January 29 :: Laayoune, Morocco
January 29 :: Laayoune, Morocco :: 0km / 1014km total
Street scene, Laayoune
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.
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.
posted by Graham Durrant at 9:23 AM
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