January 30 :: Boujdour, Morocco

January 30 :: Boujdour, Morocco :: 188km / 1202km total

Up and out of the hotel before sunrise for a 188km shot down to the next town, Boujdour. A flat road and a gentle tailwind made things quite managable, and at 11:30 a.m. I passed the "100km to go" mark. With things well under control I could ease up a bit and save my strength for tomorrow.

Traffic has dramatically decreased here, South of Laayoune, maybe to about 1/3 of what it was before Laayoune. Ofte I'm alone for 15 min at a time, just me and the desert. Over the past few days of cycling I'd been seeing the cars, trucks, and bikes of the Dakar rally driving the other way, they seem to be all through, now.

At Lemsid (km 109) I pulled into a cafe for lunch. All they were serving was meat tajine, sigh, so it was a veg lunch for me. At 135km in I came across a big water crossing; water from the 2 days of rain is still pooled everywhere in the desert, and in this one spot had flooded the road to about a foot deep. An overturned truck apparently had had a rougher crossing than me, and I stopped for a bit to watch the guys try to right it. A tow truck was parked in the desert, the winch being used to try to turn over the truck. The cable snapped on the first attempt, but on the second attempt they got it up, sort of. I sped off, now within 50km of Boujdour.

20km out a slow leak in my rear tire became apparent, damn, I really wasn't in the mood for a tube change this close to town. Besides, I wanted to do a thorough check to see what caused the flat. So I pulled out my pump and proceeded to pump up the tire; ride a furious 5km, pump up the tire, ride 5km...

Boujdour is larger than I expected, and I'm surprised to find internet here. I have a GREAT room for only 50 dirham ($7 CDN), and I feel... great! No aches, no pains, ready for another big one tomorrow.

January 29 :: Laayoune, Morocco

January 29 :: Laayoune, Morocco :: 0km / 1014km total

Street scene, Laayoune

Laayoune's central mosque

Typical islamic high, narrow archways. Buildings are decorated simply in Morocco, particularly in the desert.

A rest day that wasn't. It started off great with a massive buffet breakfast at one of the hotels that the UN workers stay at. After breakfast I realized that I'd better cash in my remaining travellers cheques, since from here to... London my chances of finding a bank that deals with travellers cheques will be pretty much nil. Then the hell began. I don't want to relive it, or remember it, just suffice it to say that it took me 5 hours to cash the cheques into dirhams, and then change the dirhams into Euros and American Dollars. It took me five minutes to do the same thing in Marrakech. Even though I only lost about 5% on the whole thing, I was not a happy camper. Another massive meal, and now internet research. I may not have internet until Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, so I'm re-checking vital online info from a few other cyclists and travellers who have gone before.

The weather was great today, the wind blowing from the right direction, and the Sun was out. Everything is dry, and I'll be leaving VERY early tomorrow morning, just before sunrise. Its 188km to Boujdour - the next town with guaranteed accomodation - and I intend to make it by sunset. The wind will tell all... a 6 hour fun ride in a strong tailwind, a 12 hour brutal ride in a strong headwind. What if I don't make it? There are lots of options:

i) offer a cafe or shop owner money to sleep in their cafe overnight. Often there are little carpeted prayer areas that I could sleep on, or benches, etc. Gas stations also sometimes have cots that truckers use for a few hours, here and there. This is my preferred option. I'm carrying a sleeping bag liner just for this.
ii) offer a shepherd or fisherman money to sleep in their huts. They probably will only speak Arabic, but I can make myself understood with 50 dirhams in my hand and the phrases at the back of my guidebook.
iii) note down the mileage marker, flag down a passing RV, truck, or share-taxi/jeep to take me forward or backwards to the nearest accomodation. in the morning get a ride back to the same spot, and continue.

So out into the true wild Sahara now. Again, please understand that internet will be sporadic, if available at all. If I skip the next two big towns it could be two weeks until I write again here.

January 28 :: Laayoune, Morocco

January 28 :: Laayoune, Morocco :: 103km / 1014km total

Well it rained all day again today, and that pretty much sums up my day. Honestly, the thought "what if it rains two days straight, dawn to dusk, in the Sahara" did not cross my mind when I planned this trip. Anyways, I donned my partially wet cycling clothing this morning for another long slog through the wetness (no pics today... guess why). The Tarfayans watched me with great curiosity as I loaded the bike and set out into the rainy headwind. This time my panniers were covered with plastic bags, so no worries about my stuff getting wet. Personally I was drenched throughout, but warm... as long as I pedalled. As such I had to pass by roadside cafes, not being able to stop for more than five minutes at a time before chills set in. Neutral to crosswinds kept the pace down, but the road was flat. Hour after hour, avoiding puddles and riding over ad-hoc rivers, getting sprayed on by passing trucks, wiping wet sand off of my wheels and brakes... but the kilometre markers steadily ticked down.

