| Málaga – the beginning | |||||
| Day 1 - Leaving Spain | Day 2 - Chefchaouen | Day 3 - Fes | Day 4 - Er Rachidia | Day 5 - Merzouga | Day 6 - Tinghir |
| Day 7 - Aït Benhaddou | Day 8 - Marrakesh | Day 9 - More Marrakesh | Day 10 - Cascades (Ouzoud) | Day 11 - Ifrane | Day 12 - Tarifa |
| Day 13 - Málaga | Day 14 - Torremolinos | Day 15 - Torremolinos-1 | Day 16 - Torremolinos-2 | Day 17 - Caminito del Rei |
May 10th – Friday
Map Link – 296 kms
Merzouga – Tinghir
Night in the desert was great. It was incredibly quiet and dark, and I was able to get a great night’s sleep. Having the door propped open helped, but I did wish that there was a fan to move the air around a little bit. Actually, there was a fan, but it didn’t work, which just made it a little harder to ignore the stale air. But enough of that; I was in a freakin’ tent in the freakin’ desert! And I got here via a camel! How awesome was that? I was up before most others and I took the time to walk around the camp and see what I couldn’t see on my arrival the night before.
Our tent (that really isn’t a window)
Looking across the camp back towards the dunes; yes, those are carpets
Camel skull and sand drifts
Sunrise over the camp
There is an effort to green the area
A camel from last night’s trek was still here (most of them were led back after we arrived)
A well in the desert
Water in the well!
Algeria in the morning
Beetle tracks
Camel tracks
Human tracks
Irrigation lines to help things grow
In the morning, we gathered in the big tent where we had dinner the night before and enjoyed what had become the typical Moroccan breakfast. Fresh fruits, eggs cooked to order, yogurts, more sweets, and my favorite: a Baghrir, which is a yeasted semolina pancake. It was thin, like a crepe, but almost chewy in texture. It was also delicious, and there was usually some Nutella to spread on it.
Once breakfast had been enjoyed, we packed up our bags for departure. The camels were gone, so ee wouldn’t be riding them back to Merzouga, but instead ride with the local “brothers” in their 4 x 4 pick-ups. If yesterday’s trip with them was a friendly competition, this morning’s trip was an out-right contest. The Toyota I was in raced up and down the dunes, dropping over steep edges and plowing through the sand. It was more aggressive than anything Dan did with our dune buggy yesterday!
Leaving camp in the 4×4
Well-packed truck – camel food?
Safely back to the hotel where the rest of our gear was stored (our driver lost the “race”, by the way), we had a few minutes to switch gears and get ready to ride the motorcycles. Our bags were once again in David’s truck and it was time to hit some mountainous roads. It had been a fun in the desert and I was a little sad to leave so soon. I would have loved to have spent more time enjoying the quiet solitude of the dunes without the activity of buggies and camels.
We doubled back on yesterday morning’s approach road for a little bit, but then took a turn before Erford and followed some very straight roads through the desert. But it wasn’t long before we pulled off into a dusty lot in front of a colorful building. Ah, the intriguing “Khettaras” that we talked about last night. There were a massive series of water canals that brought water down from the mountains to the towns. But what was really odd to me was the sheer number of access points from the surface. They were every few meters! I snagged this aerial shot from Googlemaps – it is just weird looking!
Khettaras in the desert (satellite view)
An older woman came out to greet us, and then led us to an access point where we could descend steep, uneven steps to the bottom of the long (and long-dry) canal. If there had been water down here, it hadn’t been for a long time. What I found most intriguing was that the bottom of the canal was not level at all. There were slight dips and rises, possibly to create little “pools” that could be accessed along the way? And that could explain the vast number of wells on the surface.
Visit!
A rare solar panel, next to a not-so-rare kitten
The now-familiar Berber symbol
Walking through the canal – easily over two meters high
An old water pail, hanging at an access point
After we had seen the canals, we were invited into the shop for some – you guessed it! – tea. There is always tea. The proprietor moved slowly but smoothly around the space, slipping into a small back room where she prepared the tea.
The shop – small, but you could sense the pride in ownership
I ended up buying a scarf, and learned how to wind it up to make a proper turban. I can’t see me needing this skill anytime soon, but maybe some day I’ll feel sassy and wear it around Basel. No, probably not. Anyway, after our tea and my purchase, it was time to get on the bikes again and hit the mountains!
Khettaras as seen from ground level
The endless bicycle ride
Camel rides – and camel milk!
Fancy entrance to… some town I can’t recall
Evidence of drought in this region
New construction and an empty field
Always kids, now with bicycles!
It looked like there was rain in the mountains and I was desperately hoping to see some of the dry gullies fill with raging, muddy water. The fact that the region could use the rain as well was just an added bonus. But we never ran into any rain, nor saw any evidence of it, and the day continued to be grey and dry.
Where’s the rain?
We made a quick tea stop in the mountains at a very basic, no frills refuge. I can see that this would be a welcome place to take shelter if the weather turned, especially since there was nothing else anywhere near by.
Mountain tea
One of the rooms for overnight guests
View from the parking lot
We descended out of the mountains – or at least this particular section of them – and continued along the mostly flat, mostly barren valley floor. There were small villages along the way to spice up the riding, but otherwise, it was a pretty relaxed morning.
Sheafs of wheat, ready for processing
I saw very few women dressed in this manner throughout the trip
Schools were always brightly painted and decorated, no matter how big or small
Buildings in the region used to be made with mud and straw, packed together and baked in the sun. And although the rainfall was infrequent, the water would eventually wear away the mud and cause the buildings to deteriorate and eventually collapse. This old building technique was key in many houses collapsing in the recent earthquake, which took so many lives. Newer buildings are being built with bricks and then plastered over, giving them a similar look to the old style, but with the added safety of not falling apart in the rain, as well as just being more structurally sound. I saw buildings in all stages of construction, giving me a better insight as to what was behind these new walls.
