Day 12: Rocking the Casbah!

By Natasha

Like Tim said in his previous blog, we finally found the campsite! We made some Mac and Cheese (from the supplies box) and then after some journaling got an early to bed night! It was so nice and mild that we had both side panels to the tent open with just the mesh sides closed! Loving it!

This morning we got ready quickly and made our way into the city of Fes. We (like I’m sure most tourists) were more interested in visiting the Old City or “medina” than the newer and more modern part of the city. The medina is the oldest standing medieval Islamic walled city. We started at the Kasbah and the markets there... but then the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down.

So we decided to avoid the crowds and just get lost in the labyrinth of streets and corridors. Some of them were so narrow and small.. I couldn’t even try to fit through! But it was great to see the side of Fes that is hidden in a sense from the tourists. The stares continues... they are non-stop... and I’ve had quite a few marriage offers... even with Tim by my side. These guys are gutsy man!

We walked the Souk (street markets), passed the Mosque (not allowed to go in if your not muslim), visited the Tanneries and a leather factory, was given a special tour of a spice shop by a local, invited into the inside rooms of one shop owners pride sand joys, and then visited with some artisans who make the most amazing fabrics. It was an amazing experience... rain and all. We just have to return to Fes one day when we can spend a lot of time there.

After an amazing time in Fes - I can (and you know I will) write books about our time there - we headed for Meknes. As beautiful and as colourful as Morocco is... it is still African. And it became very evident when we drove in the country roads and saw dead dogs along the side of the road.. everywhere. We also saw so many Berbers in their traditional clothing! It was an amazing experience.

We continued onwards toward Meknes.. but the city and medina was not that interesting. It was more fun to see the sights of the small towns along the way off the beaten track. I will forever treasure those friendly waves and smiles as we drove on by.

We finally made our way to the city and capital of Rabat. We had the coordinates for the only campsite there, but once we arrived at the location we were welcomed by heaps of building rubble.. evidence of a massive development project. So we were left to find other accommodation. We headed into the city and you would not believe how many people were on the streets. We were seriously worried of hitting someone as they will just fearlessly run in front of moving cars. So instead we found a “safe” (its all relative here) spot to park the car and scoped out a few hotels. We found a room for a very reasonable price and had a delicious bite to eat at a locals’ spot across the street - we caught them 5 mins before closing, but they gave us so much food for such a low price.. love the local spots.

Tonight we can rest up.. but not gonna lie, don’t feel completely comfortable about sleeping on these sheets. Rolling myself in my travel blanket before getting in! Ha ha ha.

Day 11: The Mountainsides (and the stares)

By Tim

It was a short drive (distance-wise) today to Fes. As what is becoming usual (but hopefully not habit!), we had another lazy start today, getting on the road at noon. The campsite in the mountains of Chefchouen was great. We met two British couples who were convoying together through Morocco for the past 2 months. They gave us some helpful tips, but moreover it was great to chat to to people who decided to take so much time off “normal life” to travel. They had surfboards mounted to the side of one of their vehicles, and one couple even had a child - so cute, she must have been no older than 3 or 4 years old. (So it can be done - traveling overland with children!)

We drove through the Rif Mountains to get to Fes and saw some amazing scenery along the way. At about halfway our stomaches starting growling, so we found some space along the side of the road, started the gas cooker and made some tasty spicy two-minute noodles. We got a lot of looks by passersby, but not because we were cooking along the side of the road. Most probably it was the usual reason we’re getting stares in Morocco: we’re white westerners! We are trying to get over this, but it is hard to not notice. It helps that most of the Moroccans are really nice and politely nod or smile when we say “Salam” (hello in Arabic) to them. One girl could not take her eyes off of Natasha and even said “hello” (in English), which we believe was her way of making an effort to pay respects (as we do when we try to speak their language.)

It is becoming evident that Tash is getting more stares than me, probably due to the fact that she represents freedom for women. Women here don’t really know what it’s like the be her own person; instead they are to be subservient to their husbands, not to be seen (or at least physically covered from head to toe) in public, and mothers. That’s the extent of their role, and it’s sad to see lives limited like that. We occasionally see younger women dressed a bit more liberally (no head scarves), which may be a sign of the coming times... You should have seen the stares we got when Tash was behind the wheel of this Landy!

