Another day, another campsite. The campsites here in Morocco are cheap. They are all very basic with toilets and showers. All are down at heal, but that aside so far they have all been clean. So after paying our fourteen pounds for two nights at Camping L'Ocean we set off into the mad, mad, world of driving in Morocco. Having experienced a few days of driving the rough roads through the countryside, today we took Marge onto some toll roads. She loved the smooth rolling tarmac, and we loved the fact we could stop at a service area for refreshments.
To access the parking area we drove through the fuel station. The guys shouted, 'why are you not stopping?'. Once we parked Marge they wanted to know where in England we were from. We always say Oxford. Then a cheery, 'welcome to Morocco', before they returned to man the fuel pumps. All seemed to go well on the toll roads as the pay booths were manned. All except one. Angela pressed the button, no ticket appeared. The impatient Moroccans tooted their car horns and Angela couldn't understand what was wrong. A lorry driver in the next lane told her to press the button. 'I have!'. With that he jumped down from his cab, took the ticket from the slot above her head and handed it to her. Well, what a stupid place to put the slot right up there. Obviously, so the lorry drivers could reach, but never the less. She'll know next time. Along the way we decided to stop off at Al Jadida to see The Portuguese Cistern, a underground reservoir, but it is closed for refurbishment. So instead we parked up, ate lunch and continued on driving right through a huge oil refinery.
The smell, air quality and terrible road surface was awful, and after a few miles, we were glad to have passed through this polluted area. What amazed us, were the number of homes close by. So here we are once again spending a night by the Atlantic ocean.
The little campsite in the sand dunes is empty except for us and Marge. The beach here is stunning, and there is not too much rubbish by Moroccan standards.
As we prepare to settle down for another night the sea lashes the shore, but we don't mind, we find the noise soothing. And for the record, tonight's campsite is just four pounds!
