| Málaga – the beginning | |||||
| Day 1 - Leaving Spain | Day 2 - Chefchaouen | Day 3 - Fes | Day 4 - Er Rachidia | Day 5 - Merzouga | Day 6 - Tinghir |
| Day 7 - Aït Benhaddou | Day 8 - Marrakesh | Day 9 - More Marrakesh | Day 10 - Cascades (Ouzoud) | Day 11 - Ifrane | Day 12 - Tarifa |
| Day 13 - Málaga | Day 14 - Torremolinos | Day 15 - Torremolinos-1 | Day 16 - Torremolinos-2 | Day 17 - Caminito del Rei |
May 16th – Thursday
Map Link – 317 kms
Ifrane – Tarifa
Not much irritates me more than mindlessly barking dogs – especially when I am trying to sleep. Our hotel was on the outskirts of the town, so there were plenty of farm dogs around and they were very active in scaring away the boogie man. I listened to them bark as long as I could, but then I had to close our terrace doors to shut out the sound. This also shut out the cool air. Despite this, I did get some sleep and was at the (early!) breakfast table for our 8 am departure.
The map linked above is a guess. I just know that we took one of the most direct routes between Ifrane and Tangier, and it wasn’t incredibly interesting. Not terrible, mind you, but nothing like the roads I’d seen over the last two weeks!
Mmm – 12°C this morning
There isn’t a lot of narration for today. “We rode north” pretty much sums it up. I still took some photos though, because, you know: photos!
Why hello there!
After two weeks, I finally snagged a Goat sign!
Typical roads for today – and typical truck loading
Today we saw a LOT of military vehicles on the roads (no idea what was going on)
I think that this mural was in the town of Meknes
Not out of the countryside yet!
A train!
Sitting on the wall on the side of the road, with nothing around – why?
Cutting through the hills near Bab Tissera
There were many more horse and farm carts in this area. Along some stretches of road, there was a specific “secondary road” that paralleled the road we were on. This was set aside for the horse and carts, but I didn’t see it used as such all that often. I suspect that the cart driver didn’t see a problem with having his rig on the shoulder of the main road.
Still on the road!
We did make a short stop for lunch along the way – got to keep the rabble happy and fed! It wasn’t a memorable lunch (at least I can’t recall it), but I do have this cute photo of a sleeping cat on one of the restaurant chairs.
Post-lunch views
Difficult to see, but these trees are full of white Cattle Egrets
Oleander bushes and mosque
Getting close to Tangier!
Back into Stork Land
We were now about the enter Tangier. It was early afternoon on a weekday, and the traffic was INSANE! Hana had mentioned earlier that the city had built underpasses on the main road that led to the ferry docks, and I am struggling to see that they had any positive effect. Vehicles were changed lanes willy-nilly, roundabouts were just a stream of chaos flowedround and round, scooters darted up between rows of still-moving cars. It was crazy. Naturally there aren’t many photos from this stretch because I needed both hands on the bars, but trust me when I say that it wasn’t pleasant.
False sense of ease: empty underpasses
Kids hopped onto the back of a moving truck – I’d only seen this in movies before now
After passing an accident scene where the body was just being covered, it was a relief to finally reach the ferry docks. Even those last couple of turns to get to the parking area were a challenge. I credit Hana for somehow keeping us all together and safely to our destination.
Almost to the docks!
We parked the bikes and waited in the not-too-hot sun while Hana took care of getting our ferry tickets. A couple of vendors wandered by and tried to convince us that we needed some of the little trinkets they were selling, but we had been shopped out and they weren’t successful. Hana eventually returned with tickets in hand and instructed us all to get on the bikes and board the ferry.
The ferry ride across the Strait of Gibraltar was uneventful. There were fewer people on this crossing, and our passports were checked and stamped without any wait. It wasn’t long before I saw the lighthouse at Tarifa through the wet and dirty windows.
Welcome back to Spain!
Hana and David had planned this well: we had barely driven off of the ferry then we were pulling into the parking garage of our hotel for the night. The Hotel La Residencia was right on the water in Tarifa, convenient for an early stop and close to the small, cozy streets of the town.
The water feature of Hotel La Residencia, as seen from our room
Our room in Tarifa
The hotel was very nice and the location was (as promised) very convenient. Our group had some time to relax before meeting up for dinner. We would walk the 4-5 blocks to the quaint town center and go to our guides’ favorite restaurant, the Brasería Vaca Loca. They hit the nail on the head with this choice: it was excellent.
Walking to dinner in Terifa
Sitting outside – it was actually cool and I ran back to the room to grab another layer
Very cool interior
Oh yeah – THIS is how you prepare steak and fries!
After an excellent meal, we walked around the narrow streets some more, looking in shop windows and stopping for a drink. It was a busy night in Tarifa with plenty of “young people” filling the chairs and spilling out into the streets. It was a “nice” busy for once.
Easier to stand outside and drink (more room)
Dan and I went back to our rooms after the drinks had been finished, but others wanted to extend the evening and sat up in the hotel’s bar until the wee hours. I am always amazed when people can stay up so late – I am definitely not a night person!
We were back in Europe, but we had one more day of riding ahead of us. I wasn’t really looking forward to it: the itinerary indicated that we’d be retracing a lot of the roads that we had taken on our first day of the trip. While the roads (and scenery) were fantastic, I was tired. The thought of chasing Hana, Ron (and Sue!) and Gary through those corners again just filled me with dread. Fortunately, this discussion had come up while we were gathering for dinner: I was not the only one who felt this way! We agreed that we’d bring this up to Hana and see what our options were. I went to bed hopeful for an easier day.