Apes and Storks

Its Sunday evening here in Azrou, I left you yesterday in Ifrane where I can get a signal to post blog. I went to a cash machine in that surreal town and it promptly ate my card! Now that's progress for you. I summoned assistance from whoever I could find but of course its Saturday and the banks are closed, so a telephone call to the bank manager and he says ' Its quite safe with us, come back Monday' ! Lucky I don't want to go anywhere in a hurry. And we don't, its very beautiful here. We continued with our plan and drove the bike through an old volcano crater high up in the mountains around here. As hot as it is in the sun, snow is lying and people are enjoying tobogganing and horse rides, we are enjoying just being here and find empty spaces that feel like we are on top of the world.

And then, as we descend into the cedars again, we come across them, Barbary Apes. Fantastic, this is not a zoo, it's wild woodland and these beautiful creatures live here naturally, blending in with the environment. This Cedar forest is their home and they are gentle and very used to humans. I just walked up to the one in the photo and I'm only a couple of feet away from him. He just sat there and posed for me! We once again were like children in a sweety shop, could hardly believe our eyes. We've not experienced being with wild apes before.

On to today, the campsite owner, Hassan, who runs this orchard/campsite called Amazigh, told us of a lake we could drive to easily on our bike, so we did. Up through the cedar forest we went coming to an enormous dead cedar where coach loads of moroccan tourists had been brought to be in the middle of this wilderness! Imagine our surprise, snow lined dirt road, apes and tourist coaches! Still, it shows us that it's not only the 'french' who come here to holiday. Moroccans love their country too and like to enjoy it just like we do. We climb higher and the people thin out to just one or two picnickers and a couple of hippy-ish coaches out in the sticks. Shepherds wave as we dig deeper into the forest in search of this lake and eventually have to admit defeat. We stop and ask a delightful shepherd if he knows where we are? Of course he does, we're here! Yes but the lake, oh to hell with lake , its so beautiful here off road, we unpack our lunch, lay out our mat and have our picnic! Surrounded by cedars, sheep and birds, we eat our fill and take in the peace and stillness. That is until, out of nowhere come two large trucks laden with enormous lumps of cedar. This 'road' we're on is hard going on the bike but these lorry's are swaying over one way then the next, how they don't tip over is a mystery. The drivers smile and wave as they pass us and disappear over the hill. ! So we follow them after packing up and find ourselves driving out onto a bluff overlooking the middle atlas, stunning, absolutely stunning. A smooth drive along narrow but good roads, stopping to ask friendly locals the way to Azrou and we complete a 45 mile round trip.

We still have time before dark for a spot of photography ( resident Storks ) and a walk behind the campsite into the hills and the small farms that work this arable land.

I'll post this blog tomorrow when I go and collect my card at Ifrane!

So goodnight from us

xxx

Ps I Have my card no problem!

Ifrane for the internet!

Ifrane is a ski resort for the rich! We have to come here to post blogs as Azrou seems to be the one town in Morocco where our usb key dosn't work! It's like being in the Alps with big beautiful houses all around. Fashionable young people walk the squeaky clean streets eating in pizza restaurants and looking gooood.

Not our cup of tea at all.

The campsite we are in is another story, in a cherry orchard with migrating storks on all the chimney tops in a beautiful valley full of agriculture at 3000 ft. The middle Atlas is so beautiful and very green. Tranquility and fresh clean air, sunshine and hot showers. We feel like staying a few days.

I'll write again back at the campsite and post blog in Ifrane until we move on. It's a lovely drive on the bike here and next time we'll just sit in a park!!

Love to all

Ted and Krysia

From Fez to Azrou

Friday 25th Feb

Another warm and sunny day! After breakfast we went into the Medina to look for a Haman we thought was open to men and women at the same time! Not together I hasten to add, just …. At the same time. It was not to be as all the hamans in fez except one which was closed, operate on a men in the morning, women in the afternoon basis ! So we didn’t bother but were prepared to give it a try. Another time. We just wandered the old town for ages , getting lost( not really ) then finding ourselves again. Having a nos nos ( coffee half n half with milk ), chatting to the locals who were lovely, giving the touts what they deserve and making friends with them! ( quite an achievment ) . Having a great chat with Mohammed at the henna souk, that’s Mohammed who works for Mohammed who took us for lunch yesterday! He spoke English and is muslim to the core, little beard, hat all that stuff. Walked till we could take no more and returned to the van, packed up and said our goodbyes to Fez, Feztastic!

