In Morocco with a bicycle
DAY 77/22 JULY 2016
Day 1 in the Kingdom of Morocco
On the way to the Kingdom of Morocco
The sun rose from the east and lightly colored the tent in different nuances, in which Plamen and I were still lying down. Outside, we felt a quiet breeze. Approximately every minute a car or truck was driving down the road. From the height of which we found, there was a great view of the city of Algeciras, Gibraltar, and in the distance beyond the Mediterranean Sea was the shores of Africa. Africa, how long we talk about this ancient continent with trepidation and impatience! But now, before crossing the sea and stepping on the other side of the sea, the worry and the curiosity grew more and more! I was looking forward to boarding the ferry and sailing to Ceuta.
As we got up, we went out of the tent and began to pick up the luggage and allocate some of it to leave, that is, to hide somewhere, and thus lighten the bikes for the next stage. After we took the tent, we had breakfast and then we left a little gently on the road. From here, to Algeciras, there was a downhill, but as we had to look for a luggage store, it would not be fast. In the next few kilometers, we were looking at every bush for a safe place that would be our treasure. We did this in order to lighten the bicycles and have more room for water and food in Morocco, especially when we are near the desert. Searching on the spot did not last long, and just before km100 on the N140 road, we noticed an old stretch of it that is currently closed and we immediately saw that it was good to stop and check. We crossed the two lanes and leaned the wheels of the mantelle and went to look around. I examined each shrub, every stone, and unexpectedly found what I was looking for a tree, and Plamen was able to find it. We immediately returned to the bikes and took the baggage. For me personally, these were mainly brochures, maps, promotional brochures and whatever else, as well as winter clothes, some parts and tools unnecessary for the Moroccan transition. I packed them well in several plastic bags and returned to the spot I chose. My place was a bit inaccessible due to the big slope, but there, after having put a few stones, it became something like a small cave in which I put the sack and covered it with grass, leaves and several large stones. In order to be able to find the place again in a few weeks, I made a few orientations, identifying a tree and the old asphalt in my own way. All the work on the cover and the identification of the hidden luggage resembles a "treasure of treasure," it was for us that was true! At the moment, I was just afraid of this thought, "Someone would not find the place and take away ours." On the one hand, I avoided leaving the laptop here, but I left it in one of the saddlebags, although I would not use it anywhere but only on the ferry. When I got back to the bicycle, I took out a sticker that stuck it on the guillotine so it would not be visible, and I recorded the coordinates of the place in the log. When I was ready to mark and describe the place, Plamen had already returned and we began the second phase of the rearrangement - the distribution of food and water equal to the bikes. When we finished the last organizational task, we got on the bikes and with crazy speed we were headed for Algeciras.
As of 9:00 h, the road began to become more oblique, and the signposts along the way showed us the right direction we followed. A few minutes later, the first houses of the port city of Algeciras appeared to us. Now, after several roundabouts, we had to get off the road and head for the ferry terminal. We were there again on the signs and after a few minutes we arrived. At first we did not know where to go, so we decided to catch the direction to the ferry. A few hundred yards away we found ourselves in front of a barrier, and beside her in a small cabin stood a woman who, coming out, spoke to us in Spanish. So we did not understand it, but as they started to gesture with their hands and point to the sea station, I realized we should go first there and then go back here again. I thanked English and then headed for the station. It was only about 250 meters away from us and in a few minutes we found myself in front of her. We immediately parked the bikes outside, and I decided to go in and explore the price of the tickets, the ferry companies and the time of departure. The inner hall of the station was large with several seating benches. Just in front of you were the counters where several companies offer transport to the city of Ceuta, Tangier and other destinations. Even before I left I picked one of the companies and when I saw her logo I went there. When I arrived at the front desk I first greeted the employee in English and then told where I wanted to travel. It turned out, however, that the ferry had already gone and the next one was around 12:30. The servant who was inside offered me the option to go to another company that had a trip in a few minutes, that is, in half an hour. Before I went to the other counter, I thanked for the information and after a while I stood before another company. There, the employee was kind enough to congratulate me! Before I started preparing my ticket, he asked for my passport to enter the details that are required and then printed on the ticket. While writing on the computer I decided to tell about my journey with Plamen, about the road from Bulgaria to here and about the next few stages. The agent of the company, having realized the distance we have been going through and which we are about to cross into the Kingdom of Morocco, looked at me with greater curiosity. When he returned my passport with the printed ticket, I paid 32 euros. Before I went out, I tried to explain that "my colleague will come right after me to buy a ticket." At the end of the conversation, I thanked and then went out to Plamen and I immediately explained the situation to him, and he, like me, knew how long we got to the ferry to run in for a ticket. After a few minutes out while I was standing and guarding the bicycles, I thought, "Is everything all right inside?" To convince myself that everything was fine, I was coming back inside again, leaving the bikes alone outside. As soon as I found myself, I noticed Plamen that he was at the cash desk and formed his papers. I turned a few words to him, slightly worried, then to the employee. When I was convinced that everything was ok, I went back to the bikes. Less than five minutes passed, and Plamen stepped out of the room and headed for me with a ready ticket. I was a bit surprised at how quickly the ticket was made, but as they already knew about us and our destination, the ticket was getting fast.