Ten kilometres from Laayoune I tanked out, completely out of energy. I thought I would make it before bonking, but such it was. I dropped into my lowest of gears and inched forwards. Four km's from town I came to a police checkpoint (I see these every 100km or so, usually they just wave me on with a smile), but these guys wanted to chat, and asked to see my passport. I gave them the "are you f#([ing serious" look, but they were bored standing around in the rain and hey, lets talk to this tourist. They were friendly and went through the motions of making note of who I was, but really they were just killing time, plying me with questions about Canada, family, what I think of Morocco, etc. Meanwhile I was getting colder and colder. Finally back on the bike, I rode a fast km to warm up.

Three km's later (just outside of town) ANOTHER checkpoint, this time army, and hey, we're bored, lets talk to this tourist. Nevermind the trucks passing through that could be carrying... anything or anyone. Sigh. I wasn't amused, and these guys got the message that I wasn't up for a nice chat, so they sent me away quickly (I don't think they even wrote down anything from my passport). On a sunny day I don't mind this type of thing, but when I'm on the verge of catching a cold or fever... no. Into town, a great town with good food and a good cheap place to stay, and a hot hot shower. I'll probably take tomorrow off to eat eat eat, because when I leave here the riding will get even tougher.

FROM HERE ONWARDS INTERNET WILL NOT BE FREQUENTLY AVAILABLE. I've been able to update my blog frequently this trip, but NOW THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. On top of that I may bypass the two next large towns (Dahkla, Morocco and Nouadichou, Mauritania) before Nouachkott, the capital of Mauritania, about 1400km from here. The reason for the possible bypasses is that both towns sit at the end of long peninsulas, 40 to 50km out and back to get to. So PLEASE DO NOT GET CONCERNED if you don't hear from me for a day, or week, or more. If you look at the maps I've posted, you'll understand.

January 27 :: Tarfaya, Morocco

January 27 :: Tarfaya, Morocco :: 102km / 911km total

Tarfaya from my hotel room window

I woke to a sound you don't expect to hear in the Sahara, and certainly one that I hadn't anticipated... rain. I went up to the roof, where my "wet clothes from washing last night" were now "wet clothes from the overnight rain", and took a look around. A light London-style gentle drizzle, with clouds as far as you could see in every direction (and in the desert thats a long way)... with a soft tailwind. No worries. I put on my least-wet pair of cycling shorts, packed up, and set out. In the saddle life was easy and the road flew by. The rain was constant and consistent, never letting up, and a few hours in I started getting concerned about the contents of my saddlebags (i.e. everything). As long as I wasn't out on the road for that long, I'd be ok. About 35km from Tarfaya the rain and wind increased, and I likewise picked it up a notch, closing in on 40km/h at times.

Tarfaya is another crumbling-away former colonial coastal half-ghost town. The streets are half-blown over with sand, and quickly I added "dirty" to "drenched", when it came to me and my appearance. The hotel wasn't easy to find, and there were few people on the street, and none spoke French. Sigh. Crisscrossing up and down the abandoned streets I came across some girls and a few words of French sent them shrieking and running into a building. I don't blame them, I wasn't a pretty sight. Finally I found it, what a relief. It was early, just past noon, and I cleaned up, my little room now covered with spread out articles of everything. A bit problematic in that I don't have much left in the way of dry clothing, but the internet place is warm, supercheap, and with the absence of anything else to do here (especially since its the weekend - most businesses are closed... and its still raining out)... I'll be ok.

January 26 :: Sidi Akhfennir, Morocco

January 26 :: Sidi Akhfennir, Morocco :: 113km / 809km total

On the road, just out of Tan Tan

This sign was too funny, at least for me.

Downtown Sidi Akhfennir.

The beach at Sidi Akhfennir

Good music, long day.

