Morocco

Fez

On Monday, January 12 was a driving morning o go to the camp-site Le Diamant Vert in the suburbs of Fès.

Camping Diamant Vert

The Medina

I had rented the day before a guide who I divided with a French family of three people. It was the visit of the castle according to the formula of "Jacques Dufilho". It was restricted to traverse the souks of the medina, with the visit of the tanneries with the store and with lunching in a restaurant. As in Casablanca I should have rented a taxi and have visited alone the medina as well as the main monuments. Thus to finish my tour in Morocco. Tomorrow I will approach Ceuta to take a ferry for Algeciras.

Royal palace

Mellah, Jewish quarter

Merenid tombs	Kairaouine mosque

Tanneries Chaouwara

Chaouwara tanneries

Dryer quarter

Medersa el-Attarine

Kairaouine mosque

Kairaouine

Vegetal silk

Nejjarine Museum & fountain

Weavers

Road to la Mediterranean coast

For the return to Ceuta and to take to a ferry I took the main road 8 from Fez to Taounate then the R505 road up to Ketama and finally a cross-piece up to El-Jebha on the coast. R505 passes by the beyond the law area of the culture of the kif, hashish. During the trip I was constantly passed by cars whose occupants, dealers, proposed drug. By safety I had condemned the doors of the cabin and I ldrove prudently to envisage possible blockings of the road by front and behind. But I arrived at Ketama without problem and stop nowhere, phew! The descent towards the sea was splendid in spite of a covered weather and a road whose roadway is very damaged. I bivouac at El-Jebha at the seaside.

Rif Landscape

Fishing town	El-Jebha, bivouac

Road to Ceuta é ferry

On Thursday, January 15 I traversed again the Mediterranean coast which curves in rolling mountains in dramatic landscapes of a monochrome (camaieu) painting. After the liquidation of my last dirhams in diesel I bivouacked on the Marjane carpark.

Coast landscape	Marjane, bivouac

Algeciras

In the night of Thursday January it rained a lot. Around 23:00 the guard of Marjane came to announce to me that it was interdict to spend here the night. I buzzed off to go to finish it further 6 km away close to a Afriquia service station. I took the road to Ceuta, (Sebta) around 5:00 (6h00) to arrive at the border post around Paris 7:00 time. Then I waited until 9:00 on the carpark of the ferries to embark around 9:30 and to arrive around 10:50 to Algeciras. The target consisted in making supply at Carrefour then spend the night (?) on the carpark of Lidl. I wished to leave before the daybreak to reach the French border at Perthus pass, 1200 km away, without stop for bivouac on the Spanish highways because there are not very safety.

Gibraltar's Rock	Algeciras harbour

Algeciras, bivouac Lidl ?

En route to the French border, Argelès-sur-Mer

On Saturday, the departure was very early morning. I drove during 1248 km on the Spanish “autopistas” guided by GPS with several stops. I arrived at Argelès-sur-Mer after 17:20 of driving without problem if not tiredness, that is to say a mean speed about 72 km/h. I had decided to go to Texas Camping already known, alas closed! In cause of despair I stationed close to Intermarket supermarket whose car park is prohibited for motor homes.

On Sunday morning I left looking for a camp-site, but after having drove during 32 km in Argelès and the surroundings, they all were closed, those which I visited. I returned towards the Intermarket to spend a second night on a building plot.

Back home, Trans-en-Provence

On Monday, January 19 around 9:00 I launched out on the road to Montpellier where I had appointment on Tuesday morning to solve the dysfunctions during the HF emission. I bivouacked as with the practice on the carpark of a store closed opposite Eurotel.

On Tuesday morning as of 8:00 I was at SudCom. Mr. Montariol dealt with the problem of interference between the radio waves 14,000 Hz and the automatic closing of the doors of Mercedes “G”. For him it is probable that the electromagnetic European standards do not provide that the car makers test their materials with the above-mentioned frequencies. He pointed out his recommendation to me to put a good earth electrode what I had done without success. But the diameter of the cable was not sufficient and the sardine driven out of ineffective ground. He connected a cable of strong section to the earth electrode of the building and… the problem was solved. He gave me an end of cable and advised to me to buy a ground stake in a specialized shop. Last time less than one half an hour! I moved peacefully towards Martigues where I had appointment on Wednesday morning at Psi-Azalaï. I bivouacked on the carpark of the archeological site of Saint Blaise.

I spent the morning of Wednesday with Mr. Giraud, designer of the Azalaï cell, with speaking trips and detailing repairs to be made following the accidents which have occurred on the Moroccan tracks. I was back home around 15:00.