Rain, Dope & Ruins

Finally got underway 'properly' in Morocco today. Following the debacle yesterday with accomodation, I decided to book ahead and play safe. I decided on the University town of Meknes near Fes which according to the directions given by the hotel staff is either 500km or 300km from Ceuta and the road would be either very cold or very bad or both. Unsure as to whether my advisers have the same view of what a good road is and what cold actually means, I trusted the GPS when it said 130 miles in a straight line and set off heading south . 20 minutes later I was in torrential rain....the roads were rivers of muddy water and I got soaked....but at least it was warm rain. It didnt last that long and I dried off pretty quick.

The early part of the day was spent along the edge of the Rif Mountains.....very green and pretty and also the centre of a large Cannabis/Hashish/Kif growing region. I stopped to take this picture and within 2 minutes a passing motorist stopped and offered to sell. Guys would wave you down on the road and offer. From the way some of them were driving and the odour (I could smell it riding along on the bike), I think quite a few of the drivers were 'feeling no pain'. Apparently, towared the interior ofthe Rif, the situation is a lot more agressive and is to be avoided.


About 20Km short of Meknes you crest a hill and come up on the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. This was the effective edge of the Roman empire and the garrison withdrew in 285 AD. Apparently the site was used in the movie 'The Last Temptation of Christ'....didn't recognise it myself. I arrived just before sunset and so had the place to myself....except for a shepherd who was grazing his flock in amongst the stones. Cant see that happening anywhere else....