The Silk Route Motorcaravan Club.

Bulletin 99.

October/November 2002.
Translated by Christine O'Brien.
Edited for publication by Bill Peckham.

Life of the Club.

At Rambouillet, Monsieur Larcher, the Senator and Mayor, congratulated me on my ‘democratic’ way of opening the general meeting. What would he have said this year? It's no longer a democracy, but, if we are to believe the presiding committee on Sunday, a dictatorship. Your servant was on his own, or almost, as the chairman who was supposed to be taking us through the business went back to his seat after declaring the new general meeting open!

If I'd been more energetic, I'd have refused to begin the discussion before the committee had been properly formed. Too bad. But watch out next year as everything will necessarily be more serious. Thanks even so to Bob Perdriau who took on the job of secretary which meant that there were two of us facing the honorable and fortunately benevolent floor.

With 107 members present and 94 represented, we achieved a quorum. The general and financial reports were adopted unanimously.

In the absence of new candidates the committee continues. Because of the absence and silence of Michele Lombart, Gisele Mulaton graciously agreed to take on the role of secretary. Felix Fenech remains on the committee but no longer wishes to hold the post of vice-president which, it is true, does not mean a great deal.

I expressed my concern about the future. Nobody lasts for ever and the work involved in producing the monthly bulletin is beginning to be a heavy load on my frail shoulders. One solution would be to use a large club with printing and mailing facilities to send out accounts of travels, news, announcements about ‘balades’ and other meetings. One such club is Aventure du Bout du Monde, which some of you are already familiar with. Without having to do all that, I could keep the present club going with a letter from time to time in order to keep us all in touch. Members would have to subscribe to ABM (no more expensive than our subscription, and their bimonthly publication Globe-Trotters is very good), and our subscription would then become a nominal amount.

This idea was received without any serious objections and it was agreed that I should contact the directors of ABM. If we can come to some arrangement then you will receive an edition of Globe Trotters. New proposals will then be put before you at the 2003 general meeting and put to the vote of the membership. We will no doubt also need to make a change to the constitution.

Of course we are open to any other suggestions, particularly any nominations for another president.

As far as the next general meeting is concerned, this took take place just before the ‘balade’ in the north (see below). If that date seems too early, it could be held in the Paris area at the beginning of October in the Salon du Vehicule de Loisirs.

There was mention of some planned travels: Alaska/West coast for Michel Lejosne, India for Francois and Genevieve Petit in 2003 and the Americas in 2004, China for Jacques and Daniele Henry (there are other possible travellers but everyone is waiting for the 2002 travellers to return, since we know things are more difficult than in previous years), Sicily for Henri Dujardin (late October 2002), Libya for Denis and Simone Lahaye (March 2004), Morocco for... Sub-Saharan Africa for the Auffray, Barbaudy, Di Giusto, Dujardin, Mahaut, Demontes and Denis teams. (If you are really interested in this last trip, phone me as soon as possible. The idea is to travel in small groups and meet up at strategic points.)

At 12, the meeting broke off for a tasting of local products and an excellent meal prepared by the cooks of the Centre de Loisirs of Lillebonne.

Future plans: Balades and General Meetings.

June 2003: Lucien Schroeter will take us across Alsace. A surprise programme for those who have a blind faith in the organiser! But don't be too pessimistic. the accent in this region is not more difficult to understand than the accent in the south west.

September 2003: Paul Gouwy suggests we hold the general meeting on the 6 and 7 September at Doullens. This would be followed by a northern ‘balade’ around the Somme and the Pas de Calais from Monday 8 to Wednesday 17. The idea would be to explore the typical northern scenery and sights for the benefit of Southerners (his south begins 100 km north of Paris).

• Traces of the past: On the 8th at Doullens four historic sites dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries; at Lucheux three dating from the 12th century; on the 11th Folleville, a UNESCO world heritage site, also Amiens cathedral, another UNESCO site, with its son et lumiere; on the 12th a guided tour of the cathedral.
  
  
• The mining region: on the 9th a visit to the historic mining centre with a journey down the pit and a visit to the exhibition on the surface.
  
  
• 1914-18: on the 10th and 11th, the National War memorial at Lorette, the only cemetery to be visited, then the battlefield at Vimy and the Museum of Peronne.
  
  
• History of Picardy, on the 12th and 13th, with a son et lumiere at Ailly-sur-Noye, and the underground city of Naours, a refuge for local people during times on invasion since the 3rd century.
  
  
• 1939-45: on the 14th a visit to the Eperlecques blockhouse and the tower of Wizernes, site of the German V2 rockets directed against Britain.
  
  
• The coast and nature reserves: from 15th to 17th, with sea fishing at Etaples, birds in the Marquenterre park and the House of Birds at Lancheres, then the Bay of the Somme, classified by UNESCO as one of the 21 loveliest bays in the world.

