Chechaouan to Fes...

The official finish line!!

We were up and off early again. It really does make a difference being able to tail the boys after they leave, I think all the wives were happy they had an escort and it made me feel a whole lot better to be able to just get up and go so we can bunny hop them and wait for a while after they pass and repeat.

Whilst the traffic here is a little on the chaotic side in the towns, out on the roads the lorries give them plenty of room and a peep to let them know they’re there. I think we’ve had more support from passers by in Morocco than we have the whole of the rest of the journey. The people of Morocco are friendly and helpful and my first impression was indeed wrong. I’m still wondering at points why anyone would choose to come here for a holiday but when you get into the swing of it, it really is quite a lovely place.

The kids are delighted by our presence and have swarmed round the car when we’ve stopped. I think mostly to see if we have anything that we can give them and I was stopped by a lovely lady and her little boy on one of our bunny hop stops to take a photo of her son on their donkey. She was asking for chocolate, sadly we had none but we did have some porridge bars (the boys are sick of the sight of them) so I gave her a couple and a bottle of water. When I opened the trailer she was pointing at the fruit bag so I raked around for a banana but she shook her head, it was the bag she was after. It really did make me think. All of the things I take for granted and the most she wanted from us is a shopping bag. The reality is that these people are content with their lot. We always want for more. There’s no waste here, they use everything and are grateful for anything we can give them. It’s really very humbling and will make me think twice about the stuff I waste at home. She gave me a kiss on both cheeks before she left us to go on her way, the little lad on the donkey clutching his white chocolate and raspberry porridge bar happily, the lump in my throat swallowed.

People peep and wave and blow me kisses along the way. My meltdown of yesterday seems far away now. Although the worry of crossing the border back into Spain and making good time for our flight home is still present, I’ve decided that what will be, will be. We’ll get home. People cross the border every day and the Moroccan people have been nothing but polite and friendly towards us. My fears are subdued a little with the knowledge that my bed and my boy and my reality is in sight. I really am knackered.
We had a picnic lunch by the side of the road and we were again met by a bunch of kids looking for pens and sweeties. They seemed bemused by the boys in lycra and were having none of the requests for photos of them.

Douglas Senior’s sister has said she’ll give us a tenner for a selfie with a Moroccan and so far none of us has managed it. I really wish I’d thought to take a photo of the lady and her son with me in it this morning but I didn’t remember till it was mentioned again later on. Having no phone reception and no internet makes me feel like I’m cut off from the world that I know but yet again I’m reminded of all of the things I take for granted and feel quite ashamed of the life that I live. I know it’s all relative and we are who we are but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of how lucky I am from time to time.

We made it into Fes at a reasonable time for a change and DAA took over the driving into Fes to find the hotel. We got there with time for a drink in the bar and a dinner reservation made in the Moroccan restaurant so we would get fed tonight. There’s a long drive in the morning to Marrakech and we needed an early night. As fate would have it, there was no wifi so an early night beckoned and welcomed it was. It’s the first time in a month I’ve slept uninterrupted for seven whole hours. Hurrah!