Backpacking

Now I find myself without my bike in a village in the middle of the Atlas Mountains.
Although the place is relatively large, it seems to consist only of this crossroads.
There is a lot of activity on the main street. Handcarts are pushed past, mopeds with attached trailers rattle by. The air is dusty and smells of the remains of the stalls and exhaust fumes. Cats roam around, looking for somebody to pet them and food.

Ilyass and I wait for the bus to leave, but it takes time. We don't have enough passengers yet.

My bicycle journey has taken an unexpected turn. My bike had a defect that prevented me from continuing. It has been repaired, but I had already prepared myself for backpacking.

Ilyass and I will see the Atlas Mountains, the desert and oases in the coming weeks. An adventure within an adventure 🤠.
We start our journey in a remote valley of the High Atlas.
The supply of the valley is done by big transporters that drive a few times a day and connect all the villages and small huts.
It is unbelievable how much freight they can carry, because a luggage rack is welded onto the roof, which can transport any amount of material (and also people).

The road is partly a dirt track that winds steeply up the mountains. We rarely drive faster than 40 kph and for the sake of the passengers on the roof the velocity shouldn’t be higher.

Mobility is difficult in the valley. The vans leave when enough people arrive and that can take a while. Further back in the valley, you don't notice the delayed departure, so the only thing that helps is to wait and allow enough time.
Ilyass and I sometimes wait half an hour (or more) hoping that the bus will show up and take us to the next village (for lunch) or back. Sometimes a private car comes along to give us a lift. If not, there are only snacks to eat 😄.
Because there is not much gastronomic choice here, we eat only omelettes for three days 😂 - but it could be worse.

In contrast to the somewhat monotonous food, however, the views show a fantastic variety.もっと詳しく