At 5 a.m. I woke up with a tremendous sense of urgency, dashed out of bed, and fumbled with the lock on my door. Many locks in the cheapie hotels seem to be leftovers from colonial days and are difficult to open, and this particular one was causing me grave, grave concern at the time. Finally the bolt slid across and I dashed out towards the bathroom, getting there just in the nick of five seconds too late. The next 15 minutes was a good contender for one of the worst times I've ever experienced as my body lost all seeming control of itself. Racked with pain I squatted when I had to, when not I slumped on the little communal squat toilet floor (in a 3 by 4 foot stall) naked, quivering and in a cold sweat. All I could think of was "thank God there's a hot shower in the next stall". After a shower, in a half-daze, I reset my alarm clock and collapsed back into bed. Its so glorious, this cycling through Africa.

Waking up at the regular time I tentatively made my way over to Hades... and all "went" as per normal. Alrighty then. Time to ride! 20km in a French guy stopped and took pics, of which I've posted here. The road soon found the coast, and for 80km I pedalled South with the Atlantic on my right, streching to the USA, and the desert on my left, stretching to the Nile. Headwinds made life difficult but the mileage was not huge, so no worries. A bit of rain and a bit of tailwind for the last 20km.

Sidi Akhfennir is truly a one-street town with 2 hotels; one charging 50 dirham per night (7 CDN) and the other charging 400 dirham. You can guess which one I picked. I ordered a massive 5 egg omelette from the friendly hotel man and settled in for a good sleep.

January 25 :: Tan Tan, Morocco

January 25 :: Tan Tan, Morocco :: 130km / 696km total

Looking back near the crest of the final climb from Sidi Ifni

Guelmim

Guelmim

My lunch stop

Well it was either me or the camera looking into the Sun

Hard to tell, but this is the summit of a 10km climb.

Just before a big descent looking out over the Sahara, 40km from Tan Tan. You may be able to see the Atlantic, 20km from where I was.

After going Through The Looking Glass with Alice yesterday, I was ready to hit the road this morning. I was up before sunrise for a quick egg, bread, and Coke breakfast; then off. The real adventure begins. The idea of crossing the Sahara by bike fueled my imagination for this year's trip, and here we go...

Toe-numbingly chilly, I hummed along the flat road, stopping occasionally to readjust my tensor band. Things were going moderately well despite a mild headwind. The land around me - bleak, hilly, vast. Truck and RV drivers were quite interested and enthusiastic about my presence... there is no doubt for them about where I'm headed, since this road only goes across the desert, and they seem to appreciate the task at hand. Or think I'm a lunatic. Or something of both. Like cheering for a tightrope walker or a guy getting into a barrel to go over Niagara Falls. Anyways, exactly halfway into the day's mileage I came across... another touring cyclist! Oliver, a German, was just finishing packing up his tent and about to ride... towards Guelmim. Oh well. Still, we had a good half hour chat, he's been riding all over Morocco for a few months and has only come across 1 touring cyclist (other than me). He reconfirmed that today's headwind (his tailwind) was anomalous.

Back on the road I pushed forward into the wind, pausing for a brief refueling with about 55km to go. The land started to roll, and a 10km climb knocked me down a bit. The last 40km was very scenic (with a bit of longed-for tailwind), reminiscent of Utah or Arizona. What a great feeling to ride into Tan Tan, less than 6 hours for 130km. And all body parts intact and uncomplaining!

I head deeper into the desert tomorrow, and may not see internet until Laayoune, so don't be surprised or alarmed if you don't hear from me for a few days. I expect to be in Laayoune Sunday night, plus or minus.

January 24 :: Guelmim, Morocco

January 24 :: Guelmim, Morocco :: 0km / 566km total

Its only 11:30 a.m. as I write today's entry, but there won't be much to report for today, anyways. I decided late last night to take today off, just to be on the safe side, ankle-wise. It will be a quiet day of reading, iPod, stretching, and preparing for an early departure tomorrow. Reading materials are terribly difficult to find, everything being in Arabic and French. I found a store selling about 20 English books, all classics, so it'll be Huckleberry Finn or Shakespeare for me. There are lots of rotisserie chicken vendors, quite yummy, and most of them call a quarter chicken with fries a "Kentucky".

Temperatures are a little cooler now, up on the Saharan plateau, low 9C, high 20C. Perfect for cycling, really. As I head Southwest for the next thousand kilometres or so I'll pick up the Saharan Harmattan wind, a tailwind in the direction I'm going, which will make the flatland cycling even easier. And yes, I planned it that way!

