Two cities lie at the mouth of the left and right banks of the Bou Regreg river – on the true left is Rabat, capital of Morocco and on the true right is Salé, legendary home of pirates.

Getting around and between them is interesting; from our marina on the Salé side, my first choice of transport is to walk – to the medina for bread, shopping supplies and whatever else we need. Second option is the tram, with a stop 5 mins walk away – this can take us to the outskirts of both cities. Then there are the ‘Petit taxis’ – for longer trips, as long as they’re on your side of the river. There are yellow taxis on the Salé side  and blue taxis on the Rabat side – and they don’t cross the river – ask us how we know!

Small ferries ply the river. Making a bobbing line, they wait on both sides for customers to sit in their small wooden boat. When enough people (around 5-6) turn up, they cross the river – the oarsman standing, dodging other boats and chatting to customers. You can not be in a rush to cross the Bouregreg this way – there is no timetable and it is a decent walk to anywhere on the Salé side. But it’s such a beautiful experience to be on the water, watching as fishing boats head out to sea, the buzz of the Rabat medina a block away, the call to prayer purring over loud-speakers.

I like being the first person to sit in the boat, like the way the small craft rocks, the sign in Arabic and French denoting prices, the simplicity of waiting until there are enough people to fill the boat and the ferryman takes you to the other side, where you pay him and walk off into the rest of your day.