Sidi Slimane

I start the day still a little tired from the exciting overnight stay with Zacharias and his family. Zacharias takes me to the police station to show them that I am in good condition. Then my journey continues.

I pass a police checkpoint, where I explain the itinerary once more and leave my phone number.

I want to drive a bit off the national road again today. It worked out well yesterday. 😊
Just as I turn off and want to change to a side road, someone shouts from behind: "No,No! This is the wrong road!"
A black Mercedes pulls up next to me and the driver tells me it's the wrong road.
So there we have the plainclothes police. I point to my sat nav and argue that this is the short route though.
"No no, that's the wrong road!" (my "wrong" road is 5km shorter than his "right" one. 30 minutes diversions 😤. ) I obey the police order and continue on the national road.
The Mercedes follows me for hours at intervals of a few hundred metres. It gets on my nerves.

Today it is also particularly hot and I am exhausted. At a river I drive off the road to the right and build a shady shelter for a siesta at noon. The black Mercedes is not in sight at the moment.

A couple of guys come up to me and want some coins. Actually, I don't like to give money, but I'm really not strong-willed enough for a discussion, so I give them some.
The boys are persistent and want more. More money and also some food. It's the "get everything you can" shtick I've seen before. Often enough I've seen that mischievous sideways look between their faces to realise that it's just an act. Within seconds, relatively happy kids turn into very, very needy kids. In the process, they further inflame each other and play a bit of theatre to get something out of it. It doesn't matter what you give them, they suddenly need something.
I don't want to ignore the bad economic situation, be arrogant or make fun of it - I like to give to poor people within my means, but in my opinion, these boys don't need it as much as others and their diffuse desire to get something, be it food, a pen or something else, shows me that it is not acute.
So after giving them some money, I go back to my shady spot, as the sun is really shining mercilessly from the sky today.
The kids quickly lose interest and move on.

My mobile phone rings, the number is unknown to me. It contains several double digits - to make it easier to remember the number. It must be the police, because you always have to pay extra for such a special phone number. I'm sure no one in the normal population has money to spare for such frills.
I'm not in the mood for a conversation right now. First they keep me on their 'safe' roads and make me take detours, then they lose me and now they want to know where I am so they can keep following me.
The ringing stops.

After five minutes the next call comes.
Then a call from a new number. So now two policemen are looking for me. I've moved up in the wanted list! 🙌
After five minutes, the first number again.
Then the second number again.
My will to cooperate dries up completely. I switch off my mobile phone.

As the sun fades and the temperature drops, I get on my bike and tackle the rest of the route.
In the evening at the campsite I notice that my wallet is missing.
I search all my pockets, but actually I know that the last time I took it out was in front of this group of boys.
They actually stole my money and credit card...

All I have left now is my Maestro card with high withdrawal fees and emergency cash in euro notes.
A solution will be found tomorrow. Inshallah. 🙏

The cash problem will become even more acute in the coming days.
Now I notice that the debit card no longer gives money either. A phone call to the bank tells me that this card is also blocked. 😬
They can't do anything more for me at the moment, just leave a note for my personal customer advisor, who will call me back.

For the first time on this trip I feel unfree, life is difficult. Having cash always available has made the journey very pleasant. From now on I have to keep a close eye on the money until the problem is solved. Turn over every euro and, in an emergency, take a plane to the family to get cash from there.

While writing a message to my bank asking them to call me back again, I read that the card is blocked 'at the customer's request' 🤨 - and then I realise my fatal mistake.
Instead of a new credit card, I ordered a new debit card. The old one was automatically blocked. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

I try to get cash for myself by trying Western Union and two other financial service providers that advertise sending cash internationally quickly and easily. All three services fail due to technical deficiencies. 😂😂
I can hardly believe my luck.
Maybe I'll have to get on a plane and collect cash from the family after all.

The whole problem has been dragging on for a few days now. In the meantime, I'm in Fez and looking for a solution from there.
At about this time, a backpacker I had already met in Spain crosses my path.
He helps me by making himself available as a cash dispenser.
Shortly afterwards, I receive a phone call from my bank telling me that they have been able to cancel the card blocking and that the card is now working again. 🙏Read more