We are still here

Sorry for the delay yet again but internet cafes are getting few and far between. This will be the last blog update until we reach Banjul.
We met up with a few teams in Marrakech and went to the medina for a meal. Being with mainly Brits, we soon found the only local bar serving beer.Steve and I have seen the city before, so we were keen to move on the next day and not have to endure the constant hassles from the shopkeepers. Team Cops and Fothers and ourselves headed for Tiznit the following day via the Atlas Tiz n test pass. Absolutely superb route on surprisingly good roads. At the top of the pass we stopped for saffron omlettes in the sun. I can highly recommend this route if you are ever passing this way. Priscilla cruised up and down the other side quite happily (especially with a new water pump). As we were merrily making our way toward Tiznit the Costa Blanca Dons passed us in the opposite direction! The funniest thing Id seen all day, as these guys dont know where they are going half the time. We soon put them on the right track before they ended up back in Tangiers.
We spent the night in a hotel in Tiznit. This place is interesting with the old city enclosed by an ancient mud wall.
The following day we drove about 500km to a camp site just out of Laayoune. The camp is down an off road track; following markers on rocks which is tricky in the dark. The wind was blowing a gale so we flagged the tents and stayed in huts.
The scenery is now changing to rocky flat land, as we followed the ocean down to Dakhla. We are currently camping in Dakhla with a large group. Today is an official rest day as we wait for all the teams to catch up. The sun is very hot now and the land is mainly all sand. Welcome to the desert.
We have organised a local guide for the Mauritanian desert crossing tomorrow. Bumba has promised us a no problem drive over the following few days. The numerous police checks along the way have so far been no great hassle; we give away nothing as "gifts" and don't try any French (which isn't hard as we know zip). They soon get bored with us and wave as on. From tomorrow on though, the police and border guards become more of a hassle, with delays of up to 8hrs expected at places.
Steve fixed a rusty hole in Priscilla's exhaust and now she sounds perfect (fussy,eh).I am starting to dread handing over the keys, as Ive grown fond of her. Considering turning round and driving back (wishfully). But we are really returning Priscilla back to wilds where she belongs; a place with wide open spaces and fresh air.
So see you all in Banjul! I'll continue to try sending the text messages though with no guarantees they'll get through.
Thanks again for the messages!

Stayed in Beni-Mallal last night, slumming it in a four star hotel as we arrived late, so a bit hard to find a camping ground (thats our excuse and we're sticking to it). Nice short drive to Marrakech, which was good as Priscilla was leaking water like mad. Steve found a local mechanic after some bad French and not so bad sign language. Water pump replaced by the the side of the road in very efficient fashion and looks good. Toured the souks a little bit in the Medina and met some of the other teams for dinner (we recommend the chicken tangine at Chez C...something).

This morning we head for the Atlas mountains to really put the new water pump to the test. Bonn chance Priscilla.

Scenery, souks and scams

finally found a wireless connection! We are alive and well in Beni Mallal which is roughly between Fes and Marrakech. After a lengthy customs clearance at Tangiers, we set off to Fes in a group of 6: Norfolk ' Chance; The Costa Blanca Dons; Reservoir Frogs; Cop & fothers; Turbo Tortoises and us! The scenery varied from mountains and snow to flat and dry plateauxs. All very beautiful. All eyes focused on the road ahead, watching for potholes. We all stayed in an Ibis Hotel in Fes after a local guy on a moped took us around the whole city to finally get there. It was dark then, making it a rather hairy drive through the town. The next day we took in tour around the souk and tannery, then on the road toward Marrakech. Today we have a nice 200km drive to Marrakech with a stop at waterfalls.
Priscilla has a water leak back, not too significant; she isn,t overheating or losing power, but we will see if we can get a mechanic in Marrakech .
The really funny thing is, all the cars on the roads here are Mercedes!!!! There are Priscillas everywhere!!! We keep getting flagged down as a taxi where ever we go; could make a few dirrhams.

Thanks for the messages. See you soon...

Robbed in Gilbralter!

Had a really relaxing day off.We took Priscilla to visit the Rock of Gilbralter; she didn´t fancy it there much. The traffic and narrow streets were ridiculously crowded and chaotic; we have definately striked this place of the list of places to live. The whole place is rather strange; a confused mix of English and Spanish with neither doing the job well; and a weird currency to go with it.
The Rock itself was great with views over to Africa. Alas, Steve fell victim to a theft. While eating his favourite brand of ice cream and admiring the views, a monkey ran up his leg and snatched it out of his hand! Cheeky animals are very cute, but do watch your sweet treats when you visit.
Priscilla is running like a dream. Steve was under the car this morning to find the source of a persistant rattle. He spied a loose bolt and replace it with a new one. It has done the trick! Our tickets for the ferry crossing tomorrow have been purchased and we have repacked the car ready for the next stage. We are on the 9am departure from Tarifa and hope to arrive 45min later in Tangiers. The plan is to reach Fes before dark!
We are loving the trip so far!! See you all later.
Oh, we have long run out of Cookie Time cookies! so Andrea, if you could just courier us another supply....

Taking it easy in Tarifa

Hi all, we made it safe and intact to the hotel in Tarifa where we have 2 nights paid for as part of the rally. It was a nice and easy run for Priscilla today from Granada; just cruising along down the sunny coast. There are no more leaks and the exhaust is holding tight,albeit a wee loud. There are quite a few teams here now in various states of repair! Everyone in good humour. The weather is nice and warm :)
Tomorrow we will play tourist again and take a day trip to Gibralter, catch you all again from there.
PS steve & sara - LONG LIVE PRISCILLA!!!

Three weeks in a leaky car

Discovered a leak in the cooling system, somewhere near the bottom fan (phil, where are you???). Threw a bottle of "bars" in and it all seems fine now, how long it´s supposed to last is anyones guess. Temp is all good, so at least we´re not overheating. Developing a few new rattles but we will have to wait and see what falls off to discover where it comes from :)
Drove 500kms today from Segovia to Granada and had a tour of the Alhambra. Steve would like to live in the Alhambra as it seems very defendable against mormans, tele marketers, children and the like. I told him go ahead and I would visit him (in summer!)
Manana short relaxed drive down to Tarifa, hopefully there is a room left at the inn.
Happy 40th birthday to Simon (for the 4th) in NZ, have a good one big daddy.

Hola

Well, after a shaky start with losing the exhaust in France (thanks to dodgy ramps on the ferry), we have safely made it to Segovia, Espana. Steve has so far been in charge of all the driving, which means that we are still on speaking terms :)
Our first night was spent in Bordeaux as planned; arriving late and stayed in a Formula 1 Hotel close to the motorway. At the crack of dawn, we headed for the Spanish border and the mountains, where we have had several strange sightings of oversized bulls perched on hill sides. There is quite a bit of snow on the ground and the mountains in the distance are covered.
Priscilla has been cruising along nicely today and is currently tucked away in a dry garage for the night. We have had one sighting of another rally car - a VW Beetle parked at a spanish service station, seen as we drove by. Met up with Teams Karpat and Cops & Fobbers on the ferry over.
Tomorrow we are heading for Granada and the famous Alhambra.