#LIKEACHALLENGE 

Throwback to November last year. It was the first big challenge-roadtrip I did when I created this site. I was also talking with my good friend Gosia the other day about doing a weekend in Marrakesh, so it motivated me to finally write what I was meaning to write a long while ago. A few ‘how to drive in Morocco’ pointers and what NOT to do when hiring a car down that neck of the woods (desert). Even though it’s been a year, I still remember all the routes very well and each

The Duster is a great car. As a multi-purpose crossover it ticks a lot of boxes. BTW what’s a crossover? A small SUV, looks like a 4x4 though usually isn’t, family friendly, can but handle minor off-road adventures. Other examples include Nissan Juke, Peugeot 3008, Renault Captur or a BMW X1. We tend to think of the Duster as the cheap alternative. And it is the indeed the most affordable on the market (around £10,000 in the UK). It's certainly a very common sense option: if

Here's the revised final route. It differs a bit from the original as 2 days got completely eaten up by the Toubkal climb, so I wasn’t...

As promised, here’s a closer look at what it takes to reach the highest peak of the Atlas. It was my first major climb and I knew it wouldn’t be easy - 4167m is not a walk in the park. Toubkal is a really tough hike, rather than a technical climb, but nonetheless serious business. I prepped what I could beforehand: sorted out my attire including thermals, coat, gloves, hat, trekking trousers (I actually wore three layers altogether, putting them on or off depending on the ch

My Moroccan breakfasts were quite a sweet affair, with the addition of eggs, goat's cheese, olives and the dozen types of bread that tie everything together. You can see the French and Spanish influence with ubiquitous amounts of pastries and orange juice. Then there's the famous Moroccan mint tea (which I drink without sugar, as the original version is way sweeter than Coca Cola) and for those in need of a stronger kick, you can always have a coffee. This was my breakfast

Tangier was the final destination. The very last 3,5 hours driving back from Casablanca to where it all started. I was very sad that my Moroccan adventure was coming to an end now, but busy planning in my head: what's next? For the first time I properly had a chance to look through all the photos and thought how much I've achieved within the space of just 10 days. I've enjoyed every second of Morocco, learnt a about off-road driving and climbed the highest peak in the Atlas.

Casablanca was the penultimate stop on the rally. I had a very romantic imagine of this city based on the cult Hollywood film under the same name, but the reality is...Casablanca is a giant construction site. It's a mix of modern commercial and apartment buildings, and some old soviet-like blocks...so I was left quite unimpressed. It lacks any architectural or historical landmarks apart from the Hassan II Mosque, which was well worth the drive. It's an imposing structure bu

After spending a whole week driving inland, I couldn't wait to head west towards the ocean. Initially the plan involved a nearly 800km / 10 hour drive south to Tarfaya after Marrakesh, but two days of the rally got eaten up by the Mount Toubkal climb... In hindsight, I should have given myself 12 days altogether (including the climb) to be able to visit Tarfaya... but hey, it's one of the first challenges and I will definitely work on logistics a bit more next time! Essaour

A lot of you have been asking about my Mount Toubkal climbing challenge: how hard it was, current weather conditions at the summit, how did I prepare, costs etc I'm still on the road this week and I'll be writing more once I'm back in London, but here's a quick Q&A: How long did it take? Two days which involve walking from Imlil (or in my case from Aroumd) to the refugee at 3200m. It's a 9km walk which took me just under 5 hours (let's say 4 hours if you don't count the teas

Day 4 was a drive from Ouarzazate to Imlil in prep for the Mount Toubkal climb. Just over 240km but the winding mountain tracks (add roadworks to that) made it into a solid 6 hour trek. I never actually feel it takes that long as I'm constantly distracted by the amazing views on route: Nearly looks like LA ;) Ah, the roadworks which stopped the whole traffic for a good hour.. If you look closely there's a digger 'hanging' on the side of the mountain at a 45 degree ang

As promised, updated post on day 2. Good night sleep in Fes even though I still have to get used to the singing/praying that starts at dawn… This charming hotel, Riad dar Guennoon, is located in the very centre of the city. Hard to find at first among the maze of alleyways, but one of the local lads helped us out. And of course he wanted to get paid for his kindness, which is essentially one of the ways they make money from tourism! I only got a couple of hours to walk

I’ll write more in the morning as I need to get some sleep, but long story short... We were supposed to get from Fez to Agoudal today, roughly 350km and 7hours drive. Unfortunately, part of the 'road' we took through the Atlas mountains simply doesn’t exist anymore, washed away by the river. So we had to turn around 5 hours into the drive.. which meant 2 hours back up the same road to find a hotel in one of the towns. Anyway, we came across this lovely place, Riad Mimouna ne

I’ve got a bit more wi-fi at my current hotel, even though it’s not the hotel in Agoudal that was planned.. more on that story in the next post. Currently sitting in the reception of hotel Riad Mimouna near Midlet (*update as of 2210: they've now closed the reception so outside :) Coming back to day one as yesterday was a disaster zone for internet connection (mind you, I got a 4G dongle for my laptop today, but don’t think it’s working either round here). Anyway, some prom

Well, I'm desperately trying to upload some photos for this post but the local Fez wi-fi ain't havin' any of it! (*update: managed to add ONE in morning today on Tuesday..yes, it only took the whole night to get in on the site) It's been a long day. Prep in the morning (picking up the car, supermarket spree and then..McD, shamelessly have to admit to that sin) and then 300km / 5hour drive to Fez. I'll do a quick tour of the city I the morning, but then we've got another 7 ho

Off to Malaga airport in a few minutes. Excited, but also a bit terrified! I guess that's what challenges are all about..doing something you thought you'd never do. It's been a dream of mine to do an off-road car rally for a loooong time, so no turning back now. And if I ever want to do the Dakar, better start working on my endurance! Even though I feel knackered and I'd rather sleep for a week!!! I barely managed to pack. I've got quite a lot of stuff after a 4 week 'A Plac

I've just reached Torremolinos near Malaga where I'm staying for the night. I've got the flight to Tangier tomorrow evening, so I'll treat myself to a proper lie in followed by sunbathing on the beach before 10 days of hard work. Below you have the face of someone drinking a mint tea and pondering 'why the hell am I not spending the next week and a half in a SPA'. Started the day googling what kind of dangerous creatures live in Morocco. For that reason alone, I'm kind of gl

I just found out that Jonas, a cameraman who I’ve worked with for years on 'A Place in the sun', used to be a guide for adventure style holidays and he’s climbed the Kilimanjaro 14 times. Once in flip flops. A few drinks in the bar later, he's given me a bunch of ideas for my future challenges and Kilimanjaro is definitely one of them. But I'll start a bit lower than 5895m... My rally around Morocco will be passing through the foothills of the Atlas, so I am reserving a cou

It’s end of October in sunny Costa Blanca and the clocks go back tomorrow, which gives me an extra hour of sleep. Or writing. Or people watching. I’m currently at a beachfront café in Costa Blanca shamelessly eavesdropping on people’s conversations. And pondering about all the things I could do with my extra hour. Right, let’s get to the point. The car rally around Morocco is one of the first challenges I’ve planned for this website. I’m a massive petrolhead, so I knew I wa