0443 End of this blog

The time has come to close this blog, and start a new one for the next part of my adventure.  This blog has covered the past 10 months in Europe and N Africa, and I hope I have managed to convey some of the fun we have had over here, not only exploring new places, but also previously visited ones, and more importantly the pleasure of spending some time with close friends and family who I see rarely.
My new blog starts effective immediately and can be found at http://qthelongwayhome.blogspot.com
So please bookmark this address now so you don't lose me and can continue to share my adventures with me. They promise to be exciting ones - Iceland in April where I am hoping to see the Aurora Borealis, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in May, Niagara, and then crossing Canada back to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and finally to Alaska in about August where I hope to see bears fishing for salmon in the rivers and moose with a full rack !  My mouth is already watering at the prospect of all this !!
If you wonder why I have the letter "q" at the beginning of my new blog address, or why I leave "e" or other letters of my other blog addresses, it is because it is often hard to get the name you want for a blog - A bit like when you try to get a new email address and they keep saying "Not available".  But by putting in a "q", or leaving out an "e", you can often get the rest of the name you want !
So in closing this blog, thank you all for being there and supporting us and sharing our adventures for the past few months - If you have enjoyed it even a tenth as much as we have, then you have had fun !  See you "on the long way home" !!

My other blogs, in case you have lost them !  :-
http://elsiefrombottomtotop.blogspot.com    Around America and to the Arctic in my Lotus in 2012
http://imgoingonanadventur.blogspot.com    Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 2014 / 2015
http://explorineurope.blogspot.com               Europe and North Africa in 2015 / 2016
http://qthelongwayhome.blogspot.com          Iceland, Newfoundland, and back to Alaska in 2016 

0442 Around UK during March

March 2016
Funerals, friends, and family

Since arriving back in the UK in mid March, I have been running around the SW of England. I only have a month or so until I ship the car so I wanted to spend some time with some long-time friends (not allowed to call people "old friends" anymore !), and generally take time to prepare everything for the next stage of my trip.  

0441 Bordeaux to Cherbourg and UK

11^th & 12^th March 2016

Pretty boring driving, really……

Not the most exciting day of the trip – Basically I just drove up through France, and much of the day was on toll-free freeways that did little to excite one scenically.  But the purpose of the day was to get as far north as I could so that Cherbourg would be within easy reach tomorrow.

0440 Near Teruel, and through the Pyrenees to Bordeaux

10^th March 2016

Mountains, snow, skiing........ and car problems !

What an amazing day – One that makes trips like this so worthwhile and full of memories that will last for ever.

I woke up in my little gorge, the temperature right on freezing, and slowly packed up while having my breakfast. It really had been a perfect spot – Quiet, scenic – And best of all, free !  As I drove through the rest of the little gorge, past some great rock formations, and then into the little village of Villel, there was quite a lot of evidence of some snow last night – A few cars coming towards me had several inches on their roofs.  I knew it had been cold !

0439 Albir Lighthouse, then heading North

6^th-9^th March 2016

A lighthouse walk, work on car, then N. to Teruel

Sunday 6th March was sunny, but very windy, but since we had chores to do tomorrow, Jill decided we needed some exercise so took me down into Albir where we went for a 2.5 km walk out around the headland to the Albir lighthouse.  The views back into the bay are superb, and apart from nearly getting blown off the path, it was a really good walk.  Many locals do it, especially on the weekend, so there were plenty of people on the trail.

0438 A climb up to Confrides Castle

4^th March 2016

A hike in the hills on a sunny day

Jill belongs to a group who go walking around the area where she lives, and as Friday is a walking day, I joined in.  We met up in a car park down in Albea – The others are all regulars so after introducing myself we headed off in a convoy to drive up to the hills.  Confrides Castle is also called Benifato Castle, as well as Alfofra Castle – Each are towns below the castle that lay claim to naming the castle !  It is a Moorish Castle, probably built in about 1000 AD. Despite the Spanish taking control of much of the area in the 13^th C, the village of Confrides (and other nearby villages) remained in Arab hands until the 17^th C. We climbed into the hills to find out what was left of it.

0437 Archez, and then on to La Nucia

1^st & 2^nd Feb 2016

Exploring in the hills, Top Tapas, and endless plastic greenhouses

It had been a late night last night, and it was a late morning this morning !  But it was a lovely sunny morning, although the wind was blowing a bit hard so as I hung my washing out on the line I was a bit worried some might end up in the pool !  But by the time we had finished breakfast (with some great local fruit and strawberries - And a perfect boiled egg !) not only were all my clothes still on the line, but it was already dry !   We chatted and drank coffee and generally recovered from a late night, and it was after noon by the time we set off in the car so Pete and Astrid could show me around their local hills.

