Start at TETOUAN End at OUED LAOU
Day dist.: 47.4
Total dist.: 766
Avg speed: 13.2
Walked up at 9:30. After showering I worked on the computer and then went downstairs to find a bike store. It was Sunday and the people I asked told me that mechanic stores may be closed. Nonetheless, a very obliging man gave the directions to try a nearby one. It was a couple of blocks and bingo it was open.
Spitha’s gears needed adjustment. Yesterday I wasn’t able to use the first(lightest) gear at all. I knew what needed to be done but since I’ve never done it myself, just watched other people doing it, I thought it was a good idea to let the mechanic fix it. The mechanic was very obliging and we immediately mounted Spithas on his machine and he started working on him. The medium of communication was Spanish. Most people in this town will speak some Spanish and the mechanic was one of them. When he asked me if I were a Spaniard I told him that I was Greek and oh migod, he talked back to me in Greek. Unbelievable, how come? His story was that he had served on Greek merchant ships for 15 years and been to Greece for a couple of times. Indeed, when he was through w/ Spithas he showed me all his discharge papers from the ships he had served on since 1975. He was the man to ask all the questions. He told me that the cathedral at the square was there because the town used to have a sizable Spanish community when this part of Morocco was under Spanish administration. I thanked him and asked him how much I owed him. He was categorical, he wouldn’t take any money. He said that the Greeks had been very nice to him and that there was no way to convince him to take any money. I tried but to no avail. Normally I should have looked for a place to buy coffees or some food but I was really late. So I thanked him and left.
After that I returned to the hotel to park Spithas and then went victualizing and bought the usual stuff, bread, cheese, etc.
Tetouan -- Central square - Cathedral
01343
When I returned I was ready to hit the road. The man who had advised me where to find the bike store approached me and we started a conversation. His Spanish was impeccable. First he advised on how to go to the next town that I intended to visit (Oued Laou) and told me that the ntl road is between Tetouan and the next town was in bad shape and that it was under construction but further down after Oued Laou it was in very good condition. He then talked about Morocco and its recent rapid development, which was obvious, even to me. He said that the country has been transformed in the last 10 years and the reason for that was the wise administration of the king who completely zeroed in on Morocco’s economy and development, leaving all other things, such as foreign policy to his advisors. It was already 14:00 and even though I would have liked to carry on the conversation I had to excuse myself and hit the road.
The bike store was on my way so I stopped to say bye and asked for directions to exit the town. There were four more people in the store and the mechanic after taking a bike down from where it was hanging told one of them, a young man, to bike with me till the city gates, which he did. Very obliging people.
So a new ride started. The road indeed did not look as appealing as yesterday
At the same time the wind was nothing like yesterday’s wind. Under normal circumstances I would have considered this level unacceptable. I would have sent complaints to the administration for wind mismanagement but given yesterday’s experience I was really thankful.
The road slightly improved and then it reverted to the sorry level
I biked on. The wind was no problem at all. The problem was that now on the Mediterranean side of Morocco the usual scenery of up and down started. I started going up mountains and then coming down to sea level only to go back up again.
Still, the coast looked really beautiful
Going through a town
View form up above
Danger sign in Arabic
Finally at around 17:00 I decided it was time for lunch.
This is the view I had
Me lunching and Spithas in the background
As I was lunching a car stopped and two men came out and approached me and actually sat next to me. They spoke to me in Spanish and for a while they thought I was Spaniard. The older man told me stories about his travels in Spain and how nice Spaniards are but when he found out I was Greek he started singing praises for the Greeks and at the same time badmouthing the Spaniards. Among other things he said that he was trafficking hashish from Morocco to Spain. He also invited me to stay at his house which was nearby. I politely declined telling him that I had to move on. Finally they got up, greeted me, and left.
I biked on and in another hour I was entering Oued Laou. I know that Oued means river. I did not see any rivers and I do not know what Laou means. For all I know it might mean dried up. As I was entering the town two cops were patrolling by on foot. I stopped and asked them if they knew about any hotel to spend the night. Oued Laou is a sea resort and I was afraid that it would be difficult to find empty rooms at this time of the year. None of the two cops could speak a foreign language and sign language prevailed. Things like rubbing your index finger against your … finger means money all over the world. So I got directions for a hotel called Lion hotel. It ended up being called Laayun hotel instead. Nonetheless I moved on asking for Lion hotel and ended up at Laayun where I got a room for the night.
After I got settled I went out to patrol the town.
Oued Laou
I grabbed a meat sandwich from a place that looked safe and then decided to for a coffee at a place by the beach that I had spotted. To enjoy coffee a man needs cigarettes. So I went and bought 2 cigarettes. The kiosk was crowded and a man that spoke very good Spanish helped me get them and pay the owner. In the meantime he asked me if I were interested in hash and actually showed me a plastic bag full of cubes that must have been hashish. My experience in this field is so small that I cannot recognize hash when I see it. I declined and then he said “weren’t you the man that came in by bike.” I was surprised to hear that. I guess people notice you w/o you noticing it. I must take a picture of myself in full gear, that is, w/ the casket on and the two bandanas that jut out from it that I use for sun protection. I know I look menacing. No wonder why people step back when I ask then questions. On the other hand if you see me in my evening clothes you wouldn’t recognize me. Yet that man did.
I went to that out of the main crowd coffee shop and had something to drink while smoking my cigarettes and watching the waves crash on the beach.
Finally I decided to hit he sack.
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