The results of the last few weeks and today’s trip to our next accommodation give us the opportunity to give you an update on our current emotions in this and the next post.
We’ve actually had quite a good time over the last few weeks and have both felt very comfortable… until today!
Last night we had swordfish, peppers and chips. In Morocco, chips and pancakes are served with almost every dish.
Here at Moustapha, all dishes are fresh, organic and, above all, home-made. We were able to try some of the delicious Moroccan dishes.
We had breakfast at around eight o’clock today. We took it easy, as we can only check into the other accommodation from 2 p.m. and it’s only a 2-hour drive.
So we packed up our things and went in search of Moustapha to settle our bill. He was sitting comfortably in front of the house and had already finished his breakfast. So he beckoned us over.
It really is like you often hear or read. Men and women eat separately. Everyone has to work, Moustapha’s wife spent the whole day in the kitchen with an employee. They were never to be seen anywhere else. Even when it was time for us to go to bed, they were still cooking something, as Moroccans only seem to eat after 11pm. The vacation worker was also constantly sent back and forth by Moustapha. He was basically “the girl for everything”. Moustapha himself usually only gave instructions and when he did bring you a cup of tea, he was very proud of himself.
When we arrived and asked for a room, we were told that one night was €25 all inclusive.
In the end, we paid 116€ and were expressly told that the drive to the mountain in the Defender and into town were free. Normally he charges an additional €14 for this.
There was no point in arguing in this case anyway. Good thing we were already seated 😉
If we had known this beforehand, we really would have declined the meals at 10 pm. We thought we would just eat out of politeness, although we forced ourselves to eat every evening because we were actually full.
That was an experience that won’t happen to us again.
Somewhere between Moulay Abdeslam and Chefchouen.
Less than 10 minutes after the start, another tight uphill bend with gravel was my undoing. I fell on my left arm again. The pain in my elbow from my last fall in mid-April had only recently almost disappeared. At the moment, thank goodness, it is only slightly noticeable. For the other injuries, yes, it’s my own fault, I know it wasn’t a good idea to let the heat tempt me to ride without gloves. I scraped my right thumb well so that some of the skin came off. The left little finger and ring finger hurt slightly and the knuckles above them are swollen.
Alex and I tried to line up the bike. It didn’t take long before the first car that came along stopped. The driver immediately offered to help. Thank you very much for that.
Again, the frame of the pannier rack was so bent that it grazed the chain guard. The first thing Alex did was to help me clean my wounds with mountain water, apply disinfectant ointment and plasters. Annoyed by my difficulties riding in some situations, my inexperience and negligence in riding without gloves, I was on the verge of tears and took a while to come to terms with the situation. In the meantime, Alex removed the suitcase in the middle of the hot sun to get better access to the carrier. We looked for various sturdy sticks, which wasn’t so easy as most of them are brittle. After a few attempts, Alex managed to bend the carrier open again with the help of the sticks. Everyone who drove past asked if everything was ok or if we needed help. Unimaginable in Germany.
After Alex had reattached the suitcase, we finally drove on.
The next stop was planned at the water point where we had already stopped yesterday with the Defender and Moustapha. A couple had been there before us and had a whole bus full of empty canisters to fill.
The man saw us and our three empty 1.5 liter bottles and handed us the hose through which the delicious, fresh mountain water flowed.
A short time later, I started to panic again. Narrow, gravel bends and still downhill. The roads here are so wide that two cars could barely pass each other. To the right and left of the more or less paved road, there are usually sharp edges, bumps or potholes. My whole body was shaking, I was pretty stressed and my nerves were completely shot. Alex was kind enough to drive my bike down the bends while I ran. According to the sat nav, these were the last tighter bends. We waited for a while until I had calmed down and was sure I could continue.
The rest of the ride went well so far. The beauty of nature, the small villages, the children selling fruit and eggs on the side of the road – all priceless impressions.
Shortly before today’s finish, Alex also had a wasp fly into his helmet and then into his sleeve. Of course he got a sting on his left upper arm. We stopped immediately. Jacket off, wasp removed and treated with Fenistil. It’s a good thing Alex isn’t allergic.
The next challenge for me on arrival. Alex immediately told me to stay downstairs. He drives my bike up the steep driveway of the hotel. Another accident today would definitely be too much of a good thing.
This steep driveway was probably the best thing that happened to us today.
Because as I was waiting there until Alex had finally positioned the motorcycle to the satisfaction of the hotel employee, a motorcyclist drove past on the opposite side of the road. He slowed down, looked, waved and was suddenly standing next to us when Alex had just parked my bike.
It was Mosco, a Swede. He’s ridden from Sweden all the way to Morocco. A very nice guy. We talked for a long time about his and our plans. Even though he hasn’t been in Morocco for long, he’s not coping so well and is thinking about traveling back to Europe these days. Especially as his motorcycle urgently needs a proper workshop. He had tried garages here in Morocco but they didn’t work. As a parting gift, he gave us his phone number so that we would be sure to call him if we were ever in Sweden. After that, we followed each other on Instagram. It was a really nice meeting, thank you for letting us get to know you, Mosco.
Luckily for us today, we discovered that there was no restaurant in the hotel and no possibility of getting anything to eat nearby. We took our essential luggage to the room. It stinks! The disgusting smell from the drain in the bathroom reached the room. Exhausted, disappointed and with pain in my hand, I had a breakdown for the third time in the time we’ve been traveling. Alex was also very exhausted from today. One thing was clear to us. Our adventure should be fun and relaxed. Of course, not everything always goes well, we know that. But I now know that traveling on a motorcycle is not my world. I’m constantly struggling and that’s unlikely to change. At home, I rode my motorcycle to switch off. The world was a completely different place after just a short motorcycle tour. You had a clear head again. It’s completely different for me at the moment. Alex is also finding the way things are going too exhausting.
We can’t say exactly what stresses us out so much. The heat, the unusual accommodation, the unfamiliar food? All we know is that we are stressed, drained and completely exhausted. We actually thought we were adaptable and easy to look after. But we’re finding that very difficult at the moment.
Once we had regained some strength, we walked 1.5 km to the next village. There was supposed to be a small restaurant with snacks. We decided to take the path along the road where we were offered marijuana every few meters. When we arrived at our destination, we realized that the restaurant was just a bar with no snacks. Annoyed, we walked on. There was nothing here except a few small stores. We bought a flatbread for 10 cents and a large bottle of Coke for 1 euro. That was probably our evening meal. For the way back we chose the path above the village.
If we open the window in our hotel room, we can tolerate the stench to some extent. If you also leave the room door open, it is pleasantly cool. Because there is no air conditioning here.