0436 El Chorro and on to Archez

MONDAY  29^th February 2016

Gorges, dams, and good friends – But remember, Spain closes on Mondays !!!

Despite being packed in to the camp site like sardines by all the late arrivals, I slept well, and once I woke up I decided to get on the road early so I could explore the area and fit a walk in before heading down to the coast to friends Pete and Astrid where I was to stay for a couple of days.  While I was having my breakfast I wandered over onto the dam bridge to watch the morning sun as it started to light up the tops of the surrounding hills. The hydro electric station was right there, and the trees beside the river hid the camping area from view. It was a perfect position for a wild camp.

0435 Cordoba to El Chorro

Sun 28^th Feb 2016

Crowded Cordoba, and then some mountains !

Got up ready to head into Cordoba, with the guide books all raving about it. It hadn’t rained during the night, and looked reasonably fine this morning, although it was still cold !I headed into town, trying to get as close as I could to the Old City and its Mosque, the Mezquita.  After a couple of false starts, I eventually found some free parking that was seemingly right opposite the area I wanted to get to, so I then set off on foot.

0434 Merida to Cordoba

27^th Feb 2016

Cold, wet, snow, hail, and some incredible Roman Ruins !

Last night was cold.  In fact, it was the first night I actually used two sleeping bags, and I was then as warm as toast.  Maybe the “downstairs” bedroom is colder than “upstairs” !!  This morning was cold too – But at least the rain seemed to have gone, so much better than yesterday.  Why had I stopped in Merida yesterday ?  Because it was a convenient place to stop, that’s all.  But on the way back from the shower this morning I chatted with a German guy who did part of the S America adventure a few years ago, and he said Merida had some fantastic Roman Ruins (amazing what you learn on the way back from the shower !)  Apart from the German and I, everyone else in the campsite wad Dutch – About 20 motorhomes – So I asked one of them if they were on a group tour – Answer, Yes.  20 Dutch motorhomes having a month in Spain, and all travelling together to an itinerary.  Hmmmmm !!

0433 Lisbon to Merida in the Rain

26^th Feb 2016

Janet flies back to Aus, and I head off in the rain.

With Janet’s flight back to Aus leaving at a sensible time (1.30 pm), we had time for a leisurely breakfast – Luckily I packed everything in the car before breakfast, because by the time we were ready to leave, it was POURING !  How lucky were we to have had a dry day yesterday for exploring Lisbon ?  We left slightly earlier than planned (we were told 15 minutes was plenty of time to get to the airport), and it was lucky we did – The freeway to the airport was solid almost the whole way – Crawling at best ! Whether it was because of the rain or an accident, I am not sure, but eventually we got through the mess and arrived there just about on time. Still raining, so I dropped Janet off and then waited just up the road until she texted me that she was checked in and through, and then I headed out in an easterly direction.

0431 Estoril to Lisbon, via Sintra

24^th Feb 2016

Sintra is an amazing town !

It was pretty miserable in Estoril, with rain showers and cool weather, so after we had packed up we moved up to the restaurant where they had good coffee and good wifi !   We were only planning the short drive into Lisbon today, so there was no hurry, although looking in the guide books it sounded as though the little town of Sintra up in the hills looked interesting, so we planned a short detour there en route.  But with the rain continuing, we ended up staying in the restaurant and eventually had our lunch there before setting off.  On the way up to Sintra we passed the local F1 (cars and bikes) race track at Estoril – Couldn’t see much due to fencing but it nestles in the hills above Estoril and seems quite an undulating track – I will have to pay more attention next time a race from there is on the TV !

0430 Evora, and on to Estoril

22^nd & 23^rd Feb 2016

A slaughterhouse, human bones, a Roman Aqueduct, and 7000 year old stones !

And if that isn’t enough to keep you going for half an hour or so, I don’t know what is !!

A cool but sunny day in Evora for us to spend the day wandering.  We tried to do wifi again but it was S-O S-L-O-W we gave up, and instead got a few chores done (like laundry, and even cleaning part of the car !), and decided to walk into town – About 2 kms.  There was a bus, but it didn’t seem to be there when we wanted it, so we walked.  Evora, (apart from being the model of a Lotus !) has quite a history and is known as one of the most impressive and enjoyable cities in Portugal, with Roman ruins from the 2^nd C AD, and Moorish influence soon after.

