Well, we've said goodbye to Spain and are saying hellow to our 5th and final country, Morocco. After a very windy couple of days in Tarifa, we boarded the ferry full of day trippers into Tangier. As we sat, looking out the window, on the 35 minute ride, we spotted 3 different pods of dolphins. The water was super flat, with the sun shining right on it, and they were easy to spot.
Goodbye 4 Panniers/Hello 2 Panniers
We also said goodbye to our camping gear. After multiple people advised us not to camp in Morocco, we decided to pack up our tent, sleeping bags, cookery set and 4 of our panniers and send them back to the UK. From here on out, we're riding with 2 back panniers and our front handbar bags, making life lighter and easier. Our trusty camping guide that took us to all our camping in Spain and Portugal, was given to a lovely couple we met in Tarifa who were motorcycling from Bristol down to Morocco, all around Morocco and then back up to Bristol. After a couple of beers, we all realized that they were basically us, but with motors. I can't say that I didn't feel a pang of sadness when I handed over that camping guide and map. We relied so much on them for the past 7 weeks, I was sad to relinquish it.
Goodbye Sun/Hello...Rain??
Our ride this morning started under the wet drops of rain, the first this area has seen since April, according to our gracious host. No worries...we'd much rather be riding under the rain than the scorching hot sun. Funny though, to think that we had a month of no rain in Europe and the 2nd day in Morocco, we're getting soaked. After 2 nights in very budget accomodation, including no hot water, we decided to splurge and stay in a beautiful riad in the medina of Rabat. I write this from the terrace that looks down into the courtyard, 3 stories below. On each level are 3 rooms in traditional Moroccan decor, cool and quiet, a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of the medina.
Goodbye Lycra Goddess/Hello Mz. Modesty
I felt the necessity to purchase a pair of loose, linen pants and a cycling shirt with sleeves to wear while in Morocco. As much as my butt looks good in lycra cycling shorts that come up 4 inches above my knees, and my tight, sleeveless sports top makes me look like a buff, athletic heroine, I didn't think that the folks in Morocco would appreciate my feminine sportiness. So Mz. Modesty stepped in and now my shoulders are covered and my knees are covered and my butt and cleavage aren't as prominent. Hopefully the heat will stay away a couple more days so I can get to Essaouira without fainting from heat exhaustion. I've been lucky so far...fingers crossed.
Goodbye Thoughtful Driving Practices and Indicative Signage/Hello...Whatever The Opposite Of That Is
I won't say we weren't warned. We knew. We knew the whole way. Moroccan drivers aren't used to bicyclists. Moroccan drivers don't look before they charge ahead. Moroccan drivers will kill you. We didn't heed any of this advice and we're now in Morocco and I have to say that I'm not too scared for my life. Yes, there's a lot more horn honking and disregard for human life, but even in the rain, I didn't have any major scares in the last couple of days. Again, fingers crossed that none present themselves. The lovely signage in Europe that clearly indicated where to go to get to a destination have been replaced with vague or non existent signs only to the larger cities. Luckily we're following on route most of the way down, but getting into and out of the bigger cities has been a major hassle. We've found that the traffic cops sprinkled around the cities are super helpful and have used mosques on multiple occasions as landmarks, once causing us much frustration as there were two mosques in the same roundabout.
So I guess the moral of this blog is...please keep your fingers crossed for us. No major worries and we're finding everyone here lovely and helpful. The fresh juice is gorgeous. The couscous is absolutely delicious. The cities are beautiful. And the roads have been pretty flat so far. We're hoping (and expecting) more of the same for the rest of the ride to Marrakech.
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