Before we headed for the ship, we decided to test the free WI-FI network, but once I switched on the phone and saw the time, I gave up some information on social networks because there was not much time left to drop the ferry. I picked up the phone a minute and immediately got on the bicycles and headed for the place where they came back. When we were there again, the same employee welcomed us and asked us for the tickets. As soon as he saw them he lifted the barrier and allowed us to the place where other ships were waiting for the ship. There were many cars here, both with European registration and with Moroccan. Looking at people, most of them were Moroccans. We had stopped behind one of the cars, as was the case, and at one point while we were waiting for it, a Moroccan descended who was interested in us. I decided to tell him about our route to Morocco and about the past. As I told him in English, he was also listening to me with great curiosity. At the end of the face-smiling gesture, he greeted us, then returned to the car.
As we waited for the ferry, we stood in the shade away from the burning sun. It is time to mention that this was the most stressful and emotional moment of the whole journey, at least for me. I was in curiosity to step on a new continent, meet new people, touch the life of Africa. Africa, just the mention of the name, all over my body, shivers! It is an ancient continent preserving the past of mankind, culture, flora and fauna, as intact as it was created at the beginning. There is a lot to learn when you visit this ancient place! For me, this was the first time I left Europe, and not just me, and now we were going for a real journey and adventure in the wild mountains of the Atlas Mountains.
At 10:30 h, they began to launch the first cars to the ferry. One by one they went forward until our turn. Shortly before we went in, several officers took our tickets and cut off a small section of it that was special to them and when we returned the tickets we went up. Inside, an employee told us where to bake the bicycles. We supported them on the wall and immediately pulled out the ropes we tied them so they would not fall during sailing. When we finished this procedure, I removed my laptop, charger, diary and some extra stuff in one bag. As we were ready, we headed for the staircase that took us to the general deck. As we boarded up, I noticed that this ship had only one deck for passengers with multiple seating positions. In the middle there were shops, bars, restaurants. Almost every time I walked more than a few feet away from the bicycle, I was beginning to worry, and so it happened now, but no one is standing down during the voyage, so my worry was unnecessary. When we entered the deck where we were supposed to sit, that is, to sit down, I noticed that most of the places are already busy and he-the nice ones - to the large windows you can enjoy the Mediterranean Sea. Since we needed electricity to charge the technology, we searched for places to contact. As we looked around, at first we did not notice it, but then we saw one place, and for our luck it turned out to be free. We immediately went there and sitting on one of the seats, pulled out the laptop and the phone, and Plamen chargers and batteries, and then switched them on. While we were preparing a bundle of wires without feeling the ship sailing from Europe to Africa.
The ship sailed from European soil on 22 July 2016 at 10:44 pm For us the travelers were the beginning of a real adventure, a dream journey to ancient lands! Our adventure started! The day is sunny, almost no wind blowing, and the sun was so hot that the earth was burning. Thanks to the quiet breeze, the sea was calm, while sailing comfortably on an air-conditioned deck. The people around us spoke in different languages, some in French, others in Arabic, third in English, and in Bulgarian. Most of the passengers were Moroccans who returned to their homeland for a vacation or just to see their relatives. The ship also had tourists, travelers, people from different social backgrounds. Plamen and I almost stayed quietly during the voyage, and we watched it with great curiosity - the sailing of the ship, the people, the sea, the landscape, and maybe the most of us the curiosity of seeing and stepping on African land. The feeling of "impatience" grew more and more in both of us! Plamen strolled across the ship and tried to document the sailing, and I was trying to connect to the internet in some way, which was an unsuccessful attempt because of the fact that there was no Internet on board. When I realized that I could not share the trip here and including the next stage in social networks, I turned off the computer and took a break and explore every kilometer to Africa.