A small leaflet will be issued showing places on or around the route which might be of use to people with other interests who would like to pursue them before, during or after the trip. These will include a trout-fishing expedition, the historic squares of Arras, the Abbey and gardens of Valloirs and some of the 1914-18 monuments near the route which are worth a visit. As soon as this leaflet is available in spring 2003, the general meeting and the ‘balade’ will be announced in the bulletin and it will be sent to everyone who signs up for the trip with a price list for group visits. Please make sure you return the list as soon as possible as bookings need to be made some time in advance for the major sites.

June 2004: Clive Barker will organise an itinerary for Wales and the Welsh Marches (see bulletin 90, January 2002). We hope that he will be restored to perfect health by then.

Last minute: any members who were unable to attend the 2002 general meeting, for whatever reason, should rest assured that they can catch up at our next meeting. In fact, as soon as he had been nominated, our chairman for the meeting resigned the moment he'd opened the meeting. Discussions followed in the usual way and everything went well. But without a chairman, as far as I am aware, the general meeting has remained officially unclosed to this day.

Paul Gouwy.

Vancover-London-Paris-Beijing (and back) - 2002.

E-mail no 5, 9 August 02

On the 26th July we leave Dunhang for Lanzhou, capital of the province of Ganzu, stop on the 27th at Jiayuguan where for the first time we are alongside the Great Wall of China, or to be precise a stretch which has been reconstructed but gives us a good idea of the architecture.

On the 28th we climb to Zhangye which is famous for its large recumbent Buddha, 34 metres long, set in an ancient environment which managed to escape the Chinese revolution. On 30th July we reach Lanzhou. We are surprised by the modern atmosphere, coloured sky-scrapers, broad long avenues, traffic, lively people, large shops and miniskirts. Sometimes it's like being in an American metropolis.

On the 2 August the parts sent by UPS (radiator, shock-absorbers etc.) finally arrive and are fitted quickly. The customs bill is particularly nasty (100% of the manufacturing cost) but apparently we can get back this sum in Peking as the customs officials came to watch the parts being fitted in our vehicles (a business to be continued).

On the 4th August we reach Xi’an and meet up with the English group. Everyone has some tale of woe to tell. We separate again the next day with each group going at its own pace. On the 5th August we hire an air-conditioned minibus to see the sights. The most interesting are the Neolithic village of Bampo and of course the Hidden Army which is impressively realistic. It is worth noting that the Chinese are generous in the way they exhibit it to the public.

On the 6th August we are back on the road to Peking and go through Yan’an and Suide on route 210, a mountain road which overlooks the splendid valley of the Yellow River. Our only problem is heavy, dangerous traffic.

On the 9th August we reach Pingyao, an ancient town which has kept its original character and its fortifications.

Since we have been in China we've been constantly aware of charcoal in all its forms and of the many lorries which carry it in all directions. Also of the presence on the roadside of masses of watermelons. You could almost say that charcoal and watermelons are the two mammals of China.

Finally, the Chinese are very welcoming, friendly and make every effort to show how hungry they are for communication. Unfortunately the language barrier is proving insurmountable.

We aim to arrive in Peking in 2 or 3 days and meet up with our English friends.

E-mail no 6, 24 August 02

Interesting visit to Taiyuan in the province of Shanzi on the 10th August. A large part of the town is taken up by the house of the Qiao family, a typical home of a dynasty of bankers which became extinct during the last century. Apart from its structure it also boasts a number of period objects: furniture, clothes etc. At the end of the afternoon we take the motorway towards Peking. Yes, a real motorway like one of ours, not as so often happens a road with a tollgate on it to extort money from drivers. So in the evening we have a large service area where we can wash the vehicles.

On the 12 August, a month after we entered China, we reach Peking and are surprised to find the traffic moderate and nothing like arriving in Paris. Our guide takes us without any major problems to meet the English who arrived 2 days earlier at the Exhibition Centre Hotel. We exchange information about our various visits and practicalities: water, electricity, where to find a hypermarket. We learn that the English managed to change their guide. Our guide, Simon is spoiled by the women who find him charming, and we all appreciate his kindness and his willingness even if we have to shake him occasionally.

We spend the 13th August in the Forbidden City, each of us remembering the beautiful images in the film 55 Days in Peking, and none of us is disappointed. The placing of recorded information makes the visit worthwhile. On our way back we come across Tiananmen Square where Comrade Mao is still celebrated.

On the 14 August we take a Chinese tourist bus to go on a pilgrimage to the Great Wall (Badaling, Juyangguan). These two sites and some other less interesting ones take up the whole day.

On 15 and 16 August we go in small groups to visit the Summer Palace, the Temple of the Sky, the pedestrian streets of Peking and the large shops. Buying souvenirs and presents is part of the pleasure of travel. After an interview with Swan Tours, Mr. Yao’s correspondent, we are delighted to recover the costs we incurred at the Customs, i.e. 6800 Yuan. We have to keep the worn-out parts with us until we cross the Chinese border. Needless to say, the old radiator and shock-absorbers are now being carefully guarded.

