Stupidly we forget that Morocco is an hour behind Spain (and on the same time zone as the UK) and wake up earlier than we need to. Conference over breakfast about where to go has us deciding to head South to Fes. Hit a new piece of toll road for about 15 km’s as we skirt Tetouan. The fast road runs out all too soon and we are on winding, narrow, poorly surfaced mountain roads – spectacular views but pretty slow – we reckon it’ll take us around 6 hours to cover the 186 miles to Fes.
Saw our first camel train shortly after starting out; lots of overtaking manoeuvres as we attempt to get a push on, and the usual amazed stares as we hit each small village and town. We latch on to a lorry that’s picking it’s way up the mountain range, as he indicates when it’s safe for us to overtake – this we do about four times as we keep stopping for photos coffee and petrol – each time we pass him he let’s out a blast on his air horn and a wave of the hand. At Loukous, a small settlement, we pull in for a well earned drink and are immediately mobbed by fruit sellers who take a fancy to the Atom. One of them sits in the drivers seat and rewards John with a couple of pomegranates.
Carry on for a further hour and come to the crossroads where the Meknes and Fes roads diverge and a work crew are putting up dozens of Moroccan flags on a roundabout. John nearly plucks up the courage to ask if he can buy one from them.
Fifty miles from Fes we stop for more photos when a car pulls up next to us. The driver, Abdelilah, tells us he is with the Moroccan Tourist Agency and promises to show us the best place to stay and eat in Fes, his home town. The road surface is so poor in parts that it’s subsiding along the edges and the Atom grounds out on several occasions. Finally arrive in to Fes at 4pm after 6 hours of hard riding, and check in to Le Merinedes hotel (where Abdel negotiates a 50% reduction on our behalf); the views over the old Medina are spectacular.
Abdelilah meets us in his car and drives us to a perfect small Moroccan restaurant where we eat the best food of the trip so far – taguine of lamb and prunes, followed by the obligatory Shisha pipe, with some strong Moroccan coffee. Decide to stay in Fes another night and relax to take in the sites tomorrow – with Abdelilah as our guide.
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