Sunday, March 18, 2007

NZ to Morocco in planes, vans and boats.

With my season finished in NZ for the moment, I headed off to Christchuirch for the beginning of the travel to Morocco. This was a trip that would involve a number of airplanes, FUPA, and 2 ferries and a few thousand kilometers to get to Bin el Ouidane on the edge of the High Atlas mountains.
Arriving in England I stayed with some family, then the next morning it was back to Heathrow airport to meet up with the gang and we where off to Dover to catch a ferry to France. Picked up in the morning by Ollie and trusty FUPA, kayaks loaded, we were heading off on a fun adventure.
In total there were five of us in FUPA, as the work ford transit was called, Ollie, Sophie, Chris, Howard and myself. Arriving on the ferry we made a bee line to the bar, got to love ferries that have bars on them. Then we where off with many coffee breaks through northern France and down the coast with a leg stretch stop and dinner in Biarritz.
From this point we headed down through the mountains, eventually skirting Madrid as we headed south to Tarifa and the ferry to Tangier. Along the way bottles of scotch and beer where to consumed to bide the time as we provided moral support and comedy to Ollie, who was the designated driver for this leg of the trip.
After four days of driving we arrived in Bin-el-Ouidane. A little party followed as we had made it. Then it was into preparing for the season.



The bar on the ferry from Dover.


Biarritz.

Castle in Biarritz.

Man fishing in the morning in the Straight of Gibraltar, Tarifa.


Howard the Navigator.......... where is that sign to Malaga?


Stopping for the fist of many tagine on the coast of Morocco.

The speedy cat from Tarifa to Tangier in the morning light.


Afriquia, the favorite petrol station.

Sunset, Moroccan style.

Relaxing with a few drinks after a long drive.

Photos by David Prothero

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Great pictures.
You remind me my trip to Morocco. I visited Morocco two years ago. I was really amazed by it's beauty. It is a amazing country, with its own atmosphere.
Most of all I liked Tangiers, it is a city in the north of Morocco near the Straits of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean! It has a rich cultural heritage and is a city full of life. And I wasn't surprised when I found that many people buy in Tangiers property.
Also I liked Fez and Casablanca. Fez is a city with a long history and a lot of sights, and Casablanca is a modern city and economical capital of the country!
It was unforgettable trip to this exotic and fascinating country!