms and flash floods have ripped through this area leaving great washouts behind them. One village in particular had suffered terribly, the inhabitants were still clearing up after the mud slide. It must have been terrifying.
Essaouira is much more on the tourist trail. On an average package holiday, some of the sights we have seen would remain unknown. It is because of the smaller roads we have taken that we have encountered the reminders of Pakistan. This is why we have been told that it takes four weeks to become acclimatised to Morocco and accustomed to its people.
The harbour is very pleasant, it's fort was used in an Orson Wells film. The little shops and their goods are all very much as to be expected. Haggling over the prices is all part of the experience. In a local restaurant, we enjoy some of the towns main export - sardines. There is no shortage of cats under the table to share our fish. These are some of the fattest cats we have met, they are clearly very adept at looking cute! It works and we too, share ours.
We spend the remainder of day wandering the town and it's ramparts. Then, in common with half a dozen other campers, stay the night in the carpark.
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