A hectic exit out of this large town took us eventually to the countryside and up, up and away into the middle atlas mountains. Snow peaks in the distance, cherry and fruit trees lined the hills as we climbed higher into cedar forests. Beautiful scenery, hot sunshine with the van going well. We grinned with delight, reminding ourselves that we are so fortunate to experience this adventure. Higher and higher we drive through the town of Ifrane, which wouldn’t look out of place in the Alps. The king has a place here and its very posh, very strange. On we drive up into the skiing area which still has plenty of snow lying and people having fun as we would in the Black Mountain. From moonscape to cedar forest, snow poles line the road, mountains all around and the sun keeps on shining.

Then what goes up must come down and down and down through thick tall cedars into the town of Azrou. Krysia spots a large monkey sitting on a parked car as we descend, I keep my eyes on the road!

We find a lovely campsite in a cherry orchard and park with other campers underneath them. Hot showers heated by a woodstove, lovely local man who runs the place speaks only his native tongue and we are very happy to be here.

Internet is not happening here so I’ll have to post this when I can!

Insha’allah

All our love

Ali baba and Fatima ( or is that Thinima! )

Fez

So what, you may ask, is Dai Morris doing in Fez? Now I know you are good with disguises Dai but shouldn't you tell Jude what you really get up to on those long walks with the dogs?

This delightful gentleman is the owner of a traditional Moroccan cafe we were introduced to by a shopkeeper we had befriended who ate there himself. So two tales to this event.

First the shopkeeper we happened upon who charmed us so much yesterday that we went back for more today. He sold soap and perfume, kohl and rose water. spices and more . All at very local prices, sold with enough charm to empty your wallet, which he didn't! and information the rough guide would love. The Henna Souk is a rather tranquil place in comparison to a lot of the Medina so an hour or so chatting with our new friend was a welcome break from the rather busy tourist alleys we'd fallen out of into this haven of peace. It's that sudden in Fez. Crazy and quiet coexist happily in close proximity.

As we left, he overheard us mention food and quickly offered to give us directions to, in fact his partner will take us there. No problem. Best food in the Medina he said. We eat there and they did, while we ate our lunch he turned up for his own. Now the DM lookalike is one Monsieur Berrada, who heads the Family run cafe. What a star, he takes us both straight to the kitchen where we have to sample all the dishes on offer today! In a daze of gastronomic delight mixed with the surprise of being asked to taste all the food first, we settle for 1 kefta and 1 lamb targine with little dishes of who knows what, fresh bread and mint tea. Helpings of humour and joy!all contributing to the best meal ever! Well you know what I mean.

Today we also visited the Tannery. I came here with my brother Chris 30 years ago and when I reached the balcony overlooking the workplace, I instantly recognised what needless to say hasn't changed in Ages. Suddenly, I was with Chris and Krysia at the same time. A strange and delightful moment. No time had passed here, the same as it always is!

We've wandered the Medina morning noon and night and rest in our van, which is home from home, parked just outside the old walls of Fez safely guarded through the night.

Wishing you all a goodnight

love Ted and Krysia

Trance music in Sidi Ali

Here Krysia stands in front of a tent in which drums and flutes are creating a hypnotic trance in those who are dancing. One man is so immersed that at the end of each crescendo of drumming, he drops to his knees and attacks his own head with knives!!! cutting himself for all to see. The atmosphere is tense, this is the real stuff.

Usually seen only on TV for us in modern GB!

It's very emotional and quite disturbing, the people here are gearing up a notch as the festival hits it's fourth day. It's been going strong all this time and many look tired but have not finished their devotion. In another tent a woman winds herself up with head shaking, first totally scarfed and then wildly, hair loose and mesmerising. She falls exhausted into the seated musicians and they play on! Men carry large cactus plants openly piercing themselves and weighty plates are hurled into the air above the dancers, which crash down on their heads! We are invited to join a group of musicians and sit at their feet as they bring a chap into a trance, over and over the pipes and drums repeat and then stop, only to start again immediately.

We are overwhelmed and as we are the only European tourist in sight, decide to take these cherished memories back down the hill to the tranquillity of the campsite! Not that we were under any threat. The police presence was evident and with no booze or drugs in sight, it was the heightened state of emotional tension that gave rise to some concern. People were openly going a bit far on themselves. Not everyone approved. This is , after all, a very old traditional festival that has been going on for a long time.