0429 Ourique to Evora

21^st Feb 2016

A late start, then a surprise castle

If I have said this once, I must have said it a hundred times – It never ceases to amaze me how surprise things turn up just when you don’t expect them, and they turn out to be better than anything you could have planned !  Well, it happened again today.  Woke up to a sunny but chilly morning in the most relaxing campsite we have been in for a while, and with only about half a dozen other cars there, made it even better.  We weren’t sure whether we would stay 2 days, so made a late start, but in the end decided to drive just 120 kms north to a place called Evora which sounded pretty promising in the books.  And since the Evora is also a model of Lotus, I had to go there, didn’t I ? !!  So we eventually left about noon, and started wandering north.  Nothing planned, so there was no hurry.

0428 Faro to Ourique

20^th Feb 2016

The Algarve fades, and we head into the peaceful countryside

The sad campsite in Faro didn’t look a lot better in the morning, although at least all the facilities and their wifi worked !  We packed up and went for  drive down the beach – Very pleasant, although a bit windy and cold at this time. 

Several people were beach fishing, and a few others were surfing.  The rest were well rugged up and just enjoying a morning walk down the sandy beach. We then headed out of Faro, planning to wander along the beaches of the Algarve coastline.

0427 Huelva Spain to Faro Portugal

Friday 19^th Feb 2016

Our first taste of the Algarve, and it is gorgeous !

The Huelva camp site was mostly permanent caravans – People who leave their vans there all year, have an annex and even a separate kitchen set up, and also have a shade cloth roof over the top to keep everything a bit cooler in summer.  It was also very wet – They had also had a lot of rain last night, like we did in Seville. And being sandy, it was a bit mucky.  But the showers were hot, and there were seats on the toilets, and it had some of the fastest wifi I have seen n 2 months – I was so busy downloading I almost didn’t have time for supper !!  So life was OK.  Bit of a late wake up and departure, but as they also had nice bread rolls for sale at the restaurant, we set off down the road munching on warm fresh bread.  Yummmm.  (Shame I couldn’t reach the Vegemite from the driver’s seat !)

0426 Seville, then on to Huelva

18^th Feb 2016

Bus rides, Tapas bars, and Bull Rings

It poured with rain in the middle of the night – Well, 4.05 am to be precise !  Yesterday evening I came down with a sudden cold and hadn’t been sleeping too well when I heard the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof.  Not a big deal – But we had been assured last night that it wouldn’t rain, so we hadn’t put up our wet-weather flysheet, nor had I tilted the rear awning down slightly at a corner so that rain didn’t collect in the roof.  So I was up and dancing around in the rain sorting things out,  while Janet, who had taken a knock-out sleeping pill last night, combined with ear plugs and an eye mask, hardly stirred from her slumbers !  I got it done without getting too wet, but climbing around on spare wheels etc in the dark in the middle of the night is not a lot of fun – Which is why we usually put the fly sheet up when we are setting up !!  Long and short is that we didn’t really surface till 9 am, and it was 11 am by the time we headed down the road, still under overcast skies.  “Let’s skip Seville”, we agreed.

0425 Tarifa to Seville, via Cadiz

17^th Feb 2016

A day exploring Cadiz

BEING WRITTEN AT THE MOMENT ! 

But pics are here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0425TarifaViaCadizToSeville?authkey=Gv1sRgCNSwksj_isCphQE

0424 A Day in (on ?) Gibraltar

16^th Feb 2016

The Rock – What an amazing place !!!!

We were only camped about 25 kms from Gibraltar last night, so the plan was to go and have a quick look before heading west towards Portugal.  Janet was there 40 something years ago, and I had never been there, so we wanted to see it.  My mental impression was that it was supposed to be just a rock with Apes on it sticking out into the Straits, and although we hadn’t seen much of it in the haze 3 weeks ago when we caught the ferry to Morocco, and last night coming back from Morocco it had been dark, but I already realized it wasn’t just a conical rock like I imagined,  but quite long and bigger than I had always pictured in my mind. We had been late arriving last night, and hadn’t slept well (not enough beer last night ?) so it was 11 am before we were up and headed towards Gib.  We passed a big Carrefour Supermarket on the  way so planned a visit on the way back.  And then we arrived in Gib, and it is NOTHING like I imagined or Janet remembered – It is really a great little place, and worthy of a holiday all on its own !!

