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Wednesday October 14th

As the end of the trip is getting closer, we need to head back north. The journey from Marrakech to Khenifra on the N8 is pretty boring. It reminds me of the long distances, many kms just straight ahead in South America.

Later that day we are again in a completely different world. We are in the cedar forests near Khenifra. The giant trees with their droopy branches seem like silent giants. The day draws to a close and the sun approaches the horizon. It’s cold and quiet. Only the sound of our engines breaks the silence. Sometimes it seems as if we are driving through an enchanted forest.

 

 

Ludwig knows a place where we can camp from previous visits. The hearth is still covered with large stones as it was left half a year ago. Also the collected wood is still there.

However, the wood of the cedar trees is not good for a fire. It burns rather quickly and also the embers provide not much heat and do not last very long. After collecting a big pile of wood, I think: That’s enough, that we can never burn. It was not enough.

In the middle of the night, Andi, who, like Ludwig, slept close to the fire, woke me up as I hear him dragging more wood.

 

Martin and I have pitched our tent. It’s bitter cold here. The temperature is around 5 to 10 degrees C during night. My sleeping bag is merely made for temperatures like this and I’m cold. But I don’t think that I would have warm socks and long underpants in my luggage.

 

Thursday October 15th

In the morning we roast sausages for breakfast on a campfire in the cedar forests, and .. a few hours and a few hundred kilometers later we are in Chefchaouen. Every now and then it is necessary to drive a lot of kilometers.

Chefchaouen, which starts down in a valley, nestles up against the mountain. The campsite is placed on the top, from where you have an excellent view. There is only one water pipe in the showers and it only provides cold water.

It is already dark, when we are looking for the stairs that lead down to the center.

One last time on this trip, we visit one of the local restaurants where we try to order food in a mumbo-jumbo of three different languages ​​and with gestures.

 

Chefchaouen and the souk are so different from Marrakech. Marrakech is big and loud and a stream of people flowing through the streets. Chefchaouen has a unique flair. Quiet, relaxed, not nearly as pushy as in Marrakech. And in the (souvenir) shops you can take your time to stroll around.

The color blue is dominating. The houses are usually painted in a darker blue on the ground floor and the upper floors are painted in a bright blue.

On the rooftop terrace of a restaurant, with a magnificent view of the main square. We sweeten the departure from Morocco with a big dose of chocolate mousse.

 

Friday October 16th

From Chefchaouen to Tanger Med, it is only 100 km or about 2 hours. One would think that this is not a big deal to reach the ferry in time – to be exact, which is departing at 12 o’clock regarding the timetable. We leave Chefchaouen around 8:30 which also should provide a big time buffer, but we squander it generously in Tetouan in a café, about 35 kilometers from the port.

The Moroccan king announced himself. On the road to Tanger Med they put policemen and soldiers every 100 to 200 meters.

 

 

We take our time .. too much time. Half an hour before departure of the ferry we reach the border control. Maybe a bit too late to do all the formalities. The goal is within reach. It is only about 1 ½ kms to the ferry, which is already in the harbor. We need to fill in a yellow form to get through customs and passport control. The clock is ticking .. and time is running away. 15 minutes before departure of the ferry. I’m the first who finished formalities and was even able to change my leftover Dirhams to EUR. I call out to the others: “I will go and stop the ferry if necessary.” A little further, I get stopped again. X-ray monitoring. “Oh man!” 10 minutes left.

 

The X-ray control is working like this: There is a ramp which provides space for about 5 cars. When the ramp is full, a truck, equipped with an x-ray on a frame on its side, drives by, and scans the vehicles from left and right. Even when my pals arrived, the ramp was not yet full. 6 minutes left. Finally, a car comes along. We get X-rayed, but may not go. First the result has to be evaluated. We are slightly nervous. “We will never make it. The next ferry departs at six pm. Six hours waiting here in the harbor area? There is not even a café.”

3 minutes left. We finally are allowed to go. Only a few hundred meters left. Fortunately, you can rely on the ferries, they are always a little bit late and the rear ramp is still down. 

 

Saturday October 17th

The cold night in the cedar forests was not good for me and I’ve caught a cold. I try as much as possible to suppress it with drugs. However, Andi and I make a small tour. We go a little bit up in the mountains of Andalusia. High season is over and most of the trees have already lost their colorful leaves in the autumn weather. It’s only on the coast where the sun provides some warmth. But even there, dark heavy rain clouds approach from the sea and in the evening they cover the whole area.

My health is getting worse. At night I sleep on the backseat of a broken car, which is also parked in the prison.

 

Sunday October 18th

The fever got worse. Maybe it was not such a good idea to ride around yesterday. I am wrapped in clothes and just sit around in the prison.

In the early afternoon, we put the bikes and our things into the truck. In the evening we drive around in the close area in hope to find a place or an open restaurant, where we can get some food. Nothing. Sundays – at least in the outskirts – there are only the cafés open. We do not have a desire for sweets. Finally, we get some tapas warmed in a microwave. This night I really don’t want to spend outside and I decide to stay in a hotel just a few kilometers away from the parking place.

 

Monday October 19th

End of the trip. At 5 o’clock the phone in my room is ringing. It’s the front desk. They tell me, the taxi is waiting.