We made it to Fes in the late afternoon, and after a quick venture toward the city, we thought it would be better to find a campsite first (it is a VERY busy city). The decision was a prudent one; for the next 2 hours we hunted for one of the two campsites recommended in our Africa overland book. After a few stops asking directions, sunset came and went, and we finally managed to find a campground. So Fes will have to wait until tomorrow. For now it’s a dinner of mac & cheese!

Day 10: The Trust Factor

By Natasha

We are so lazy! Ha ha ha! Every night before we go to bed we say, we’re gonna get an early start tomorrow. But then we never actually do! We did get up early, but took our time getting ready. Finally, after packing in the car in the rain (again!), we got on the road and headed down to Algericas, to take a ferry to Ceuta in Morocco. The drive was beautiful and easy, but we couldn’t help but get swept up into the excitement of finally getting into Africa!

We couldn’t find much online about what the customs restrictions were for Morocco, so we just had to guess. So not knowing we had to accept the fact that we would not be able to cook up our bacon and eggs (still no gas!!) and sacrifice anything else we forgot about. However, we bought some juicy southern Spain oranges - about 20 in the bag - and just didn’t want to loose them if there was any fruit restrictions. So we decided to use our handy compact juicer (dankie Mammie) to make some delicious freshly squeezed orange juice. Tim did the juicing and made about 2 LITRES of juice!! So yummy!

Off to the ferry.. what an experience. As we drove into the port we were met by a guy who rushed us and said: “Rapido, rapido”. He motion to hi swatch saying we have to rush if we want to make the next one. Not knowing the ferry schedule we didn’t want to miss one we could’ve been on and then have to wait hours for the next one. He directed us where to park and then said one of us had to stay with the car and what had to follow him. All in Spanish. It only became clear that he was not official port employee when he asked me to follow him (through crazy traffic mind you) across the street to the ticket offices. I still thought he worked for the ticket office, but immediately I realized that something was up when the guy behind the desk didn’t seem too familiar with the guy.

We had a number in mind and so when the guy behind the desk showed me a much lower quote I thought I’d jump on it. I probably could’ve gotten a lower rate, but with being rushed by this guy, I just wanted to get the tickets and go. The tickets were for the 1 pm ferry - at that point it was 12:55... when I asked what happens if we don’t make it for that one, the guy who brought me said “No problemo, no problemo!” As we walked out he said, “You have money no? You pay at embarca.” and motioned towards an ATM for me to get money out. I just said “Si Si” (God will forgive me cause I lied... I had about 43 Euro cents left in total and I just knew something was up). He took my passports (looking back probably to hold them as ransom) and started rushing through traffic. So I had to run after him to catch up.. and no joke.. I almost got hit by a fast driving car. I managed to sweet talk my way back to holding the passports in my possession... he clearly wanted to keep me happy.

When we got back to the cars, he said: “You pay me, I pay them” motioning to the people behind the desk at the ferry terminal. I just kept asking “Why? I have my ticket”. Again, he said “You pay me” getting angry and agitated and wrote “100” in the dust on our window. I said “No way. You didn’t do anything I couldn’t have done myself”. And when he said, “You pay me, I eat.” I said “What do you eat? Caviar!” LOL..no but seriously, I did offer him food if that was what he “really” wanted. Neither one of us were budging and I have to say I was getting a bit nervous that he was going to hit the car or something. But he left us alone... however, at this point there was no way we would make the ferry!! So the officials (the only people I would speak to after that experience) said we should go back to the office and ask for another ticket.

So I started to make my way back.. and then the same guys started following again saying: “My friend, my friend. Come, come!” I was so mad and felt so taken advantage of, that all I could manage was: “No, I’m not your friend. I trusted you and you just took advantage of me”, not even attempting any of my previous broken Spanish. I could tell he had real remorse over this and began to change his attitude from the previous rushed helping, to genuine and sincere helping (I mean I left my wallet in the car.. so he knew there was no money coming)!Luckily (prayerfully) we were able to get a ticket for the next ferry at 2 pm. And so made it onto the ferry without any rushing (or having to pay any extra money).

