Martil, Morocco
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Getting car insurance didn't go quite as planned and involved a lot of back tracking. We had read that we could get car insurance at the border crossing into Morocco. But when we got there we were told that we couldn't and that we had to go back into the centre of Ceuta. After a lot of driving around we finally found somewhere where we could buy it, but it is Saturday and it was closed for the weekend. A man told us that we could get it if we went back over to Algeciras. He was probably just trying to sell us a ferry ticket, but we felt like we had no option, other than wait 2 days for the office to open. So we went back to Algerciras where we tried many places with no luck. In the end we were told that we could get insurance at the border, but on the Moroccan side of the border, not the Spanish side. We weren't sure whether to believe him, because everyone here seems to be trying to sell you something or con you. But he seemed the most honest out of everyone we had spoken to, so we decided to risk going back over to Ceuta. We took our 3rd ferry across the Mediterranean. On arrival at the border crossing again, we were surrounded by touts, pestering us to buy free forms. It was chaos. We were not aware of any other tourists, just hustlers mingling with the officials, and locals in battered cars, pushing to get through as quickly as they could. In under at hour we were across the border and luckily had managed to get car insurance.
After all that we didn't feel like driving far, so we stopped at a campsite in Martil. It is a small town on the coast that looks like it would cater for the tourists in peak season, but is deserted now. When we arrived at the campsite Dad went to check-in, but found the man behind the desk kneeling on the floor praying, so had to wait a little while, so as not to disturb him. The facilities are very basic (described in our guide book as "excellent", so I dread to think what lies ahead of us in the rest of Morocco!). The toilet is the Turkish/squat style, without a flush, just a bucket and tap to do it yourself. The sink is a trough full of dirt and grime. The shower has no showerhead, so it's like standing under a tap. There's nowhere to put your clothes, so they get soaked and you have to fight off the insects. Something positive is that there is one shower that has hot water.