On leaving Peking we take the classic shot of all the vans, under the protective gaze of Chairman Mahaut (readers will realize that this means Mao, our own Chairman not having achieved the same notoriety yet!)

E-mail no 7, 9 August 02

We have had humid heat for several days and the nights are difficult. Also, as soon as we find a stretch of water and some greenery, we have a natural tendency to stop there. This is what we did at Wuxi which has an area of shade and greenery at the Island of the Tortoise Head where we can take a boat-trip, laze about and encounter the mosquitoes.

On the 24 August we come to Suzhou. We stop for a visit to a silk-clothing makers. In the evening there is a violent storm and the vans are shaken by gusts of wind. The next day, while visiting the town we see a number of fallen trees and realize how lucky we were to have been sheltered by large buildings.

We reach Zhouzhang on 26 August, a very interesting village of water, old bridges, shops and temples. We'd like to stay longer. In the afternoon, we arrive at Shanghai bent on finding a parking spot other than the one used by the English which was expensive and underground.

We go to Shanghai cathedral. The bishop, who speaks French, offers us hospitality. But, he explains, in China relations between Church and State are complex. Finally we get an agreeable parking spot by the Academy of Music.

Shanghai is a modern city with 15 million people and very different from Peking. Apart from the old Chinese quarter, everything is modern. The Bund, the symbol of Shanghai, and the Nanjing Lu, the commercial and pedestrian artery of the city, are much more like New York than our imagined stereotypes of a communist country. Going up the river Huanghu in the evening, makes an amazing farewell to the city. Another excellent evening can be had eating crispy duck in a typical restaurant.

On 30th August we leave Shanghai and make a detour to the coast in order to see a China Sea which is more lemon-coloured than blue. The more daring members of the party paddle in it. In the evening we arrive in Hang-Zhou, where we stay for two days. All of us enjoy visits to the West Lake and its various islands and to the marsh of the Red Carp. In 2 September we begin our trips to the mountains, including Mount Huangshan, reached from the village of Tangou. We also stop in the town of Jingdezhen, known for its porcelain and though the climb is short we do a lot of buying. It appears that this is the special unbreakable porcelain for motor-caravans.

At Wuhan, we visit the museum of Hubei Province which everyone appreciates, as they do the hypermarket, although the areas of interest are somewhat different. But you have to eat!

On 7 September, on our way to the village of Zhangiajie, we cross the Yang Tse river on a ferry.

Unfortunately, on the 9th September, coming back towards the small town of Cili, Andre and Ginette’s van is hit by a Chinese lorry. There are no injuries but a lot of damage.

E-mail no 8, 3 October 2002

From 9th to 15th September we were parked on the large parking lot of the pound at Cili, held by the local police so that the follow-up to Andre and Ginette Betrand’s van could be properly dealt with. To start with we needed to sort out who was responsible, Andre or the lorry, as the accident had crossed the yellow line. Then for three days the group got busy with local craftsmen to restore the vehicle to a state in which it could be driven, as customs constraints made it impossible to abandon the vehicle in China. On the 15th September we set of for Guilin, but were only able to stay 2 days as we had got behind with our itinerary. There we met Carl Hunter, who for other reasons had to get back to Vancouver.

Despite bad weather in the early morning, everyone enjoyed travelling down the river Li and visiting the cave of the reed flute. On the 19th September, the French party and Carl set off towards Nanning, where Carl was to leave us for Hong Kong. 30 km before we reached our stopping point Andre broke down. With a number of electrical problems following the accident he decided to leave us as his vehicle wasn't in a fit state to tackle Tibet.

On 20 September Cortade, Griffoin and Herviou set off sadly via Kunming to Dali where we were to meet the English group. On 21 September we found them and decided on the final details for our drive across Tibet and in principle to return via the south, through India, Pakistan and Iran. We are all to meet again at Deqin on 27th September.

Visiting Tibet proves difficult from the beginning as roads have been flooded after heavy rain, there are many landslips and roadworks and we make very slow progress. Luckily in the English group we have Stephen’s Unimog which helps us in difficult situations, particularly on 29 September when Roger Cortade’s camping van comes partly off the road.

In the evening following that incident we were obliged to spend the night at 5000 metres and the next morning we found that the road up to the pass was covered in snow and so slippery we had to put chains on the wheels. After descending to 4000 metres on a good road, we thought our worries were over but bad luck hit Roger whose left universal joint broke 40km from Bangda.

On 2 October in epic conditions, the van made it back to Bangda where we met our English friends. Because we have been delayed it is vital to leave Bangda tomorrow in order to travel to Bayizhen where the whole group needs to obtain an extension to their visas. We also hope to put Roger’s vehicle on a lorry to transport it to Lhasa.

Serge Herviou.

20th August 2002

The journey to Hong Kong was hot and problematic. We had problems with the Chinese guides (two just to go to the border), but in the morning of the 26th after waiting for hours the customs officers didn't make us change plates and we were able to keep the our map, our driving licences and our Chinese macaroons.

