Yovo

On the road in Morocco / En route en maroc

After two months and 2000 KM (1250 miles) crossing France and Spain, I arrived in Morocco in March 1991 on my bicycle. I spent three months in Morocco, some on the road, some hanging out with friends I knew from previous Morocco trips.

 

Bike trips
Atlas mountains

Fès
Tafilalt

The legendary Maghrebian hospitality is perhaps the most remarkable lasting memory from all my Morocco tours, but especially from my bike trips. This family in Khemisset was one of many who opened their house to a complete stranger expecting little more in return than a snapshot for the album and some interesting company.
     
 

Breathtaking vistas and unspoiled nature in were the reward for climbing several backbreaking passes the sparsely populated Atlas mountains. In the remote valleys and on the rocky slopes of these gorgeous mountains, the Berber live the ancient, harsh lifestyle of nomadic herdsmen. Much more reserved to strangers than the Arabs, many of these indigenous Maghrebians have very little contact with the rest of the world.

     
  Gorgeous architecture narrow alleys and mules define the ancient cities of urban Morocco. Founded in 789, the medina of Fès is one the oldest and largest medieval cities in the world. This is one of the gates to the medina of Fès. Bab Boujeloud, the blue gate, sits near the highest point of the old city. Only mules can carry freight into the vast labyrinth of narrow alleys that spread behind this gate.
       
  The Sahara starts here. Arriving in Errachidia after the long, spectacular descent from the Haut Atlas, I was greeted by the hot breath of the desert in July. First, the heat of the asphalt popped one of my tires. Shortly after Errachidia in the Tafilalt, I got caught in a nasty dust-storm.