Calm time in Marrakech

Sunday 10th April

Adam left last Friday morning, happy to have shared our adventures. Krysia was unfortunately left with a very bad case of the Moroccan quickstep which was getting no better. So to ease our minds and her ailments, we got a doctor to come to the campsite on Friday just to make sure all was in order. A lovely chap came to our van and after a thorough examination gave Krysia a prescription for a variety of disorders due to her being most poorly. We've stayed put in this lovely campsite since then with only me going out on the bike to get supplies from the local Marjane ( their equivalent of Tesco's ). It's been very hot indeed, topping the high 30's last Friday and thankfully being a bit cooler since! Also, there is a swimming pool here and as Krysia is improving day by day, we spend more time cooling by the pool as do the many camper van'ists that stay here. For the first time since we've been in Morocco, 2 months now, we are actually taking it easy! Which although doesn't make for an exciting blog does give us the chance to recharge our batteries and most of all, Krysia can get better. Its no fun being ill at the end of the road in the desert, sand and scorpions ( yes I saw a nasty black one outside the van after dark ), dust everywhere and needing a doctor! Camping Relais De Marrakech is a very different matter, we could be in France! Imagine a large area full of 50 or more camper vans surrounded by flowers and trees, a restaurant and swimming pool and the owner's 'castle' overseeing it all with pride. He has created an island of tranquillity here in the midst of chaotic Marrakech. A rest place from the intensity of local life and loads of fellow travellers take advantage of it, including posh and not so posh, huge and small, hippy and dippy, cyclists and desert trekkers. All sorts take a break here.

It's quite bizarre at the Marjane, after 2 months of shopping at little kiosk type shops with great conversations and very local people, now I find myself totally lost in a supermarket full of Moroccans shopping at Tesco Extra! Queues at the check out and slower till girls than I've ever experienced. Not a happy shopper but a handy source of supplies to tempt Krysia back into eating.

What to wear on the bike is a problem, its so hot! The locals wear little in the way of protection and many foreigners are the same, zooming out onto these crazy roads in shorts, no helmets with their dogs on their laps! Myself, I wear my helmet, gloves, padded jacket, bike boots but have ditched the padded trousers. By the time I get to the supermarket I'm melting and thats only 10 minutes away! Other bikers on large machines seem to ignore protection and dress to look and be cool. Everyone here drives aggressively so to be safe one has to too but without protection??? I think not, I'll just have to melt, or stay by the pool.

We'll probably stay put until mid week or until Krysia is fine. We'll then visit our familly in Attaouia to say fairwell before continuing the journey to where, we haven't decided as yet. That's the beauty of being on the road, we'll go where the 'wind' takes us and find out what happens next.

All our love

Ted and Krysia