We will probably leave day 5 to The Berber tribes of the Rif mountains! Perhaps we'll do something a bit calmer tomorrow like wander the souk in Fez!!! Only shop keepers and guides to deal with there.

Our heartfelt thanks to the people of Meknes, Moulay Idriss and Sidi Ali for giving us this wonderful start to our adventure.

Tomorrow we travel.

Insha'Allah

Lunch in Moulay Idriss

Monday 21st Feb. Hot sunny weather today. Lovely stuff.

After a spot of washing and sunbathing! we set off on the motorbike for supplies, lunch and an adventure. As we drove slowly into Moulay Idriss, this charming chap pictured with me here, came running out of his tiny cafe and waved us down to eat in his place! Now, how did he know we were hungry? and even though this was the first cafe in town, I stopped! He helped us off the bike with squeels of delight and much handshaking and back patting. He even kissed me on the cheek, through my helmet! A little overwhelmed, we sat down and were hailed with love and kindness followed by mint tea. Lots of it! And what's to eat? we eventually got round to. Kefta targine of course. Do i ask how much? It seems a little rude when we are being treated like royalty. So no, I don't ask! And we chat in Arabic, well learn words like half and good, hello and thank god for the food etc, etc, while he cooks the kefta and vegetables. He doesn't stop smiling and giving us looks of joy! He really is a lovely fellow. The targine is served with bread of course and armed only with our hands, we dive into the delicious meal. We haven't eaten beef for many years now but I have to say, it was simply yummy. Trying to be a vegetarian here would be missing the point. This food was cooked with love. We watched and felt it. You can't get better food than that! More kefta's were heaped onto the plate and we ate until we couldn't, no please, no more!! More mint tea and joy and when it comes to the bill? 30 Dirhams each , thats £2.25!!!!!!

Our day was not over yet! On up into the hills behind we drove, into the past, with shepherds everywhere and small villages hugging the mountains.

The road got rougher and rougher as we climbed, turning right at any crossroads we came to, the theory being that if we keep turning right, we'll end up at Sidi Ali, the crazy fete town! On for miles we drove, through beautiful landscape, passed friendly folk, ceder woods and Broad Bean meadows! until we finally came to a sign that said Sidi Ali. After stopping for a rest on the mountainside, surrounded by sheep and their shepherds, we went slowly down the hillsides, through small villages , ending up in the mayhem of the 5 day fete. At walking pace, we went right through it, in awe and wonder at the sights we were passing! Out the other side and down to the campsite to settle in to the sound of flutes, horns and shouting, all emanating from Sidi Ali.

An early night for us, after a vege targine!

What a lovely day. We are so blessed.

Ted and Krysia

Lost in the Crowd

Two days of extreme contrast!

Yesterday was a tranquil one, spent doing odd jobs and getting used to being in the warm sunshine! A bit of sunbathing indeed. Then a bike ride to the ancient Roman town of Volubilis, where we walked for several hours around the ruins of this remarkably well preserved old town.It's about 2000 years old, so I started to feel a bit like Indiana Jones as this photo shows. No real excitement though, no near death experiences. In fact the opposite, archaeologically fascinating. Excitement , nil!!!! By the end of the tour, I was well up for a cup of something to drink, needless to say, there hasn't been a cafe open here for 1800 years, so parched and full of history, we sped home on the bike for a coffee. Yes it was interesting, mosaics, baths, pillars and much more, but we have been enjoying a bit more life lately in the 'old' medinas full of people. So on to today.

Another slow start to the day, even turned to rain. No problem, Arabic to learn, friendly locals to practise on. Lovely stuff. Then it cleared up and a walk was called for. so we set off up the steep hill behind us towards the local town of Sidi Ali, where the 5 day fete is well under way.

Heaving, packed, bustling,mayhem ! are words to describe what we found. Unbelievable! Not a foreign tourist in sight except for us and friendly smiles and welcomes from all directions. We delved deeper into a very local arena. The tourists were from Meknes 15 miles away! and we were as much of a spectacle as they locals were to us. 'Welcome to Morocco' was said over and over again. Even a policeman said it to us! Little french was spoken so more Arabic to attempt and what a beautiful reception to trying you get. How much is that? Bshhal hada, we attempt and who cares, they respond with glee. We are once again like lambs to slaughter in this turmoil of excitement, like children at the fair. Loosing ourselves in the moment.

