| 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 11th – Saturday
Map Link – 275 kms
Tinghir – Aït Benhaddou
Yesterday was the High Atlas Mountains, and today would be the Mid Atlas Mountains. The nomenclature in a musical instrument is obvious, but just what differences would I notice? Let’s find out!
It was a typical 9 am departure, after an “ok” breakfast buffet at the hotel. The first thing we did was fuel up the bikes and then head out of town. It didn’t take long to leave the streets of Tinghir behind and exchange them for some wide-open roads that were going to take us into mountains. It was actually chilly this morning; having acclimated enough that the 20° C felt wonderfully cool through my gear. Almost too cool, but I was happy.
Leaving Tinghir behind
Always new construdtion
Mosque, girls and stop sign
I was beginning to question just how many photos I’d been taking on this trip, and this morning I felt that the roads and the views wouldn’t be anything that needed to be captured digitally. Or at least not as much as previous days. I did, however, excitedly exclaim to Dan that I saw “tree goats!” in a distant stand of trees. Hana either didn’t see them, or didn’t care, as she kept on going and I had no choice but to follow. Sigh. I had read about tree goats and had been looking forward to seeing them – up close.
No goats for you!
With the goats now long gone in my mirrors, it was all about the road and mountains. Honestly, I am not sure why I don’t have more photos from the morning’s ride, because the Mid Atlas mountains were almost as spectacular as the High Atlas. Actually, they were just as spectacular, but in a different way.
Getting interesting
Hazy and breezy this morning
Our mid-morning tea was at the top of the mountains, at the appropriately-named “Vue panoramique chez Brahim“. It was a small place, crammed in among the rocky outcroppings of the Atlas, with buildings scattered around as they fit into the nooks and crannies.
Not a bad setting for a cup of tea
Keeping the cell phone handy and secure
One gardens as best as one can in this environment
Sure, the skies could have been a brilliant blue, and the sun adding depth and color to the rocks, but the misty grey above added a certain layering effect that I appreciated. That, and I don’t like the sun all that much.
We sat at the little sheltered stone table with a view that was hard to ignore. The tea was poured and enjoyed, and we watched the antics of the local cat. There was always a “heated debate” about cats, as half of the group had no tolerance for them at all (partially due to allergies), and the other half loved them to bits. I’ll let you guess which side of the battle I was on.
The view
Hello kitty
The road to come
A tent was set up out of the way where others were enjoying a light lunch
The bikes
The mountain top refuge had more than tea: there was a little shop (of course) selling local trinkets and jewellery. I wasn’t going to buy anything in particular, as I already had my little remeberences from the camel ride. But then I saw the knife.
I make it a point to buy something “interesting” when on an exotic holiday. That “interesting” item needs to be locally made, represent some sort of local tradition, and not be typically available elsewhere. The knife that was now in my hands fulfilled all of these requirements. The only thing to do now was to haggle on the price. I looked to Hana for guidance, but it was essentially up to me. The woman’s son spoke English and he would translate my offer to her, at which point she frowned and shook her head. He turned to me with a different number, which I considered but rejected. Finally we settled on a price. I felt good with what I was spending, and I assume that I was giving them enough to more than cover their costs. Success!
The knife blade was hand etched by the son with Berber symbols, and the horn was from and Atlas gazelle. The strange handle looked almost like bone, but it was carved wood. Overall, it was a silly, ceremonial knife, but it made me happy.
I mean business!
As we left the mountain top family behind, we dropped down quickly to the flat desert floor. The temperature changed just as rapidly: the tea stop was a pleasant 20° C, but in just half an hour it rose to 32° C. It was hot again.
More wheat ready for pick up
Intriguing architecture
It had been a good morning. I saw a lot of pretty cool things along the way, including some great geological features, a scooter with lamb in the basket affixed to the rear seat, a pickup truck full of cows, and piles of delicious watermelons scattered from the bed of a truck with a flat tire.
The previous evening we had discussed – again – the sheer amount of food being consumed on this trip. It was agreed that today we would skip lunch in order to better appreciate dinner. However, when we stopped for a lunch-time tea, we made other arrangements: we ordered a single roasted chicken for the table, along with a plate of fries, and split it among the seven of us. It was perfect.
Our lunch spot – note the fresh-roasted chickens in the background
One chicken – and bread, of course
More new construction
After lunch we left town and headed back into the mountains. This is when things got a little weird: Dan’s bike had developed a surging problem. Via our communicators, Dan and I talked back and forth, trying to determine what was causing the problem. Different gears, different throttling, different RPMs – nothing seemed to make a difference. We pulled over to let David know (he was behind us, of course), and that we may be riding even slower than usual.
Lots of road construction (road realignment) after lunch
We pulled off at a nice overlook, where the landscape looked like a real-life topographical map. While we were stopped and enjoying the view, we discussed what could be the issue with Dan’s bike. Our educated guess was that the there was an issue with the fuel delivery, hopefully something that would work itself out as the fuel was used.
And with that stop, Dan’s bike “fixed itself”. There was no more surging and it was a smooth ride for the rest of the afternoon. Yay!
New street, new construction
Just a little warm today (35° C ) – the hottest I’d see on this trip
At a gas stop, the local truck drivers asked if they could have their pictures taken on our motorcycles
A rare fence
Road side plate and ceramic sales
More geology
We had reached our destination for the night: the UNESCO heritage town of Ait Benhaddou. The Hotel Caravane was just a short bit further down the road, outside of the town. The hotel was amazing, with awesome integrated design elements and smooth walls. There was the smallest of pools in the courtyard, and a comfortable seating area just inside and outside the main door. Our room was upstairs and it felt good to change out of my motorcycle gear. We learned later that the recent earthquake had caused enough damage that the hotel had been closed for four months for repairs. It really was amazing how far the earthquake effects extended.
Sitting area in our hotel
Lobby stairs
Our bedroom
Rooftop terrace
Feeding time at the hotel
The group communication fell apart when we reached the hotel. The wi-fi wasn’t easily accessed, and messages of “Let’s meet on the roof!” did not get to everyone. We eventually found each other, had our tea (!) and then formed the afternoon’s plans. The town of Ait Benhaddou was just down the road, and Hana was going to take us there.
Because the trip to Ait Benhaddou was pretty special in of itself, and there are even MORE photos, I’m going to put it on its own page.
***** Aït Benhaddou *****