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January 9 - Marocco

Part III. Morocco Tizi-N-Test

We leave Marrakech early in the morning, December 10. The town was not what we had expected. Too busy with cars and people. Even in the Medina you had to watch out for the stinking motorcycles. We take the road to Asni, that's what we think but hours later we discover that it is the road to the ski resort Oukaimeden. Well, that's not too bad, only a small detour. The road climbs along a river with red/brown water loaded with sediment. It has been raining a lot the last few days and several bridges and parts of the road have been destroyed. Sometimes we have to walk barefooted through streams to keep our shoes dry.

Higher up in the mountains we branch off to a unpaved road towards Asni. It seems okay and progress is good. After a cold night with temperatures below zero we continue on a frozen road. After several hours the road becomes muddy, sticky mud of the worst kind. Every 50 meters we clean the mud of the bikes as it blocks the wheels. Average speed is now 1km/h. This is terrible and tiresome. 3 hours later the worst is over and downhill we cycle to Asni and the Tarmac road.

The climb to the Tizi-n-test is just great. The road curves high up to 2100 meters and the descend is spectacular, best mountain so far in Morocco . We reach the plain and head for Taroudant, a nice town with impressive citywalls.

We decide to take so small roads through cultivated land instead of going to Agadir. Finally we reach the Atlantic Ocean at Mirleft and camp on the beach. From there we went to Sidi Ifni and back inland to Guelmim.

Western Sahara

We are in the Western Sahara , it's warm even in the morning so we have left all warm clothing in Guelmim. The landscape is different but not ugly, sanddunes, rocky land and sometimes we reach the coast which is mostly rocky with steep, high cliffs. Sometimes a riverbed ends in the Ocean which are always nice parts with a descend and climb. I miss the mountains though.

Enough space to camp here, sometimes on the beach and otherwise on small green patches in the desert landscape, lot's of pretty flowers also. The land is empty though, little towns and few people. Distances between villages can be up to 200 km and we have to be careful with water and food. Strong winds prevent us from cycling long distances, sand is blowing over the road and when a truck or bus passes we are almost blown of the road. Luckily there is not much traffic and it is getting less as we move southward.

Two kilometer before Sidi Akhfennir we see on the right side of the road a huge hole, 20 meters deep and a diameter of also 20 meters . The Ocean is connected with this hole and the waves are crashing inside, a great natural wonder without signpost or entrance fee.

The last day to Dakhla is difficult, some villages on the map do not excist and this is problematic as we depend on them for food and water. Luckily new villages have developed and here we can resupply. From Dakhla to the border is easier than we thought, winds are better and sometimes car people give us fruit or water, that's nice.