Saturday, March 18, 2023

WARNING TO ALL BIKERS: do not go through Chefchaouen (The Blue City). This mountain town is not made for bikes. It is actually quite a disaster.

But first things first.

This morning Hassan invited us for a breakfast in his famous bar, after he had carried all my cases down to his Doplo. "Let me take that. You are injured, you must not stress that arm of yours any further."

Well, that was actually true. Although I carried my cases all alone so far. Hassan is just a very fine gentleman.

After the breakfast, he drove us back to the hotel where our bikes were parked. We said good bye and off we went, back on the road. This trip from Meknes to Chefchaouen turned out to be another mountain pass trip. It was just wonderful. Winding roads, pretty good national roads and some quite narrow country roads, rolling through a beautiful, lush and rich farmland country, up the hills and down the hills - just what bikers like.

Then we came close to Chefchaouen, and it didn't look that nice anymore.

Being up the hill, at the city entrance, we already saw how steep this place was. 

The hostel Omar had checked out lay at a pretty high place. "We just have to go up a steep driveway, quite challenging, but it will be OK." said Omar.

Well, at the spot where we were supposed to do that upwards turn, there was a roundabout, completely ripped open, all sand and gravel, impossible to go where we should go. And then the disaster started. We had to turn on a steep downward road. I refused. This was not part of my competence. Omar managed to turn, he is an artist on the bike. He turned mine as well. "Stay here. Wait. Don't do anything. I drive back up and check out where we have to go."

Then he left, uphill.

I waited.

Nothing.

Then an anonymous phone call. Omar, probably from his Moroccan cell phone.

"This is bloody awful. My navigator doesn't get any signal anymore. I am lost. I called the host to send a car to guide me to the hostel. Stay there. I check it out, and then I come back to you, with a car. Then you take the car and I drive your bike up there."

OK.

I waited.

No sign from Omar. I got really worried. What if he had an accident, and I wouldn't know what and where?

I kept waiting. 

No sign from Omar.

Then, after a long time, I saw his Adventure. He came down the road, unharmed.

When he reached me, he said: "I have just been reborn. This is my second life now."

It must have been the sheer horror. Gravel roads, so steep that he might as well had allen off his bike at the back, with an abyss on one side and some obstacles on the other. "I experienced the ultimate nightmare, Pete. Let's get out of here. This is no place for bikes."

To make a long story short: we made it out of that nightmare of a city.

"We go for Tetouan now. Let's leave this far behind us."

And so we did. 

We opted for a hotel, a nice hotel, with an ok access, with some comfort, a bathroom, internet and with two rooms, to get some sleep (we were both snoring a lot lately). We are now at the Hôtel Al Mandari.                                              You can see that I don't look that fresh, even after a nice shower.          Nice and decadent, with a bathrobe.

The view from ymhotel room window.

Still a mountain city.

Before we both disappeared into our individual rooms, we went into town for some food. The dense traffic meanwhile really goes on my nerves, and the stench of exhaust fumes gets on my nerves. The cities are full of that stench.

Well, we found something to eat, the night got cold and we were tired. I am in bed since 08:30 pm I guess. Now, it is 0:15am, late again, but at least I am up to date with the blog again.

Good night folks, wherever you are.