0423 Chefchaouen Morocco to Tarifa Spain

15^th Feb 2016

Time to leave Morocco

Well our great idea of having a peaceful day exploring Chefchaouen and relaxing for Janet’s birthday turned into a bit of a fizzer.  Over night on the 13^th the weather turned very cold, with a strong cold wind, and it started raining during the night.  And it rained, and rained, and rained.  By the time we woke up everything was pretty sodden (outside – Inside we were snug and warm !), and almost the whole of the day was windy, cold and wet.  We thought about packing up and leaving, but we had a few things to do around the van, so we ended up staying as planned.  But it was too wet to even walk into Chefchaouen, so we didn’t explore it at all that day.

0422 Al Hoceima to Chefchaouen

Sat 13^th Feb 2016

Rif mountains, haystacks, Rif coastline, and a night drive.

Woke up on the beach, and headed off to check on Anita and Anton in their camp site in town – They were just making coffee !  So we climbed aboard their little home and had a good hour or so chatting about the last few days before we left them to enjoy a second day in Al Hoceima while we headed down the road.  We had decided to head towards the mountain village of Chefchaouen today, but to do so by going first through the Rif Mountains, and then to drop down to the sea to enjoy the Rif coastline that is supposed to be gorgeous, before hopefully stopping overnight at a little coast town of Oued Laou.

0421 Bab Boudir to Al Hoceima

12^th Feb 2016

Caves, mountains, dust storms and a night on the beach.

We awoke to a cold and misty morning, so after a quick cup of tea and some breakfast inside the van, we headed off down the mountain from Bab Boudir.  And of course, not only did we pass a couple of much nicer Aires just down the road, one right beside a lovely river, but within 20 minutes of leaving our cold and misty camp site we were in warm sunshine and increasingly blue skies !!!  Ah well……….   So we went only a little way down the road till we saw some caves we had read about signposted.

0420 Fez to Bab Boudir

11^th Feb 2016

Sunshine, cork trees, snow, and a night in the cold mountains !

After a lengthy pack up as we chatted with some of our friends in the camp site, and a quick (and frustrating) effort to get on the wifi in the office, we left Fez and headed out on the road east towards Taza.  We had decided to head west towards Algeria, then turn not hint the Rif mountains and valley which is supposed to be really beautiful, before heading up to Chefchaouen and then finally Tanger, to catch our ferry back to Spain.  As usual, it was to be a day packed with totally unexpected adventures !

0419 A day in Fez

10^th Feb 2016

Wandering through one of the largest souks in the world

Having decided last night to go on an organized tour of Fez, we were up and organized and at the campsite office by 9.30, ready to head out.  There were 6 other people from the campsite on the tour with us – a Dutch couple, a German couple, and a Swiss couple – So the tour van was full, along with our guide Wafi and the driver.  And off we went to the hustle and bustle of Fez. Fes is much larger than most of the towns we had been in recently, and is the oldest of the four imperial cities in Morocco, founded in 789.  The entire city has been declared a World Heritage site.

Fez is really 3 cities in one -  Fez el Bali (Old Fez) was founded by Moulay Idriss II at the end of the 8^th Century. At the end of the 13^th Century the Merenid Sultans added many jewels of Hispano-Moorish architecture to the Old City and built Fez el Jdid (New Fez) outside the walls.  Then during the 20^th Century the French built a modern city, the Ville Nouvells, about 2 kms to the west.

 The two key buildings/institutions in Fez are the Kairaouine Mosque that was built in 859 by refugees from Tunisia, and the Kairaouine University founded near the same time and claiming to be one of the oldest Universities in the world. And both of these are located in the Medina, or Old City.  But first we drove down the majestic tree lined Avenue Hassan II, the main axis, and trying very hard to emulate the Champs Elysée.  We then arrived at the Royal Palace, or Dar el-Makhzen, that was built in the 13^th Century.  It has been totally renovated but is not open to the public – One can only admire the 7 doors (one for each day of the week) and their intricate brasswork.  Looking away from the palace one looks SW down the long wide avenue towards Ave Hassan II. 