The ferry ride was great.. and I am happy to report not a bumpy ride so none of those tablets needed. We got into Ceuta, Morocco and to our surprise we drove right out of the ferry terminal and into Morocco. Little did we know that we were still in Spanish Territory Morocco. And it was only when we left the Spanish Ceuta that we were met with a CRAZY (and our first African) border experience. After the incident at the port in Alfeciras, we were very skeptical of anyone offering to help us. But we soon found out that Moroccans are just very helpful people... no doubt looking out to make an extra buck, but not at the expense of their natural African hospitality!

We are loving being in Morocco! We got some yummy (Halaal.. LOL) lamb chops and cooked them up with some Moroccan spiced Couscous I had in our food boxes! The perfect Moroccan meal for so cheap! Just how we like it!

Day 9: Tight Streets... were they even streets?

In Algarves, Portugal

By Tim

In the darkness we managed to find a campground that was open. Although it was on the coast in a quant little town called Setubal (just outside Lisbon), this place was creepy! We essentially had it all to ourselves - which sounds nice, but with all the empty white camper vans (over 100) lining the streets it had a ghost town-like feel. Seriously, sometimes we had to second-guess whether we were the only ones when the strong winds made some chimes ring or an open door slam shut. Turns out this is a popular place for holidaymakers, and many just leave their campers there year-round, complete with gardens, outside decorations - and even hanging laundry in one case! But once we were set up and hanging out under the stars, all those campers fell away, and it felt like it was just us and the water!

This morning was a bit of a downer: after setting up everything for a cooked breakfast of eggs and bacon (still haven’t had them), we discovered that the two-ring gas cooker that came with the supplied gear didn’t work! We tried different things but nothing. So there we were, with a full tank of gas but no way to use it to cook our food! The resourceful people that we are, we thought the campground office may be able to help. We walked down to the office to find out, but the office was not yet open. We decided to wait there until then, but then the rains came... again! This time it was a torrential downpour. We had shelter on the porch - but then we realized the roof tent wasn’t closed, and all our food prep stuff was still out! So we raced back to our site (about a 15 min walk), getting soaking wet, and quickly packed up our things. To make things even more adventurous, a wind gust made the awning go airborne while I was packing up the tent on top of the Land Rover. Had I not realized it, I would have been knocked off the top of the car by the flying awning! I managed to catch it in mid-air, saving myself injury, but the damage was done to the awning’s stabilizers as its “flight” bent the riveted joints. We’ll need to pick up some hardware at some point to fix it, but for now - no awning!

After some cleaning up (and drying off!) we set out to see Lagos Beach in the Algarves which was beautiful despite the weather. Many friends in the UK highly recommended the Algarves for holiday, but we never made it until now. Unfortunately the low season makes it a bit of a ghost town with closed restaurants and bars lining the beaches, but we could imagine how fun high season would be like. We must come back!

We headed off from Lagos along the Algarves coast and all along the southern coast, We really liked our time in Portugal and look forward to being able to go back some day.. when it is not so rainy! On our way out of Portugal back into Spain, we were met by a roadblock.. a first for us on the trip so far. It was a combination of Portuguese and Spanish border agents just wanting to see who we were and where we were going. So after a quick “questioning” we were on our way again.

After another long-haul afternoon of driving, we made it to Seville in southern Spain. We had planned to stay at a hostel in downtown Seville due to the lack of camping options this time of year, but to put it simply, it was too tight! Getting to the hostel was a bear; we managed to navigate the Land Rover through some of the tightest streets I’ve ever driven (or seen). One right turn had the Land Rover’s right rear fender flare literally a millimeter away from the corner of a stone building. Another turn had us in the middle of a pedestrian-only church square! After a few minutes of nervous planning, we stealthily got the Land Rover back onto proper roads. “New rule,” I said to Natasha tonight, “No more inner-city driving.” We’ll park and walk instead! But it was funny.

The hostel itself had beds available, but the price was a bit high and out of our camping budget. And the hostel also did not have any parking facilities; we would have had to leave the Land Rover somewhere parked on the street. This was not an option for us, as we have too many valuables. So it was off to another budget hotel; for a bit more than the cost of the hostel, but we got secure parking for the Land Rover - and no tight streets to speak of!

Day 8: Obregado Portugal

In Lisbon Portugal

By Natasha

After a night in the hotel hiding from the crazy torrential downpours and thunderstorms, we got a nice early start to make the most of our time and to the sights in Portugal. The thunder is definitely an indication of warmer weather... in just a few short days we’ve gone from think fleece jackets to 1 thin layer! Woohoo... bring on the warmth!

