We settled very contentedly at our campsite just outside Marrakech. There were twenty or so abandoned vehicles parked up on the site, their owners having taken flights back to Europe. They would be able to return to collect them once the maritime borders were open.
We took a taxi to the Marjane supermarket 5 km away. The driver waited while we shopped, carried our heavy bags and delivered us directly back to our pitch – the fare was less than £10 even with a generous tip.
The camp site was surprisingly peaceful but one of the more strident noises was the crowing of cockerels. There were at least four of them – an older bird and three younger ones that strutted around the site with the chickens, ducks and peacocks. One afternoon we watched two of the gardening staff with big sticks chasing the birds hither and thither. We felt they had little chance of catching the fleet of foot cockerels until we heard a loud squawk followed by a deathly hush and a dead cockerel was carried off to the kitchens. A few minutes later the gardeners returned, more squawking and chasing until another bird was swiftly despatched. We squeamishly avoided ordering chicken in the restaurant that evening but it was appreciated by us all that the pre-dawn cock-a-doodling was a little quieter the next morning!
News came through that our March ferry to Italy had been cancelled. We rebooked for the first week in April having heard rumours that the borders would be opening at the end of March. Meanwhile we made the most of the warm sunny weather.
