12 September - Aventure Ride from Merzouga to Zagora

With my new sand riding skills honed to a dull edge, Hassan made the proposal that he guide me through the desert from Merzouga to Zagora. There are not any paved roads in this area, so it’s important that you know where you’re going. Additionally they would carry my luggage and water in their 4x4, so I could ride my bike totally unloaded. This would make the more challenging riding much easier. It didn’t take long for me to decide this was a very cool opportunity, so I agreed we should do it. Mark and Ranee would take paved roads to Zagora that day.

The route started with a few miles of highway before the road ended. Shortly after we were on the trail which was primarily a two-track dirt road. It eventually faded into a difficult-to-follow “road” composed of sand and rocks. We encountered varying terrain, from deep sand, to deep dirt/powder, rocky areas, and lake beds that were flat for as far as you could see.

Surprisingly we passed by many camps and hotels out there, and also we went through a couple small towns. We stopped in the town of Ramlia at a cafe for a cold drink and some tea mid morning.

For lunch we stopped at a grand hotel in the middle of the desert. The location was where you would least expect a place like this. It was a huge hotel with walls around the property and multiple buildings inside. We entered and met the young guy who was managing the place, and he took us back to the restaurant. They prepared an excellent vegetarian tajine with eggs. There was a cute little boy with his pet chicken walking around the hotel and it was fun to watch.

I can’t forget to mention the weather—exceeding 100F for the entire day beginning around 9:45am. For most of the afternoon, the temperatures were over 110F and peaked at 120F on my thermometer. It’s a dry heat they say, right? My guide was in the comforts of his 4x4, but I was out there exerting myself so I had to stop every 40 minutes for some shade and a water break. I managed to stay hydrated.

The end of the journey was through a scenic river valley barren from trees, but with dark gray colored mountains on either side glistening from the descending sun. We returned to pavement shortly after and made the last 10 miles or so to Zagora, with one stop to assist a car on the side of the road that needed water for their radiator.

The first stop in Zagora before the hotel was a local mechanic so I could get my oil changed. My guide knew a great place in town and when we arrived I was motioned to pull my bike up on the sidewalk. I propped it up on the center stand and the guys got to work. I got my oil changed, air filter cleaned, and a wash. We even got some mint tea while we waited! Apparently this mechanic performs service for rally teams every year during the Morocco Rally. He even has a fully kitted Land Rover that he can deploy out to the desert for field repair. Very cool.

When the work was complete we headed over the hotel and settled for the night. I paid my guide and he departed to return back to Erfoud. By pavement, he could make it back in about 3 hours.
 

13 September - Zagora to Marrakesh

We decided to ride to Marrakesh after a little deliberation if we wanted to return to the bigger cities. We decided that it is nice to experience the cities despite all of the hassle that comes with them: the parking and the hustle of the markets. Our route took us out of the desert and northwest over the Atlas mountains. It was a great, twisty (although busy) highway up and over punctuated with lots of traffic and construction. I can’t say it was a great ride due to the traffic, but the views were amazing and the sections without traffic were fantastic.

We knew what we were getting into when we booked a riad in the old city which meant no parking at the riad, and we would be carrying our luggage. Sure enough, the place was a little tricky to find but to our surprise the alleyways of the medina are open to motorized traffic so we rode the bikes inside the city walls to our riad. I had to wave off several hustlers who wanted to “help” me find my hotel. “No thanks”, I said and firmly waved them away. My navigation got me there just fine. Sometimes it’s exhausting to fend off these guys who think you need their help.

After we dropped our bags in the riad, our host walked us over to the parking for the motorcycles, which is outside the city walls in a bustling street market area. It was only a parking space between two other cars. “This is secure?” we questioned him. He says yes of course, he parks his bike here too. Well then, if he parks his scooter here we should be fine right, I though sarcastically….I trusted him, so we unloaded the bikes and covered them up.

The riad was beautiful with air conditioning and a roof top terrace. The host went above and beyond to make us comfortable and provide assistance. We would be here for two nights.
 

14 September - Marrakesh rest day

We started our day with an excellent breakfast and then decided to do our sightseeing first to beat the sun. We took a walk around town to some of the sights our host had recommended on the map. We followed the inside of the wall down to Cyber Park, a very nice city park which was quiet and cool. Next to the park is the Koutoubia Mosque, the remains of a 12th century grand mosque, complete with minaret tower.

We then made our way up to the “souk”, or main market. When we arrived at the square, we were attracted to the snake charmers who were eager to take our photos (and our money). It was quite the attraction however, so we entertained them for a few minutes and got our photos. When we were done, out come the hands for money. They requested $40 which was absurd for the 3 minutes we spent with them, and I told them that. I think we gave them a few dollars, no more, and walked away.

We wandered our way through the market, got some fresh squeezed juice, and perused the spice stores. For the most part, the shop keepers were not overly pushy, and polite to show you their inventory, whether you buy or not.

The market was a maze and once you are deep inside it’s tricky to get out. GPS works okay but sometimes it’s difficult to determine your heading. We made our way out to the main avenue.

We were promptly joined by an older gentleman on a bicycle who wanted to give us a tour. I politely declined, but he proceeded to emphasize that he did not want any money, he’s a teacher on a salary and promises there is not any push for us to spend money. Great then, I thought. Let’s go on a free tour.

He took us down to the local mosque and explained some of the history and architecture. We eventually ended up visiting the Touareg nomads, who visit the city once every two weeks to sell their hand made things to the locals. Here’s the sales pitch. We were lead up to an indoor space and shown many beautiful rugs. We didn’t buy anything and went on our way shortly after.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the hotel, catching up on laundry.