24. Chefchauen to Ouezzane

Our first Moroccan rest day is in Meknes about 200km away. But today….we the made the beer- & accommodation- dependent decision to split the journey 70/130km…and stop near Ouezzane! 

So with a relatively short day ahead…we were able to enjoy a leisurely & delicious breakfast!

In the clouds!

The clouds had dropped….and indeed did not lift until well after we finished the ride! Great for cycling temperature (yes…still riding with a jacket for most of the day!)…but not so good for sunny photos!

Classic road sign! Drive too fast….and you might just take off!

We dropped down a long distance today…through relatively deserted and very green hills. If you saw this…not many folk would guess that it was Morocco!

A welcome coffee stop…

…lots of donkeys on the road-side…and a surprising number of cowherds looking after just TWO cows!

And so to our overnight stop! What a weird one! Really a lunchtime stop for tourist buses…

….but also a Moroccan motel…which serves beer!

So a relaxed afternoon…updating the blog….and reading…before a big day tomorrow!! (My bike managed the trip today on just one battery…so at least that is no longer a worry!).

So back to that Moroccan motel: when we checked in we were advised that we would get a 20% reduction at the restaurant! Yeeha! The relatively high room rate probably merited that and as guests they did not have to give that 20% to the tour guides who are evidently paid to stop here..given the hordes! 20% off everything, we were assured! But soon we discovered that no…water did not count, nor tea, nor coffee…nor beer! Alas! Nor – in fact – food…unless you ordered “everything” (ie the full menu of the day!) Great scam! We had a discussion about that as you night imagine…and they did relent…a bit!

No power points in the rooms…rock-hard horsehair mattresses…in fact there is no-one else staying here!! Haha…probably not surprising! Cavernous rooms though!

Is the beer worth it? 

Probably! Hahaha!