Up at 7.30 for breakfast by the truck. It's a dusty orange 4x4 open-sided, no seatbelted, beer-stocked, dodgy-80's cassette taped collection, very-breezy-at-the-back truck-mobile. We stock all the backpacks under the seats and Brendan and Rachel take us through the trucks many mysteries - the back and sides open out and store in them all the ingredients for the cooking - baskets of vegetables and all the basics, a gas-top table, a large table for preparing food, as well as all the cutlery and utensils. Also 20 fold-down chairs and 4 large canisters for water and all the purification stuff we will need. It is all of dubious cleanliness and I hope I can cope with the dirt. I have to shut my eyes at all the dust over everything and pray I don't get sick.
Inside the truck we also have a buzzer through to Brendan where one buzz means toilet stop, two buzzes mean photo stop and three buzzes mean Stop! Emergency!! We sit 10 either side and it's a tight fit but at least everyone gets a window seat!
We drove up the coast, past ancient ruins on the beaches. We climb up into the Rif mountains, where we are assured that masses of marajuana are farmed and that we will get to see it all. Very scenic all the way up adn lots of chatting and getting to know each other. Around lunchtime we arrived at a dam where we climbed down the hill, got stung by bees and had a swim in the lake. The bottom was muddy and very sqidgy between the toes. We girls considered getting some for clay masques later on but decided against it...
Lunched on bread rolls filled with canned meat, tomatoes and cucumber. This was to become our standard lunch for the week, with sometimes corn and tuna if we were lucky.
In the late afternoon, we eventually arrive at the camping ground outside of the picturesque Chefchaoun. After a tent constuction demonstration, we spend the next hour banging mallots into the hard rocky ground with much effort. It's luxury camping - we have showers (cold) in a nearby shower block. We are also provided with stretchers (of sorts), so we don't have to sleep on the ground. One blanket each - although some nights it got chilly as we neared the desert. The tents only just fit two stretchers and no standing room. All I could think about is Japanese camping where they have so many mod-cons it's more like bringing along your home than anything else. Oh well - I resign myself to this an try to remember as much of my Girl Guiding days as I can. Unfortunately I can't remember how to tie knots but we seem to cope ok.
We then took a pre-dinner walk through the gorgeous streets of the Chefchaoun and into it's medina (old city centre). Settled by the Greeks the Jews and the Arabs at different times the facades to the buildings are a mixture of white and pale-blue. Got some great pictures and in the process also got lost from the rest of the group. Deon and I were at the back of the group and we'd spotted the most beautiful street and got all caught up snapping the grapes vines hanging between the tiny streets... we looked up and everyone had moved on. Now, if you ever been lost in a maze and tried to find your way out, you'll know what kind of trouble we were in. Treble the difficulty level and then add me. In a panic. Not good.
An hour and half later, Brendan, (who'd been sent by Rachel on a rescue mission), found us. I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life! Ever! We eventually made it to "The Blanket Shop" where everyone was waiting. A small shop that we all only just managed to squeeze into. After a demonstration of the most beautifully soft blankets and covers (and some unashamed bribery with some fantastic mint-tea and enormous home-made coconut and nut biscuits that I still want the recipe for), we all procedded to spend spend spend. I got all my Christmas presents though... have no idea how I was to lug it all back to Spain to send it home but figured I would think about that when the time came.