Before we headed out though we tackled these leaks.. identified them to come in through the little side “sunroofs”. The roofrack collects and drips right above it, so the slow leak has just been enough to siphon in and onto the seats. Why is it that the stuff that should not get wet always gets wet first? We neatly stuck some strips of black Duct Tape over and this seemed to do the job as we’ve had no more leaks (yay!)... but the rain sure kept coming.

In our attempt to get an early start into Porto, we hit their morning city traffic. And the rain not letting up again forced us to just drive through and take it all in. Not to bummed though as the city was quite rundown and didn’t have a lot of sights to see. Turns out Portugal has the highest accident rate per capita.. and we seriously could see that in driving in that traffic! So we decided to head further south as quickly as possible.

And so glad we did since we got to spend quite a bit of time in Coimbra - a quant and younger (age wise, not architecturally) town with a labyrinth of streets and alleys. We decided to just park and get blissfully lost. In an attempt to find some cheap sustenance we stumbled upon one of those “hole-in-the-wall” types where we could not understand a word on the menu... our favorite kind of restaurant. Neither one of us know ANY Portuguese so this was one of those experiences we will always treasure. Turns out that 5 Euros each got us wine, plenty of Portuguese rolls (yum), soup, a main stew, dessert and espresso!! And we didn’t order any of it.. the sweet lady there (that didn’t speak a lick of English either) just kept bringing it all out!! It was great and so delicious.

With full tummies we just kind of started strolling back to our car and joking around, we got stopped by a very nice Canadian couple (Louise and Bev) that live in Casablanca, Morocco and after a nice chat and some very helpful travel tips.. they very sweetly offered us a free bed for when we are in town there this weekend! I was so moved by this and to me this was the proper start of the journey.. we’ve moved from being just tourists to now being travelers. We’re sharing this journey with others around the world and the generosity and kindness is so moving.

We didn’t think we could fit it in, but we actually managed to squeeze in a half-day in Lisbon. What a strangely cool city. We decided to just park and stroll around for hours and take in all that this unique place has to offer. It is a multi-layered city with so many different levels that creates such an enchanting experience.

We didn’t have time to take a cable car up the crazy steep streets to the top to see the castle on the hill, so we decided to take the Landy up to see it a bit closer... ha! What an EXPERIENCE!! Turns out our GPS has no concept of how tight and windy the roads are up there. We got so lost and had to take so many crazy turns.. Tim was stressing out a bit... I on the other hand was just loving it! It tok us of the beaten tourist path, and as tight as the streets were, you could see right into homes and cafe’s to see the real life of Lisbon behind the scenes. Something I will always treasure!

By some miracle of God we made it towards the top of the hill to take in the amazing views and sights.. and back down and out the city again! We’re heading further south down the coast, but are gonna try to camp somewhere tonight as the rain seemed to have held off a bit.

Day 7: Love the Land Rover... Leaks and All

By Tim

The wind from the coast made for an eventful night. The rooftop tent is sturdy, so no worries there, but the howling wind kept us up occasionally. But that didn’t bother me so much; the fact that we were finally camping and getting in touch with nature was great for me. Before bed we made some quick sandwiches from the groceries we picked up earlier in the evening. Sleeping outside, sandwiches for dinner... I’m loving the simplicity!

We took advantage of some time this morning - in between the drops of the forthcoming torrential rain showers - to re-arrange our gear in the back of the Land Rover. We figured that everything had its own assigned place when packing before we left. But now that we’re on the road, those previously assigned spaces aren’t quite right. For example, some of the things that fit perfectly way back in the unreachable areas were the same things we needed a bit more frequently (and thus more accessible!).

We made it to Portugal today in what became our longest day of driving yet despite the heavy rain. The Landy is getting decent mileage considering its heavy weight and cruising at 60-70 mph. The 111hp 2.5L four-cylinder turbo diesel gets around 7.5 to 8.5 km/L (that’s 17.5 - 20 miles per US gallon). I haven’t pushed the limit yet for range; to be honest I’m not sure yet of its total capacity! It has an 80-litre tank plus a gravity-fed auxiliary tank which is between 25 and 40 litres. The gauge shows close to empty after about 100 litres are burned, so I’m guessing the aux tank is on the lower end. The two 20-litre jerry cans on the roof rack will come in handy in the Sahara.