The light ship slowly crossed the Mediterranean, almost without feeling and noticing. At 11:45, the ship slowly began to enter the port of Ceuta. At that moment, I felt like I was on stage in front of a crowd of thousands! My heart was crazy, and my thoughts were so distant, as wide as the ocean itself. When the ship was already moored on the dock, a message that I could not understand was heard on the ship's megaphone, but when we noticed that the passengers were getting in and going to the deck exits, we and Plamen immediately started to shut off the technique and get her back in bags. When we picked up everything and checked our seats, we headed to the ship's hold where our bicycles were waiting. After a few minutes walking through the deck and the stairs we returned to our bicycles, where at the moment we took the technique and headed for the exit of the ship. But to get out, we had to wait for all cars and trucks to go down and then we, as we were at the beginning of the ship, and we were finally there. It took about five minutes before our turn came out of the hold. The distance from the place where the bikes were parked to the exit had to be walked by it because of the ship's safety measures and also because there were places in the ramp to which one of the tires could be hung and fall on both the ramp and the her in the sea. We could not be angry because the ship's captain was insured. At 12 noon we made the first steps of African land. As we passed a few feet from the ship's platform, we climbed the bicycles and followed the car pillar. We moved slowly forward as we were between two cars, one at the front and one at the back. . The situation was a bit tense and dangerous, but when we were about 200 meters from the barrier of Spain's border crossing to Ceuta, a border guy walked past us and asked us "which country we are." When I told him that we were from Bulgaria, he pointed to us with a hand to drive forward without waiting. We did the task, but when we reached the barrier where there was another border guard, he stopped us and ordered us to go back. At that moment, I kindly told him that his colleague had missed us, but he insisted on coming back. At this point, until the situation had been clarified, the other border guard spoke to him, explaining something to him in Spanish, and then we were immediately admitted to the city of Ceuta.
We were already in Africa, that was the fact we were thirsty for 6800 km. The temperature of the air was terrifying, it was so hot that I could barely breathe. This is a challenge we need to adapt to be able to survive with Plamen. Morocco was only a few miles from us, but we had to find the right way through the Spanish city. As we drove him slowly to one of the intersections, we noticed a shop from which we decided to buy some things, including water, and if possible a Morocco roadmap. In order not to go unnecessarily with the bicycles to the store, we decided to leave them next to a wall, and I stayed there to keep them, and Plamen to buy the stuff. When Plamen departed and I was alone, the moment I had to get the "direction" for Morocco, that is, the sheet of paper I wrote about the roads, towns and villages we should go through. As I kept the bicycles apart from the "direction", I had time to describe a little bit of our daily route here in the diary. I also made a video that I wanted to remind about the starting city to Africa. As soon as I finished the video, Plamen returned with a large bottle of water and a little supplies. The water was distributed to smaller bottles at the moment, and the worst is that there is no road map for Morocco, but I did not worry much because I had the exact written route in the sheet. After the water spill and the harvesting, we kept silent for a moment and started off.
As we moved through the city of Ceuta, I felt a bit worried, with a sentiment of curiosity about the upcoming events. The way we drove, though it was the right one, had to stop several times to look for an additional landmark. There were only two petrol stations along the way, where we both stopped to ask for a card. In one it turned out that it was not, and in the other it was exhausted. In the end, and due to the proximity of the border, we refused to look for a map and headed for the next destination.
At 13:20, 12:30 am Moroccan time, we reached the border between Spain and Morocco. The first impression this place has made me is the multitude of people and the draconian security measures. The fence that stretches between Ceuta and Morocco is about 3 to 4 meters high, people going from one side to the other have to pass through a tunnel of steel rods. Here, if you listen, you can hear many languages, some of which you do not understand. When we got back to the Spanish border guards, they looked at the documents and missed us. A few meters away we found ourselves in the Moroccan border guards. We entered the corridor to one of the legs, but shortly before we were stopped by two gentlemen well dressed in light brown tunics. One of pure English told us that "we need to fill out a questionnaire." On this map we fill in your names, the date of entry, the country of which we are and some additional data. When I filled out the poll, I headed to the border guard in the kiosk. I handed him his passport and questionnaire, then examined it, and when he put a seal on him with today's date, he returned it to me. After that, he followed the customs check, which went through only a few questions like "cigarettes and alcohol". When I ended up with them and went forward, I realized that I was already in the Kingdom of Morocco, where Plamen was waiting for me. Right here on the left of us, I saw small currency exchange busses. There were two of them, one of which seemed a little illegal, and I recommended Plamen to exchange currency on the right desk. He went upstairs and, through the little window, submitted the currency in euros for exchange in Moroccan dirham. 11 Moroccan dirhams during our voyage cost about 1 euro. I stood down and watched until one of the locals spoke at once. I tried to kindly explain to her from where we are and where we are traveling. I do not know whether he understood me or not, but still wanted to leave a positive message in it. When Plamen finished the exchange of money, he returned to his bicycle and took the money in a plastic bag and pushed them into one of the front saddlebags. When we both were ready for the road, I looked back and forth, and all I felt was that "the real adventure begins." The first outline of the High Atlas was visible in the distance. To the left of us was the surf of the Mediterranean, and not far from us is the Atlantic itself.
