Norsk versjon. Inlet to Tanger. Tanger - Agadir Members of a French Renault-4-club arrived at the same time so many people queued in front of the exchange office and the ATM. I did not met any harassing guide or street merchant but perhaps we where too many visitors. The weather was nice and it was easy to find the road southward. The currency was Moroccan dirham, abbreviated MAD. 1 MAD was near 0,75 NOK.

I had a stop at a gas station but then my first visit at a Moroccan café, called "Opera". The guy on the picture tended the barbeque; it had to be in open air due to smoke and gas. He wanted perhaps some money for posing on my video. I pretended not to understand.

Huge waves from the Atlantic hammered the sandy shore. There were no islands.

A little more southward I stopped at a café. SMS: 02/19/2006 07:14:45 PM "Now I’m in Africa, I had to change the SIM-card in my mobile, the card from Telenor is not working. Lightly clouded, wind. Have got local currency and found a camping site north of Asilah after 40 km. It is in many ways better and cheaper than in Spain. Now the sun sets in the Atlantic ocean and it becomes dark." My first night was here near a café/motel before Asillah. I could set up my tent for a substantial fee; a young German couple was already there. The site had a night guard.

Over: My tent is set up behind a wall, the wind was strong. The German couple to the left had plenty of fresh air.

After passing Larache I turned away from the coast and to Ksar Kebir. Here I had a dinner at a street café for village people. In a typical Moroccan village a lot of stands is facing the street. It can be garages, shops, barbers or cafés. Small restaurants can be close to a butcher, if you order meatballs the waiter addresses the butcher; takes the meat and prepares the dish while you wait. You drink water, tea or coffee. Alcoholic drinks or pork meat is not at hand. Morocco is producing beer and wine but it is not for sale except in some shops in the cities.

I changed euro to dirham, this town had no ATM but a small bank office. SMS : 02/20/2006 08:13:32 PM "After biking 130 km I found a hotel room, NOK 70, in a town one days journey from Rabat. Light rain but easy to bike, slightly hilled fields and pastures in this inland area, higher hills to the east."

Souk el Arbaa is a larger town with some hotels and ATMs. I entered the town in the dark evening and paid a man one euro to show me the way to the cheapest hotel.

A shower. I had several days with rain and wind, later I heard it was the same weather in south Spain.

It is advisable to find shelter during showers; a café can then be nice.

Email February 21:
"Now I'm 44 km north of Rabat and will stay in Morocco for a while. It has been some showers but also sunny periods. My heavy loaded bike is catching some attention but I'm nodding "bonjour" to everybody. People are friendly so I do not have problems. French is a second language here but seldom spoken more fluently than I do, that means quite little. I'm waiting for better weather; the many showers are not so funny. On the road you can see bikes, horse-, mules- and donkey- carriages, the car speed have to be moderate. Speed limits are like in Norway and the traffic police are often to be seen. Today I had to take a simple hotel room to just NOK 30. The bed is better than my thin camping mattress. I will probably turn my wheel northward around April 1. Spain had a lot of traffic and garbage along the roadside."

This night was just before Kenitra. I had to take a motel. The rain was heavy. I paid using Visa.

Bank : Visa 21.02 MAD 397,00 HOTEL ASSAM NOK 298,79

South of Rabat I followed partly the highway and partly a road close to the ocean. Signs to a camping site led me to a youth centre, there I rented "chalet nr 12".

The Atlantic Ocean is hammering on the shore.

Near the entrance to this youth centre, it seems to be a prestige project....

SMS : 02/22/2006 06:13:34 PM
"After 97 km I have taken a bungalow for NOK 200 at a place near the coast between Rabat and Casablanca. The rain is not so hard but it is blowing and not warm. It may take a week to Agadir if I'm going that way. Watching soccer on TV, now I have to find a bank."

Bank:
23.02 Visa MAD 400,00 BMCE BANK/GABBMCE78704002 NOK 301,71

I had strong headwind when biking toward Mohammedina. The houses to the right are "urbanizationes" for tourists, like what can be seen in Spain.

A portable street kitchen offered boiled semolina and sour milk, cheap and nourishing food. Letting the plates rinse in cold water does the dishwashing.

The waiter at a restaurant gave me a free glass of mint tea when I complained of the headwind.

From the railway station in Casablanca. I had some problems finding the railway station. A man offered to help me but he did not mention the price for the guiding before it was over : 40 MAD.