We stopped in Braga in northern Portugal and, after taking some time to find parking (a task I’m sure will be a challenging one in the cities), there was just enough daylight to get some pictures of the beautiful cathedral. Afterward we managed to squeak out an order at a local diner... turned out to be cold pork sandwiches with Fanta drinks... not necessarily a typical Portugese dish, but for a grand total of 4 euros (total), I couldn’t resist! The traditional Portugese meal will have to wait until another day (sorry Tash!).

One more thing about the rain... all four of our Land Rover’s doors leak from above! We’ve had to pay attention especially to the back two doors as much of our gear is resting on the back seat, making it a perfect target for the incoming rain water. Nothing is damaged beyond repair (yet!), but we’ll have to make a plan for a fix soon. Nevermind our gear; we’re thinking of those who will be joining us along the way and we don’t want it to be mandatory for them to wear rain ponchos. ;) They say it’s not a Land Rover if it doesn’t leak in some way - from above or below!

Day 6: Finally some camping!

In Luarca, Spain

By Tim

From Bilbao we headed off and followed the Spanish northern coast westward. We drove through Santander and got out to take in the beautiful scenery. As we were driving down the boulevard, a Mercedes Benz pulled up next to us and the driver motioned to open our window. With a South African accent, he asked, “Are you coming from or going to Cape Town?” He even invited us to lunch if we had time. Sadly we had to pass on his offer as we were shooting to get as close as possible to Portugal today. But we sure enjoyed receiving some genuine South African hospitality in Europe!

From there we drove on to Luarca because there was a sign for a beach and we wanted to get a glimpse of some sand and water. But after driving on back roads - no beach! Bummed, we started to look for camping as sunset was approaching. In the process, we found the beach! It was serene and Tash got to get her sand. We spent some time there, just enjoying the moment. On our way back to the town, we picked up some groceries - including some spicy chorizo! After some help from the locals, we eventually found an open campsite nearby with a beautiful view of the beach. I think we are only one of three groups of campers here, so it is as if we had our own private overlook of the water directly from our camping spot. Perfect for our first night of camping!

France Pics

Day 5: “Merci.. Ag, I mean.. Gracias”

The Birthday Boy in Biarritz, France

By Natasha

Its Tim’s Birthday!! Woohoo! Happy Birthday Baby!

We spent last night in Bayonne, France..and there is literally a sign right outside the Formule 1 (yes, once again!.. its the cheapest, warmest, cleanest bed right now!) that reads “Spain 40 mins”.. so we were so close, but decided to stay 1 last night in France.

This morning we spent time online (for the free 30 mins we got) to update the website and then headed for Biarritz... probably the last town on the French western coast before the Spanish border. What a beautiful beach and town. It came recommended by the Tanguys (the French family I tutored for in London) as they spend most (if not all) their vacation times there. It is France meet Spain and I of course love that mixture.

There we bought a yummy fresh loaf of bread to chew on (Tim at his happiest) or for with dinner and a slice of some amazing looking tart (as Tim’s birthday cake) from a little patisserie. We made our way to the beach and tucked into the tart while I scraped together some sand for my collection. Afterwards we passed by this little street cafe and saw some REALLY cheap food.. so we decided to order some basic hot dogs and chips.. cheapest (we thought on the menu). I ordered it with my (again) broken French.. and I should’ve known that it was not going to be hot dogs when it cost less than what the menu said. Instead of hot dogs we got probably the most amazing French junkfood EVER.. it is a big loaf of bread with lettuce, tomato, 2 hot dogs, chips/fries, grilled onions and sauces on it!! We stuffed our faces for just 4.50 Euros total!! Cheap for these parts of the world.

On to Espana.. and immediately at the first tollgate with a “Merci.. Ag, I mean Gracias!” we realized that France was behind us for the time being and that we were in the European country we had most looked forward to! It was a weird feeling however, because the North of Spain (Basque Country) is not quite what we had pictured... and although the snow-capped Pyrenees mountains are absolutely beautiful, the beauty in nature is in stark contrast to the numerous factories and densely populated flat/apartment blocks. And man, do those factories stink!