January 23 :: Guelmim, Morocco

January 23 :: Guelmim, Morocco :: 55km / 566km total

Time to head inland to get to the trans-Saharan road at Guelmim. From the coast the road climbed for about 35km to pass through the coastal mountains... not exactly what the doctor ordered for my ankle. On the flats you can control your pedal stroke and protect an iffy ankle, but on long, dramatic climbs... no way. After about 2 hours of pedalling past cactus farms, grazing sheep/goat herds and the occasional donkey I crested the final col with an RV right behind me, and we began a harrowing, hairpin-turning descent together. I led for the first 5km, being able to take tangents that the RV couldn't match, carrying great speed through corners, but inevitably there was a short rise and the RV was off, waves all around. Europeans appreciate cycling, and I'm sure I put on a good show for them. The ride down to the Saharan plain was fast, dry, dusty, and hot. I rolled into Guelmim happy and in good form... almost. Some whispers from my left ankle suggests that I may have to take tomorrow off, or not, we'll see.

Guelmim is a lot nicer of a town than the map suggests it should be, and if I do have to linger here tomorrow, no worries. There is an all-important fish market - a great place to get "telge" (an Arabic word) for my ankle, in the absence of ice-cream vendors and refridgeration. The plains around town are dry and stony, but no sand dunes in sight... yet. Its a flat 125km from here to the next town, Tan Tan, and apparently there is NOTHING in between - no food or water stops. I hit the supermarket and picked up some emergency rations - gummy sours, German white chocolate, and some chocolate chip cookies from Turkey. That plus two to four litres of water, a big breakfast, and I should get through. As cyclists go I'm not a strong climber, but I'm quite the camel, able to go hours and hours without food or water ( i.e. today, 3 hour ride, nothing). My camel-ness will certainly be put to the test over the next few weeks, crossing the largest desert in the world.

January 22 :: Sidi Ifni, Morocco

January 22 :: Sidi Ifni, Morocco :: 33km / 511km total

The coastal road to Mirleft

The coastal road to Mirleft - Atlantic Ocean to the right

Mirleft from the kasbah

The ruined kasbah above Mirleft

The kasbah above Mirleft







Sidi Ifni from my hotel rooftop, looking North (the direction I rode into town)

hotel rooftop looking SW

hotel rooftop looking West over Atlantic

A late start, but with only 33km to go today I had more than enough time. My left ankle has been silent, but I'm still quite nervous about it. The road down the coast to Sidi Ifni was very hilly, but no worries as my right leg pushed me over them.

Sidi Ifni is an old crumbling Spanish town that seems to be barely kept afloat economically by small-scale fishing and RV tourists. There are many boarded up old Spanish buildings; but the town is much more pleasant than that suggests, and my hotel overlooks the beach (see pics). It'll be another quiet day for me (tanning, eating, reading, stretching) and an earlier start tomorrow, riding through the coastal hills to the Saharan border town of Guelmim.

When it comes to TV and sports, there is only one thing that matters to Moroccans, and that is soccer. Nothing else even comes close - Al Jazeera, the only non-soccer program I've seen on tv here, places a distance second in terms of viewers. Every time I walk into a cafe that has a tv, soccer is on. Sometimes they change the channel, from one soccer game to another. When theres a big game on (UEFA Champions league, English Premiership, Spanish league) the cafe is jampacked.

January 21 :: Mirleft, Morocco

January 21 :: Mirleft, Morocco :: 46km / 478km total

With my left ankle wrapped up tightly I pedalled out of Tiznit this morning, and man did it feel good to be back on the bike. I took it easy, as easy as you can force yourself to go after 6 days off, and let my right leg deal with the hills. A very pleasant ride it was, down to the Atlantic coast, and then about 33km Southwards along it... mountains to my left, crashing waves to my right. Little traffic, a rolling road... perfect. The sky is getting a bit hazy from dust blown off the Sahara, so my landscape pics will have a grainy look to them (by the way there are lots of pics from today, but this computer is a little ancient and unable to talk to my camera). Soon enough I rolled into Mirleft, the first of three easy don't-blow-your-ankle-again days on the bike.

Mirleft is a sleepy, dusty town with a few good hotels. I have another great place tonight, a little pricier at 120 dirhams for room and breakfast (17CDN), but very nice and very worth it. The European RV crowd dominates the region, and they're pleasant enough folk. I walked up to the ruined kasbah (fortress) that is perched on the hill above town for some great views and wall scrambling.

