# Morocco - Spring 2007



## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

I posted two shots of my trip to Morocco in the "random June pix" thread, and after some encouragement decided to start a new thread (my first, actually, hope everything works.....)

The trip was with the Bicycle Adventure Club, which contracted with Wildcat Bike Tours.The route was superbly thought out, and the second week had particularly good cycling in the Anti-Atlas mountains.

The first shot is from Marrakech. Place Jemaa el-Fna (place of the dead) is one of those spots that everyone should experience. Think Arabian Nights meets the 21st century - storytellers, food stalls, music, dancing: brilliant. The title of the second shot tells it all. Moroccan goats are very resourceful. Then there is the Kasbah we stayed at near the top of the Col de Kerdous. 

I have loads of other pictures, which I will try to post.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*The photos*

Not sure I am doing this right (though I have read the "how to"). With a bit of luck these three photos should now post.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*a few more shots*

Five more photos from Morocco:

- Menara Gardens - Marrakech
- Berber village in the Anti-Atlas mountains
- lonely gate way near Tiznit
- climbing the Col de Kerdous
- descent into Ait Bahia (about 30 km long)

The descent was superb. Not very steep, but very, very long. I stopped a few times for photos, but it was very hazy (dust from the Sahara, which is southeast of these mountains) and not many turned out. The roads were not bad, but I was glad I had 35c tires in some bits. The drivers were only moderately crazy, but there was not a lot of traffic anyway.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

That is excellent. How many people were on the tour? Was the tour fully supported?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Now that is adventure travel.

2 thumbs way up!


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## the_dude (Jun 25, 2004)

thanks for starting your own thread. i do believe this is the first moroccan ride report we've had. feel free to keep unloading pictures.


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## M.J. (Jan 28, 2004)

great stuff - exotic ride reports always welcome


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Ride details and some more photos*

Morocco is a wonderful place to travel. The people are warm, friendly and love to share a coffee (which is strong, sweet and dark) or a mint tea (light, refreshing, perfect after a hot, dusty ride). The trip itself was fully supported, which was a good idea. The larger towns and cities, while interesting, are decidely unbike-friendly: full of noise, fumes and barely controlled chaos. We took several longish (1-4 hour) transfers to skip the unpleasant bits. We were mostly in the Anti-Atlas mountains, which are just inland from the southwest Atlantic coast. This is very much Berber territory - lots of old villages. While in some ways it is a hard scrabble existence, particularly with the arid, rocky soil, the people make do and are happy to share what little they have. Indeed, generosity to strangers is an integral part of life. I always felt welcomed. Almost everyone speaks French (as well as Berber and Arabic), which made it a little easier for me, and the children in particular were always shouting out a friendly "bonjour" or "ca va".

So... a few more shots:

- spices for sale in Tafroute
- the inn at Immouzer looking down Paradise Gorge (glorious ride)
- the bottom of the gorge 
- 300 year old Berber home
- the road just travelled - through the Saharan dust


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## ChuckUni (Jan 2, 2003)

Whoa! and your bike is the perfect color for the landscape.


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

i think that's the best 1st post yet!


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

Incredible! Thank you for taking the time to research and post these pictures. This is fantastic and I would love to do something like that someday-wow! More details, did you eat local foods and if so did you have the big communal meals with no silverware? How were the temperatures?


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

>


It's a toll gate. "Dang. Someone go back and get a s***load of dimes!" 

Outstanding post! Please keep the pics coming :thumbsup:


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

That is just amazing. I'm sure we'll see this post again when we vote for best of 2007.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Two more Morocco shots*

These are the two photos I posted on the "random June pix" thread, so I thought I would re-post them here.

The first is on the climb to the Col de Kerdous (about 9 km long, gradual climb). The second is on my favourite descent. The road twisted down from the high point for kilometer after kilometer. There was next to no traffic, other than the occasional lorry (which take up about 75% of the road, which made things sort of interesting). The views were outstanding, but the desert haze made photos a bit problematic. The road surface was not exactly pristine, but easy to deal with since I had sensibly sized tires.


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## ChuckUni (Jan 2, 2003)

undies said:


> It's a toll gate. "Dang. Someone go back and get a s***load of dimes!"


LOL! Exactly what I thought of when I saw that one....


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

Wait wait-is that a goat IN THE TREE?


