Todra gorge - Ait Ben Haddou

If you read the previous part (5) you already know I am in a challenging position but if you haven't long story short: I am totally dehydrated, starving and energy drained due to food poisoning while being in the heart of Morocco during (surprise surprise) a heatwave.

Rolling down the R703 right before Ait O Jana we find ourselves riding on an ultra wide and straight road with brand new tarmac. It felt to me like they started constructing an airport but regretted it later:

Occasionally I meet such walls on the way - no idea how come:

We were heading West but we made a necessary deviation North at R704 to make it to the famous Dades gorge. Even if you don't know it the pictures will probably ring you a bell:

I am so drained of energy that as soon as we make it to the top, I take the pictures above, put my helmet on the ground to act as a pillow and drop myself to the ground. Yes, I had no strength for anything else. At all. At one of Morocco's highlights I am at the worst situation possible to enjoy it - still glad I made it of course though the happiness is rather a pride I managed to. However, I was still not even halfway to our next destination. Here's is a couple more images I managed to take on our way down while riding (hence they're blurry) where you can see the unique rock formations of that gorge:

We leave R704 behind to join the N10 and head West, mainly riding on fast straights. This was the only good thing about it - they were fast and I couldn't wait for us to arrive and just drop dead on my next bed. However, the rest of the guys were not as fast as I needed to. In an attempt to raise the pace of the team I take the lead of the convoy doing even 140s (km/h) on predictable parts but they wouldn't follow. There was a point that I was wondering what I am really doing since I was feeling like unable to even walk and could barely push the bike into corners. After what felt to me like an age we all fortunately arrive safe at Ait Ben Haddou. Unable to walk more than 10 meters in a row, I push my stuff into my room and drop dead on the bed.

Some decent sleep can do wonders and the one I had really felt so. Those houses made of mud and hay really keep the heat out and my room was no exception. Feeling a bit better I decide to arrange my stuff a bit and I find one of my shirts left in my tank bag for so many km looking like used napkin. I decide to soak it in water and leave it to dry in the bathroom. I am telling this only to give you an idea about how dry the conditions are there: After an hour's chat with the rest of the guys at the lobby I come back to use my bathroom and I find my shirt bone dry. Not just dry. Insane...

The town of Ait Ben Haddou is famous for the scenes of movies like "Lawrence of Arabia" which was one among others shot there. It's a picturesque place but the crazy wind makes the sky look white from all this sand and dust. Under such conditions since I am not fully recovered yet, I avoid a walk around the whole place to picture it but here's a few ones I managed to take:

I really like those old doors exposed on a wall:

Unfortunately didn't take long before the owner came out to break our balls trying to sell us his stuff "pushing" us to enter his place. Denying in a very mild way he turns to us "Are you angry with us?" I left his place to call Ariana Grande and tell her I just found the perfect guy to run her PR...

Our fleet (mine first) desert stained:

I must admit that the Riad Maktoub where we stayed offers the best personnel I've seen so far.

Very kind and helpful, even offered to wash my clothes free of charge. At the first monent they heard that we all suffered from stomach problems they offered to make us tea from Luisa herb. It's the first time experiencing people paying attention to other things except our money. Totaly contrary to what I faced a bit later when I to the local store to buy some bottled water: The fridge was flooded and the bottles looked to me a bit weird...as if they were not sealed properly or even branded at all. I said to myself "don't tell me they dare to sell imitations of bottled water!". Since I had no stomach left to risk, I leave the place with empty hands to cross check it. Well... yes! They actually do that too! You can find numerous experiences like this around the net. Hard to comment...

The wind tries to break my window, cats are screaming outside, my stomach feels kinda confident for another night of fight with the local gastronomy which I am already kinda bored trying the same 3-4 dishes usually available from place to place, flooded by cumin in the vast majority of the cases. Speaking of cumin, they use it much more often than pepper. They even serve boiled eggs with salt and cumin instead of pepper. I love cumin but I think I already consumed the quantity I would in a decade. With a bit of dinner in my challenged stomach I fall to bed wishing the next day finds me
in a better shape.

See you in the upcoming part 7!