Even so, as Hong Kong doesn't have either the same border or the same currency we were stopped at the Immigration post and had to wait in full sun for traffic plates to enter Hong Kong. There we went to a parking place of a friend of Carl who was to arrange sending the van to Hamburg on 2 or 3 October. As Carl offered to keep an eye on the loading process we were able to get plane tickets for Paris for midnight on the 28th. Our 13-hour flight went without problems.

We spent a day with our children, a day with my mother and we took another plane to Le Barcares.

At the same time we heard through a short message system message from Serge that following a lot of mechanical problems Andre and Ginette had abandoned the tour. As did Carl Hunter. His wife Mary couldn't cope with the heat and humidity.

9th October 2002.

As we didn't manage to send any email, when we returned we phoned Roger Cortade who told us that his father had asked for a universal joint to be sent to Lhasa.

The last we heard was that the English and French had met up at Dequin on the 27 September, on the 5 October with the van loaded on a lorry, Roger and Simon the guide left Bamda for Lhasa and Serge had oil pump problems. Roger took all the passports to obtain visa extensions.

We rang Roger’s daughter-in-law on the 9th and she confirmed that the joint had been sent on the 3rd but they hadn't had any news either. We are going to try and contact Stephen because we're very worried.

We left the French group and went to Hong Kong with Carl Hunter. The van is on a boat bound for Hamburg and is due to arrive on 10 December.

Carl landed safely in Canada and his van is rambling towards Long Beach.

Andre and Ginette Betrand.

Apologies if all these messages seem to be disorganized. When I returned from holiday in Nice, from the ‘balade’ and the general meeting, I found an impressive amount of mail, both paper and electronic, and I've had my work cut out getting through them. This also explains why the current bulletin is appearing late and why I've created a double October/November issue and the delay in my responses. The next bulletin, no 100, will be something special.

Moroccan Comparisons.

Morocco is very close to France, so many people go there in motorcaravans to spend the winter or as off-season tourists. And this doesn't include the many groups who go there on organised tours.

So what can I say about a March-April trip last year that would be interesting, without too much repetition? Well, I thought I could approach the subject by comparing the country as it is now with the country we visited in 1995. People who go every year may not be aware of the changes that mount up over time. Those who don't cover the whole country will get some idea of what else is there. And those who haven't been will be able to learn something about it. Finally, I should add that what follows is the result of purely personal observations, and any errors are my own.

If you are thinking about visiting the whole country, you can divide it into five areas:

The north, the northern coast, and Rif, up to the north-east. This is a very green area. Apparently it is not very safe because cannabis is grown here and people selling it will stop you to try and sell it to you. We met some, though we didn’t stop and we didn’t find them too troublesome or too insistent.

The mountainous region of Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti-Atlas, very rocky though quite green on the northern slopes, much of it cultivated and a great deal more arid than the southern side.

The south around Draa and the Western Sahara, huge spaces covered in stones as far as you can see.

The west coast and the agricultural plains which run alongside it for some distance inland.

The large towns, some dating from the empire, in the interior or at the coast.

Although Rif and the large towns could be cleaner, it is only the suburbs of the very large towns that are dirty. But we were surprised by the extraordinary cleanliness of the other regions and of the interior. This was also true of the small towns and villages and the sides of the 7000km of road we drove along.

It is well known that Morocco is a land of fishing, stock-rearing which suffers from a lack of water, and agriculture particularly in the coastal zone and the north-west. But after our tour it seems clear that the chief resource of the country is stones. Of all shapes, colours and sizes.

The Roads.

There are several kinds of road. The best are the motorways, which we hardly used, and some sections of the A roads. These last, though scarce, are comparable to any in France.

A good half of the other roads have been recently rebuilt and widened so that you can pass other traffic easily. They are good everywhere, and where there are roadworks an additional road has been provided alongside. Using these we were able to run alongside the roadworks in four places, with two lanes between Smara and Tan-Tan in Western Sahara for around 60 km.

In the mountains where it has not been possible to provide a temporary road, the rebuilt road has been made available to traffic as soon as it is laid before being covered in asphalt. So tracks like these have become corrugated. And as the covering is only around 5cm thick the corrugated effect can be felt straight away.

On some less used rebuilt roads the new surface appears to have been put on an inadequately compacted base and the weight of lorries creates potholes straight away. On these, e.g. the road from Kenitra to Moulay Bousselam on the coast the put holes are more like craters which means you can't drive more than 30km an hour. Speeds can be further reduced by the width of the road, since away from the major routes even rebuilt roads are just 3-4 metres wide which makes passing difficult.

I should also add that in several instances the Michelin map no 959 turned out to be incorrect. Sometimes with reference to the route, more often about the condition of the roads. Finally, there is little signposting, even in the towns, e.g. in Marrakech where there is no sign for Casa.

