Day 3-5: Fez-Rabat (Visa Trip)

Now just to be sure that no one gets worried.. We're alive!
Left you all with only Larache because the days after has been quite intense..

After the foot injury, we did a walk trial around Fez for a day and though apprehensive at first we continued on the journey.
Fez was gorgeous and the walk (or rather limping around in my case) was wonderful having Red show me how a person can be perfect in times of difficulties.






It was a relaxing drive to the capital of Morocco with good asphalt roads a long the way and views of the mountains afar. A smooth drive apart from my fall while stopping to ask Red when to get gas. Stopover at Khemisset for yet another shish lunch. A few kms before the city you have a wonderful downward ride of turnpikes while looking at the valley.

The entry towards Rabat was tranquil but traffic reached a height that we understood immediately that the city center was closing in. There were odd 'temples' made out of red earth that decorated the highway for the city. No real explanation to the reason of the presence of these small structures apart from maybe people's past time art while waiting for a freeride to enter the city.

Rabat center itself was chaotic. Thankfully we arrived early afternoon because to search good parking took us quite sometime. Indications were non existent.

We found however a place to stay in center city. Not realizing that it was the spot for good snail broth snacking. Red hadn't seen that the entrance to the 'hotel' was also storage to the many soon to be cooked snails. At times in the room we get a scent of this so called delicacy. I'm not against snail eating but I generally like it cleaned first then dipped in good french garlic butter or holandaise...

It took us the whole morning to get inside the Mauritanian Embassy door to ask for a visa and then a 2 hour wait from 8.30 pm to retrieve the passport: Treated like cattle and was amongst very beastly people but glad that it really took us only 1 day to get the visa and leave Rabat.



Rabat was not one of my favorite stops. It reminded me too much of Jakarta. Any big city in a non industrialized country, just a little bit too many people in conditions that a little bit less than decent. The kasbah was however very pretty and a quiet night walk melted all the stress away.



Left Rabat on a rainy morning. We didn't have the luxury of a bath the day before and one morning prep after another made us leave the capital only at midday. It rained since morning and continued to rain until the afternoon. The ride to Casablanca was in a freeway filled with cars. And there after less than an hour ride the Aprilia started to choke.We went on a search for a garage and found it almost immediately after asking 2/3 tire and bike shops. The repair man was quite thrilled to see a motorbike with electronical injection. The bike had a sparkplug that was burnt out and needed to be changed. Did so and arrived late in El Jadida because the fix lasted only for 1 hour.