Auberge Dardara Chefchaouen

Allllllll RIGHT! Now we're back in business!<br><br>Found a different Internet "Kasbah" @ twice the Dirhams (10/hr.) of last nights, but oh so much better. Each computer can be switched independently to different languages - including the keyboard now works just like the USA's good ol' QWERTY!<br><br>The browser's still in French mind you, so am still answering dialog boxes w/ "Oui" but - they even tell me that I can upload pics much faster - so with any luck I can ...

... feve, chou vert, tomate, fanta...rencontre de Mustapha devant le camping, on le monte a la decharge avec le quatrequart et il nous emmene a l ecomusee ou il y avait salle de conference et retrospective de la region, faune et flore confondues. On decide donc de partir faire un petit raid 4x4 le lendemain matin... SAMEDI 9 MAI 2009 On dejeune oeufs brouilles tomates oignons, jus d orange frais, pain sucre et marmelade...On laisse la remorque pour monter a ...

... the afternoon off at the Parador hotel for a cold beer, where we had our ear's chewed off by a hippie elderly British woman who had lived in the area for a number of years, and all she did was complain how bad things were, I think she just needed to toke up again, judging from the bags under her eyes! Picking the squeaky clean girls up from the Hamam we arrived back at the hotel, where we chilled out before dinner. We sat in the ...

... up on a shelf under ten pounds of blankets (thank goodness cuz it was freezing...the guesthouse was not heated, which was the only drawback). We met an interesting cast of characters at the Pension Mauritania. There was Eddy a Portuguese self-described mule whose new occupation was swallowing balloons filled with hashish; his nameless friend who slept until noon each day; a loquacious professional repeller from Yorkshire named Michael who spent his spare ...

... they scrub you, wash you, scrub you, rinse you, and scrub you some more. At the end I walk out to pay the 50ish dirams it should cost, only to have the guys demand 3000! It turns out they have more then 1 type of currrency and 3000 may have meant 150 (dirams=rial/20) but still 100 too much! So we huffed and puffed and I wouldnt pay so they 'let' me only pay 100. Then we caught the bus back to Marrakech to get the train to Meknes ...

... the scenery is breathtaking and the town quite charming; that positive is negated somewhat by our status as walking wallets. Unless we walk briskly and with a purpose, we get stopped every 10 meters by people wanting to take us to their shop; sell us hasheesh or simply begging for money. We thus learned in a hurry to say 'la shukran' (no thank you); we don't feel unsafe though because there are quite a few cops around and Moroccan men look very small ...

It was a chill out day for me today - the rest of the group headed out at 7.30am for a 7hr walk through the countryside - I lounged in bed until just after 9 and had a long hot shower. I walked down to the main square - Plaza uta el-Hammam and cruised the cafe scene until I found a nice one I could settle in. I ordered some toast and a freshly squeezed OJ and just sat and watched the locals go about their daily life. After a while my bum ...

Hammams, are public bath houses, open to men in the morning and women in the afternoon if there is only one room. I had read about these in our guidebook and wanted to experience going to one. When we arrived at Chefchaouen, a quaint town surrounded by the Rif Mountains, I managed to persuade Mum to go with me. She really wasn't keen and was hoping that we wouldn't find one, but I succeeded in my search and led her up some stairs into a room full of half naked women and children ...

... With no where else to go, we relaxed for awhile and then headed back down the mountain and some more food. This whole trying not to eat during the day thing is tough but it is getting easier each day. We had dinner that night again at the same cafe and said goodbye to our friend who works there. It is a real shame to be leaving this beautiful country but other places are calling my name. I am sure I will be back though...

... a stunning topography. I was also told by other travelers that I wouldn't need to book a hostel or hotel ahead, as their aren't many hostels in this country, and because when you arrive at a bus station, there is always someone looking for business in their hotel, and they attack you as you get off the bus, shouting prices and trying to strike a deal with you, bargaining offers to get you to stay in their hotel. This has been my experience in other ...