In two areas, however, signposting is good: for dentists, in towns, villages, souks and other medinas, though I'm not sure why. Also for the Moroccan Credit Agricole, which has several signs to its branches wherever you go, even a dozen metres away from the building.

Police.

Once the police were not particularly good, and when we were stopped in town we were asked to pay a baksheesh fine for some misdemeanor which was more imaginary than actual. At roadblocks we would have to produce our passports and spend time answering silly questions, such as the dates of birth of our grandparents.

This year we found them all over the place. Even in the smallest village there was a police officer at the crossroads. And if there were two crossroads there were three officers, one at each crossroads and one running back and forth between the two. As soon as you stop, if you're clearly going towards a shop or a souk, they'll look at you and make no fuss. But if you appear to be looking for something they'll soon accost you and ask ‘Do you need something? What can I do for you?’ Whatever you say they'll tell you where to find it, or go with you to help you. In Casablanca, for example, coming out of one of the two big roundabouts near the new large mosque, when we told them we were looking for somewhere to park, they showed us to a place on the actual roundabout, just between two no-parking areas.

In all honesty I must say that Western Sahara was still under UN control because the long-awaited referendum had not yet taken place, and this area is still subject to greater police control. As before we were registered according to our passports three times without any questions or delay. Except at the south-west entry to Smara which we had approached from Lahayoune. Here police who don't see tourists very often read all the stamps of Arab countries in our passports, and were amused by the fact that Morocco was the 13th Arab country there.

Fuel and gas.

It is now much easier to find untaxed cheaper fuel throughout the country, including Western Sahara. But in this respect also, you shouldn't rely too heavily on the Michelin map when you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Test and Tizi n’Tichka passes. Three quarters of the fuel pumps shown on the map don't exist.

If you stay in Morocco for two months you'll need to fill or replace your gas bottles. We know before leaving about two or three factories where we could do this, at Meknes, Marrakech and the camping site at Agadir. But we also spotted one factory at the northern entry to Er Rachidia and we used two more 30km north of Casablanca. Ask at any fuel station selling gas where the nearest factory is and you'll be able to obtain some within the vicinity of several towns. All kinds of bottles are filled in one of two ways: either through a compatible connection, in which case you get the bottle back full with a sealed stopper (for 65 dirhams last spring), or through a non-compatible connection, in which case they'll weigh the bottle even if it isn't completely empty, give you some gas but not fill it and weigh it again so they can charge you by the weight (5 dirhams per kilo). As they can't ensure perfect filling, in this way they avoid overfilling and making the bottle dangerous. Bottles of Camping Gaz to be used for emergencies or outside and other gas barbecues are filled in the same way.

Parking.

At one time there were official guards at parking places. As soon as we arrived a crowd of beggars turned up to vie for our custom. This no longer happens in the towns where it was often very unpleasant as well as intensive, and came from children everywhere and from aggressive adults in Marrakech. In that town you can now stroll around day and night without being accosted. On the other hand, at one time you did not meet with this kind of unpleasantness in the interior or in the villages where you do now encounter it. What is more, in some regions throughout the country boys and girls stand across the road to try and stop you. In some places it is equally effective to take their photo or pretend to, or talk on the CB, whether actually or not. But not everywhere. In around 50% of cases you just have to drive at them without slowing down, sounding your horn with your foot just above the brake and they'll run away at the last moment in the most dangerous fashion.

That aside parking lots with plenty of room are easy to find except in the big towns. Including Agadir. Several motorcaravans, sometimes hundreds at a time, had begun spending the winter at Agadir, parked on an esplanade by the future marina and just before you reach the fishing port. But in mid-April this year we couldn't park there. It was shut off by an enclosure. Beside it on the boulevard leading to the town centre the area opposite the esplanade had been staked out for new buildings.

Parking lots are always guarded. In 66% of cases an official guard will wear a badge reading ‘Guardien’. He'll tell you what the rate is and give you a ticket – 50% of the time. Otherwise you'll be dealing either with someone who does the same work though he isn't official, and with whom you'll have to first negotiate a price, or with an official guard who's forgotten his badge, like the man in Moulay Bousselam who hands out tickets and who, when we seemed not to believe him, kindly showed us his official papers.

Social life and drought .

At one time there were a large number of donkeys used for transporting both goods and people. Although you may still come across transport donkeys in the medinas, in most towns they have been almost entirely replaced by ‘taxis’, which are a kind of bicycle rickshaw. There is now a lot of cycle traffic, especially in the towns.

From Er Rachidia to our return from Tamegroute to Quarzazate, we became aware of the drought that has affected the area for many years. Gardens have been abandoned and dried out, there are less grazing flocks, the palm trees are limp and yellow, and there is virtually no water along the 200 km of the Draa valley.

This drought has lasted more than ten years, and explains why donkeys have been replaced by bicycles and rickshaws and why you come across beggars who have lost everything and who solicit quietly in town and country. Of course there are also some professional beggars whom you can easily recognize because they have ‘a job’. But once you start looking it is easy to see that the gap has widened between the waged population of town and country and the unemployed and impoverished peasants.

