Dedicated to a wonderful Mother Jean Noble 31/5/1929 - 20/8/2007 - may we never take our mothers for granted. - Goodbye Mum

MOROCCO PAGE 3 FEBRUARY 2008.

Present day knowledge almost universally believes Africa is the birthplace of our species – Humankind. The picture above shows the ordinary people of Morocco. The currency of Morocco is the Dirham 1 MAD = $AUD 0.15... Of course no one EVER gets the “interbank rate”. For ordinary mortals this is a myth!

Thursday 14th February 2008. Larache
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C 
I have updated the last page two of our diary by re-writing the attack we were subject to by the kids... I will re-print it here for those that have already read the original writings..

<SNIP>About 10-12 k's from our destination we happened upon a small village called “Souk-Khemis-du-Sahel” and thought we would give this place a go for a meal... it was worse... The “tea”(small glass) was 7 MAD (About $AUD1.10) highest we have been asked yet... (Although you can pay 8 MAD+ in Tangier for “Silver Service” - a beautiful Moroccan teapot and served with all the “trimmings”) and the smile was “sly”... y'all know what I mean don't you?

As we left, we ran into a pack of children.. They immediately swarmed on the bikes, sitting on the trailers and stole some of our gear. Lee captured the beginning of the attack on camera, before it escalated to involved us both... the child sat on my trailer is the thief.
Whilst some readers may not see any great problem, cyclists know all to well the problems!! Our trailers are rated to 40 kilograms MAXIMUM Load capacity. We put 40 kilograms in them – there is NO surplus capacity. They cost a great deal and cannot be replaced in Morocco due to prohibitive customs duties and mailing problems. Most bike parts are light and do not take kindly to these types of attacks, they are expensive and usually irreplaceable within “non biking” countries. If we are to believe what we are told, it would be cheaper for one of us to fly to Holland, pick up the trailers and fly back.

We love to talk with kids and we are happy to show them our bikes, even let them sit on them, after we have shown them how to do it without breaking anything... We will AND HAVE visited schools and other places where children meet. See our diaries for the many!!! Some still write to us :-) It simply takes “Mutual Respect”... there is NO respect for people or property in these “attacks”.

After the attack we cycled through the village, being down to about 300ml of water it was with some trepidation that we called in a local shop to buy some more. I purchased two litres and was just about to leave when the shopkeeper presented us with another two litres FREE. I have included this for balance. “Souk-Khemis-du-Sahel” like everywhere on the planet has good and bad.<END SNIP>
Friday 15th February 2008. Larache
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C
Remain Larache. We had absolutely NO intention remaining here today. However we sat up until the early hours of the morning discussing our future and the problems we are having back home. We are still not decided on cycling through Africa.

So very many dangers and problems exist in ALL African countries WITHOUT EXCEPTION, but, of course to varying degrees.... Corruption, Theft, Visa problems, Border crossing nightmares, Rape, (Over 55,000 per year in South Africa alone). Murder, (Over 20,000 per year in South Africa alone) Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Tribal hatred, Malaria, Ebola, Dysentery, Testsi fly, HIV, etc.. etc... So why would anyone contemplate cycling it in the first place?

Well despite all this, Africa has some of the most diverse people on the planet and the vast majority are some of the warmest caring human beings one could imagine. It also has most of the worlds large land mammals, a huge array of birds, insects and reptilian creatures... It is a continent alive with diversity and largely abandoned by the rest of humanity... Some countries are pouring money in, notably China, but my guess is, it is only to make money for the countries putting money in and NOT for the the most endangered breed of our species the Negroid human being.
To quote someone greater than I will ever be: "a great people - a black people- ...injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilisation"- Martin Luther King Jr. These are but a few of our “reasons” and the cause of much of our dilemma.
Saturday 16th February 2008. Larache
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C

Remain Larache. An email from a close trusted friend has all but convinced us not to risk Africa on our bikes. We have explored Larache and find it fascinating... We now know we cannot explore on our bikes – these must be hidden when we get to a place we want to see. The unusual nature of the bikes attract so much attention it beggars belief. Met an attractive group of girls travelling Morocco and really enjoying it. Three of the four are going on a Camel trek in the desert.

My daughter Sharon did one of these a few years ago, her photo's are archived on the family pages of our index page. Heavy rain today caused us to remain more than anything and heavy rain is forecast tomorrow, so we will stay tomorrow as well.
Sunday 17^th February 2008. Larache
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C
Remain Larache. Very heavy rain overnight plus this morning...
Monday 18^th February 2008. Larache
Approx. k's Average Speed kph Cycling time Hr(s) Min Max speed kph Max temp we recorded °C
Remain Larache. Very heavy rain overnight plus again this morning... Looks like Tuesday will be even heavier... This morning a thunderstorm passed over resulting in a torrential downpour... We REALLY want to leave and my even cycle wet tomorrow.

