Diary entry - Day 239

We decided to write a quick post about today’s events, to give a flavour of what being in Morocco has been like.

10am - Get up late because yesterday was a tad stressful after 65km of cycling, and because we have booked accommodation a mere 25km away

10.30am - Eat our cereal, with water from our cycle bottles because we are not sure of the status of the water in the flat (none of the cold taps seemed to work)

11am - Bike check in kitchen after yesterday and a quick tighten of Sam’s front mudguard to stop it resonating at certain speeds

11.45am - Brush teeth, followed by daily pack up and check we have everything before loading bikes

12.30pm - Final check we have everything and leave the flat (it’s starting to rain). Wind whistles through the building

12.40pm - Grab some supplies from the local corner shop with very friendly lady shopkeeper. Chat to one Atlas Mountain Race entrant outside the shop

12.50pm - Cycle up hill to arrive at the Atlas Mountain Race registration and watch participants emptying bike parts from bike boxes. Lots of “hellos” and some dubious/curious looks in case we were taking part on fully loaded touring bikes (not even tempted to join)

1.15pm - Route diverts from road and gets rough. Lots of smiles and greetings as we cycle through the village. We can see the zig-zag climb of our route to our right but it’s on the other side of a raging river.

1.30pm - Arrive at the raging river which turns out to be an overflow from the dam to our left. Assess our options, including the possibility of a long detour back into Beni Mellal and along bigger roads, or fording the river.

Sam does a careful walk through to check the depth and ground underfoot. Discuss depth and whether this will be a problem for bottom brackets & hubs. Consider unloading bikes and carrying everything across. Decide that Sam will walk both bikes slowly through (socks off)

1.35pm - Man carrying sticks appears from behind us and another older man appears to have walked down the steep and rough zig-zag ahead. Watch the younger man pick his way across the river using some stepping stones and without a common language, laugh at his skill (he’s wearing slippers) and remark at the size of the river.

Older man tells us (without common language) that we can’t go on and we should turn back. Younger man (Ab) asks older man if route is passable (it looks like there could be landslides ahead based on the terrain) and older man is unconvinced until we gesture that we are happy pushing and will carry our bikes if needed. Older man smiles and suggests that he’s happy if that’s our choice. Ab joins us as we start a tough hike-a-bike section.

1.40pm - Begin the hike-a-bike section up a loose, stoney and rutted track which was unrideable. Ab continues to walk with us and helps Beck push her bike up a steep section with big rocks.

1.50pm - Halfway up the climb Ab shouts up to a shepherd to ask if the route to the top is open. Through hand gestures they determine that it’s open and we start walking up again. We rest on the corners of the zig-zag climb and every time we start again Ab helps Beck push her bike up. We learn through photos that he is a local hunter and kills rabbits with a slingshot.

2pm - Reach the top of the climb after lots of hard pushing. We do a high-five and thank the man for all his help. The road becomes compacted gravel and we’re able to cycle again.

2.10pm - Spot our first blossom on some early cherry trees, the first sign of spring. Hillsides are covered in a small yellow flower which smells like oil seed rape. Spot a small black, white and red bird that we must remember to look up later. Coats on as it’s started to drizzle

2.30pm - We think we’re making progress and then we turn off onto a gravel/mud road. Then the heavens open and it absolutely throws it down. The wind also gets up and it’s briefly some of the toughest conditions we have faced. Roads turn into rivers as brown muddy water shoots down narrow streets and tumbles off roofs. Despite the rain, everyone says “hello” back to us with smiles and waves. No one wears raincoats, though there were a few umbrellas being buffeted about. We must stand out even more than usual in our colourful jackets.

3pm - Cycling through another village we meet lots of school children on their way home. A group of 10 boys around the age of 13 chase after us in the rain as we cycle along the street. Ahead, a group of girls squeal in delight and confusion, parting ways to let us through. They seem more concerned about the gaggle of boys than we do!

3.45pm - The route takes another turn down a muddy track (Beck was convinced she had mapped a road route…) which has now become a river. The whole route is covered in centimetres of water. Beck spots an ‘out’ and we divert onto a concreted road which takes us back onto a tarmacked road.

4pm - Stop at a fruit and vegetable store and haggle over some bananas, apples, oranges and a mango. Sam gets chatting with a lady who invites us over to her co-operative a few doors down

4.05pm - Get a tour of the co-operative, where women learn to weave carpets and rugs, craft shoes and tunics, and mend and repair clothes. Around thirteen people are involved and six women are learning skills within the organisation. We are given a bracelet each as a gift. The owner, Hassna, invites us for tea at her house, asks where we’re spending the night, then offers up her home. We politely decline as we have booked a room just up the road. She takes time to accept our refusal but we make a donation instead to support her work at the co-operative and to help others. Hassna was so kind and it was such an inspirational place.

4:40pm - Spot an amazing, colourful sign on the roadside for our hotel, which bodes well. We follow a small track and arrive at our accommodation which is spectacular. The room is beautiful, quirky and cosy. We arrange for dinner at 7pm and get settled.

7pm - Sit down for dinner which starts with a delicious set of salads, then a main of rice, meatballs, chicken and roasted potatoes. Desert of fruit and homemade ice cream follows. Beautifully presented, delicious, generous portions and lovely, attentive staff.

8:30pm - Decide we like the place so much that we’ll stay two more nights. Head to bed with the sound of rain beating down on the cabin roof. Breakfast booked for 8:30am.

This is how most of our days have gone in Morocco so far. A mixture of making stuff up as we go along, adverse weather conditions, great value accommodation, and unrivalled kindness. These sorts of human interactions bring a tear to the eye. Entirely selfless and kindhearted. Plus every other person we pass gestures and shouts encouragement. It really helps us on our way, keeping our spirits high. Onward!