Down the side of the Palace is the Mellah, or Jewish quarter. Since the 14^th Century Fez has been a refuge for Jews, who in return always supported the Sultan.  Very few Jews live here now, but the houses, with big balconies looking out onto the street, are in marked contrast to the Muslim styles.  The spices and other potions offered in store fronts along the road always delight, and fill the air with their rich aromas. Wandering on down here with the immense Palace walls on our left (with storks up on the parapets !), we went towards the Medina before our car suddenly re-appeared and we jumped in to go somewhere else first !

Somewhere else proved to be an old castle up on a hillside to the south of the Medina, overlooking Fez, and providing spectacular views. The first thing you see are the acres and acres of graves – This old cemetery is centuries old and is the reason that Fez has never grown to the SE – The graves can never be disturbed.  The views from up here enabled one to clearly see the Kairaouine Mosque with its enormous green tiled roof and tall minaret, and also the original University building with its pyramid shaped green tiled roof.  Looking across the Medina towards the northern hills, we could see the ruined towers around the Merenid Tombs, and below them, dots of red on the ground, which were the leather animal skins laid out during the beginning (and messier phase) of their tanning process.  

We then drove down from the Borj Sud and went down to a pottery at the edge of the Medina. The potter on the wheel was operating his wheel by foot, and stunned us when in about 2 minutes he not only made the base of a small tajine, but , without any measurements, then made a lid for it that fitted perfectly as soon as he cut it off the wheel !  We then saw the process for making and decorating their pottery, as well as the painstaking process of chipping tiles into tiny pieces of specific shapes and colours so they could be used to make up the mosaic tables and fountains – Or even whole buildings such as the Royal Palace or the many Babs, or Gates around the city.  Directly outside there were many leather skins laid in the dirt, drying and curing.  The leather from Morocco is so prized and such good quality that the top grade of hide (a goatskin used for bookbinding) is known worldwide simply as “Morocco”. 

We were then driven a short distance to a tannery, normally a smelly and rather nasty place, (due to the chief ingredients in the process – Pigeon poo and cow urine ) so bad that visitors are handed a sprig of mint to waft under one’s nose to lessen the impact !  We climbed up about 4 flights of stairs and came out on their roof top – Overlooking all the many dye vats used for colouring the hides. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this tannery is currently completely renovating its vats, so they are all empty and spotless – And odourless !!   But it is all part of the modernization and improvement of the industry to try to improve the working conditions of the people who spend their lives up to their waists in these vats.  Coming back down from the roof top we visited showrooms on each floor – top floor leather jackets, 1000’s of them; next floor down shoes (mostly Moroccan babouches, the pointed slippers everyone wears) and poufs, and ground floor handbags and carry bags !  Their inventory is enormous – Whether they have the turnover to match, I don’t know.  But certainly some beautiful soft leatherwear to suit most tastes – Even snakeskin type of jackets for people like Elvis !

From the tannery we walked into and around the narrow alleyways of the Medina, following our guide Wafi carefully because if one got left behind or lost in here, I am not sure how one would ever get out !  It is enormous, and just twists and turns in every direction.  It was getting towards lunch time, so Wafi took us to a little upstairs place where we had a very pleasant meal of tajines and pastilla (a kind of pie), and various soups and dips.  Very tasty, as is most of the food here in Moroccco.

When we returned back down into the narrow alleyways of the Medina, we were quickly reminded of the hazards of this place when there were shouts of “balak”, or “look out”, and suddenly 3 donkeys came hurrying through with vast loads of leather hides on their backs that filled the alleyway – Pedestrians leap into doorways or shops to try to keep from being trampled or squashed against the walls !  You have to be alert down here as not only donkeys, but horses and motorbikes are frequently coming past !

We then went through the narrowest and smallest street in the Medina – I had to crouch and one is almost having to turn sideways to get through the narrowest parts, but meanwhile children are rushing past, and men in their jelaba’s (hooded gowns) are hurrying through !  It is just a regular thoroughfare, after all !

It was then on through the maze of alleyways – Chickens live in cages, being killed for each buyer in the shop – Not the most pleasant shop for me !  Spice alleys, fruit and veggies (we bought some beautiful broad beans for about 20 cents), and then the “silk” and garment area.  The ladies gowns etc are mostly for weddings, but they are woven from a material that looks like silk, but is actually made from fibres from the cactus – One that looks like an agave but is bigger.  Past leather bag shops, berber carpet shops, woodworking shops (including coffins !), and on to a small square and one of the many mosque entrances.