I have to admit that photography can't do justice to the onslaught to our senses. Imagine the sounds; horns and drums,voices and chanting, donkeys and sheep, music from all directions. Then there were the smells; roasting meats, coffee, incense, urine, goats, chickens and perfumes. The sights of traditionally dressed folk, women and men, dancing and chanting, banging drums, selling water, selling everything, calling out. We even had a tortoise healing! Yes a young man performed a ritual over us including a live tortoise and healed us of everything we could think of!

I filmed a dance without any trouble until, when Krysia had been dragged in to it and was filming her jumping around, A rather large women turned on me in fury, henna'd hands flaying at me and an abrupt finish to my intrusion. Scary women these Berbers! We just don't know the rules here and take chances with our cameras. Today I was taught a lesson.

as we left, we bought cushions , dates and a tarjine. Walking down the hill to our campsite, buzzing with thrill of what we'd just enjoyed.

What a day, we have been so fortunate again. We wish you all could be here. lots of love

Ted and Krysia

All change is good

And here is Krysia, who is wearing a handmade Jellaba from Moulay Idriss. She feels fantastic and as the Moroccan men passing the tailors shop said, she looks it too!

We left Meknes this morning on a high note in the warm sunshine. Time to move on and we do need to bath and deal with water etc. For all the perfumes we've bought ( musk, amber, jasmine and sandalwood ), we are starting to pong. So we drive north for only 25 kms or so and find a beautiful campsite in an olive grove. The village nearby starts a 5 day festival today! wouldn't you just know it? We've struck gold again!

But its to the campsite we go and settle in for the all important washing of clothes and bodies. Its hot in the sun today, great for drying and a short spot of sunbathing! The view from here is nothing short of stunning. Olive trees frame the lowland plains stretching out below us, for as far as the eyes can see. It is so fertile here in northern Morocco. Green green grass of , well not home but you get the idea.

We take a late afternoon motorbike ride through the hills to Moulay Idriss. Perched on a hillside, as pretty as any picture, this pilgrims destination is worth a 5th of the Hajj to Mecca! Buried here is the Saint and first Arab king ,Moulay Idriss El Akhbar who was the great grandson of the prophet Muhammed! We are not allowed access to the mausoleum as its Muslim only. So we sit at a nearby cafe and soak up the atmosphere. It is , for us, quite exhilarating to be here. We've happened upon it by chance and beam with our find.

A tiny doorway and a tailor catch our eyes as we explore the backstreets. He's charming and shows us his wares and techniques. Krysia falls for the Jellaba, which is made from heavy cotton and hand stitched at every seam. She is so happy with her purchase and wears the garment back at the campsite for the rest of the night.

We're too tired to go out tonight so settle in for a quiet evening. Did I say quiet? The sound of music from the local fete hums in the background. We smile, we are very fortunate to be here.

What will tomorrow bring?

This afternoon did get better!

A beautiful women smiles knowingly as she passes us. Traditionally dressed and aware of her beauty she walks away leaving us this fleeting image as she disappears into the Medina. Around every corner is another surprise.

We walked all afternoon through crowded streets and busy squares, back alleys and ghettos, modern high streets and shopping malls. We keep finding more Bab's ( Gate's ) into and out of the old walled city of Meknes, completing a circle of the old town where our van waits patiently for us. It hasn't moved since we arrived last Monday!

Tired, we thought our day was over but there were too many people walking across the square so we had to investigate. Town was heaving and traditionally dressed men were gathering around flags and horses. Trumpets sounded and a grand procession was under way. We were in the thick of it and were taken along in the push of the crowds to the sound of chanting, drumming and horns. Unbelievable! We're in the thick of a huge celebration and everyone is happy and friendly. The din of the horns and the bang of the drums evoked an atmosphere more akin to Tibet. The dancers swayed rhythmically and at times jumped in the air, all led by an enormous fellow and his unmistakeable son.

The whole procession moved into ever narrowing streets and the crowd became intense. We were carried along on a wave of celebrations that took all our might to escape. To the smiles of some! We slowly headed back to the van in a daze of amazement, thankful for a mysterious and exciting day. Is this really happening to us? Or is that dream time becoming more blurred than ever.

Whatever is happening, we don't want to wake up, or go to sleep again!