Rain and floods.

It rained heavily during more than half our trip. But it was as we went up the Draa valley towards Quarzazate that we experienced the beginning of the heaviest rain, which was sporadic and stormy. The next morning when we woke up in the the Quarzazate camp site, our vans were standing in 10 to 20 cm of water. We were supposed to be leaving the town in the afternoon but that proved impossible. The bridge over the Oed Draa in the south of the town was submerged, the roads for Marrakech and Tinerhir cut off by water up to ten km from the town. We had to wait 24 hours as we watched the water receding, near the bridge, in the middle of a cheerful crowd, before the traffic was back to normal and we could continue our trip. The inhabitants were pleased with all this water. They hadn't seen the three roads cut off by water for ten years.

Heavy rain continued to fall over the following days. Three days later the waterfalls at Ouzoud were more like cataracts. After five days of rain we had to stop on the road from Tizi-n’test to remove the piles of stones left in various places by the rain in the night. Further down the tarmac was under red mud for hundreds of metres.

Two days later, now between Akka and Bouizakam we had stormy rain for the whole morning. We were driving on a road in the middle of a lake, with rocks and the odd bush emerging from the water. On a number of occasions we crossed fords that were increasingly full of water and streams running across the road. As we saw bridges partly or completely washed away, concrete slabs intended to provide fording points uprooted and sometimes washed away, we were cautious. Two or three times we had to stop to make sure that the road was still there under the water and that the current wasn't powerful enough to carry our vehicles away as we crossed. In the end the inevitable happened. Just before midday we were in a queue of traffic that was cut off just before the ford over the Oued Ifrane, around 35 km from Bouizakam. We had to wait several hours to get through and even then the traffic almost got swept away. The next day we crossed the ford on the road leaving Tan-Tan in 30cm of water.

And to think that we left the Somme on the 5th March when it was threatening to flood, to enjoy more clement weather in the Moroccan south.

Infrastructure.

Following a technical breakdown which prevented us from continuing, we had to use our breakdown service to get a spare part delivered. Our portable phone, with world option, was very useful. When we're driving in France it beeps every time we go back into a coverage zone. In Morocco and Western Sahara it didn’t beep once. Cover is perfect and complete, without any gaps as at home. The whole country is well equipped with transmitters and there is a single network, Maroc Telecom. At once time there were solar panels providing power for public and private equipment such as the street lamps in the central avenue at Rissani. Now there are many more of them although they cost around the same as at home.

We didn’t use camp sites much. They are very clean and well maintained, but even in the long established and well known sites in such places as Fez, Agadir, Meknes, and, more recently, Chechaouen it is still very difficult, as it used to be, to find a tap with the kind of screw fitting you can attach a hose to. And it's almost as difficult to find one without any kind of screw fitting. All the water sources outside in the streets and many of the taps on wash basins are capped with screw stoppers.

Paradoxically at this time many of the tourist attractions, mosques and other monuments throughout the country are being restored in an intelligent way, e.g. the 12th century pink mosque at Tinmel. Even in the medinas, as at Fez, blocks of decaying buildings that have become dilapidated or dangerous are knocked down to be rebuilt in the same style but in contemporary, modern, solid materials, then decorated in the national style. Much of the building is recent and has been carried with modern materials (concrete, breeze blocks) but then painted to conform to local styles, whether in the towns or in the smallest villages. And on the edges of the towns there are new 1001 Nights hotel developments which you have to see to believe. There are building sites all over the place.

Our route.

From Ceuta we followed the coast through Tetouan going eastwards as far as Bou Ahmed, and planning to go through El Jebba and Ketamma to reach Chechaouen. But the road was too bad, so we retreated for 20km. Then Moulay Idriss, Volubilis and Meknes, El Hajeb, Sefrou, Si Harazem, Taza, and Djebel Tazzeka, before arriving in Fez. Then Ifrane, Azrou, Khenifra and back to Azrou via Ain Leuh. At Midelt we were not able to go as far as the Aouli tribe because the water course had damaged the road, and we had to stop at the lead mine.

Er Rachidia, Erfoud, Rissani. There we took the magnificent new tarmac road, bordered by telephone poles and signed by the Routard, to get to Merzouga. This stops at the first unnamed village (probably Irara) near the Ziz river. As the river had washed away the track we had to take a local guide to stop us going astray. The next day he took us to Erfoud where we bought him a bus ticket for Rissani and his village.

From Erfoud to Quarzazte we went back up towards the north towards Goulmina, then the Todra gorges, the Dades gorges, before reaching the Dades valley where a strong sandstorm forced us to bivouac in the palm grove of Skoura. From Quarzazte we drove to and fro across the valley of the Draa as far as Tamegroute.

From Quarzazte we went back towards Marrakech over the Tizin’Tichka pass, over the bridge of Imi-n-Fri, to the Ouzoud waterfalls, then via the Bin El Ouidane dam and Afrourer before reaching Marrakech. Then south again via Asni to Taroudant, then Tata, Akka, Bouizakam, Guelmin, Tan’tan and the port of El Ouatia.

