June 23: I’ve got to Fess Up - Road to Fes Thrilling

I’ve got to Fess Up – today’s trip from Chechaouene to Fes, Africa via Ketama was rather thrilling now that I’m becoming a little more used to riding, Moroccan - style. After yesterday’s adventure up the little mountain road from Oued- Laou, I felt much more able to dodge semi’s passing pick-up trucks around corners and to wedge myself between three other vehicles squeezed four abreast on a two-lane road.

I got an early start this morning, hoping to get in as many hours on the bike as I could before temperatures hit triple digits. The route east from Chechaouene was refreshingly devoid of traffic at the beginning of the day and I was able to pry my eyes away from the road to take in some of the beautiful mountain and valley vistas as I wound my way up and over the passes. The land continued to be rather arid and dry and uniquely lovely, with brown and honey colored dirt accented by burnt yellow grass, grey sage brush, and small clusters of green trees.

The most captivating aspect of the ride for me, though, was being able to immerse myself in a foreign land so different from what I am used to back home. Men, women, and children rode on or walked donkeys ferrying supplies or leading sheep. Women slung large bundles of food or firewood on their backs. Men smoked on porches of pockmarked buildings in dusty little towns with paved roads turning to dirt.

Tucks and vans sported massive loads on their roofs so large they dwarfed the vehicles themselves, defying Sir Isaac Newton’s law of gravity as they careened around each other on the pothole-filled roads.

Stop signs, road lanes, and speed limits were apparently simply considered suggestions as cars swerved around each other, throwing caution to the wind as they overtook each other around one bend after another, pushing their engines to the limit.

I must admit, in some ways riding in this kind of traffic can be rather freeing. Don’t feel like using a turn signal? No problem! Don’t like how slow the guy in front of you is going? Just pass him in his own lane! Want to speed up? Go ahead!

After hours in extreme temperatures my iPhone finally decided it needed a break, telling me it would no longer navigate because of the heat. Fortunately, I had fully charged up my back up phone the night before and it had enough juice left to get me to my destination.

Thrills and phone difficulties aside, I was happy to finally arrive in Fes, after stopping at three gas stations with no gas and using a variety of toilets with no running water or toilet paper.

After getting Adventure Baby set up for the night at my hotel, I took a cool shower and headed to the Fes Medina, a 1200-year-old walled market with 9454 cobbled alleyways and 300 mosques, making it the world’s largest living medieval Islamic city and its largest pedestrian zone.

I enjoyed a delicious meal of kefta tajine, a delicious concoction of beef, egg, tomato, and spices, purchased an almond cookie at one of the little stands for dessert, and picked out some fruit to go with my yogurt before breakfast. What an adventure!