Foodwise Morocco has been great, with a decent range of cuisine available in almost every restaurant. The tajines (stews) are big and filling, but the meat versions have been a bit dicey since the hoof incident. Often I order an omelette with fromage (Arabic for cheese is fromaj, so its terribly easy to order), all in a fresh baguette. Very cheap, filling, and safe. Also available are various kebabs, couscous, spaghetti, and endless patisseries serving well-made French pastries. Drinks: other than the standards like tea, coffee, bottled water, and Coke, Shweppes does a partially real lemonade here that is great. Juice is not too hard to find at rest towns, and not expensive.

January 20 :: Tiznit, Morocco

January 20 :: Tiznit, Morocco :: 2km / 432km total

Tiznit from the main road, where I was dropped off. You can see the city walls just over the little wall next to my bike.

One of the many gateways into the city.

The inside of my hotel. Very homely!

A short bus ride today down to the town of Tiznit. Tiznit is an interesting little place with an intact wall that surrounds it. An ancient trading town, today it is known for its hassle free shopping and cheap prices (as opposed to Marrakech and Fes). I'm staying in a fantastic hotel - 50 dirhams (7 CDN) for a very clean room, hot water shower, Western toilet, and lounge area. The lounge area has the first English-language newspaper I've seen all trip - a Saudi newspaper.

Throughout Morocco I've noticed (particularly when cycling) that many European tourists drive RVs here. I don't know what the percentages of tourists by travel mode is (group tour vs. backpacker vs. RV) but the RV number certainly seems high, and the backpacker number certainly seems low. Here in Tiznit is a large RV park, and I was curious, so I strolled in. Most of the licence plates were F (France), which is no surprise, and number two was I (Italy, I assume) with D (Germany) and others sprinkled throughout. Morocco is certainly a great Winter destination for Europeans, sort of like Florida for snowbird Canadians, but far cheaper and closer.

As I've been making my way South the temperature has been steadily rising. Here in Tiznit in the midday Sun the thermometer was reading 30C. Tomorrow I'm back on the bike for the short ride to Mirleft (60km-ish), on the Atlantic Ocean, and it should be warm enough for swimming. Another series of short rides will bring me to Sidi Ifni and Guelmim... Guelmim sits on the Northern edge of the Sahara. From Guelmim its about 1500km of sand through Mauritania to Senegal... hopefully by bike. We'll see how tomorrow's ride goes.

January 19 :: Inezgane, Morocco

January 19 :: Inezgane, Morocco :: 2km / 430km total

Out the bus window, the end of the Atlas mountains

Stir craziness got the best of me today and I decided I needed a change of scenery. I rode the 2km through downtown Marrakech back to the bus station (ankle tender, but not sore) and hopped on a bus to Inezgane. Bikes are easy and almost free to take on buses here, so why not... and buses are cheap to begin with. Not a fun bus ride, though, as most aren't, but this one had the added excitement of the bus running out of gas. As well as passengers throwing up all over the steps, next to where I was sitting. The bus had no shocks and only passable brakes... on the long descent out of the mountains the back of the bus filled with the smell of burning rubber (from the rear wheels hitting the frame) and smoking brake pads. At least the scenery OUT of the window was pleasant.

Inezgane seems to be a typical hustling; bustling Moroccan town. Between here and the Sahara lie the Atlantic towns of Mirleft and Sidi Ifni... probably a nice stop before I enter the true desert.

January 18 :: Marrakech, Morocco

January 18 :: Marrakech, Morocco :: 0km / 428km total

Mosque inside the Kasbah

Tombs inside the Kasbah

Ruins of the medieval palace

Tunnels through the ruins

I feel sorry for the last guys to fire this cannon

Marrakech from the palace walls

The only inhabitants of the medieval palace now

Things are returning to normal (re: ankle) and I spent the day over in the Kasbah checking out the medieval tombs and palace. Interesting, and I was happy to find some ancient tunnels to explore. Back in the medina area I succumbed to one of the numerous patisseries, and then watched an Indian movie. Still taking it easy, but starting to look ahead to riding out of here (Saturday?). I will head for the coast to skirt the Atlas mountains, and shortly enter the Sahara.

