Last Visit to the Medina

The Rough Guide had mentioned that, in the middle of the old Portuguese Medina was an old 'cistern' that was worth a visit. If you are like me a cistern is the ceramic bit above a toilet that contains the water and when you pull the handle it flushes. This is a much grander affair. It is essentially a huge underground vault designed to fill up with water when it rains. An old man gave me the two bob tour in French. It was built 500 years ago and when full it holds a quarter of a million litres. If the town was under siege, and the inhabitants could not get out, it would keep them in water for many weeks.

 Above the cistern was the barracks and the jail. Prisoners were kept in cells no more than 3 feet high and if you went in you did not come out alive! They were also put to work, in the granary (now an art gallery), turning 3 metre wide  grinding wheels to make flour and scratched their names on the walls.

Check out my artsy picture shot through the hole in the middle of an old grinding wheel.

The cistern has been made famous as Orson Welles used it for a scene when he made the film version of Othello. I seem to be following Orson around as he had also stayed in the hotel in Algeciras we used 2 weeks ago.

I needed the toilet after visiting the cistern (must be all that water) and nervously entered the public loo nearby. One look at it and it's instant constipation!

I particularly liked the style of this guys bike. I think the flaming skulls, on a 50cc moped, really sets it off.

I walked up the steps to the 3 metre thick ramparts of the Medina and came across this chimney where the most delightful aroma of baking bread was wafting up. I wish this was a scratch and sniff blog!

People have asked why I am travelling alone. Ted Simon, in his great motorcycle travel book, Jupiter's Travels, summarises it well. If you go alone you are more vulnerable and therefore need the assistance of the local people. Thus it is a much more submersive experience and you will get more out of your travels. Ninety-nine percent of your encounters with the locals will be a positive experience. Most people are genuinely kind and generous here.

Apart from telephone calls home to my wife I have spoken nothing but French for the last 2 weeks as very few locals here speak English. So one benefit of the trip will be improved French!

I am writing this from the Safari Pub in El Jadida as the people are friendly, the beer is cold, and they are showing the England Holland football match this evening. My mate Kassim the waiter has just delivered this to my table as he's off home for a couple of hours. It's a pity I'm on the bike or else it would be party time. I think I'll come back down this evening in a taxi!

Tomorrow I'm riding the 3 hour route to Marrakesh where I will spend a few days living it large before I head into the mountains and Ouarzazate. Riding the trails through the mountains is the main reason for this trip and I'm looking forward to it.