Without thinking a lot, we got on the bikes and headed into Africa. The way we drove was at first so straight that he could not see the end. The shore of the sea was only a few feet away from us and sometimes a few meters away. There were beachfront places where European tourists relax under the hot sun. While I was cycling the pedals, I was looking around in all directions and feeling like a real explorer standing on the most ancient continent of the Earth. Besides being curious, I also had a little fear of what we are about to do. Some would say, "What is a journey nowadays," or "that there is nothing left to be explored," but I would dispute any such statement, because I did not have any useful information about Morocco. I have no exact and specific plan where we will be, what will we see with whom we will meet! It is when I do not know the answer to these questions, then we realize that we are true travelers and explorers. The world may be open, but it must be rediscovered. I was a little afraid of this stranger, but I had the feeling that we would see something really different, something no civilized person had ever seen.
There was a wind on the way down the road, which made it difficult or difficult for us to move, but we were so stubborn that we barely paid attention to him. Shortly after the border, the road became wider with two lanes in each direction, and in the sides of each canvas there were outlines of bicycle paths marked and marked with signs. We were surprised at Plamen, because we did not expect to see anything like this here, but it was our own safety. Around a certain distance there were people who cleaned, others watered the dry land where there was planted grass, and there were people who, with small baskets, gathered each fallen leaf along the way. The gathering of the leaves a little bit wondered me, but I could not understand what they were doing. In the countryside of the road in several places there were houses on which the storks had collapsed their nests. They were just as interesting that I could not see another way but to stop and photograph everything that attracted my attention. Because of the time difference, we even forgot to have lunch, and for this our first lunch we decided to do it under one overpass where there was a shadow. Our lunch lasted about an hour, then we went out again under the fiery sun and headed for the mountain.
At 17:35, local time, at km 6918, we were right in front of the first city of Morocco, Tetouan. In the place where we were, the road offered us two options - one through the city and the other around the city. We thought for a few minutes, I decided to turn on the phone to see which version was the best, but alas, when you need it, it will not work. It turned out I did not update it in the last few weeks and is now mildly useless. So that we do not waste any more time thinking about what is right and what's wrong, we went to the hour on the way the city is going. When we made a semicircle and turned east, the sun remained behind us, but the wind stood against us. Instead of going smoother through this town, it turned out we would be a little bit stranded. Our goal was to go through it and somewhere after that to look for a resting place that it is a little exhausting to drive 100-120 km before the first day. The way we drove around the city was wide and convenient for all car drivers and cyclists. In places so far away from Tetouwan that I was beginning to worry about the direction we chose, but of course, afterwards, changing its direction to the south I calmed down. When we turned west again to the city, I realized that we had chosen the right direction. We went back to the city again, and here I had to watch for the next time we had to go. Shortly before we left this town, we stopped at a gas station to pour water. As we parked the bicycles, Plamen immediately headed to one of the locals and asked with gestures "that he wants to pour water". It was a bit funny to talk like this, but it nevertheless happened! Once she knew where the fountains were, they went in and I kept the bicycles together. Within a few minutes Plamen returned with several bottles of pure water. As he approached me, he explained to me where he filled his bottles, and then I went to fill my own. As I headed for the door from where Plamen came out, I walked through it and headed for a long, narrow corridor to the men's toilet. There, on one of the walls, I saw a lot of fountains from which I easily filled the water in the bottles. Then I turned back and there was not a minute to find myself on my bicycle that loaded it with the filled water. When I put the bottles in place, I first checked that they were securely fastened, and then I got on the bicycle and set off with Plamen. Now we had to look for the next jump in the south.
After the gas station we were driving about a kilometer - two, and at 19:30 we were at the point where we had to go south. We turned left on the road that climbed up to the mountain. For several kilometers they were repairing the road and it was a bit difficult to ride. Passing the section without getting off the bikes, we noticed that we can drive along this slope because it is not a big percentage and does not make it difficult for us, despite the many luggage. I looked several times to the west and noticed how slowly the sun was trying to hide behind the horizon dyed in different nuances. The mountain at that time of the day showed us its beauty and we could not stop at least once and watch and take a picture of course. The landscapes of Africa were the first to see, describe and capture. Every curious traveler knows that this continent is filled with many beautiful natural scenes, including sunrises and sunrises. Apart from nature, here is one of the largest variety of languages, cultures and customs that have been preserved since antiquity and not in vain most people call Africa the "Cradle of Life." Here on this continent in some places, for some people and tribes time has stopped somewhere thousands of years ago and they live in the way their ancestors lived. Here not everyone has a telephone, television or internet, for people it is important to survive among this wild and inhospitable nature. In Africa, not only time can be your enemy, but also the stalking predator who is hiding somewhere in the bushes and watching you. Maybe I have not seen the whole continent, but I had the feeling that I did it, because I felt the place I was in, felt this ancient breeze of past centuries!
