Tajine please!!!

Sahara is over! Thanks to the lorry....

Too much wind still, and maybe not enough energy to ride this 1200 km stretch of straight road, with almost no village on the way... I've found a lorry which was going up to Agadir, so got the chance for a lift up to Guelmin in Morroco (right at the end of the desert), 1260 km from Nouadhibou. It took 3 days, as the truck doesn't drive too fast! That's a pity for the challenge to ride all the way up to , but that road looks very boring, even more I guess at 35 km/hour!! There's not much except some bunch of grass here and there, and sometimes loads of sand! The wind is always coming from the north or so and can get quiet strong. I should have been possible anyway, for sure, I've even met a cyclist going northward! Big up for that guy, I think he's from Swiss. Understand now very well why most cyclists head south.

We had to load about 12 camel in the truck, hard job, check the video at the bottom of the French version.

The driver had to pay lots of baksheeshs on the way, probably more than 10, and each about 1 or 2 euros! As a French nationality, I haven't encountered any problems since. “French? - Yes. - ok, carry on!” That's a good thing, as I still don't have any insurance... I got the moped numbers written in my passport at the border so I have to get it out when I leave the country. There hasn't been more fuss at the Mauritanian border as well.

So now in , very different from Black Africa, thank to the Sahara acting as a natural barrier...

Food is much better here, no more rice with sauce, but good tajines for less than 2 euros! Tea is about ten times sweeter, taste like syrup! And many other nice dishes I haven't try yet!

Architecture is also more beautiful, there's a lot of design everywhere, in the streets, in houses, which doesn't occur below Sahara. Loads of old French moped also!

Landscapes are beautiful as the desert is over, with nice and cool mountains. That's a bit steep for my camel anyway, and I already had to push it during the steepest parts. I might try to upgrade it, as I would fancy a ride through Atlas Mountains, even steeper I guess.

Now heading for a nice place to chill, heard about Mirleft no too far, will have a look and report you later!

8 Mai 2005

 

How to load a camel in a lorry

 

 

 

Little engine in the montains...

 

After the wind come the mountains!!! Hard job to ride over the Atlas with the tiny moped, had a taste of it before giving up the idea to reach Marrakech through Tizi'n'test , a 2000 meter high pass with a road climbing up for 30 kilometers! During the last passes I rode, I had to push a lot, took me one hour for 2 kilometers before the pass, and the engine started to smoke a lot!!! I'm very disappointed not to ride through the Atlas, 'cause that's a nice place with great people. Next time with a real bike, Inch' Allah!

I've been forced to go all around the High Atlas, along the coast trough Agadir, Essaouira, but that's so much touristy, a bit like Disney Land Morocco, with snacks sellers, handicraft shops and hotels everywhere... no more adventure!

I've been offered a nice sheep’s skin to cover my seat, on my way to Marrakech, it was a dream from Burkina, but over there sheep don't have wool on their back, only hair like goats. That's very comfortable now, I mean, much more than before, but doesn't look very cool!

I'm in Marrakech since yesterday, a crazy city with a maze of streets in the médina, lots of them are closed at the end, easy to get lost!

Next stop in Fès, 500 kilometers away, will try to follow a road on the slope of the High Atlas, because main roads (something like highways) are too dangerous on a moped, and trucks don't care of you, blowing horn till you jump off the road to let them go!

17 Mai 2005

 

Allah Whakbar!!!

 

 

 

Marrakesh-Fès

 

Middle Atlas is passed! Was a bit steep again between Marrakech and Fès, but manageable anyway... had to push a few times, and wait for the engine to cool down many times! Cycling isn't enough to keep the bike going when it's steep. I was thinking to modify the exhaust in Marrakech but still it wasn’t sure that it would be enough, and needed to change many things more... Anyway, landscapes are still very nice, with crazy hairpins' turns, hope to do it some days with a real bike!

I've done some in board videos in Marrakech in the narrow medina streets slaloming in the souks, but it seems too big for the website, and I cannot put it online. Lots of fun anyway!

A painter wrote some Arabic proverbs on my box, it says nice things but I'm not sure any more what it tells...

That's funny to see how people faces changes when going northward, a real mix between Catalan, and Moors, and between them, Berbers people with their own clear skins and eyes.

Insurance should be done soon, I've find an old plate which says the moped was built in 1990, will be cheaper for the fare, and also less troubles normally to get in France, cause I shouldn’t need to get it register if it's old enough. Got some stickers as well of an old Peugeot  103!

 

Arabic translation

 

25 Mai 2005

 

 

Rif region - Chefchaouen

Last easy week in Chefchaouen before leaving Africa , a nice village in the Rif Mountains , with walls, floors and doors all painted in blue. Cafés with mint tea at every street corners, nice walks in the mountains, smoking kif with local "farmers"...   easy days!!! I really understand all theses travellers who can't tear themselves out! Happened to me as well! Had to wait there for an insurance paper which never came, because of stupid French post office, so will try to cross the border with a Fax of that paper...  no problems, and even problems, baksheesh possible isn’t it?

Leaving tomorrow for , I expect a big culture shock after all theses Muslims countries, and a huge place to cross by moped!!! Not sure what's there, but I've heard about many mountains, sun... and cerveza!!!  Learnt a bit of Spanish with Moroccan people, but doesn't seems to hard to understand anyway.

I think I'll have to set up my tent more than in Africa , so if anyone knows friendly Spanish people where I could stay overnight, that would be most welcomed to let me know!

3 June 2005