Row, row, row the boat,

Gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

Life is but a dream

Goodnight

Daily life in Meknes

Locals cross the square, ambling to and fro to their daily business. Here we sit in the middle of it, watching and listening to all the sights and sounds that swirl around us. Yesterday morning at 5 am I woke and prepared myself to record the beautiful mueddin. We are parked right next to a Mosque and at that time of day the singing call to prayer is magical. The caller warmed up with quieter chanting for 10 minutes before breaking into full voice at full volume. As soon as he started, the whole city joined in! From all directions the Allah Akbar merged into a cacophony of musical chant. We have not experienced such intimacy with the local traditions before this. We are the only camper here, unlike in other southern towns where one can feel like part of an invading hoard. Meknes is proving to be an amazing start to our journey.

We wandered the old town and got lost, as you do! We were guided out by a local, through dark alleys and crumbling walls ( its the remains of the old palace grounds ). We watched entertainers capturing the attention of crowds, bought a handmade embroided tablecloth, ate in the main square and mixed with laughing, happy people. We stood by while a protest march passed! Peacefully!! Ending our day with a 2 hour chat on Skype with Jaimie in Bristol and Adam in Tazmania!!

Could it actually get any better than this?

Here and now, life is good.

Long may we keep in touch.

love

Ted and Krysia

At the Sultan's Mausoleum!

Sultan Moulay Ismail 1672-1727. He lies here with his wife and two children, well, he had over 800 children to be precise and 400 wives! He was a Sultan as we would have imagined one. Absolute whimsical power. The present King Mohammed 6, is a direct descendant.

Thats a bit of history for you this wednesday morning!

Have a lovely day.

We will

love

Meknes magic

Teusday 15th.

Yesterday we drove the several hundred kms to Meknes. A smooth drive through rural Morocco. It's itself, of course. Cars, donkeys and cyclists all use the same roads and even the policemen stand precariously in the centre of the rather narrow freeways! ( I nearly hit one! ). We arrived at the campsite in Meknes at about 5pm and found it shut! Typical and I was tired. I just stopped the van and waited for some inspiration. It came quite quickly with a tap on the window and young Jed offering to take us to a calm guarded campsite. Fantastic, he sat with us and showed the way to the main square right next to the Medina! There were fire breathers, storytellers and all sorts in the square opposite . We were shown to a simple parking spot ( along with any other Moroccan! ) and the guardian said no problem, very safe here. And we felt it. Surrounded by just what we'd come for, we sat like two children in a sweety shop.

We set off across the square an entered the magic of Ali baba and his 40 pleasant folk. It was teeming with local life and soon found ourselves buying dates, olives and bread. Outside the souk were stalls selling sizzling sausage baps for £1.50. Who's a vegetarian? We sat on stools with local folk munching our baps in paradise. Teeming, heaving melange of all sorts of folk in all sorts of dress, all smiling. Welcome to Morocco being said time and time again!

We slept like logs and woke at 5.30am to the joyful sound of the mueddin ( call to prayer ) and went back to sleep again. Our prayers had been answered. It costs us 75p to stay here guarded for the day and 75p for the night! Best campsites around these public squares. I'm sure it will be different in other places but this is Meknes and is known for it's hospitality.

We took a real touristy ride on a horse drawn carriage this morning and loved it. Sometimes being what you are ( in this case a tourist ) is great fun!

We're settling in for lunch right now and might have a lazy hour or two before heading out into the mayhem of the souk. Fantastic.

Thinking of you all ( seriously! )

Love

Ted and Krysia

Tanger gives us what we needed

And that's a solid reminder of where we are and the rules to the game! We've had a good day but not without having to be reminded what the rules are. We are tourists in a land used to tourism, we are vulnerable by being so easily led by charming innocent locals who tell us of the dangers that can befall us if we aren't careful.

If we knew what we actually wanted in town, it wouldn't be difficult to get it! Just wandering around and looking lost is a sure way of attracting attention and 57 years old Ahmed spotted us within seconds of us arriving and we fell for the chat up lines straight away. Soon we were being led through the back alleys of the Medina on a fascinating tour of all the bread bakeries, rich foreign houses, alleys and squares, being fed all the trivial information you never knew you wanted to know. Old English gun emplacements! and on a clear day you can see the coast of spain! ( its cloudy today )

Now what I really wanted was a pee, a man of my age has to go more often so to hell with the bakeries Ahmed, where are the loos? and as it happens he knew a good place!