We then pottered around the former Spanish Western Sahara via Si Akfenir, Tarfaya, Alayoun, then back inland to Smara, Tan-Tan and Guelmin.

We came home along the coast through Sidi Ifni, Tiznit and took a wide detour inland via Tafraoute. Then Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tanger to Ceuta along the coast.

Paul Gouwy.

Practical Information - Attacks on motorcaravans.

Thieves know where to find rich pickings. The number of night-time attacks on vans and caravans has considerably increased in Germany. In Rhine-Westphalia alone the figure of 101 in the year 2000 rose to 151 in 2001 and has reached 96 in the first six months of 2002. ‘A dramatic increase’ according to police spokesman F.H., aged 55.

According to him, all attacks have taken place at motorway service stations, and along a north-south corridor, including Niedersachse, Hesse, Nordrhein-Westphalia, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Wurttemberg and Bayern.

The modus operandi seems to be identical. The thieves introduce gas into the van, and anaesthetise the sleeping holiday-makers. The criminals then break into the vehicle and empty it. Next morning the holiday-makers wake with a heavy head to find that their precious possessions have disappeared.

Although the police arrested 3 thieves in May 2002 – all Yugoslav in origin – the magistrate did not even issue an arrest warrant as the men had not yet committed any crime but were only conspiring to do so. ‘This encourages other thieves and frustrates the police,’ says F.H.

Even so the Cologne police are active. ‘The problem is spreading elsewhere,’ said Holtkamp. Up till now we have not been affected in this area, but it's starting now.

Winifried Schuck, police spokewoman for Aschaffenburg, says there were 30 cases in March. 'The attacks begin with the holiday season, when people still have their holiday spending money'.

Recently the Aschaffenburg police had some success. In the night of the 9th June 2002 they were lying in wait at the Spessart-South service station. The parking area was full of lorries and caravans. One the caravans was between two lorries. Around 045 am a BMW 7000, registered in Italy appeared and the two occupants got busy on the van. The police arrested two men of 18 and 33 who said they were Bosnians, born in the Netherlands, resident in Goteborg with Swedish drivers’ licences. According to Schuck they were members of a gang operating not only in Germany but throughout Europe.

The 33-year-old was already wanted for an offence in southern Bavaria. He was thought to be the head of a large gang covering the whole of Germany. The magistrate issued an arrest warrant on the 18-year-old for aggravated theft and kidnap. The outcome will depend on further investigations. The police have obtained the spray can the thieves were planning to introduce into the van and its contents are currently being analyzed. ‘The result is of great interest to us,’ said Schuck, ‘as until now we have not known what gas was being used. If it anaesthetises then the crime becomes aggravated kidnap, a completely different offence from breaking and entering a caravan.’

Protection against attack.

• Don't spend the night at motorway service station.
• Don't assume you're safe among other motor caravans.
• Look for somewhere far away from the motorway, large cities and major junctions.
• When camping in the wild, make sure you're not visible from the road.
• Use your common sense and if you have any doubts look for somewhere else.
• Avoid parking next to suspicious people.
• Fit all doors with additional locks or other protective devices
• Install a gas detector [if anyone knows of such a thing, how it works, the cost etc., please get in touch with the editor].
• If you have an alarm system, use it. Even a bell on the door may warn you of an intruder.
• Keep doors and windows closed.
• Don't leave valuable objects and handbags visible.

Our German correspondent, who will recognize himself

Thank you.

Monique Brouquet was very touched by the group postcard sent from Meyzin and by the local produce with which she will be delighted to drink your health and enjoy eating while she thinks of you.

Our new British member Bill Henley thanks everyone for the warm welcome he received and the patience with which you tried to translate all the information received during the ‘balade’.

Your humble servant thanks everyone who attended the general meeting for their confidence in him. A confidence which was scarcely rewarded since you had to pay 35 euros for a meal which only cost 21 when the planned breakfast was reduced to a coffee, provided, what's more, by the bar, the parking was free. But if you are hoping, as one member suggested, that next year we will not be involved in expenses and meals, you may be disappointed, it's already complicated enough as it is. On the other hand, you have a sworn promise that the profits will be redistributed. To whom, is yet to be decided.

Africa 2003 – a planned trip by Nello Di Giusto.

