­­Rob has ­­never set foot in Africa so as they decided to spend a few days looking around, we thought we would do the same.

Chris hired a Renault Clio and leaving early we drove the 250kms to Marrakesh. The roads were good and only when we got to the suburbs did the concentration really start hotting up. Bikes, donkeys, petit and grand Mercedes taxis, buses ,overladen lorries – well all sorts of transport spilled  into the road, weaving in and out but somehow you had the impression that no one really intends  to hit you in a orderly sort of way. Not sure who gives way at the roundabouts but Chris managed to bulldoze his way through.. Then we had to enter the inner walls where our ‘riad’ was. We went through the gate in the thick red clay wall and suddenly we were in really narrow cobbled  streets, heaving with everything and body… we squeezed our way through( I didn’t like to admit as navigator, it appeared nothing like on the map) but we edged our way forward with men signalling to us that they would show us the way… but somehow a few names fell into place and we arrived at  a rugged patch of ground that was our ‘carpark’ with an ‘agent’ to look after our car for a few days… We then rang the Riad and a lovely French girl (married to a Moroccan) led us through some dark tunnel like alleyways to a tiny hobbit like door and to the oasis of her riad. We were welcomed with mint tea and our room was perfect surrounding a small open courtyard. The next morning armed with instructions, we muddled our way around the Souks- Chris’s idea of hell I think.. numerous tiny shops selling _- or not selling to us, their wares. Most tourists looked wary enough not to engage in any of it, the ’just look’  led you into a hard sell scenario. I recognised the lovely prayer mats, train of camels and little embroided caps that Jeff and Jill gave us years ago – I would have been tempted by many things but not when travelling on a boat. Chris commandeered the map the second day and with precise manoeuvres we shot through the alleyways to the various museums and onto the Café du Paris terrace where you can at easily linger  overlooking the busy square.