So this loo place also happens to a cafe ( the penny still hadn't dropped ) but hungry we were and lunch we wanted. And what a lunch, fantastic. 3 courses of soup followed by a pastilla ( local pastry pie mmm ) then a chicken tagine with potatoes and cous cous. Swilled down with a litre of finest bottled water! Beautiful food at a handsome price! about 8 pounds each. Seemed pricey at the time as we are in a very back street cafe but it was excellent nosh.

Ahmed had waited in the wings while we ate and then whisked us off to a carpet shop. 3 stories of bloody carpets and a smooth talking geezer who new all there is to know about.. well everything really. The penny had well and truly dropped. We were being taken from shop to shop. a common faux guides tactic to get a fee from each one. Next up was the house of a million spices!!! Now we're getting tired of this but the white coated expert was very entertaining and we did buy some spices ( no carpets ) but had to confront our best mate Ahmed with enough of this, we want to go home! ( well to the campsite ) So he leads us through the oldest part of town and takes us to where we want to go.

How much Ahmed? 'What you like' he says. 'Like some people give me 50 euros' !!!!!!!!!!! Thats 50 quid we cry. You must be joking, ' no I'm not ' he says!

Well I'll give you 15 quid( 200 dirhams ), 'no, I have a family to feed' etc etc , long faces pulled, another 100 dihrams please.

So what would you do?

He's been a nice guy, giving us tourists just what we think we need. Great food! Haven't been mugged, got us home safely.

Yep, we gave him another 100 dihrams.

Got exactly what we deserved. Thank you Ahmed. A valuable lesson on our first full day in Morocco.

Timeless Tanger

Its been warm and sunny all day. We had driven many miles yesterday and ended up in the Lidl car park next to the ticket office at Algeciras by 6 pm. Very tired but happy to be at the port, well Lidl! We purchased our tickets to Tanger and settled in for the night, looking forward with excitement to the journey in the morning. The sun shone brightly as we sat in line for our crossing. Soon we were Morocco bound but after only 1 hour we pulled into what we were expecting to be Tanger. A brand new port was what we found and after sitting at customs for several hours we found ourselves in the countryside with no sign of Tanger! In fact, a signpost read 48 kms to the city. We were nowhere near our expected destination and were cruising on a new motorway to get to town. Nobody thought of mentioning to us that the ferry no longer goes to the old haven for gays and pot smokers. Giving them some space we assume.

So, after some serious driving through the city streets, he who hesitates is definitely taken no notice of, we parked near the Medina ( found by pure chance! or was it? ) and walked with an air of 'don't want it, no thank you', politely as possible and avoided all invites to be taken down dark alleys. Our objective was food and internet usb key and we got them both. We wandered the streets first mind, lost as could be ( well in our minds only ) but found superb fish dinner followed by usb stick, which was made the easier by a charming young man, who helped us in english decipher the complexities of us dealing with such a thing as an internet key with a shop assistant who only appeared to speak Arabic!! He sorted us out, shook our hands and wished us '' Welcome to Morocco ''. It can't get better than that, can it?

Well, the car park attendant sat with us in the van to direct us to the campsite! He too showing a hospitality that rates with the best, so we gave him a couple of quid and you'd have thought we'd given him a pension. He was overjoyed.

So the 'Dream' goes on.

As we sit here in the campsite, eating olives and oranges, we wish you all ( ? ) a very good night

Dreams

10th Feb

It's 7 pm and we're settled into a pleasant campsite in Salamanca. We stayed here last year as its a good staging post for Algeciras, where we'll catch the ferry for Morocco. It's been really warm today and sunny! The crossing was smooth after we passed the English channel and we woke to calm seas with a pleasant ground swell to lull us into today's dreamy state. I've been vividly dreaming since we left. At Plymouth, I had a lovely chat with Mike Kilburn, who died last year! It was lovely to spend a while with him on Mumbles hill on a fine sunny day. I also met one of the Croft twins, which one's which I've never known! And he and I also had a pleasant chat. He's still alive as is his brother. Good health to them both.

Last night, I was convinced I wasn't able to get to sleep and had a long chat with Chinch about it! On how to get to sleep etc. Then I woke up to realize that of course I had slept! It can be quite hard to know what's a dream and what's not.

The calm seas blended seamlessly into calm plains as we sped over endless northern Spain. It's so different to home. So much empty space! Goes on forever.

As we chatted to Jaimie at sunset ( on the phone ) , two large Storks flew over us and landed in their nest, which sits above us in the campsite. We'll say good morning to them before we leave.