January 17 :: Marrakech, Morocco

January 17 :: Marrakech, Morocco :: 0km / 428km total

Another rest day here in Marrakech; lounging on the hotel rooftop in the Sun, icing the ankle, listening to my iPod. Ate lots of great food, saw a movie, all good. I walked the 3km back from the movie theatre, my ankle didn't complain too much. Tomorrow: the kasbahs (palaces) and royal tombs.

January 16 :: Marrakech, Morocco

January 16 :: Marrakech, Morocco :: 0km / 428km total

The central medina in Marrakech. People stand circled around the various attractions.

One of the many side alleys radiating out from the medina.

A very slow day with my main focus being to rehab my ankle as fast as possible. I didn't even leave the medina area, making forays for ice, food, orange juice, and internet. I spent a few hours on the rooftop of my hotel, taking in the Sun with my ankle on ice. In the medina the snake charmers rule in the miday sunshine (cobras, adders, etc) but retreat at night when their charges become sluggish. I met up with a fellow Canadian touring cyclist today; he's off tomorrow, I wish I could go with, but I won't be ready that soon. I'm feeling a lot better, but it'll be a few days more. If I'm feeling fit enough tomorrow I'll take in Marrakech's old palaces and tombs.

English is still a non-entity here; its only the rarest of stores or shops that display English signs, or have English-speaking salespeople. Consequently my French is improving rapidly... I'm focussing on French rather than Arabic since French is the common language thread for countries down the road from here. Also, its much faster to pickup than Arabic, being similar to English and having learned it in school.

January 15 :: Marrakech, Morocco

January 15 :: Marrakech, Morocco :: 2km / 428km total

A Barbary ape, on the way to Azrou

The descent into Azrou. You can just make out the town, far ahead.

View from my hotel room balcony, central Azrou

Tired sore cyclist icing ankle

The road between Azrou and Marrakech

Dinner with the Aussies, Marrakech

Yum! Whatever you want, freshly cooked

With an ache in the ankle and a few days of rehab ahead the decision was easy: take a bus forward along my route to the mythical, magical tourist town of Marrakech. The bus ride itself was... as bus rides tend to be... long, boring, and cramped. The land continued to roll, eventually dropping onto a flat, stony, almost-desert plain. I had a beef tajine (Morrocan stew) at the bus rest stop and towards the bottom of the bowl I came across a hoof. They don't waste anything in these parts!

Arriving in Marrakech, it was only 2 kilometres (slow and painful, though) from the bus station into the central medina (old city - market), to where all the budget hotels are. I was surprised how clean and non-dusty it was. Tourists were everywhere, mostly Moroccans, and the place was alive. Snake charmers, belly dancers, dancing monkeys, tarot card readers, and a copious amount of food vendors. Always something going on, lots of fun, a great place to linger for a few days and heal up. I convinced an ice cream sandwich salesman to scrape off some ice from the freezer wall where he keeps the sandwiches, such that I was able to subsequently spend a few hours icing my ankle. For dinner I had 2 helpings of calamari and some fried eggplant, along with glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice (about 10 CDN total). I met up with some Aussies and we passed the night away taking in the spectacles of the medina.

January 14 :: Azrou, Morocco

January 14 :: Azrou, Morocco :: 91km / 426km total






Fes from the hotel rooftop








One of Fes's many gates

Another cold night and morning; the electronic signs in Nouvelle Fes were showing 6C as I made my way out of town. The temperature was not on my mind, though; I had a 3000 foot climb to worry about. The road sloped gently upwards through unending olive trees towards the base of shadowy mountains in the distance. The climb was unrelenting, and towards the end angled steeply upwards in switchbacks. At the 48km mark, just over 3 hours in, I rolled over a col, pulled into a little town for food + drinks and was told that I was on top, climb over! The next 26km to Ifrane would be rolling hills across a 5000 foot high plateau in the Middle Atlas mountains, then a 17km descent into Azrou. Sounded good to me, and I was very happy with my pace on the climb.

But a blasting headwind met me as I left Ifrane and entered the plateau... it was not going to be so easy. Worse, my left ankle was getting sore and starting to make itself known with every pedal stroke. Achilles tendonitis. Happened to my right ankle last year in India; I had thought that several months of indoor spinning pre-trip would stave this kind of thing off. Guess not. No worries, all good... I'm on vacation! We'll see what happens tomorrow morning- I am currently working the ankle over with ice, massage, and ibuprofen. If I ride (not likely), it will be a short day to Khenifra; otherwise, a 7 hour bus ride to Marrakech to rehab and tourist-it-up.

