Dan H: the world traveling saxophone holder: 10 Month African Trails Epic Adventure: Week 1

Week 1 - Nov. 11th - 17th

Pre-trip Day 1 - Edinburgh to London
Pre-trip Day 2 - day in London
Day 1 - London to Gibraltar, camped in Spanish campsite near Algeciras
Day 2 - Ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta then truck to Martil, Morocco
Day 3 - Day in Martil
Day 4 - Martil to Tetouan then to bush-camp (random off-road camping!)
Day 5 - bush-camp to Chechauoen to Rabat
Day 6 - Rabat
Day 7 - Rabat & Casablanca

And so we come to the end of week number one of a staggering 43 weeks and what a week it's been. Though the distance covered has been relatively short (not counting the Easy-Jet air-taxi ride to Gibraltar) there really has been a lot to take in. The first step was being introduced to the hulking brute of a truck that I would effectively be calling home for the next year (almost) and meeting the people that would be, for the most part, keeping me company for that time. There were several people on the trip who would not be enduring the entire ten months but most of them were.

The truck really was a sight to behold, and that's quite a charitable description. It had the appearance of a giant livestock transporter, a ramshackle slum hut that had been hoisted up and unceremoniously dumped onto the back of a lorry. Our two guides were seated in the front and all the passengers, 24 in total, got to sit side by side facing each other in the 'tool shed' that was mounted on the back. You might detect a slight pang of regret in my description by the way but I want to point out that I was utterly delighted when I saw the vehicle. I knew I would be 'roughing it' when I signed up for the trip and this wonderful roaming wooden and metal garbage dumpster on wheels did nothing but enthrall me and surpass my expectations in every way! We're really adventuring now!

The truck utilised every possible square inch of space for storage. Not only was it possible to detach the seats and cram our luggage down there but even the floor of the cabin could be removed, allowing ample space beneath to cram any number of items, including tents, supplies and enough food and water to sustain us long enough to fully compose farewell letters to our family should we find ourselves stranded in the middle of the Sahara Desert with absolutely no hope of rescue.

The first day of course also involved meeting the poor demented souls that would be accompanying me on our Sojourn across the entire continent of Africa. Not surprisingly they all seemed like a fun and lively bunch, friendly and eager to resign the next year of their life to sweating buckets, not showering for extended periods of time and fighting all manner of horrid exotic diseases in an attempt to make it from point A to B via a 44,000 km scenic route. As usual my sheer ineptitude in learning people’s names led me to forget everyone on the first day but it didn't take me too long to familiarise myself with my fellow travelers. After stepping out of Gibraltar airport and making our way across the Gibraltar/Spanish border to the nearby truck we were soon on our way towards our first stop: a supermarket near Algeciras where we stocked on supplies and anything else we might have missed. We soon made our way to the small town of Tarifa where we parked at a campsite and, after a brief tour of the truck and its equipment, we set up our tents and got to know each other, downing plenty of one euro bottles of wine which we had purchased earlier!

The next day we returned to Algeciras and boarded the vehicle ferry to Ceuta, the small Spanish owned enclave that occupied a tiny little stub of land on the African coast, now we were in Africa but we still technically hadn't left Spain. The crossing of the Moroccan boarded was predictably slow but eventually we arrived in Morocco and we soon found ourselves parked in a campsite in a small town called Martil. The next day (Day 3) we explored the town center briefly but mostly spent our day exchanging money at banks or looking for ATMs as well as getting a spot of lunch. It wasn't until the 4th day when we got a real taste of Moroccan culture.After spending a couple of nights in Martil we hit the road once again (day 4) and resumed our journey, heading towards the city of Tetouan. We parked just outside the Medina (old town and market) and we seemed to be the only tourists in the entire area. We were taken on a tour by one of the locals, through narrow stone alleyways and through crowded bustling markets selling all kinds of fresh and incredibly cheap food. I was on the cooking team for the day and it was our job to use our food budget for the day to purchase enough food (of our choosing) for the day and to later prepare it for all 26 travelers. Evidently, word spread of our arrival and soon we were being assaulted by any number of salesmen. The trick is to allow yourselves to be invited into their shop, allow them to give you some complimentary tea and then turn down everything that they try to sell you, great fun!

We returned to the road and later that afternoon, after gathering firewood, we stopped by the roadside and had our first bush-camp of the trip. It was a spectacular location, surrounded by mountains, and we all appreciated the warm campfire, which we also used to cook dinner on. The next day (day 5) we drove to the scenic mountainside town of Chechaouen, spending some time in the Medina once again. Soon we were on our way towards Rabat, the capital, where we would be spending a few days whilst waiting for our Mauritania & Mali visas.

One of the most entertaining pastimes in this first week in Morocco has been leaning out the window and watching the world go by. Watching the bizarre expressions from many of the locals as they gawped at our colossal skip-on-wheels proved to be rather good fun. Some of them would stare in astonishment but most of them would smile and wave or cheer us on. Cars would honk and wave out the window cheering, one driver even yelled out the window "Welcome to Moroccoooooooo!!" when overtaking at quite an alarming velocity. It was really quite heartwarming, I mean I've never seen my fellow Brits greet tourists with anything other than subtle glares of contempt and mild irritation, to see the locals whooping joyously at us like we were the best thing they'd ever seen really made us feel welcome.

We spent a few days in Rabat and took some time to explore the city. A few of us also took a brief trip to Casablanca (day 7), a place that no-one would ever want to visit if it wasn't for that movie. All I can say is I did not take a single photo of the place, with the exception of the train station sign just to prove I went there. Take it from me, the place is a crap hole! Stay in Rabat, it's much more exciting and it has a beautiful coastline.

On the way back from Casablanca we learned how to deal with public transport. Basically the trick is to act as if you have ten seconds to live and the cure to your ailment is sitting on the bus, as soon as it arrives you need to scratch and claw your way towards the door, pushing everyone out the way (including frail old ladies!) in order to get on board. Within about 9 seconds the empty bus that had pulled alongside was now utterly crammed full of human livestock and many people, though not us, were left stranded on the roadside, resigned to wait another hour for the next one! A climbing harness and safety rope might have helped but basically you need to be utterly merciless to get on a bus in Morocco.

So now we're at the end of week one and we still have one more day in Rabat. After that we're off to Fes, Marrakech and then up into the high Atlas Mountains where the frigid nights will test our cold weather wear to its absolute limits! What fun, I can't wait!