Camping l'Océan Bleu, Mohammedia (Morocco 20800)

There would always be a price to pay for staying overnight in the heart of Rabat right by the walls of the souk. And it wasn't an excess of offal, that went down nicely. We were parked a stone throw away from a mosque. All the mosques here have loudspeakers at the top of their minarets. Unfortunately this one was pointing right at us. Sometimes the call to prayer is recorded. Here in Morocco they don't seem to be. Normally we find the sound quite soothing, last night's definitely wasn't. We could hear the chap tapping his microphone, testing, testing, can anyone hear me. He also shuffled papers, lost his way, stopped then restarted again. After having to put up with a few fart cars, as John calls them, cars with big exhausts, and the security dogs twice going ballistic, probably because of one of the many stray cats here entering the parking lot, Angela fell asleep, for about three hours, and then was abruptly awoken by the call to prayer! All that aside, we were able to step out from Marge this morning, walk into the souk where the stallholders were just opening up and meander along back street to the the Hassan Tower, a twelfth century minarete that was to be the tallest in the world. But it was never completed, and now stands at just forty four meters high. We weren't able to enter the tower, but we did visit the mausoleum where we saw the tombs of King Mohammed V, and his two sons, King Hassan II and Prince Abdullah. The ceiling in the mausoleum was extraordinary. We were lucky to have arrived at the tower and mausoleum before the crowds who were entering just as we left.

Coffee, Moroccan tea and pain chocolates at a Salon de The on the way back to Marge ended our time in Rabat. Time we'd really enjoyed. Leaving Rabat on roads of smooth tarmac with Marge complaining a little from the rough ride of yesterday, but she'll sort herself out as before, we passed the royal palace, heavily guarded, and made our way down the coast, stopping to look at some camels along the side of the road.

Tired from a disturbed night, and lots of walking around Rabat we spent the afternoon catching up on chores. Early evening a walk to the nearby supermarket for a few essentials before taking yet more dirham out at a cash machine. Cash is king here. We have a taxi booked for nine thirty in the morning to take us into nearby Casablanca, and return us later in the afternoon. So we really should get an early night.

Somehow, we don't think we'll need to set our alarm, there are chickens and a cockerel wandering around the campsite, and of course a mosque nearby, fortunately the call to prayer here is melodic and quite short.