Young boy “Moad” related to owner of the hotel we are staying at
Tuesday 19^th February 2008. Larache to Moulay Bousselham.
Approx. 64.38k's Average Speed 11.42kph Cycling time 5Hr(s) 42Min Max speed 36kph Max temp we recorded 17°C
Overnight thunderstorms and early rain, but we decided we had seen enough of Larache... Rose about an hour after the morning call to prayer (05:00 is the first call)... The call is a thunderous rousing, as the faithful get up and perform one of the pillars of Islam. We were on the road by 07:30 as the dawn was breaking. Not an uneventful ride... Soaked then dry, with the frequent showers, some prolonged, was the order of the day. 

Two attacks by marauding packs of children, but our security measures meant no theft and no access to our possessions. Many other near misses as “roaming “packs” of kids did not have the speed to catch us.. I did not know the term “pan-handling” until I came to Morocco... We got it all day.... Give me money, give me money, women putting their hands to mouth to indicate a need for food, “lone” children with hand raised e.g.. like a policeman would raise his hand. The kids try to get you to stop and give money... it wears you down. We can handle “requests” for money, food, etc... but we cannot handle the attacks from large “packs” of children.

As they are way above the law and certainly Lee or myself cannot physically try and stop them, we are at their mercy, they have been well schooled and know their power. It is distressing and makes cycling a chore rather than an enjoyable adventure.

Stopped to help a Moroccan guy on a moped, who had broken down without tools..

My tools were a little small but together we managed to get him back on the road. Talking about roads.. the roads today were awful

We constantly had to weave around huge potholes and muddy shoulders....

As we pulled into Moulay Bousselham we were met by the Police. They pulled us in for a passport check, it was quite a lengthy interview, wanting to know as far back as, my grandmother and grandfathers name, Lees parents and grandparents names, all carefully written down. Our addresses? are you married? do we have children? how many? what happened to your first wife?... I will not bore you with them all, as they went on and on. I guess it is their job, they were certainly very pleasant throughout the interview and very precise. What time are you leaving in the morning, where are you going, lots and lots of questions – interspersed with “welcome to Morocco”.
Wednesday 20^th February 2008. Moulay Bousselham to Kenitra.
Approx. 93.91k's Average Speed 11.44kph Cycling time 7Hr(s) 51Min Max speed 33kph Max temp we recorded 20°C
Will need to check but I think we covered the biggest distance since we started in 2006.... On the worst roads of the trip so far.

And More...

We sure are tired tonight. Today's ride was one of sheer terror. Marauding packs of children throughout the entire day... The attacks numbered greater than twenty.. barely 15 minutes of riding time before another attack.. The attacks range from pulling at the gear, blocking the entire road and demanding money, this photo is a minor example; the big attacks cannot be photographed!!!

to the assault with the knife (bellow) and all in between. After the first bit of gear was stolen, a Moroccan adult spotted the theft and ordered the child to bring it back to us.. The child obeyed. The second theft of the day was gear lost... 0ver $50.00 worth – not real much, but not replaceable in Morocco.. This photo shows a "pack" forming, completely across the road, waiting to intercept us.....

It can be VERY disconcerting, knowing the attack is imminent....

More disturbing was an attack on Lee that included a teenage girl (YES girl) who grabbed Lee's head and a teenage boy with a knife.. The boy dropped the knife in the attack and Lee peddled for all she was worth, by the time the boy recovered the knife, (The pic bellow is NOT repeat Not one of the girls with the knife – it is a separate “minor” attack by an all girl pack).

Lee had put too much distance between them. It is difficult to write verbatim. what happened, or described the attacks entirely and in the detail they deserve... WE just hope you get the gist of it. Most distressing for us both.... We have radios between us but these attacks leave one no time. 
We just had enough speed on this downhill to out run this small group...

The puncture we got today – on Lee's trailer, was fixed without marauding kids bothering us.. We were dead lucky in this regard..

We are NOT staying in this country, it is too dangerous and too distressing to cycle here. Backpacking/walking may be an option, if we can store our bikes safely?. We took only one break in our ride today after 43 k's for a plate of beans and a coffee.

As soon as we arrived in Kenitra the immigration police stopped us and took us for another interrogation... Not as detailed as yesterday but bloody inconvenient after a 90k ride. We kept our smile and put this guy to the test... Like the guys yesterday, he was pleasant and thorough... We had a hotel organised for about $AUD23.00 per night.. with our bikes... After we had got the bikes into the hotel (about 30 minutes to do this) they did not fit in the spot they wanted them in, so they told us to get out.

As I said we put the policeman to the test... We went back to him – told him our story – he “appeared” appalled and send an underling with us to find a hotel – without being ripped off!! We are now in a classic “third world dive” with our bikes locked in the kitchen passageway. This one is $31.00 per night. Our sincere thanks to the police for their welcome assistance – they asked for NOTHING in return.

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