When the sun was hiding behind the mountain, we still drove and we could not find a place to camp. For miles, we looked at every tree, every bush, every bump, without anything we could do to make it safe for us. Time was going on, it was almost ten o'clock in the evening, and the arrows began to rush all the way to midnight. It was important for us now to rest, as the first day of a new place is very exhausting due to many factors. However, for our luck, just as the road ended its ascent to the right of us, we noticed in the dark breakout. Immediately we got off the bikes and walked down the gravel road with the lanterns on. We were looking at both sides around the road for a wide, clean and possibly hidden and a little distant place. We walked about 150 - 200 meters from the main road and on a small meadow surrounded by low prickly bushes we stopped looking. Plamen let me hold his bicycle and went down to look at the terrain for thorns and stones and find the perfect place for the tent. When he finds an open spot, remove stones and thorns along the path where we will take off the bikes. The black road was about a meter or two higher than the clearing, and we had to go down a narrow path, just as wide as the tires of the bikes. First Plamen descended, and then I followed him. We supported the bushes of the branches of the bushes and started the preparations for the bivalve. I had not pulled out the rails of the tent when a car passed on the road! We immediately turned off the lanterns and kept quiet, even we froze for a moment! After we got out of hand, we resumed the process of stretching the tent with a little worry. It took us about ten minutes to cruise and stabilize it, and then we brought in the sleeping equipment (sleeping bags and sleeping bags). I had not finished the preparation of the bivouac when the second car was on the way. She stopped shortly before our camp and pulled off the black road as we were on the right. At first we thought they were local, but when everyone was parked and went out and lit fire behind the car, I immediately realized they might be Europeans like us. Being from the same continent as us somewhat reassured me, but I was a little worried, yet I went back to the tent. Plamen stood outside and was preparing, and as I pushed my ears, I heard from the neighboring camp speak French in loud voice. At this point, Plamen called me to "turn off the lantern", and then add "the car that passed earlier, is now at the other camp." I did not think we would have problems with the locals even the first night in Morocco, but unfortunately in a few minutes the car left the other camp and stopped over ours. At first I shuddered from head to toe, but when we went up to them in a minute they turned out to be good-natured and do not think bad. As soon as we found them, I noticed that the older one of them was very good French, and as soon as we saw something, we did not understand it. Since neither I nor Plamen know French, we were trying to figure out what they wanted to tell us. I followed all his movements and tried to select a few of his words and make sense of them in order to understand the meaning of the conversation. What I not only understood was that we should get out of here and look for another place to stay. In what we were talking about, I only realized that there was a dam nearby and that they guarded it. He has mentioned the French word "barrage" on several occasions, which means a dam and this reminds me that here we are part of this facility and it is not desirable to have people. They, in turn, politely asked us to collect our luggage and get out of here so they do not have problems, stressing that they will "come back in an hour's time". Before the end of the conversation, I apologized on our behalf and went back to our camp to pick up the luggage. Although we were already very tired of the day, we gathered the luggage a little, and we put it back on the bicycles, then back on the way back. At this point, we decided not to drive, but to push the bikes for fatigue, and our concentration is now almost zero, and that can only lead to an accident. As we both walked with Plamen aloud, we were pondering what had happened a few minutes ago, but since we were in a country unknown to us, we were obliged to comply with local laws and rules.
We continued to drive through the dark night to places unknown to us. We were looking at a resting place again, but we never saw it. Not long after, however, we saw ourselves in the dark ramp on our left, and only about five meters from the road there was a stop. Without thinking very much, we stopped and headed for her. Along the way we found a good place because it was a solid stone building, and as we neared closer it turned out that our choice was not bad. The stone bench is also wide and located along the entire length of the rear wall. There was room for more than two bikes to park inside! When we parked the bicycles, we took the stationary materials and every one of our posts. Before we collapsed in the sleeping bags, we decided to eat a bit in order to pass the so-called "trial time" and then to retire for a break. After nearly half an hour of sitting, listening, and staring into the dark, each shrank into his sleeping bag and fell asleep.
TRANSLATION: GOOGLE TRANSLATE
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