I failed to find anywhere great to camp and forced to make my shelter in a deserted crumbling and roofless house. It was a novel place to pitch my tent in a room with a good view of the stars.
I got a good start the next day. The road began dropping downhill towards a bridge over the Oum er Rbia river. The old walls of the Portuguese fort stand proudly alongside the river which empties within a few miles into the sea. Over the bridge, uphill and quickly into the town, I grabbed a fish filled bun from a food stall opposite an entrance into the medina.
The whitewashed medina was very attractive. It was filled with large colourful murals. There were cats everywhere. An elderly man told me how cats bring luck and fortune to a home. Children returning from school implored me to visit the garden and a woman led me to a large open area by the ramparts overlooking the river.
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Azemmour had a good small town feel and appeared relaxed. It is a little off the usual tourist track but is a very attractive town. This contrasts with the city of El Jadida, another Portuguese hold from the 16th and 17th centuries and now a large Moroccan holiday destination.
I cycled along the extensive beachfront past beach huts and fish restaurants. The town beach iwas filled with teams playing football. I quickly picked my way past, into the walled Medina and then out onto a long walled jetty that provided harbour for a fleet of fishing boats.
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Although I spent little time in El Jadida I preferred the small town feel of Azzemour. I rounded the coast and cycled towards the famous holiday resort of Oualidia. It was some distance and worried a little that , once again, I would have a problem finding somewhere to camp.
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