(GR=guide du Routard, GB= Guide Bleu du Sahara)

Fri 03/01 Departure for Algesiras via Le Perthus or Hendaye.
Mon 06/01 evening, at the latest, we have reservations at the Palmones Carrefour parking (exit 112, wait for Carlos and his tickets: tel 606 28 88 80).
Tue 07/01 boat to Ceuta or Tangier (?) in the morning if possible, then drive to Rabat Sale (camp site) to arrive by evening at the latest because of visas for Mauretania (228 km from Ceuta, 191 km from Tangiers. Say three and a half hours driving after immigration formalities).
Wed 08/01 Deposit documents before 11 am and fetch in the afternoon (unless we can get visas in Paris which will save us a day). Then 200km and 3 hours driving with a bivouac near El Jadida.
Thus 09/01 Tiznit, 457 km, say 8 hours driving at an average 60 km.h.
Fri 10/01 Laayoune beach, 614 km, say 8 hours driving at 80km/h with tax-free fuel after Tan Tan.
Sat 11/01 Dahkla 510 km.
Sun 12/01 Rest, recuperation, etc.
Mon 13/01 Gueguerat (border, 367 km. Fill up at the last petrol station if you are carrying on for Nouakchott). Nouadhibou, 40km, if you take the train for Choum, otherwise you can go directly to Nouakchoutt from the border and visit the Chinguetti region in the way back.

Mauretania.

Mon 13/01 wait for the train, possibly for a long time with 6 or 7 vehicles, change euros (be careful).
Tues 14/01 ?
Wed 14/01 Leave?
Thus 16/01 Choum in the morning. To Atar via Azoughi, 100km, GR page 92
Fri 17/01 Chinguetti and Quadane via Amogjar Pass, 580 km, GR page 94, GB page 396
Sat 18/01 – Sun 19/01 Nouakchott, 450km.
Mon 20/01 three month visas for Mauretania, shopping and rest
Tue 21/01 Sangarafa, 402km. The road of hope (GR page 112, BG page 414)
Wed 22/01 Tidjijka, 240km (GR page 113)
Thur 23/01 Kiffa, 500km
Fri 24/01 Nema, 500km
Sat 25/01 Qualata, 100km and 3 hours by the western track (GR page 114-5)
Sun 26/01 Gleibat el Habar, 1 hour track with guide for the salt mines
Mon 27/01 rest Tue 28/01 Nara (Mali) 300km. Choice of track will be made in situ. The one leaving from Timbedgha is supposed to be very beautiful but what condition is it in?
NB There is no doubt that taking the train for Choum creates the problem of how long we will have to wait. An alternative is to go directly from Dahkla to Nouakchott and visit the Chinguetti region on the way back when the temperature will be kinder. To think about.

Mali.

Wed 29/01 Didieni 214km (estimated time unsure as I don't know the condition of the track)
Thur 30/01 Bamako 163km (GR page 142)
Fri 31/01 Bamako
Sat 01/02 Segou, 219km (GR page 163) the river towns
Sun 02/02 Djenne, 200km (GR page 168, GB page 472).
Mon 03/02 Mopti, 130km (GR page 170, GB page 474).
Tue 04/02 – Wed 05/02 Bandiagara, 75km, visit Dogon country.
Thur 06/02 – Fri 07/02 – Sat 08/02 Rest .
Sun 09/02 Departure for ?

Burkina or the Ivory Coast.

No idea how long it takes to visit the towns and the guides offer little information on this subject.

NB These notes are intended only for people taking the trip, but I thought they might be interesting for everyone else. Any observations or information will be most welcome.

Postcards from..

Annie and Jean-Michel Chauvet. Sicily. From one island to another, from Easter Island to Sicily. what a difference. The only point in common the ruins of Greek temples are like those of the Moai. Good wishes.

Catherine and Vlado Kuga, Beograd. Friendly thoughts from Yugoslavia where we are spending some time. Visits, discussions and brandy. Happy end of the year.

Michel Barboudy Dinosaur Provincial Park, 14 August. Since Montreal where we took possession of the motor caravan (not as good as mine, but larger) we've driven 4950km across a variety of interesting provinces to reach Alberta and get a close-up view of the Rockies, the loveliest part of Canada in my opinion. But while the weather was lovely yesterday, today the rain is stopping us from walking around Banff. No major incidents since we left.

Paul and Nadine Leclerc, Seward, 27 August. We're almost halfway through our stay in North America (2 years). We now send you greetings from Alaska, an attractive region of mountains, lakes, glaciers, rivers, salmon, bears etc., the local cocktail. This is the season when the salmon climb back up the rivers and the bears are kings. We are about to leave for La Paz for the beginning of winter, which will give us time to visit the Canadian west. Good wishes to all.

Serge and Eliane Rousset, Manchester, 11 September. Hello. After an exhausting time in New York we're enjoying an Indian summer in New England. Greetings to everyone.

Jo and Jean-Pierre Courlin, Agrigento, 29 September. We hope the General Meeting enjoys the same hot sunny weather as we're getting in Sicily, a paradise for lovers of the ancient world and its civilizations. A big hello to everyone who is taking part in the ‘balade’ and the rest.

Hubert and Madeleine Athenion, Pregonda, 3 October. We are visiting the Balearics in our motor caravan, Minorca, Ibiza and finally Majorca for the international assembly. Ibiza is our favorite, with its rocky coast, its idyllic bays and its interior of wooded valleys. In November we will be leaving for La Reunion with two other club teams. Good wishes.