The bike had to be send separately but all worked well. The train left the green coastland and came into a dryer area. Among the passengers was a young German couple studying architecture; they should participate in the restoration of an old town in the east. Bank: 23.02 Visa MAD 75,50 ONCF CASA VOY NOK 56,84 This is for the train ticket but I had to pay extra for the bike. SMS : 02/23/2006 07:23:29 PM "The Netcom telephone payment for is perhaps due and Telenor gives no connection but I'm on a train to Marrakesh. The headwind was too strong."

Marrakesh. February 24. It was difficult to find a safe place for parking my bike, most hotels refused to take care of a bicycle. But I found a bicycle garage and later a cheap hotel.

The road southeast from Marrakesh passed first well-cultivated areas, many cane sugar fields could be seen. I had some stops drinking mint tea during showers. Later the land became dryer and had hills. It was not difficult to communicate with the people when I had to ask for the road or needed to fill my water bottle. Pictures are from pauses in small towns.

Another town, here I was served boiled hen, vegetable and bread. It tasted good and the price was only MAD 15.

In order to take a shortcut I used a minor road. At the road crossing I spend the night.

February 25. This place is midway between Marrakesh and Agadir. I asked tree persons and they all assured it had a camping site. It had none, but tree hotels. I used the cheapest, 50 MAD. It was very basic, primitive toilet in the hall and mattress on the floor. The host was a young boy, he helped me taking in the bike, I was the only guest. The town had an internet café and AMT.

The hotel, picture below shows the toilet and bed. Email: "Thank you for messages, now I'm a days ride from Agadir. I have used the train to Marrakesh and took a simple hotel there (NOK 100) after some problems to find a safe place for my bike. Today I have biked a mountain plain, it was possible to see snowy mountains to the east but now just moderate high hills. My mobile phone is not working well, Telenor gives no connection and NetCom needs more money. May be I can fix it at this Cyber café at this town about 135 km from Agadir. There I may rest before turning north. It is not warm weather although it is near the Canary Islands. I remember February was fine there. My hotel is very basic but the price is just 40 NOK."

Several stops on my road to Agadir.

SMS : 02/25/2006 11:47:20 AM
"Today bright sun but it is cool during nights, I'll not reach Agadir today. More hills than expected, barren land with snowy mountains far away. 67 km yesterday and 114 km today"

This part of the road Marrakesh - Agadir was hilly, in fact I had two passes. Some spots gave fine views to snow-capped mountains. Toward Agadir it became a plain and the sky turned gray. I did not come all the way to Agadir but had to take a wild camping on a side road. Wild camping in Morocco means it is possible to meet shepherds, they tend their animals in all non-farmed areas. I set up my tent very late, no shepherds arrived but a tractor passed by.

Even donkeys need food. Email: "Many hills, in fact two passes on the last part of my journey Marrakesh - Agadir, besides bumpy asphalt and partly headwind. Before Agadir I had to take a wild camping after 125 km. All well except drizzle and fog. In Agadir I entered a motel, 130 NOK. In the motel I could do some laundry and dry my tent. Now I'm visiting the town, the weather is nice but it is not warm. The next lap will be to north, it is 180 km to Essaudria so it should be two easy days along the coast. It is perhaps earlier than my first plan but it is perhaps fine weather in Spain. It is plenty of internet cafés they are cheap but slow and have a query French keyboard, There have been some problems with the back wheel, it is now solved but I lost a map when the bike had to be turned upside down. I have met many helping people on my ride."

February 26. Fog and drizzle during my wild camping. Next day I had a short ride to Agadir

February 27. The night was on a motel in Agadir. In the room there was a sign showing the direction to Mekka, in the basement also a little mosque. The motel was situated somewhat east of the centre. I could hardly find my way back after sightseeing. In Agadir there is a sheltered shore and the city is modern and nice. It was rebuild after an earthquake in 1960 and therefore somewhat different from other Moroccan cities. In the evening I offered myself a dinner in the restaurant by the motel.

From the motel window. SMS: 02/26/2006 07:42:04 PM "After 52 km inside Agadir I take a sandwich and mint tea, 20 NOK, my bike is adjusted for the trip along the coast tomorrow."

From a café north of Agadir.

At the most westward point on my route. Here the soil is barren and the area is sparsely populated.

To Agadir - Estepona
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