Todra gorge, Morocco

So from Rabat we drove for a full day towards Todra Gorge bush camping along the way.  The weather has been awful.  Cold and constant rain.  We got to the Todra turnoff, 10km away from the gorge and found out that the road to the gorge was shut.  This was a major disappointment for all as it was such a long drive to get there.  We waited for about 3 hours to see if the road would open and the rain would lift.  It did't though so we decided to head to Marrakech.  On the way we had another very wet bush camp which meant that we had a muddy and wet truck dig out the next morning. 

We stopped at Ait Benhaddou which is UNESCO site Kasbah, a fortified village.  Only a few people live there now and there has been lots of restoration due to its use as a film location.  Due to the rain there were no other tourists visiting when we went for a look around, which was great.  Sadly for the people who live there the buildings were crumbling right in front of us as they are just made of clay from the river mixed with straw. The river was very fast flowing.  The locals are saying that this is the worst flooding in over 5o years and usually you can access the kasbah through the main gates by using stepping stones through the river!

We didn't get very far before our next stop, just a few kilometres from Ait Benhaddou.  The rain had washed away bridges on the road to Marrakech and the other road to Agadir was also shut due to surface water flowing over.  We were completely stuck in a little village.  After waiting the whole day on the side of the road we camped overnight and joined the queue the following morning waiting for the road to open.  Steve still wanted us to get to Marrakech and Essaouira so we headed towards Agadir when the road opened at 11am the next morning and had a long drive.  With a quick stop to cook our tea at the roadside we drove until gone 11pm to get to 60km from Marrakech.

Rabat, Morocco

We now have a grand total of 8 passengers after picking up Dave in Fes.  From Fes we headed towards Rabat.  We would be bush camping every night in Rabat due to the lack The funds which means that we have to find a place to camp just before dark and then pack up the next morning.  Rabat is the capital of Morocco so it's the place to get visas.  We rocked up at the Mauritanian embassy just before 9 in hope of submitting our application and getting the visa as quickly as possible so we could then submit for Mali.  Steve wore a tie for the occasion and we successfully got the two visas by the end of the day.  Whilst waiting we had a wander around the city walking through the market and a huge cemetery to the beach.  Morocco so far has been great for coffee and cakes so I'm making sure I'm fitting lots of them in.

The last visa we need to get is the Cote d'Ivoire which we couldn't submit when we wanted to due to a public holiday.  Tyson and Dave headed on the train to Casablanca and the girls went for a shower in town and then on to find a beach to spend the day on.  It wasn't the cleanest of beaches but the views were good.

We had a morning in the Cote d'voire embassy getting fingerprints and photos taken.  Its a good job that there weren't more of us otherwise it would have taken all day.  The man in the embassy didn't really know when they would be ready.  Most likely the day after next but possibly then next day.  In the afternoon most of us headed out for pizza and wifi. 

The following day we had another day in the city.  First stop was the Chellah.  This is an old walled city.  Originally a Roman site and then, in the 13th century the sultan built a mosque and maulosleum.  Now everything is in ruins.  It was nice to walk around and the gardens were well kept with nice plants and fruit trees.  We also spent some time walking around the half of the Medina that we hadn't seen and taking another shower.  We now also have a truck pet.  A tiny tortoise named Mertyl which we bought from the market.  We decided that it would be easy to look after and more likely to survive that the other options of fish, chameleons, hamsters of a ferret!  Hopefully she will survive the journey and will go to a happy family in Harare, Zimbabwe where the truck is headed after this trip.

Our visas were granted quicker than we thought so we were all very happy to be leaving Rabat and our cork forest bushcamp after 5 nights.  We are now headed in to the Atlas mountains for stop at Todra gorge.

Fes, Morocco

We had a local guide for our stay in the city of Fes.  On the first day he look us to a viewpoint and a pottery workshop.  In the afternoon most of the group went to a Hammam (steam bath).  I didn't fancy it so I stayed in camp.

The next day we had a Medina tour.  The Medina is a world heritage site and a massive maze of alleys with some just 60cm wide.  We weren't too happy at first as the guide wasn't letting us have any freedom in where we went but by the end of the day we were happy.  He took us to see the kings palace, and a spice shop.  The visit to the tannery was great as we would have definitely never found it ourselves.  It was interesting as we could see the different steps in creating the leather bags that are around in every stall.  We had camel burgers and mint tea in a carpet shop whilst getting shown all the lovely different styles of rug.  4 of us bought a rug.  We probably paid more than we should have but it was hassle free shopping.  The rug I bought is a simple one in an orange colour with a Berber tattoo on it which is of the tribe who weaved it.

Next stop Rabat for visas.

Volubillis, Morocco

Volubilus was a stop for lunch on the way to Fes.  The site is full of Roman ruins which were abandoned in the 1800s and left to disrepair.  We declined a guide and it was nice to spend an hour wandering on a lovely sunny day.

