It's good to be back here in the Hotel Rif. I like Chefchaouen, it's nice and laid back, and there's plenty of places to explore. This morning I woke early, as I wasn't expecting the wake-up call I had organised, so I got up and started packing the bike. The sun had risen over the dunes of the Erg Chebbi, and even the camels were still asleep. An hour of bouncing over the piste and I was in Rissani, and a huge weight lifted from my mind. From now on it'd be all road work, and there should be no reason for another puncture. I tanked up in Er Rachida and plodded north. At Midelt I hardly slowed down, not wanting to spend any more time there at all.
I decided to visit Azrou, as recomended by the Arianne engineers I met on my first day. The cedar forests were beautiful, and I saw eagles soaring and herons (maybe storks?) floating above the trees. The whole area south of Azrou is great biking territory, with good roads and great views. Apart from navigating through Fes, again, I had an uneventful journey back through to Chefchaouen. Moroccan road signing is up there with the worst of them.
So I checked back into the Hotel Rif, to find the price had increased five dirham since I was last here. I changed, grabbed my camera, and headed into the medina. The late afternoon sun looked great on the kasbah walls, and I was hoping to catch some of the narrow alleyways as well. Photos taken, I sent an email home to let my mum know I had survived the desert. I also found out that my work collegue had had a baby son, and my house was still unsold.
I wandered back to my favorite cafe and ordered a mint tea. I find it pleasant to sit back and watch the world drift by. A woman wandered over and said 'Hi', then realised that I wasn't who she thought I was and started to apologise. I invited her to join me and we chatted about our travels in Morocco. Maxine was also on the way home, after five weeks of backpacking around. We arranged to meet up later to go for a meal with a bunch of other people staying at her auberge. She was staying in this wonderful place just off the main square, where all the rooms fronted onto a tiny open courtyard, and a spiral staircase led to the roof.
When I met them later I was introduced to a couple from Sheffield University. They were in the Rif mountains revising for their finals, and making a few deals on the side. From the way Tom bounced and nodded all the time, a little like Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout, I'd guess he was sampling a little of the local product. When he later told me that my XT was his alltime must-have bike, I knew it was true.