Following up the mauritania

Rissani, Agadir. end December 2009

Rissani late December 2009 through the Draa and Agdz.

 

We left the dunes rose to Agadir, a series of climbs and descending down almost throughout, and the headwind we do not facilitate the task. But the arrival of the rain that we calm down. We will do an installation of six days in Taliouine hoping that the sun returns. Nothing to do in this hole by this time, it starts to rain. Difficult to find a camp, it was under a argan we plant always camp in the rain. We often ask our bivouac under a bridge to take shelter from wind, having practiced descents of canyons, I know that if a river storm can double in volume in a short time, however, confident, noting that wadis are always dry, Souhad convinces me your tent already installed to put under a bridge a few yards away. Now you see me with my story! is around 23 hours while we have to sleep, what would happen, happened. Happy to be free, because of the tent the sound of the rain are transformed into low hum. When we respond with a torrent of muddy water top ten centimeter arrive on the only attempts to tie bicycles and carts, as giving concrete slab we can plant a pole. We disclaim all equipment and the latest bag on the teat must now walk in twenty centimeters of water. We are stuck on a plot of land, could not get the bank with a river of mud on each side that will rise up no one knew where. We finished the night on a pile of rocks in a sleeping tempered by not closing one eye recess. During the rest of the night we hear the river disappear at dawn it was a bad dream. But all our stuff wet and the loss of small items we confirm that we have been lucky. We take refuge in the first hotel Aoulouz, disguising the room dryer and two days later, discouraged we get into the bus to Agadir. Getting to Taroudant driver told us that the road was blocked a week of storms have take tons of mud on the bridges. It installs on the sidewalk to wait for the new re boarding another bus. Let's rather wait until the scoop is at the hotel. It is when one hundred and fifty pounds of luggage to arrive at the second stage requires us to be responsible two bedrooms Souhad Algerian and not being married, she tells us that all of Morocco is a Muslim and that in all hotels is the same. OK, they obviously do not know many countries are we paying its gives us a good reason not to tape in town the next day the sun encourages us to take the bike trail. The fresh news does not tell us really the reopening of roads to bike but ... we'll see. On departure, we meet Jacques Chirac, who rushed into the souk. We thought up to three bivouacs Agadir, but the road is easy we do not do that, ask the Municipal Camping Agadir, on the evening we will see if the port should not have a sailboat that we bring him in Senegal. But one resident who boats never move are parking here. We leave the campsite we made a note saltier than expected towards Essaouira. The contrast is striking desert mountain scenery as we now have very large waves full of surfers from all countries. Content to breathe the sea air and surprised by the relief that requires us to grow again. We are exhausted but the last few miles are good.

On balance, the carts are not designed for such loading. This reminds us of Souhad by breaking the stem of three wheel cover. The hitchhiking works well with local and weld later it returned. When you hear a firecracker behind us is a tire that exploded is to get the quad for cartwheels, a piece of tire to seal the hole will win the next town. Or you will have the chance to meet a Belgian couple end travel scooter with the dog in the sidecar, they assign us a generous foot pump and the beginning of our tool kit was a good meeting. The many tourist camper hello we do not always, however, the same day a French Gui stopped to chat and a couple of Holland offers us orange juice and toy isa. The talks with the EUROPEN are welcome in this long journey and different from that with native, they are unfortunately rare. We see all of our tourist trip indifference towards those of their continent, even in the hotel it is often difficult to obtain a response to your greeting, so we take the same elevator, turning back. a kind of complacency. The culture of individualism that spot in Africa.

This trip was very beautiful landscape, we found that Moroccans had the invitation but the difficult generous welcome. It's always us who have created the invitation. It is imperative to keep a distance of 10 km between a villa or town and our camp in spite of all the evening many young Moroccans are lacking often lack of respect, we suffer insults and jeers at a distance, sometimes at night they will sleep until we leave, but if not the troublemaker never rested, he hounds the day after the bike and hook the trailer to rest, the result is often Similarly, prosecution and throw stones, that would spoil a lot of traveling and makes us fret and unsociable for the rest of the day. As the Moroccan, I appreciate the mockery, but when you do not understand the language of humor through each city become unpleasant. A ridge as haircut would solve nothing in the situation. Another inconvenience of the trip will remain constant vigilance, always keep your eye on rearview mirror river to avoid the constant danger of the other vehicle. Bus drivers are blind Nothing will stop them, and when the taxi motto "Always faster" it is better to store. Can not ride on our itinerary serenely.

We must now prepare the departure to Mauritania Mohamed and his truck and especially go for the visa in Rabat Mauritania isa and myself. The bus station at midnight and 6:30 Essaouira travel was trying to sleep dip and refrigerate. Arrive in Casablanca not possible to call Mohamed slaps my teeth too. After a soup street, he picks me up we discuss and I'll soon to Rabat by train. The consulate closes at 11am. It is too late when I present my papers. A night later I returned to the door and I found my visa and a place in a convoy down to Essaouira Breton. Finally I found my family warm in the apartment of Yassin. A friend Berber, went to Casablanca recording artist with his band. When I met him ten years ago he sold carpets in the Medina. It's Monday 1 January 2010 & .. Rest, good food, Yacine is arriving, sex drugs rock and roll .... we are waiting for news of Mohamed. Weekend inchallah.