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Very nice posts. I love commuting and touring in the lounge because it is like I get to see the world from a bike.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*yes - goats in trees*

As I mentioned, Moroccan goats are very resourceful. There is a nut that they like to eat so yes, they CLIMB up the trunk and branches. Some of the trees are maybe 15 or 20 feet high and you can see upwards of ten goats in the higher branches. When I saw it, I had to shake my head and say "OK, that can't be happening". Sort of one of those things you have to see to believe.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Some trip info and a few more photos*

Thanks for all the encouragement about this thread. Some have asked for a few more details of the trip and some more shots.

We were a group of about 12 plus our guides and drivers. The ages ran from about 40 to over 70. There was a fairly wide range of cycling backgrounds but it all worked very well because the trucks were able to pick up any who became tired. For the most part we stayed in family run inns and pensiones, with a couple of hotels in bigger places. We started in Marrakech, which is a very vibrant, noisy and interesting city. From there we transferred out of the city towards the coast and then cycled into Essaouira, a wind-surfing hot bed by the way. Then it was a combination of transfers and riding south towards Agadir then Tiznit then east into the Anti-Atlas mountains. The trip was two weeks long with 10 or 11 riding days.

The photos attached to this thread are all from Marrakech:

- place Jemaa el-Fna at dusk
- dyers souk
- ironworkers souk
- Villa Majorelle (owned by Yves St. Laurent now, but the gardens are public)
- Koutoubia mosque (12th century, the minaret is 70 meters high) 

Cycling in the city would be suicidal, but the main sights are pretty much within walking distance of each other. The highlight for me here was, beyond question, Place Jemaa el Fna at dusk, when it seems the whole city is out walking about in the cool air or eating at one of the stalls. Pure magic.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Some of the roads we cycled*

The cycling itself was fairly laid back. The longest day was about 110 km. The temperatures were not bad, high 20s, low 30s most of the time. We did have one or two rather hot days in the high 30s. More of a problem was the dry wind. On one day in particular it was roaring into our faces for hours. There were only two really big climbs - the Col de Kerdous and a long climb out of the village of Tafroute (which was also the 110 km day, naturally). The roads were tarmac, but I would not have wanted to do them on skinny tires. Generally, only gravel shoulders. Guard rails were an afterthought. But, the route was excellent, on the roads with drop offs (quite of few of them) we almost always were riding on the mountain side of the road, as opposed to the cliff side.

Food was excellent, though I only have one photo of a typical lunch. Breakfast was in the French style, lots of crusty bread and strong coffee plus eggs and cheese for protein. Lunch was by the side of the road, picnic style. Dinner varied, mostly tagines (a stew slowly cooked in a special pot) of various types and cous cous. Everything was always fresh and differed from place to place depending on the local specialty. Beer was cheap and not bad at all. Not every place served alcohol though.

So the remaining photos:

- Immouzer, looking down to Paradise Gorge
- the climb after Paradise Gorge (fairly steep and it was hot that day)
- "tete de Lion" (I tried to enhance the contrast, but failed miserably)
- lunchtime
- fortified village of Tioulit

I think that is it. I have more, but I think you get the idea. I would recommend Morocco to anyone. Just be prepared for dust, heat, rough roads and maniac lorry drivers. A sense of adventure is obviously necessary, but the countryside is spectacular, the villages fascinating and the people generous to a fault.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Another vote for "Awesome!". Amazing stuff. You get major bonus points for the food shot. I think that's almost required .


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

Even better; thanks for adding more details. Lunch looks awesome! The strong colors of the material on the lines and the spices are fantastic. Also the Lion is very obvious no worries there. Just great stuff, thank you so much for sharing; I too love RBR for this the chance to experience the world through others eyes.


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## Jeff in Texas (Mar 17, 2006)

Simply beautiful, thanks for sharing.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Really great shots. It is a treat to see photos from a part of the world that we seldom see. Your Atlantis seems to fit right in with the colors. That must make a great bike for touring on those sorts of roads. What size tires were you running?


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*Tires on the Atlantis*

I ran 700 x 35c tires, more specifically Schwalbe marathon. They give a good balance of sturdiness and speed, especially on the "chip-seal" tarmac. They are fine for gravel, dirt and non-technical trails. I had a shimano dynamo hub, but did not bring the lights. I had meant to bring a different front wheel but totally forgot and packed the one with the dynamo.

While I suppose that the "celeste-like" colour sort of fits this landscape, I have just had the bike repainted olive green. I never really liked the original colour and the paint had become quite badly scratched over the years of hard use. I have also had S&S fittings installed. I am picking it up tomorrow and will build it back up as soon as I get the chance.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Post some photos of your Atlantis after you build it back up.


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