10 April 2023, before Taïfaste, 35.28km
Hotel Grottes Salwa R325.39 [DH180]

Today's 35km ride, despite the downward trend, was much tougher than anticipated, but boy, what a treat!
We began the day with some climbing, some of it through pine forest, then dropped through extraordinary hills coloured soot and maroon and cream and oxide green. On this leg, we cycled often in a vast silence, only the squeek-complaint of our bikes and huffing breath interrupting the stillness.
Then the road turned south and narrowed to a country lane that followed the Ounila river beside green valleys and a deep gorge. Passing mud-brown villages clinging to steep slopes and named Anguelz and Taguendouchte and Tajgujite.
Rural roads climb up and over mountain spurs rather than cutting a path through them. So although we climbed less often than not, several climbs were at an angle guaranteed to make your breath rasp and force you to take a break every 10 or 20 paces.
Some of you know that I am a bit of a wuss on the bike and that I once walked down Sir Lowry's Pass, finding the road too steep and the weather too windy. I did not walk a steep switchback section of road today, despite my fears, but may well have worn out my brakes!
Charl did wear out his chain which snapped forcing him to push his bike for several kms, only boarding it to freewheel the downs. We will need to make a plan to get him back in the saddle...
A couple of things I forgot to mention before:
The Belgian cyclist addicted to mountain cycling told Charl he had taken a dirt route that in the end proved too steep for him to ride or push his bike up. So he hired a donkey to carry his bike up the hill, but the donkey slipped and fell onto Greg's helmet, cracking it!
Also, there are literally hundreds of motorbike tourers in Morocco, more often than not in groups of ten or so, roaring through the countryside in black leathers and helmets that hide their faces.
Also, tea here is on occasion referred to as Berber or Moroccan whiskey.
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My odometre shows over 700km done.