From Marrakech to Ouarzazarte – Day 4

We planned to stay two nights in Ouzazarte to get some good rest before going back to Marrakech and flying back home. We booked a pretty hotel to stay in with a nice swimming pool, so we could just enjoy the sun, have some naps and cool down in the water.

This was what we had in our mind when planning the trip, but then after waking up and having a delicious breakfast we decided to just go for a short ride. What was supposed to be our rest day, turned out to be a great and hot (!) cycling adventure to the closest oasis in the area.

The route was mostly flat and the landscape a complete desert. As we left the city we could feel the temperature increasing more and more and on our Garmin, we saw the thermometer quickly going above the 40°C. At halfway we were already boiling and feeling very uncomfortable. Bringing our casual clothes and pushing the pedals with our sandals wasn’t definitely the best idea.

Almost running out of water and without any food in our pockets, we were happy to see the first oasis signs that were pointing towards a gravel road and telling us we were less than a kilometer away.

The gravel road took us downhill and the landscape started to change slowly. We could now see more vegetation and a canyon down the road where the children's laughs and the splashes of water were echoing.

Although we were expecting a touristic atmosphere there, it was a nice surprise to realize there were only local families with children, that choose to spend their weekend refreshing themselves in the oasis.

After refreshing ourselves in the river we decided we must find a place with fresh water and snacks to give us some energy to ride back to Ouarzazate. After exploring the village and knocking on a few doors, we finally found someone that pointed us to the top of the village and told us we could find something in that direction.

We kept going and finally found a tiny shop with cold drinks and snacks. It was there that we met Idriz who told us his family had a restaurant next door and invited us to have some food there. We were hungry but feeling more like drinking and snacking something, than having a full meal and jumping on the bike under the boiling sun. It was so hot and we were so thirsty that we just asked for a bottle of coke and eat a few snacks that we had just bought in the tiny village shop. This was the first time in my life I drank a full glass of Coca-Cola (actually I had three or four) and although I don’t like the drink, it felt delicious under such temperature.

On the way back we were lucky to have a lovely tailwind and the sugar on our blood made everything feel easier, even when having the Garmin now marking 48°C on the thermometer.

This was our last day riding in Morocco and couldn’t have ended better. I definitely want to return to explore and learn more about this lovely country and its people.

This is also the last post about this trip. On the next one, I will be posting about my last summer trip, that unfortunately this time, didn’t include a bicycle. :)

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Tour de Madeloc (France)

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From Marrakech to Ouarzazarte – Day 3