Overnight journey
Trip Start
Jul 07, 2008
1
47
219
Trip End
May 27, 2010
Nador,
Morocco
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Camping Roquetas, Costa Almeria
Warm and windy
Some winds (they name them but we have no idea what this one is called) have been blowing from the Sahara ever since we arrived back in Spain. Yesterday, had we been cycling in the opposite direction, and therefore against the wind, we would have come to a complete halt. We know the winds are from the Sahara because everything is covered in a very fine red sandy dust.
We tipped off the boat at 9pm, and the sky was as black as they come. The port police (who having searched everyone else - the two, yes two, cars on the ferry and all the passengers AND crew) waved us through with very large smiles. Being on bicycles has this effect on customs and police, they just think we are bonkers, or, they feel dreadfully sorry for us. The senior police officer told us the best (cheapest) place in town was the Hostel Americanos. Eventually we found it, follow the Ramblas past the big posh hotel in the middle of the road, keep on going and it's the 4th road on the right, Calle de Estacion. 43Euros for the night and it was fine. We commented on the fact that it was the equivalent of 600 dh, but then decided to sidestep that issue.
The first thing we did was break open the 4Euro bottle of brandy we had bought duty free on the boat, then we had showers then, pretty exhausted after travelling for almost 24 hrs, crashed out until 10 the next morning.
So, looking back, we left Fes at approx 2 am. I was impressed with the CTM bus system, we even had luggage labels which we had to present at the end of the trip to get our bikes and luggage. I don't sleep on buses, or trains or any kind of transport. So by the time we tipped up in Nador I was suffering from sleep deprivation big time. Even so, nothing would have induced me to stay there - it was a dump. So, we had coffee and cake and set off to cycle the 14kms to the port to catch the ferry. We bought our tickets (462 dh - bikes free) from Nador to Almeria, which is pretty cheap when you think about equivalent 7/8 hr crossings in Europe. We ate the menu del dia and crashed for a few hours, knackered, and then as I mentioned above arrived at around 9pm.
Since then, we've cycled about 20kms down the coast (west) to Roquetas de Mar and are staying at one of the few campsites that stay open all year. Last night the thunderstorms were HUGE. The rain always sounds worse in the tent, but it did rain. The thunder and lightening was pretty good too, but we have a very sound tent so we were'nt worried. The wind has been the main feature as well as the sand that's hanging in the air. The sun made a brief appearance in the sky this afternoon, ooh, we wondered what it was! It's as warm as you like though. It's almost 10pm and I'm still sat with sarong and vest on, now I'm the kind who covers up when someone mentions the word ice. At a guess, I'd say it's 25C,
I went and introduced myself to an English couple today in the vague hope they may have a couple of books they want to swap. Turns out, they are snowbirds (down here for the winter - this is their 8th year) and they run the book club! Result, I left 6 of ours and came away with 7 new ones. There were a lot of romantic novels and trashy airport novels, but I managed to bag a couple of Grisham novels and one that was recommended by The Richard and Judy Book Club. Whatever gets you through the day eh?
Laters
