Before catching the ferry I had a message from some other vanlifers, called Rachel and Harry, on Instagram saying that they were also heading to Morocco. After a few exchanges of messages we realised that we were not only going to Morocco the same week but on exactly the same day, on exactly the same boat! We agreed to meet the night before the ferry and travel together.
This is Rachel and Harry
We met in Genoa in the Leroy Merlin carpark (equivalent of B&Q)
We drank tea, chatted for hours, looked round each other’s vans and bought delicious Italian pizza which we ate in their van
We woke up super early the next morning and drove to the ferry port, excitement and nerves running high!
We weren’t the only vans in the queue
As we got closer to the check in and security we watched other vans being thoroughly searched. When it got to our turn we were just waved through! It was our lucky day.
After security we sat in another queue for nearly 4 hours waiting to be let onto the boat.. this is when travelling with your whole house comes into its own! We sat in comfort, made some breakfast and had a good chat.
Our ferry was called Excellent
When we got onboard we found it was far from excellent. Bad smells, fraying carpets, thick layers of dust and grotty bathrooms. The pool was closed, the shops were closed, the entertainment room was closed and food looked like it would make you ill for weeks.
Luckily we had packed lots of food and games. We managed to have fun despite the filth and we began to plan our road trip round Morocco!
We went through storms the first night and saw the most spectacular lightening show
The next day was much calmer and we saw dolphins!! (Sorry no picture)
Getting off the ferry and through Moroccan customs was an adventure and the drive to our campsite was like no other drive I have ever done. At one point we ended up on a 6 lane roundabout with hundreds of cars and motorbikes all beeping and crisscrossing and pushing their way through. I embraced the chaos, stayed close behind Rachel and Harry and lived to tell the tale.
We arrived at our campsite in Tangier to find an oasis of greenery and calmness. We had lovely views and access to nice clean toilets and showers as well as a fancy restaurant, bar and swimming pool.
We will sleep well tonight
Tomorrow we explore!