Agadir, Morocco (day 5)

Early to bed, early to rise once again. Our pick up from the hotel was scheduled for nine o'clock. Nine came and went. By nine-thirty we decided to contact the tour agent by phone, but to no avail. So we asked the receptionist at the hotel to help us. Her English was not good, so we gave up. Fortunately the doorman overheard and took over, speaking to the company we'd booked our tour through. Apparently, the vehicle picking us up had broken down. Had it really,? If so why no text message telling us this. We were assured a vehicle was now on its way to collect us. Just after ten a taxi arrived, but the driver was looking for a person with a different surname to ours, but for our destination, which was the Sous Massa Safari Park, north of Sidi Ifni, with lunch at a local restaurant afterwards. After some communication by phone it seemed the taxi was here for us. Thus ensued a slow journey along a road that was not always suitable for the taxi. Eventually we arrived. Our tour guide awaited us, along with an Irish couple who'd been waiting for an hour for us to arrive. We could sense the trip advisor rating dropping. The truth was, the driver had forgotten, or not been told to collect us. We weren't sure which. But hey we were here now. Let's go see some animals. The Safari park Angela knew had been talked up on the internet. But the chance to see Flamingos,  Ostrich, Oryx, Gazelles and Adax including a newborn was something she thought would be nice. And it was.

The Irish couple were good company and our driver was friendly, informative and drove safely.

And lunch was good as well. You guessed it, chicken tanjine. Driving out from the hotel these last two days has given us an insight to the area. People are friendly and courteous. Smart hotels and apartments sit alongside humble dwellings. The unchanging landscape of sand and yet more sand whilst travelling is a little monotonous, but passing through villages and witnessing the day to day living of the people is interesting. Eating out is cheap, and of course the weather much nicer than England, even though the early mornings are fresh and we have to wait until late morning for the sun to warm us. Then the temperature is between 67c and 70c. Something we find hard on the eye is the amount of rubbish everywhere. Especially glass and plastic bottles. These are strewn everywhere, piled high at the base of trees in some areas. There is no evidence of refuge collection and certainly no recycling. Rubbish seems to be disposed of by burning it out in the open. But we feel safe and happy to be here experiencing a whole new culture. In fact we have felt comfortable here since the day after we arrived. It's was just a case of getting used to the people and our surroundings and the workings of the country. Angela is cautious by nature, fearful and worried about things that might never happen. Visiting Morocco has opened her eyes a little, albeit not yet cured her. Hopefully time will take care of that.