The enormous Kairaouine mosque has almost been swallowed up by the Medina, being built all around.  As a result one unexpectedly comes across entrances to the mosque all over the place as one wanders somewhat blindly around the alleyways.  On this occasion we came across a very ornate doorway, and were allowed to peak into the outer halls, while through a small gap in the roofs above us we could see a small part of the green tiled minaret so we could work out roughly where we were ! 

From there it was on down to a carpet shop !  Moroccan carpets in general, and Berber carpets in particular, are quite sought after, although after the fine Iranian carpets we were used to in Dubai, they seemed more like rougher tribal carpets to me – Still very nice, I like tribal carpets, but not so finely made (ie less knots per sq inch).  This building was once the hoe of a wealthy local, and is 3 stores high with a roof top. The central roof would once have been open to let breezes in, as well as the rain, so the floor is tiled, has a drain in the middle of the floor and a raised section around the outside to prevent any excess water entering the rest of the house. The roof is now closed, but the narrow staircase takes you up the various floors to the roof – where we had an amazing view out over the rooftops of the medina of Fez – Mostly satellite dishes ! And in a room there were women weaving carpets.  Women whose husbands have died or left them have a hard time surviving, and this carpet co-operative gives work to such women, ensuring they can make a living and carry on with their lives.  Janet and the other ladies on the tour had a go at weaving, but I think were more hindrance than help !!  Amazing to see them at work on this laborious task.

Then we were taken back down to the ground floor where, after the customary mint tea, the carpets were unrolled in front of us, to tempt us to part with our money.  Since we were all camping, they weren’t ever going to have much success, but for some reason I was singled out as “the man most likely to buy”, and I was taken up to the top floor to see an array of their “finest carpets” !  All very nice, but somehow I managed to escape (I do like carpets, so it is hard !), joined the others, and finally we all escaped back into the Medina. 

More donkeys in the alleyways, more views into Mosques, and finally into a perfume shop where those interesting argan nuts that have been “processed” by goats were being individually cracked by girls using stones, and then the kernels crushed to obtain the oils.  In this instance, everyone was given a hand massage of argan oil, (very nice), and after a polite “Merci, mais non” we all trouped out again !!  Poor traders were having a bad day with us !

Just down the road we found a bakery, and on sticking our heads in found the baker down in a pit in front of the oven, using a long spatula on a stick to put bread in or take it out.  A hot and dirty job (with the charcoal or whatever they use), and in the summer must be a nightmare. During our wanderings in the Medina we had several times been almost run over by women carrying trays covered with towels – It turns out it is their bread.  By law no one can have their own bread ovens in the Medina due to the danger of fire, so the women in each family continue to make their bread each day, as is the custom, and then they pop down with their uncooked loaves and hand them over to the baker who bakes them in a central (and safe) location, and they then take the cooked bread home !  Very simple and logical, and keeps everyone happy !

Our final stop was a “silk” shop, where they weave the cloth made from the silk like fibres of the cactus plant. With all their colourful wares hung on the walls, the building was another of the older houses with an open roof and tiled floor, although now the roof is closed over.  We watched the guys on the old wooden manual loom for a while, and then, instead of mint tea, they dressed us all up in Berber scarves !  Good for a giggle, but in this case a couple of the girls fell for some of the material, especially when the owner demonstrated how small he could fold the material !  Janet was one of those who succumbed, and we ended up walking out with a small bundle under our arms !

Now we were finally done – It was after 6 pm and we came out of the Medina to find our transport waiting for us to take us home through the traffic.  Interestingly, they have mobile phone towers around town here, and, like other places around the world, have tried to disguise them s palm trees.  But in this case the fake “palm trees” even have fake “bunches of dates” hanging down !  Never seen that before !

We finally got back to the camp site and after thanking our guide (and of course paying him !), we walked down to our vans.  On the way we passed some caterpillars all in a circle, nose to tail.  Remember those cobwebs hanging in fir trees that I had posted photos of both in Spain and also a couple of places down here ?  Well, we were told by our friend Jill in Spain that these were “Processional Caterpillars” that form long lines nose to tail, but we had never seen them.  Well here they were – Jill was right !  Only trouble for these ones was that they had formed a circle rather than a line, and as a result were not going anywhere – Except round and round in a circle !  I wonder how long it takes the leader to realize he has been there before !   Anyway, we left them on the ground (apparently they can be quite irritating if you touch them), and headed back to the vans for a quick beer and chat, and then to turn in.  We were exhausted – It had been a long day of walking and exploring. 

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0419ADayExploringFez?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_LwI-VgZLYlwE