Oct 29, 2010 - Tetouan

On the 29th we drove from Chefchaouen to Tetouan, which was a long drive. The route was through the Rif Mountain range, which consisted of high mountains and fertile agricultural land that consisted of very large farms and very extensive cedar forests. As we were driving we came to the conclusion that the countryside looked very much like Switzerland. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and it made for a very pleasant drive. When we arrived in Tetouan, we found it to be a typical provincial city with virtually no charm. It was clearly the...

Sep 19, 2010 - By the Mediterranean at last

We left Fes at about 8.00am in beautiful weather. We drove over the Rif mountains to Smir, a resort near Tetouan, our first port of call on the Mediterranean. Cannabis grows wild in the Rif mountains and it is not illegal to cultivate it. It is, however, illegal to sell it. We had instructions to drive in groups of 3 or 4 cars over the critical part and not to stop or we would have difficulty in leaving without a kilo of the drug. We did as we were told and no one looks as if they are high...... It was a long hot journey and we got stuck...