First Full Day
I woke up this morning to the sound of tiny raindrops splattering themselves against the road outside. It was lashing down rain. It wasn’t a cold rain though, like the rain in Ireland. Still, I didn’t want to go out and walk in it. I went out and had a breakfast in the restaurant in the hotel. It was really nice omelet and some delicious bread. Like many Arab breakfasts it came with lots of small dishes of olives and other such things. There was also a glass of freshly pressed orange juice, which was delicious. The coffee was sublime.
I had moved all my camping gear and my tent etc into a single bag and I brought this down to the van. I got talking with the guy who’s doing the driving. He’s a very pleasant young Englishman.
I had a fairly low-key day today. It frequently happens that, on the first day or possibly the first couple of days of a holiday, I feel exhausted. It’s like my brain gives my body permission to feel tired. My brain says go and my body says no. Usually, my body acquiesces but rebels when it can. This is one of those times.
I went for a long walk this afternoon. I hurt my foot a few months ago when I took a spill on my bike and I wanted to see had it healed yet. It has a bit, at least enough to walk for a couple of hours, albeit with some pain. The scenery was pretty unremarkable but I enjoyed remembering the street scenes of Africa and the Arab world.
I passed several small escort type vans that were set up as wee coffee shops. They had an elaborate looking coffee machine in the back of the van and seats around the side and a canopy. I didn’t stop for a coffee because I didn’t feel like when at the time. I’m quite fond of strong pungent Arab coffee, it’s a bit like Turkish coffee. Or maybe Turkish coffee is a bit like Arab coffee. Or maybe neither!
I wanted to change some money so went looking for a bank. I found one in a shopping center cum business park. There was an ATM outside the bank so I used my Revolut card to buy some Moroccan Dirams or MAD. 1€ = 10.85 MAD. They also had a Decathlon so I popped in there and bought a cover for my sleeping mattress.
By this time, I was knackered and my foot hurt so I looked around for somewhere to have a sit down and a cup of tea or cold drink. It was also getting hot and I was getting thirsty. The only place available was a McDonald’s. I popped in and had a cup of surprisingly good coffee and a double cheeseburger, which was unmemorable.
I had my first evening meal with the group at 7pm. It was a spag bol and one of the tastiest I’ve had for a long time. The sauce was really delicious and was fresh and herby. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection. I had seconds. It was dark at this time and I couldn’t see the people very well as the light was dim. I hung around for a while but then felt a bit peopled out and did my omnivert thing. I believe it will take me a few days to relax fully into this group of people I’m going to get to know very well over the next few months.
Here’s our itinerary for tomorrow: Entering central Morocco we are now in the High Atlas mountains where we travel along the Draa valley, an area of earth-red Kasbahs and stunning Berber villages where we visit the spectacular pink canyons of the Todra Gorge.
Off now to nestle in the arms of Morpheus.
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