Today's ride was challenging.  The road follows a valley, and then up over a couple of pretty high climbs.  It's all beautiful and scenic, with lovely green valleys, and high mountain sides, but there was a lot of up and down, and a couple of difficult climbs.  Once I reached Telouet, I had to start going west, and the wind off the mountains was awful, so much so that I walked parts of the last 10 km because it was easier than trying to stay in the saddle. Added to this, I had a puncture, which has been a theme of this journey, which I blame on the  Schwalbe One tyres I am using.  My fault, I guess, I really should have thought a bit more carefully about it.  I'm expert at changing inner tubes in quick time.

The route I took today seems to be a popular tourist route, so there were lots of 4x4s with large white tourists in them being driven up the valley, no doubt on a day out from Marrakesh.  They come in convoys, and disturb the peace, and seem to think that they own the road.  My other bug bear are the motorcyclists, who come in droves, and disturb my peace and quiet as I cycle along.  They really don't want to hear what I am muttering under my breath as a whole pack of them pass me by.  Many of them are Italians or Germans.  Other than the  corpulent white tourists and the beefy hairy motorcyclists, my only other companions along the road were children, who always want to say hello, and always ask for bonbons or l'argent.  They like to touch hands as well, but I tend not to because I can well imagine where those little unwashed hands have been, and I do not want another bout of Marrakesh Belly.  The kids are pleasant enough, and there are lots of them, but I'm afraid I don't have bonbons or l'argent to give them and so they run off disappointed.  At least they don't throw stones at me.

Life in this part of the world looks very simple and rustic.  Herding sheep and goats.  Foraging for food for them, and hauling it up from the valley either on donkeys or on the backs of women.  I've seen no men carrying loads.  Men sit around, drinking coffee, and sleeping.

I made it to Agdal Telouet, to a rustic auberge where I had been a couple of weeks before, at the foot of the Tizi n'Tichka pass, which I will have to tackle tomorrow.  But, after that, it will be downhill all the way in to Marrakesh. 

The latest from Richard is that there are no taxis which are willing to take him that distance, and still no bus, so he is having to use Shank's Pony to follow on a day or two behind me.

You can follow my route via my Garmin satellite tracker at  https://share.garmin.com/chrismarsden1954    Choose "View All Tracks" in the top right hand corner of the map to see the full route.

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