20th day, May 5th 2023

Aït-Ben-Haddou – Zagora

I’m tempted to say this is yet another wonderful encounter, but honestly, all the meetings so far have been warm, thoughtful, and simply kind. Last night, while I was writing my blog, a convoy of vans arrived, the support team for a rally in Morocco. About a dozen vehicles, mostly French, but also Swiss and British. They had everything with them, even a kitchen truck and a bar! Another rider from Cologne showed up too. The owner of the Atlas View campsite wanted to set him up with us (the Dutch rider and me), but his tent was so big there wasn’t enough room. So they gave him another spot.

Dinner was served, and guess what? Yes, a tagine! But thankfully, every dish is different. The owner’s eldest daughter even offered to wash my laundry, again so considerate.

After missing the sunset behind the High Atlas Mountains, the owner told us his family would be playing music and singing Berber songs. We settled in, the rally’s cook offered us a beer from Brittany, very good, and the show began. The whole family gathered, men on tambourines, women singing. Simple, but full of happiness. A wonderful evening under a starry sky and a full moon.

This morning, I packed up, but before leaving, the owner insisted that the Dutch rider and I take a tour of the property. The house was simple but spotless, nothing out of place, everything tidy. Proudly, he showed us his living room with a television, a washing machine (which worked perfectly), a kitchen with an oven, and, surprise, the clay stable! A cow and her calf, about ten sheep, as many goats, and a few chickens pecking around.

Then came the time to say goodbye. The owner gave me a splendid volcanic rock which, when opened, revealed beautiful blue crystals. What a generous and caring family, they truly made this stay unforgettable! Everyone said their farewells and went their separate ways.

I turned at the first junction onto the N9 heading towards Ouarzazate, which I by-passed before taking the road south towards Zagora. The N9 climbs back into the Atlas, but today the highest point was only 1,230 metres. Then came the descent into the plains. The landscape changed, vegetation became sparse, and the temperature rose. I’m now at the edge of the desert, and a hot, sandy, strong wind makes riding difficult. The temperature reached 40°C, but surprisingly it was bearable.

I arrived at Zagora where I booked a spot at the Palmeraie Amezrou (https://g.co/kgs/QLiZ2Gi) campsite. Needless to say, the welcome was warm. They laid a mat made of palm leaves for me to pitch my tent on, and tea was served. There’s only one mobile home here, probably because it’s too hot for tourists. The palm grove lives up to its name: I’m surrounded by beautiful palm trees that provide much-needed shade in this blazing heat.

The campsite has a restaurant where I plan to eat later. Given the few guests, I’m afraid the menu choice will be limited to what?

Today, I rode 185 km in 3 hours and 2 minutes.