.....a few adventures on the way.

We finally made it back to the boat, but with a few adventures on the way.

We were flying Ryanair so we made sure we got to the airport in good time. We were flying into Fez, the closest airport which Ryanair flies into but which is a 2 ½ hour train trip from the boat. As the last train departing for Rabat, left at around the same time the plane landed we had decided to spend at least one night in Fez. Ryanair are very strict on luggage limits and you pay for what you need.

The difficulties began at check in as one case was 2 kilos overweight (a surprise, as when we weighed them they were about the same we thought)We were told to remove 2 kilos or it would cost us 35 pounds! In a hurry I grabbed the 2 heaviest items which were on top which were the plastic toiletry bags which went into our hand luggage. All a bit of a nonsense really as they were still going to go on the plane! When we went thought the very tight security my bionic knees set of the alarm which resulted in a very thorough 'pat down', much to Alan's amusement. The 'bottles' in our toiletry bag were also over the 100 ml limit (because they were supposed to be in the #$%&^checked in luggage) so we had both our shampoos, Alan's shaving foam, my face cleanser and a lovely new shower gel with a hanging handle I had bought specially for the boat confiscated! Bah humbug! I went to the Boots conveniently located the other side of security (for this very reason I suspect) and bought everything except the shower gel all over again!

We were first on the plane and Alan selected the seats right by the doorway as it had good legroom. It was also right by the loos and had a constant stream of people hanging around in front of us and there was an icy draught from the door which turned my feet into ice blocks! Not a very comfy trip, but than that's Ryanair. We were first off the plane, luggage arrived quickly and we were in a taxi to the hotel in good time. We checked in about 8 pm.

Fez Medina, donkey transport

Originally we had been booked into a Riad in the medina, a converted traditional house in the old part of town. But as we had had to change our dates, the good rates were no longer available so we opted for an Ibis chain hotel right next to the station. The room was fine, nothing special but clean and comfy with a good buffet breakfast. We decided to stay on an extra day and have a look around Fez. Next day we took a taxi for about $2, into the Medina to look around the famous tanneries which were very interesting, although overall the Medina was very disappointing compared to Marrakesh and even Rabat. It was also very hilly so there was a lot of huffing and puffing up and down hills. I wouldn't fancy doing it in the heat of summer! So we called it a day about 2pm and had lunch in a place recommended by Lonely Planet (Cafe Clock), which again was overpriced and disappointing,(we seem to have very different tastes and ideas of good value to Lonely Planet) so it was back  to the hotel for a siesta and the next morning we got on the train to come home.

All was going well for the first 3/4 of an hour. We had our first class compartment all to ourselves and all the luggage was safely stowed, then all of a sudden there was this noise and the sound of rocks hitting the train and we could see stuff flying everywhere. The first class carriage is at the head of the train so we had a good view. The train immediately slowed and stopped and train officials started running up and down the line. We had obviously hit something, and it was either a lamb a cow or a person depending on who you talked to! Locals came running to look/help and a policeman eventually turned up. We sat there for about an hour and then slowly the train moved off, making very weird noises and we limped into the next station. It turned out we had hit a sheep, not surprising as herds often graze by the tracks. More people got on at the next station and we sat for another half an hour then everyone was told to get off, we would have to get on the train which left 2 hours after the one we were on. So we spent another half an hour or so on the windy platform with all our luggage and several hundred disgruntled locals as well as the few mainly westerners who were also in first class. Now the problem with catching the next train was that all first class seats are allocated so it was likely our seats would be taken and it was also doubtful if everyone would fit on the train! Moroccans are not noted for their queuing ability so we knew it was going to be a free for all, but we made it and found seats together and with room for our baggage. Phew!

Our train stopped just outside Meknes

We therefore arrived at our station at 4.45 instead of 1.15, which meant it was rush hour as well as raining,  not a good combination in which to try and get a taxi anywhere, and Morocco is no exception. Still someone was smiling kindly on us and after 10 minutes a nice driver picked us up. As well as rain and rush hour the King was visiting the city and many roads were blocked off and traffic diverted, but we did get here eventually in the pouring rain and dear old Sunflower was still afloat! So it was a quick supper of bacon pasta (that good old standby) and an early night.

We have been very lazy since returning to the boat, after an initial flurry of cleaning 2 months worth of building dust off the decks we have mainly been relaxing and getting used to being back on board.

4 - 6 weeks in the UK ....back to Morocco for a rest......

Our 4 week visit to London started off quite well. Our main objectives apart from generally catching up with friends were to visit the London boat show and give some support to dear friends, one of whom had suffered a severe stroke 14 months previously.

The boat show was great, we managed to spend an entire day there and didn't even get to see any of the boats! We (well Dee) fell in love with a cooker made in the UK and which is clearly the Rolls Royce of marine cookers, with a price tag to match. But as cooking is a major activity on Sunflower we decided it would be worth it if it would fit. We still have the original stove which is now well over 25 years old and is a testament to Kiwi engineering and building. Although it still works, the grill is held together with high temp glue and the oven is a bit temperamental! Alan is making cardboards templates to see if we can squeeze the new one in!

After the boat show we caught up with friends in the country and spent a few nights down in Sussex enjoying country pubs, a pint of cider and caught up with the film 'the Kings Speech'.

We returned to London and then bad news struck. The friend we were staying with had driven to Nottingham in the north of England for a business meeting and been involved in a bad accident. Her car was a write off and she was in Nottingham hospital with broken ribs and a broken right arm.

 We had borrowed a Chevy Matiz from a friend to use while we were in London. This is a little (very little) car, great for parking, but not for transporting a fragile person hours down a motorway. So we looked into hiring a larger more comfy vehicle in which to bring her home. We picked up the replacement car on Friday morning. We rushed up the motorway to see her, it was about 230 kilometers and took several hours to get there. She was in a bad way and very dopey with all the pain killers.We had initially thought she would just be in overnight, but they wanted to keep an eye on her, so we drove back to London late the same night.

The accident occurred on a Thursday, we had driven up and returned on the Friday. On Sunday we drove back to Nottingham expecting our friend to be released on Monday morning. We spent the night in Donnington, a few miles outside Nottingham and were ready to play chauffeur early the next day. But her arm had to be re-plastered, then she had to see the doctor, etc. Long story short, it was 7 pm before we could begin the journey back to London. We have now seen more of Nottingham Hospital than we needed to, and hope not to return for a long time!

At this point we decided we had better change our flights as we couldn't leave our friend in the state she was in, so we extended our stay for another 2 weeks. Our remaining time in London was mainly spent looking after things and visiting her husband who had had the stroke. He also gave us a scare as he was rushed to hospital with internal bleeding during this time. We are still waiting to hear the outcome of his test results. The day before we left a mutual friend who had been battling terminal cancer died quietly but not unexpectedly. It was a sombre ending to a difficult visit. We were just very glad that the accident happened while we were there to help out.

We debated whether we should stay on but decided we needed to get back to the boat as we hadn’t intended to be away for so long. Our friend was now far more independent and could manage on her own, so we decided to leave and return at a later date.

Rabat - Fez-London-Fez-Rabat

Yep...we have now been to London for almost 6 weeks, three and a half initially but extended after our friend,  had a serious car accident. She is on the mend now. Caught up with friends, had some very nice meals out, saw a movie, lost some fluids at the airport and the train was delayed by about 3 hrs when it hit a sheep and then it was raining at the Rabat station so taxis were few and far between! The Moroccans don't line up so sharp elbows help in the jostle for the Taxi!

Sunflower was still afloat and in good condition except for very dirty decks.

Dee will have some more details in the near future.