I wonder who I might meet tonight? Maybe it will be you! I hope so.

Goodnight

xxx

We're on the road again

This could be the last entry until we get to Morocco! Oh no I hear you say ( who say? for all I know, no one will see this, but incase you are there ). How you doin ? Its a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining and the world feels fine. We spent yesterday celebrating Jaimie's 22nd birthday, she's on top of the world, really happy and just had the birthday weekend of her life. We wined and dined her and ended the night in her house with her friends and were part of the group like we weren't actually her parents! Its such a privilege to be accepted in this situation. to be able to see how the young ones all interact and live together is brill. Relationships and inter-reaction is what its all about . Bristol is a thriving city of many cultures and loads of young people, small privately run shops and plenty to do, university life here is the business. If I have one regret, it would be not having gone to uni. I chose surfy boy instead and had a ball but the uni life looks like a growing I could have got into.

Still, thats daft, no regrets. I made my choices ( uninformed ones no doubt ) and took my chances and the rest of my life has unravelled around me. Arn't i the lucky one. What a brilliant life i've had and it can only get better! Drama's have come and gone. Tragedies have come and gone and the sun comes out for another lovely day. I've known and still know lots of lovely people who I've probably not said or not done the right thing too or not shown it often enough, so i'll take the opportunity now and say

I love you and give you all a big hug and a kiss. I apologise for whatever it is i've done that may have offended. I didn't mean it. I'm just human and trying to do what I think and feel is best.

You see, I don't know if I'll see you again. anything could happen and usually does, there is only one certainty and it is rare for any of us to look forward to the completion of our lives! I hope to laugh and cry many more times with all of you ( if thats only one person reading this blog then please take this too personally, it isn't a proposal of marriage! ).

So shut the f**k up now Ted and say your goodbyes. It could be days before I can chat again (oh no I hear you cry ) . The boat leaves in the morning and the drive across spain awaits us. Anything will happen. Fantastic.

Until the next instalment

all the best

love

Ted

PS Krysia and Jaimie send their love too. And Jon is LOVE

Another hard day packing!

Well, anticipation is a big part of any event and as departure day gets closer, the tension rises and where am i going to put the kitchen sink? The trouble ( delight ) with the van is you've got so much room to bring so much stuff that what not to bring becomes the question! With 8 weeks planned to do anything that takes our fancy, we'll probably spend a lot of time trying to work out what we could do with so many choices. In fact, we're likely to sit and stare in amazement at the unfolding drama's that will happen around our van. But just in case we get bored, we've got plenty to amuse ourselves with!

Last year, we ended up recording a Berber band in a cave, doing what they do for their local parties. They had never heard a recording of themselves before and we left them with a copy of the ''album''. We were blown away with their innocent charm and talent.

Another time, we had casually set fire to a bottle of camping gas! it was sending jets of flames high into the air right next to our van. We looked at it stunned, expecting it to explode any second, when over ran the campsite nightwatchman, picked it up with his bare hands and hurled it as far as he could away from us. We spent hours thanking him and attending to his wounds! The fire brigade were very pleasant too, they put the fire out, told us politely what we'd done wrong and gave us the now cooling bottle back so we could exchange it for a new one!!

No, never a dull moment when the Beynons are camping. There are no fools like old fools!

So we'll pack what we can and leave it in the van ( sounds like a song coming on ) and take what comes each day.

Anyway, I waffle on, as you do.

Saying for today:

Like a feather in the wind

We fall where we fall

Thats All

Goodnight

Trouble in Egypt and the Arab world

Will we, won't we, will we, won't we? get into morocco or will they too have an uprising? It seems that nations like Morocco are calling for change and who could blame them. It is a country with a huge difference in the distribution of wealth. The rich are very rich and.....well it goes without saying but, and this is a big but ! We travelled there last winter and never once heard any Moroccan put their King down, the opposite was true. Even in a small fishermans cave in the south there was a picture on the wall of young king. Anybody we asked said that he is a good man and their undisputed monarch. As to the government, they are more likely to be under question but are they enough for a revolution? And do the Moroccan people want to change the international view of them as a really cool place to visit? They are a lovely people and as much as I'd like to see the wealth of the country more evenly spread I would be sad not to be able to visit this jewel in the Arab world. ( Not forgetting that the Berbers make up a large part of it )

So if they won't let us in, we'll just travel around spain and portugal! Which will also be very nice!!