Back Home & Settling In.

The power of flight. One minute you're stuffing yourself at McDonalds on the Casablanca coast and the next you’re stuffing yourself at McDonalds at Sydney airport trying to figure out where a couple of days have gone and why they didn’t have McDonalds at the Dubai International Airport.

It was in fact totally unintentional that I was trying to eat two persons worth of food in Casablanca. As usual I had communication problems. I merely wanted a one person meal but with two Coca Colas. The two cokes in Casablanca came in my case with 4 McChickens , 2 helpings of chips and 2 sundaes. I did however with my fluency in the French language manage to get strawberry sundaes as opposed to chocolate. (I'm quite proud of that).

Once I'd finished stuffing myself I walked down the coast to the lighthouse and Second World War gun emplacement. I'm not sure whether the Moroccans were fighting with us or against us during the war but the gun emplacement certainly looked like it had taken a pounding. While there I re called some of the stories my God father and close family friend had told me about his experiences fighting in North Africa during the conflict. Apparently they fried their eggs on the truck and tank bodies. I think I'd even struggle downing one of these infantry eggs. It was too cold to sun fry eggs while I was on the coast and it made the thought of going home to a New Zealand autumn pretty easy to bear. I noticed while at the point that there was a naval cruiser just off the coast shepherding what looked like oil tankers in and out of the port a few kilometres up the coast. It wasn’t until later on the flight back to NZ, after reading the English papers that I realised that this rather featureless grey cruiser was in fact the newest and most sophisticated warship sailing the seven seas. Just commissioned and on sea trials in the waters of North Africa I was being treated to a show involving over a billion dollars of hardware and crew practising ship boarding’s. The article suggested I’d be wasting my time waiting to see a missile firing as each missile costs a million dollars and not likely to be performed without an A ok from the accounts department. (Each new vessel gets one test firing to check the computers and other electronics. I think that must be included in the price.) Following these sea trials the vessel was off to South America to say hello to the Argentinians. (I hope they arrive with all their gear intact).

Ya Missed Me! At the Coastal Battery.

The next day Mohamed was driving my bike and I to the airport for the marathon of a flight home. After a hand shake and the acceptance of yet another generous tip Mohamed was headed back towards the city and I was heading to the Emirates check in counter. This time I had the bike under one arm and a Moroccan poofy under the other. How so, the poofy you ask. Well I thought I had better get Adi a little gift for saving my arse when I needed it and getting me home, so a really romantic but practical gift was called for. Sure she’d enjoy jewellery or perfumes but what bliss to put your feet up on a goat skin poff. Once again my Mercian disappeared behind the check in counter and I was given all my boarding passes and my little luggage receipt. For some reason this time I had a little more faith that my Mercian would make the connections. The Emirates staff  looked a little more organised than the British Airways staff in Rio had done. I’d certainly be happy to fly Emirates again despite the fact that they had 200 movies on offer and I couldn’t find more than one or two of interest. I also got rather disapproving looks  whenever I asked for a rum and coke. Adi only later told me that she had booked me on a tea tottlers airline. (This reminds me.  I haven’t properly celebrated cycling across South America yet. So I will sort that tonight if Adi’s left me any grog in the liquor cabinet.)

I’ve noticed since I got home that I have been craving certain foods. Apart from drinking litres of instant coffee I have been scoffing multiple helpings of Adi’s sultana cake heated in the microwave and lovingly drowned in cream. I have taken to having porridge for breakfast, not too thick and thinned even more by the addition of a generous amount of cream. Jellies for desert have been a treat especially with the addition of cream to give them more body. Slices of soft white bread have been disappearing down my gullet at an alarming rate but not before they have been plastered with pre warmed butter of no particular brand (as long as it’s salty). I think my bodies telling me something. And I think that something is to fatten up for your next trip.

Together Again. I've got to Get My Girl ready for Vietnam.

And chocolate. I'm too embarrassed to tell you how much of that I'm eating. Luckily there's a special on 250 gram blocks at the supermarket. Currently these are $2.99 a block! Limit of 4 per customer! I got into a disagreement with the local library assistant yesterday when she tried to take $2 off me for a late returned book last Dec. Having just enough cash in my pocket for the new ‘Berry and Biscuit’ I wasn’t having a bar of that.

Next week I’m looking for a bit of part-time work involving bicycles. A bit of money would help finance our next trip to Vietnam and South East Asia. Hanoi to Singapore is the go. I have a Visa and Adi will need to test her new legs.