Chefchaoun Morocco

Chefchaoun is a proper Moroccan town.  Our entire stay here though was pretty cool and rainy.  Not really what I thought Morocco would be like!  It was a nice to have a wander around the Medina (old town) which was painted in a variety a blue paint.

The truck food hasn't been great. As we are a small group our local  payment for camping and food is low so we are on more of a budget than a full truck.  The local food has been great though and Chefchaoun lunch was mystery meat skewers which unexpectedly came with home made chips and veggies.  All for less than 5 Euros with a drink.

Chefchaoun was a great introduction to Morocco but I was glad to be leaving due to the damp miserable weather.

Gibralter, Nov 2014

We'll this isn't the original written but that's lost in the internet somewhere.  To summarise though, I flew from Luton with 3 of the fellow passengers and met our crew member Steve. We were suppose to have 2 crew but the other crew member will be hopefully with us by Christmas.  We had a day wandering around Gibraltar.  The attraction being walking up and a long the rock and for us seeing the road closed so that a plane could take off right in front of us!  From Gibraltar we headed across the sea to Ceuta on a very rainy morning.  From Ceuta (Spanish Morocco) we crossed the border in Morocco and onto Chefchaoun. 

Rabat, Morocco. Nov 2014

We now have a grand total of 8 passengers after picking up Dave in Fes.  From Fes we headed towards Rabat.  We would be bush camping every night in Rabat due to the lack of funds which means that we have to find a place to camp just before dark and then pack up the next morning.  Rabat is the capital of Morocco so its the place to get visas.  We rocked up at the Mauritanian embassy just before 9 in hope of submitting our application and getting the visa as quick as possible so we could then submit for Mali.  Steve wore a tie for the occasion and we successfully got the two visas by the end of the day.  Whilst waiting we had a wander around the city walking through the market and a huge cemetery to the beach.  Morocco so far has been great for coffee and cakes so I'm making sure I'm fitting lots of them in.

The last visa we need to get is the Cote d'Ivoire which we can't submit when we wanted to due to a public holiday.  Tyson and Dave headed on the train to Casablanca and the girls went for a shower in town and then on to find a beach to spend the day on.  It wasn't the cleanest of beaches but the views were good.

Blog is getting written!

I am writing my blog as I go but i'm having a lot of issues posting as I've added photos and tried to publish on a too slow internet connection so nothing is really happening and I cant stop the posting and start again!

The journey begins

So after 9 months working it's time for 9 weeks travel in order to escape British winter and to go on a jolly around West Africa.  I'm heading with Oasis Overland to explore Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali and Ghana.  West Africa is somewhere that I've always wanted to go to.  I couldn't tell you if there is anything there but I'll find out!

I have travelled down to Luton today in order to catch my flight to Gibraltar tomorrow afternoon to meet everyone else on the trip.

Back to Argentina

Leaving Bolivia we had a freezing cold but relatively swift crossing back into Argentina heading torwards Buenos Aires. We had a stop in Salta and Rio Horno before heading to a working cattle ranch for a few days. We all thought the ranch was going to be a lot of “yee ha” and we would learn to lasso cows and feed the animals. It wasn't that at all but it was a nice place to chill for a couple of days. I went on a horse ride with Jane and it was by far the best of the trip so far. The ranch is 70km from the main road so we couldn't see any signs of life as we pushed our way through very thorny bushes. Our legs were thankfully protected by some sort of cow skin cover over them. It was great fun and we even got to gallop. The photo is of us in a wooded area where there were cattle gathered around a watering hole. They were huge!! Next on our route was our last camp in a town called Rosario which is apparently famous for being the birth place of Che Guevara.

We arrived in Buenos Aires in time for a bit of a party. Kirsten had made a slide show and then we headed out for a nice group meal, a few drinks and I even managed to fit a helping of brownie and ice cream in at half midnight! The following morning everyone went their separate ways, with some not willing to let the holiday end by going to Uruguay for 10 days as an extra trip add on. It was sad seeing everyone go and I really hope some paths with cross again in the future. As for me, I moved into a hostel for 3 nights. It's been great to chill out and not have to get up whilst it's still dark. I've also explored the city to the max now, going places I didn't go first time around, visiting the zoo, botanical gardens and congress square. Time to go home tomorrow and back to work but it really has been a fantastic 6 and a bit months. It's hard to pick a favourite country or experience so I've compiled a photo of the “top 10” below. Ciao for now.

Iguassu Falls, Argentina and Brazil

The 'W' trek, Chile

Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

Scuba diving, Cartagena, Colombia

Galapogos Islands, Ecuador

Climbing Mount Villarica, Chile

Cycling down 'Death Road', Bolivia

Angel Falls, Venezuela

Machu Picchu, Peru

Canyoning, Venezuela