Day 215 19th February
33miles (Tazzarine to Tazilarta) Average 11.2 mph Top speed 27 mph
I was so keen to escape the hotel from hell I left my towel behind – Doh! Not sure I’ll find a Decathlon here. I woke at 7 and read for a while, but the cockroach that joined me and the broken glass from the light bulb made me want to leave asap.
I went outside and the sun cheered me up and also the fact that the wind was finally blowing in the right direction. I brushed my teeth in the tap over the shower and turned on the hot tap but only got cold water and to be quite honest I didn’t fancy standing in the tray anyway. I retrieved my chicken from the fridge in the restaurant and to be fair the staff were really nice. Then I found a cafe in the town for a lovely omelette and coffee accompanied by diesel fumes from the garage next door; I don’t think many of the cats would pass the emissions test.
I hit the road and started with a gentle climb out of town with people saying hi on my way. I wasn’t sure at first where the wind was blowing from but as I turned the next bend it was good to have it behind me for the first time in four days. The scenery also improved as I got closer to the mountains and it was good to have the sun out too after yesterday’s cloud. Everything was going well and then I thought I saw someone on the side of the road but as I got close I realised it was a camel and there was a group grazing on the roadside.
A guy called out from the side of the road under a shelter and I went over to meet Redis, a Moroccan who now lives in Manchester near Prestwick. We chatted for quite a while about our trips and he’s been cycle touring for 25 years on and off – his panniers were certainly well worn. I left and soon came to Yahya where I stopped at a cafe for a drink and to re-stock on sweets as I’d just given my last 2 to some women who stopped me on the road. As I sat there I recognised a guy from the bar last night and the man he was with threw me an orange. I gave his daughter a bar of chocolate and then bought one for his son too.
I was just about to stop for lunch when I checked the map and saw a campsite 2km further on, so I forgot lunch and checked it out. A lovely place with a stunning pool and palm trees but the campsite and the pool were being renovated so I pitched my tent in the garden under a palm tree and went for a shower in the best room I’ve seen since arriving in Morocco.
I then had a beer in the sunny garden before trying to cook, but my stove has finally given up. It worked for about 5 minutes but I think the fan has run out of steam or the battery is at the end of its life. So I had a lovely meatball tagine with salad and rice, a rather large portion even for a hungry cyclist, but I managed to polish it off. Then I found the TV and watched the end of the Barca game, where Messi scored a late penalty with the outside of his left foot, a very cool finish. Off to bed by 11 and another good day over.
Meteorite Kasbah 50 dirham camping in garden