We made a quick visit to the city of San Sebastian - a unique city on the shore of the Cantabrian Sea with a very prominent statue of Saint Sebastian overlooking from a hilltop - and quick because we just could not find a spot to park the Landy. All their parking garages were seemingly below ground and made for 2.3 m tall or less... we are 2.5ish. And all the above ground parking was either residential or too narrow for us. So we just drove around for a while to try and take it all in.. but it is a very cool looking city!

We made a detour into the mountains to visit the town of Guernica. This city founded in 1366 was completely destroyed on 26 April 1937 when a German air raid bombed the city for 3 straight hours (29,000 kg of explosives) as a “practice run” for their bombers. The whole city was gutted and all that remains today are an old church (Iglesia de Santa Maria) and the Casa de Juntas. Today the city is bustling with new buildings and structures.. oh and a few monuments made out of rubble from the previous buildings.

I’ve really enjoyed being able to put my little bit of Spanish to some good use. I’m a bit rusty since it has been about 3 years, but it has been like riding a bicycle again.. and little bits come back as the confidence grows. If only I can make the switch in my brain to stop starting conversations in French!!

Tonight we are spending the night in a cheap hotel in Bilbao (a trade up from the budget hostels) with Wi-Fi as a treat for Tim’s birthday. Oh and Mammie, the receptionist here at the hotel told me that Jone’ (my given name) is a very common “Basque-ian” name. Imagine that!

Day 4: Are we there yet?

In the town of Cognac

By Natasha

Ha ha ha... just kidding! But seriously, we want to get to Africa already! We have loved France and especially seeing parts we’ve never seen before.. it is absolutely beautiful and we’ve enjoyed it tremendously.. but we are just itching to start the expedition.

This Landy (in need of a name btw) is not really made for the highways and cities. Like Tim said, its comfortable at lower speeds. So I battle when I drive it... being the speed demon that I am.. but probably a good exercise in patience and allowing something to do what its capable of.. not expecting too much. But in those “rare” moments of impatience, the steering wheel starts shaking and doors start clanging... so slow and steady it is.

We spent the night in Niort (seriously Formule 1 hostels to the rescue) and then off to Cognac. Unlike the name would suggest, the town is anything but elite and sophisticated, but no less magical. There is evidence of a once booming and thriving town, but very little is still open and functioning. Instead most of these buildings (that you can imagine as Chateaus) are dilapidated and boarded up.. signs of a very depressed town. We had to speculate since there is very little information, but seems like either the town took a huge hit during the wars and have struggled to recover.. or that the Cognac industry is not what it used to be.

Off and on through the windy countryside roads and stunning vineyards of France. Seriously though, having lived in “wine country” for a significant part of my life, the Bordeaux region is a different kind of beautiful. The stretches of land, vineyards, lanes of trees and small farm buildings had me gasping for air at some times... so much so that Tim would think he’s gonna hit something (not unlike what my mother does when we all get mad at her and think somethings wrong.. ma se kind)!

We arrived in the city of Bordeaux and it took almost an hour to find a parking space.. yet just another reminder that this big car of ours was not made for city parking spaces and traffic patterns. None the less, we were determined and made sure to find a spot so we could have a nice dinner with meat and vegetables (got tired of the quick and cheap panini or baguette options) and a nice glass of local red wine (of course).. totally worth the drive around the city.

Contrary to popular believe, the French have been extremely helpful and friendly. It does help if you try in French first since they aren’t very fond of people who just assume that they should be able to speak English. But in some places I’ve been able to speak in English and they respond in French and by some miracle of God only we were able to understand each other and walk away very happy (lets hope!). I finally got some good homeopathic (like the Europeans do) medicine for this Sinusitis I’ve been battling with for weeks. And the dear sweet ladies in the “Pharmacie” did their very best to understand my broken French! But we got it diagnosed and its being treated.

Well, we’re so close to the Spanish border this morning.. we can hardly wait to go there. France... its been real, but we’ll get to see you soon enough again on our way to Italy to meet Nick and Lana (can hardly wait guys.. you must be getting very excited)!

PS. Dad, Sad day... we had the last of the cookies this morning! They’ve been a great source of energy and keeping us going! Wish we brought more!