Day 20, Heading north, Essaouira to Rabat

Before we start today we must just admit that we finally found the real Moroccan food last night, we had burger and chips from a local kebab house and it was fantastic!

After a hearty breakfast and another time change we set of at 10.30 to the local garage to fill Ian's front tire with air!!

We then hit the B road north along some very scenic routes, but very windy and cold and we even saw our first spots of rain. Mainly B roads to start the day as there was not much else except a small gravel diversion through a village, that had obviously not seen a tourist in a long time, we even managed to find grass for the first time in a while.

We saw many speed checks and security checks today although flew through them all without issues or stopping.

Quick fuel stop and then the peage I'm afraid, we passed Casablanca as we thought this could be problematic and headed sea bound after Casablanca, with the most apartments and golf resorts we have seen for a while, but no hotels!,

We are now about 25 km from rebat and believe the king is at his country home a couple of km away due to the army and police presence around his house.

The hotel is a Kasbah with a pool and fantastic views of the sea and the breaking waves, we decided but actually had no choice in eating here, but Ian could not see the menus so the cashier offered him his glasses, see picture!! Justin is eaten fish soup followed by fillet of steak, not even the cashier knows what Ian is eaten!! The glasses are a better look than Ian's, as he lost a screw in the arm when we first left and has since looked like Jack Duckworth!!!!

Tomorrow ian is looking forward to meeting his friends at customs for round 2!!

The card has joined us for diner, a glass of wine and a beer!,,

Day 19 Justin awakes to find Ian with a bird in the room!!!!

A day off and a nice lay in until Justin is woken by Ian flapping with a bird in the corner of the room, a bird of the feathered variety had entered the room and Ian was trying to set it free!

After an exciting start the rest of the morning went without drama, a great breakfast and then a few hours by the pool trying to turn Ian pink, and it worked we now had a pink ian with his Daniel Craig's on (budgie smugglers). Then after spending the last two weeks searching morocco for a hotel with a pool, Justin yet agin refused to enter the pool as it was cold ( baby).

A wander in to the port for some sight seeing and there wer some sights to see in the fish market as well as some smells, we then enjoyed some fresh caught fished cooked on the bar-be in front of us. Then off to do some shopping for the girls and back to the room for Ian to have a sleep.

Unfortunately in the evening we took yet another wrong turn and ended up in Mexico Mr Clint Eastwood was there as well as a Mexican gringo, see pictures.

An early night tonight as yet again the clocks move in morocco tonight although we can't remember which way, so this is either good night or good morning!

The card spent most of the day on the sofa choosing her beauty treatments in the spar, as tomorrow is back to reality and no star or spar!

Midlifemorocco a poem!

Midlifemorocco, a journey
5000, miles ridden, 5 country's visited and thousand people we have met
Through the towns and lives of strangers
Over hills and encampments of Berbers
Never stopping to long, or outstaying our welcome
2 bikers searching for something
Midlifemorocco

Day 18 We are slumming it gain

After better start from Justin and a small breakfast for Ian we were on our way by 8.30 after Justin had checked out the best hotels in Essaouira!!!

So we had to find a specific road out of Taroudannt, via the one way system without sat nav, no mean feat when there are a hundred taxi divers and mopeds getting in your way, but we managed it and found the B road to Agadir. While map reading Justin found the incorrect turning north and we headed for Essaouira, however this was the wrong right that turned out to be the right, right up the mountain from 200 meters to 1600 meters in no time at all, via souk-el had -de-meniala. This road was amazing with all the world could offer, tight twisties, gravely, rock and land slides with 1000 meters drops and no barriers as well as a bulldozer clearing a way for us it was to die for. We were in little mountain villages and children greeted us in awe, as if were flying spaceships but waving all the time, the dogs chased us and the goats run from us as well as the lizards bathing in the middle of the road! After 2 hours we had reached the top and returned to the bottom on the other side where we found the first running river of our trip in Argana. The river bed was beautiful with colour, fourna, running water and only passable on a donkey, Ian decided to test the waterproofness of his boots, we think unsuccessfully, but we will never know as they had a further 4 hours to dry!!! We were however a little worried when 3 children turned up with catapults in hand, but they shook our hand and we made a hasty retreat!! We decided they were either a bad shot or they liked us.

After this we spent 40 km in the main road before we took yet another wrong left turn! And found probably the best road of our trip so far, this was like an English country lane with visibility and no traffic, along with washed out sections and jumps. This continued for about 80 km through villages with schools and waving children, donkeys and the usual markets and in town chaos!! We sped through the no populated sections and respected the villages except the van that nearly took ian out!!

We then joined the main road to Essaouira with many a police stop and goats in trees before we found this horrible little 5 star hotel overlooking the sea!

After again Justin doing the washing we headed of to the 1 st real madina of this trip, (and a visit to the barber for Ian) to see chickens being slaughtered and goats hanging everywhere. But we managed to find a nice restaurant and had a great meal with wine before returning to the bar for a beer and some live music.

Tomorrow is a day off before making our way out of Africa!

The card has been hanging out in a palm tree!!