Day 23: Chores and a Rest Day

I decided to stay in Ouarzazate another night and get a bunch of things sorted out. I dropped my jacket off to a tailor, who will fit a new zip for 50 Dirhams, collection at midday after dropping it off at 9am! 

A lazy breakfast in a cafe, with hot coffee and cheesy pancakes, called 'baguettes' for some reason. Whilst there, I sat watching folks going about their early morning stuff. The old men sitting in the cafe facing the street doing the same thing as me. Women heading to who knows where, some in traditional Arab dress, the younger ones in more western attire, with their hair uncovered and even some make up in some cases. 

Later in the day, kids were riding around on little motorised plastic models in the main square, whilst a sound system was being set up outside an impressive looking central building.  The call to prayer sounding in the distance from one of the many mosques in town. A bike mounted policeman was stopping traffic randomly and in the case of one poor guy, getting a ticket for something.

Next up for me was a replacement screen cover for the GPS as I took the old one off thinking sand was causing the issue with the screen. I spent a fair bit of time trying to re-calibrate the screen on the unit, which worked to some degree, but now it's super sensitive and jumps around a bit. That will be annoying when trying to sort out route choices I'll bet. Looks like time for a new GPS, this one has only done 8 years or so!`

I've tried to hunt down a strap for the luggage today as well, but no luck, so I'll bodge something from existing stuff. I wandered through the souk whilst trying to find the tailor's place first thing. Chickens in cages everywhere and meat stalls next to shoe shops. It's early at the moment, so quiet, but as the sun warms the streets and air up, people are appearing and soon it will be buzzing no doubt.

Most important job is sort out the bank, as if I can't transfer funds, that's the trip over. Both Morocco and even more so, Mauritania, are cash based economies and I'll have to head back north with the remaining cash I have. I have no idea how to contact them. My mobile phone does not work out here, I haven't found a landline. I may have to buy a Moroccan sim card and try to use that but its not a recognised number with the bank. Failing this, my sister has offered to go into a branch at home for me with an authorisation letter from me, but reading the banks website, you need an official solicitors sign off on this and to go via a government process. All this online banking to reduce costs and stress and because of the criminal aspect of things, it's even more of a pain to try to use. Next time, I need to be better set up to deal with this, not sure how to do that as yet, but one of the things I need to sort out is some better online security and a password manager process as suggested by a mate as I was leaving the UK. In the end, my sister sorting things out for me to continue. 

One of the things that is striking about Ouazazate is the calmness of the place. There are no hawkers forcing themselves on you, I've wandered around several times today and been left alone. It's a refreshing change after constant hassle I faced in Merzouga and Zagora. It's still on the tourist trail, but definitely less in your face as a town. I even found a shop selling beer and hard spirits, frequented by some unsavoury Moroccans, but decided to continue with the alcohol free life of the Islamic countries, so mint tea it was then!

I collected my jacket at midday, new zip fitted and its been cleaned! Great stuff, that'll make life easier and warmer whilst riding. 

I've also spent some time online looking at routes and options. There is a desert unsealed road heading through the disputed territory of Western Sahara that is pretty remote, it runs from a small town called Assouerd and heads south to another small town Smara. Its around 450 miles across some remote desert passing a plane wreck en route and I've added in a section to take me upto Dakhla for a rest stop and fuel.

The whole area was one of the biggest land mine sites in the world at one time. The UN cleared a lot of it, but I've heard stories that there are odd ones still about, and the locals like to move them around to protect mineral mining etc. The road itself has been cleared, but if you stray from the road, only follow existing vehicle tracks. 

It's one of the roads I have in my planning, but periodically, it gets closed, and right now there is pressure to bring the long standing dispute back into the public arena to force a resolution, so we'll see.

The normal route is via the coast, but this is tarmac and the main road running south to Mauritania, which I'll have to return north by anyway. It may be wiser to leave it for a 4x4 trip another time combined with Algeria, but we'll see how things pan out as I get closer to that area. 

Finally, for the end of the day, two French lads rocked up to the hotel on road bikes, parked them outside their bedroom door and after a chat disappeared. They are from Bordeaux and doing a tour to escape their rain! I went out into town to get a hot dinner, settled into a grilled cafe place with loads of families eating there. The soup was lovely, the rest OK, but whilst there, I got talking to an older Moroccan lady, who was very pleased to see me eating their soup, hand carved wooden spoon and all. There is a festival in the main square tonight, so plenty of music I think and the town is already getting busy. Might be an earplugs night!!