Azrou is a cute little semi-mountain town with a big beautiful new mosque at its centre. One of my favourite things about Muslim countries is the loudspeaker muezzin prayers that ring out 5 times per day, and Morocco has not disappointed. The early morning prayer in semi-holy Ouezzane (a few days back) was nothing short of magical, with muezzins all over the valley singing-chanting their own prayer, echoing off each other. It went on for minutes, then slowly began to die off as individual muezzins wrapped up their sessions. You could hear the last few muezzins lingering voices... then gone. I seriously would love to wake up to this every morning.

January 13 :: Fes, Morocco

January 13 :: Fes, Morocco :: 141km / 335km total

Setting out from Chefchaouen

through the closed market

The bike all ready to go

View from my hotel in Ouezzane

On the road to Fes

On the road to Fes

Getting drier now, on the road to Fes

My first really brutal day in the saddle (on this trip). The day started off promising, as I got off to another pre-sunrise start on pleasant flats and joyous descents. The first 20km flew by, a whirlwind of foggy grassy fields among rolling hills. This is the "legit" agricultural heartland of Morocco. I was all smiles, cocky, I'll be in Fes by 1pm, yadda yadda. But then the choppiness began, long uphills and downhills with very few flats - sort of like the Rocky Mountain foothills in Alberta.

At the 90km mark I was totally wiped out, and so I stopped for a lengthy huge meal in a small town 50km from Fes. The meal itself was fantastic - kebabs, eggplant, bread, potatoes, and I thoroughly needed and enjoyed it - until I got the bill. I haven't been asking prices in advance because I know what the prices should be... well, when you let your guard down, thats when they pounce. 150 dirhams was the initial "offer" - $20 CDN. Completely ridiculous. I knew the price should be about 1/3 that. I argued as best I could (all of a sudden the waiter couldn't understand French), but when the food's already in your belly there aren't a lot of bargaining chips. I got him down to 90 dirhams, paid, and left. By the way, this is the only time so far that someone has attempted to cheat me - the Moroccans have been fantastic.

Only a km or 2 out of town there was a wierd incident. Some guy ran across a field about 300 metres in front of me to get to the road, and started running down the road towards me, on my side, on the pavement. Directly at me. The wierder thing was, he was running with one arm behind his back, as if he was hiding something... like a weapon. Adrenalin surged through my veins, although I was thinking "are you kidding, on a busy road at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon in a country where no cyclist has ever been mugged/attacked?". I wasn't taking any chances, so took evasive action. I accelerated towards him, checked the traffic (none, damn - I could've used traffic to my advantage), and when he got to about 15 metres away I slammed hard to the other side of the road, zooming by him with a few metres to spare between us. Looking back, he just kept on running, for at least a few minutes... odd.

The landscape got drier, semi-desert now, and the hills got worse. I expected hills in Morocco, but not like this, and soon enough I was really suffering. With less than 50km to go I could drop the intensity, but there's only so low you can drop it when you have to get yourself and the bike over the hills. Drink stops became frequent, and finally I hit the 12km mark for my last drink stop. But no, as I rolled past the "Fes 12km" sign the next sign said "Fes 22km". It would not be appropriate for me to type here exactly what I thought about this. Fes 22km. So be it. Yep, the last 22km was not what I would consider to be among the top, say, 2000 bike rides I've done. Either way, I coasted in, on fumes, exhausted.

Fes is known primarly for its souq - its medieval bazaar, and the walls. Well, ya, I spent maybe 10 minutes doing the walking tour in my guidebook but the problem was that it looks virtually the same to the medieval bazaars in Damascus, Cairo, 2 or 3 cities in India, Istanbul... and I'm not a shopper to begin with (even if I was, I sure as hell am not adding ANY weight to my bike!). So most of what Fes is known for is completely lost on me - and I've been hearing that Marrakech is much more interesting. The food is great, though, almost anything you want - in my case 2 kebab sandwiches that completely stuffed me, and a 500ml Coke... for 26 dirhams.
There are lots of tourists here, and I'll check out some of the nightlife, but odds are I'll be on the road at 7a.m. bound for Ifrane and Azrou, on the Marrakech road (480km from here to Marrakech, 5 days likely). Joy of joys, I was checking out the stats... Fes sits at about 475m above sea level, Ifrane at 1600m. Over 3000 feet of climbing in 98km... more climbing if there are descents along the way. Fun fun fun.