Day 77, 19 September 2012, Fez, Morocco - After the most diabolical night of non-sleep on a very hard, smelly mattress on the floor of a picturesque loft (with no way to walk around the edges and only a teensy spiral staircase for access to the ground level and bathroom), a foolish staff member who can't spot a crippled, angry volcano when she sees one asked how we slept. And so she was told. And then so was the night manager (you should have said something... ...

Day 76, 18 September 2012, Essaouira to Fez, Morocco - It is one of the oddities of travel, for me at least (though not James), that if our plane/train/bus or hand cart is leaving prior to noon, I never sleep the night before. Thus when the alarm went off in the dead of night (4.55 am) I was all over it like a fat kid on a cupcake, given I was already wide awake. The porters of Essaouira are a cheerful bunch at the cracking hour of 5.30 am - I think the fellow ...

Day 75, 17 September 2012, Essaouira - Today was the day for completions. We were fooled by the light this morning - it seemed dark for a much longer time than usual and even at 7 am town was still blanketed in grey clouds and a gentle sea mist. We woke up the night porter to unlock and let us out (sigh.... fire safety leaves a bit to be desired....). The streets seem 5 times as wide when not full of vendors, their wares, beggars and helpful urchin types, not ...

Day 74, 16 September 2012, Essaouira. Exploring, Expending - energy and euros - and of course, Eating! It was a magical day in Essouira. We slept in a little as breakfast in most riads gets underway at the civilised hour of 8 am. We tasted our first Morrocan pancake - sort of like a square crepe made out of croissant pastry and the usual baguettes, jam and coffee. Having spied the larger room and begged an upgrade we moved our belongings next door and then se...

Day 73, 15 September 2012, Essaouira. All packed up and ready to go, we were picked up and loaded into a mini-van along with 8 or 9 day-trippers. Very much the easy way - could have made the trip on a coach but that would have involved copious amounts of effort in getting to the train station, buying tickets the day before and then getting selves and luggage to the train station the following day via taxi to catch the coach. Sometimes it's worth throwing mone...