T2T Day 6

T2T Day 6 16-Nov-2011  “The road to Rabat, the queue at the Mauritanian embassy”

Larache ( Northern Morocco ) to Rabat

Miles covered: 141         T2T miles so far: 1,627               Punctures : 0    

Evening Meal: Roast chicken and frites  …

Road hours : 07:00 – 14:00 ( with a 3 hour interval for visa application )

Having enjoyed sunshine, and endured gale force winds, torrential rain it was perhaps no surprise that 70 mile or so journey to Rabat was mostly obscured by thick fog, limiting speeds to a maximum 50 mph………….not good when we needed to submit our documentation to the Mauritanian Embassy by 10am to get our visas the next day or have to sit it out in Rabat until Monday.  To everyone’s amazement we made it in time and spent the next hour scrabbling with about 30 others (most of whom had camped outside the embassy the night before) filling in the paperwork and handing over yet more money ( 340 Dirhams each = €30 each ).

It was outside the embassy that we met up with Vilis and Maruda the Latvian couple who will be accompanying us through Mauritania. In return for our company they are kindly carrying reserves of fuel and water through the remoter parts of the desert.

Having successfully lodged our applications and left passports with the Mauritanian staff we set off with our new Latvian friends for a camp-site in nearby Kenitra.  T2T was re-invigorated on the journey through Rabat to Kenitra by the warm welcome our three fully laden warhorses received by motorists and pedestrians alike. While waiting at lights the cars all around were chatting and waving. Others were agog and stared in amazement (?)/ wonder(?) at the three amigos on their motorcycles.  T2T gives the good people of Rabat and Kenitra a big thumbs up for their kind-heartedness and well-wishing on our journey ahead. 

T2T Jon managed a very impressive impersonation of the pied piper of Hamblin ( except in jeans, no pipe and in morocco – but otherwise the spitting image). Here you can see he has them dancing up a tree and ready to throw themselves into the melee of traffic below. Luckily he was feeling benevolent and let the children dance away.

Jas is quickly discovering that they don’t do Jas sized portions and is having to revert to hobbit style multiple meals. He also has yet a new hobby of sewing, as the seams of his new jacket slowly unravel.

Team T2T retired to its first official camp for a well earned rest.