- Date: Nov 10, 2024
- Starting Location: Zagora, Morocco
- Ending Location: Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco
- Mileage: 191 Km distance
- Total Mileage So Far: 1731 Km (1075.6 Miles)
Breakfast
Today, we’re scheduled for a 7:30 AM Breakfast, with a 9:00 AM briefing in the lobby. The briefing will prepare us for what we should look for as we ride, and what the mileage markers will be for our coffee breaks, rest breaks, and any other scheduled activities.
We arrived at breakfast at 7:00 AM, and we expected some form of eggs available to us. We found Fried eggs, sunny side up, but after putting them on the plate, we discovered that they were cold. It seemed like they were cooked last night, and then refrigerated.
Under the weather
This is the 8th day that we’ve been in Morocco, and some of the riders are experiencing some digestive issues. We’ve now had at least 3 of the tour members have come down with some form of gastrointestinal distress. We have known this beast of many names, and he comes and lays his hand upon your belly and demands that the oceans roar, the mountains heave, and the rivers flow.
Now, listening carefully to these metaphors, you can guess that we’re talking about diarrhea. So far, I’ve only had a single morning where I briefly felt under the weather, but we’ve now been taking a prophylactic medicine, designed to combat any germs and parasites before they can do any damage.
So far, it’s working…
But, for the folks that have been under the weather, it can be horrible to try to ride when you know that at any time, Montezuma might call and demand payment.
The weather
The Moroccan heat
We expected today to be a hot one, and it sure was. We touched temperatures of about 29 C, which is about 87 F. As we’ve climbed higher in altitude, crossing the mountains, we’ve experienced chilly days, and mild nights. But, with only 4 days left in Morocco, we’re on our way to the lower elevation areas, situated along the southern end and western coastal regions of Morocco.
Coffee Stop
Lunch
Our lunch spot was supposed to allow us time to enjoy the local town, visiting the museum, and local shops. We had scheduled about 2 1/2 hours for lunch, and sightseeing. Unfortunately, we took our lunch stop at the closest restaurant, which we thought would make things faster and more efficient. We were wrong. It seems that lunch took forever, and by the time we finished eating, we were already late for our departure to the movie studio. So, we adjusted the timing of our visit, and got ready to travel to the studio.
The ride
Today’s ride would be a short Ride, but it would include some memorable stops. The first stop was at the marker that designates the starting point of a 52 day trip to Timbuktu, in Mali. But, before we got there, we’d climb up over a mountain pass of about 5500’.
The pass
Neck gators
With all of the cold riding that we would do on this day, the folks at IMT Bike decided that we needed some way of keeping warm. So, once again, they provided us with a gift, emblazoned with the IMT Bike Logo. From looking at the picture, it’s clear that we don’t quite understand how to use thee things.
Atlas Studios
We arrived at Atlas studios late in the afternoon, after being afraid that we’d miss it completely, due to the delays in getting our lunch. Since we were so late, Scott decided to join us, and lead us to the studio. Here is a video of us arriving at the studio.
This movie studio has been the home of many of the famous pictures that we’ve seen over the years. You’ll quickly recognize many of the sets seen in the following pictures.
The tour was about 45 minutes, and as we neared the end, we were surprised to find that we were about to make a movie. Our guide, using some clever editing techniques, was able to get us to film a few things, and then he quickly assembled the video into the movie.
The Movie
Here’s the finished product
The Hotel
Tonight’s hotel is the Hotel Riad KsarIghnda, located in Ait Ben Haddou. The hotel was off of the main road, down an alleyway. I don’t have any pix or videos of the hotel, but it was a very nice place, with a terrace that overlooks Olive trees in the Oasis below.
Report from the Road
Dinner
Dinner was buffet, and I stated with a soup. Sorry, nothing else to add…
What will tomorrow bring
Tomorrow, we’ll start with a special trip to a Kasbah, where we’ll get a tour, and be able to see another location that many mainstream films were made. Then, we’ll continue, eventually arriving in Marrakesh by late afternoon.