Newer buildings made with bricks
Passing a market in one of the small towns
Prepared to sell or transport anything, anywhere
An older, abandoned section of town
Lots of small agriculture plots
Still in the flat lands
Bringing in the harvest
Getting closer to the mountains
The Atlas Mountains are an incredibly long mountain range and our route was taking us through them once again. I admit to being slightly disappointed with the crossing we had made in getting south to the Sahara, so knowing that we’d be riding through them again today didn’t do much for my expectations.
I was wrong. So very, very, wrong. This section of the Atlas Mountains was amazing, and kept on going, corner after corner. Every time I rounded a bend I whipped out the camera, finally giving up and just keeping it out. There was no one else here – we had the roads to ourselves and a flexible schedule. I let Hana take off with Ron and Gary, while Dan and I hung back and enjoyed the view.
Well, isn’t this interesting!
The first of many dry river crossings
Massive, barren, cliff walls
The geology!!!!
While the gorge had ended, the mountains hadn’t. The road broke out of the river canyon and now oozed along the naked rolling hills of the “in between”. There still was no other traffic on the roads, and no settlements to be seen. It truly was an empty land.
And then we entered the tiny village of Amellagou. We actually entered it, rode through the couple of bends in the road that it spanned, and then almost exited out the other side before pulling into a tiny slip of a parking lot. The Auberge Amellagou was our lunch destination for the day. It sat at the edge of a deep ravine and high cliffs stood behind the building, but even so, it was surprising to learn that this region is very popular with rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. Inside the lobby were a number of photos and and pamphlets advertising some of the established climbing routes and guide services. And, not terribly surprising, there were a lot of stickers on the door from various motorcycle groups and clubs that had passed through. After this morning’s riding, it was easy to see why they would come here.
The proprietor stands outside to welcome us
A lovely courtyard
I love the simplicity of the kitchen, and the smile on the woman’s face
We had a great lunch and somehow didn’t feel like we ate too much this time. One of the featured dishes was a Moroccan salad, which was simply diced tomatoes and cucumbers and/or roasted green peppers. For as simple as it was, it was quite tasty and satisfying. We didn’t stick around for very long after finishing our meal and were soon back on the road.
Leaving Amellagou
Older dwellings still stand under the cliffs
Rock climbing mecca
We found another river gorge to follow!
The lush river bed
Growing food anywhere possible
Friendly kids waving from the side
We were still in the gorge when a Detour sign popped up. Hana took the surprise left, which eventually started to lead us up and out of the gorge. This was the plan, but it wasn’t the right road. We took three wrong turns before we could finally find the right way out of the gorge. For a place that doesn’t have that much in road choice, this was a surprisingly complex area!
Still thinking we’re on the right road…
Hana manages to get some directions from the locals
Still not on the right road – but a beautiful place to turn around
Looking back down the valley at the road we were detoured from
Finally on the right road!
I really like this photo
Riding through the town of Assoul – the kids here weren’t very nice
Assoul – and yes, we made fun of how the name sounded to us
Adieu, Assoul! (French is one of the national languages of Morocco)
That was quite a day so far! The Atlas Mountains did not disappoint, and we had seen so much of them (and yet, so little!) just today. It was amazing to me how rugged, desolate, and absolutely gorgeous (pun intended!) they were. Now we were out of the mountains and back in the flats. The mountains were always there, though, and promised a bit of rain. I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain, and neither would the land.
Geology love
Here’s a new one: stone block construction! (and cool doors)
Sedimentary rocks – rock!
But wait – what was this? The road was dropping quickly into another gorge. Does this mountain range ever give up? Fortunately not yet – there was even more river bottom riding to be done before we stopped for the day. And this gorge had a special secret…
Going down
What a cozy looking location – until the rain DOES come!
Goats in the river bed
Palm trees still surprised me
Ooh, what’s this? A slot canyon?
And full of vendors and tourists!
Enjoying a day on the cool river
Irrigation channel
Ok, NOW we’ve left the mountains behind!
Looking down at Tinghir, our stop for the night
Older buildings crumbling on the hills
We navigated the narrow side streets and pulled in to an unlikely alley. Hana ran inside to get someone to open the parking garage, at which point we pulled our bikes down the ramp, grabbed our things and went into the hotel, Hotel Tomboctou. It didn’t take long to get our room keys and change out of our riding gear. It had been a fantastic day of riding and I was still contemplating all that I had seen.
The hotel (Kasbah) had a considerable history, which can be found on this website. While the building was originally constructed in 1944, a visitor in 1966 commented “To my surprise I found that it was furnished with a sofa, a carpet, several tables and table lamps and other comforts quite exceptional in my experience of Kasbahs.” Apparently the luxury of catering to travelers in this region was still new.
The city had grown considerably since this photo was taken
Internal door in the courtyard
Looking upward in the main lobby area
Detail of construction
The pool – we’d have dinner in the tent in the background
Our colorful bedroom
Ornate grating on our room’s window – and the clever wooden shutters
The inside of the tent was much more colorful than the outside, and we had a table tucked into the corner. The dishes served were all good, and by now we were getting used to what would be coming to the table, and how much would be coming. Most dinners were shared dishes, but there was still the option of which dishes that we wanted to share. Tagines were a staple of most meals, but what was inside was always varied. Vegetables, chicken, lamb…it was all slow cooked and delicious.
Dinner in Tinghir
The tent was warm and we left shortly after finishing our meal, making an early night of it for once.