14 - 24 May 2017

Woohoo! It's time to surf!

After a delicious Moroccan breakfast I packed my stuff fast and Christoph and I left. Navigating was pretty easy, because there was only one road to follow. The views from the top of the hills were amazing and cycling down was even better! When we arrived in Taghazout I said goodbye to Christoph and Stephan was already at our hostel, where we enjoyed a good BBQ. It was a bit difficult to adjust to this much people, but I will get used to it.

Monday was the first surfing day and after a nice breakfast with cruesli and fruit instead of bread we went to the beach. I got surf lessons from Monir, together with two other Dutch girls and a Canadian. He told us a lot and at the end of the morning I even succeeded to stand on my surfboard and to catch a wave. I liked it! After we returned at the hostel we chilled a bit and went to sup together on one board. That was difficult, but fun! For dinner we went to Flouki in the village and for a brownie dessert we went to l'Auberge.

On Tuesday we went to the beach in Agadir and I learned to step forward and backward on my board. And catching waves is getting better and better! In the afternoon a strong wind came, what also took the waves away, so we went back early. We enjoyed the time at the hostel and for dinner we went to l'Auberge for a delicious Moroccan Chicken Stew.

The next day we drove all the way to Imsouane (hour and a half). My stomach didn't liked that, because the roads were going up and down, from left to right and the quality was not very high, so there were a lot of bumps. After I felt a bit better, I surfed a bit, but soon I didn't want any more. But I had catched a couple good waves :D. After that I sat a while on the pier and watched the others. When we went back there were still a lot of hills, bumps and turns left and right. At the time we were back at the hostel, I went straight to my bed, because I had a headache and felt sick, and slept the rest of the day.

The next morning I felt better and we went to Camel Beach (way less far than yesterday) and I got lessons from Stan. Surfing went pretty well, although the waves were not that good. Stephan and I went for dinner to the village and ate a nice meat dish and for dessert we went again to l'Auberge for brownies.

On Friday we went to Crocro's again (where we were on the first day), but this time on the other side of the big rock. It was the first time I catched a green wave! The first one went well, but the next one became a nosedive :(. And while I was waiting on the waves, I became a little bit seasick and when Stan pushed me in a good wave, I did a nosedive again and ended up in a sort of washing machine. After lunchbreak I surfed again, but not to far this time. That felt better and I was able to catch good waves. But unfortunately I had a collision with another surfer in the last wave and probably the ring finger of my right hand is bruised. At the pharmacy I got it taped in. And for dinner we ate pizza. Nice!

The next day we relaxed and didn't go to surf with the others, because Stephan had become sick, probably of the dirty seawater and I wanted to give my finger a bit more rest. I cycled to Aourir for some stamps, but unfortunately the postoffice was closed. The rest of the day I didn't do a lot and for dinner we enjoyed a good chicken tajine with a view over the ocean.

On Sunday we didn't join the surf safari, because the weather was not that good and Stephan had to catch the plane in the afternoon. But we surfed a bit together in the bay of Taghazout. Not the best waves, but still fine. After lunch I said goodbye to Stephan. The time was flying and I really liked his company. We had a good time! After he left, I packed everything back on my bike and went on to Agadir. I'm staying there for four nights, because there are no couchsurfers, warmshowers, campings or hostels between Agadir and Marrakesh and I don't like it to camp in the wilderness here. I found the camping pretty fast and after I had pitched my tent and did some shopping, I went to a small Italian restaurant for some pasta.

100 days away from home! I celebrated that with a visit to Paradise Valley. The day started pretty cool, but soon it turned into a very hot temperature, what is difficult with the mountains. I even tought a couple times about going back, but I didn't give up. In the end I was rewarded with two great descents and the last part along the river was very nice. I left my bike at the parking lot and walked over nice small paths, rippling streams and stepping stones to the place where the water had formed small lakes. Very beautiful! I also walked a little bit further up the hill, before waking back. In the meanwhile it became hotter that I didn't want to cycle back, so I took a taxi back to Aourir and cycled the last part to the camping.

I didn't turn my alarm on for the next day, but because of the sun, it was getting hot fast. I cycled to the bus station to buy a ticket for Thursday and posted my postcards at the post office. I cycled back over the boulevard and relaxed a lot in the afternoon. When it turned to be a little bit darker I started to find a restaurant and ate a vegetarian tajine and after that I went to the McDonald's for wifi and McFlurry as dessert. When I walked back over the boulevard the waiter I had met yesterday asked me if I wanted to join him to the Irish Pub and since I had nothing else to do, I decided to join him. When he finished working, we went to the pub, but since it was still very quiet, we went somewhere else to drink a cup of tea and he smoked shisha. When we went back to the pub, it still wasn't busy, so we walked to the beach and talked a bit more. He also invited me for breakfast the next day, but I didn't go, because during the conversations he emphasized a little bit to much that he was looking for an European woman to marry....

My last day in Agadir I spent with walking up to the kasbah on top of the mountain. Before the earthquake in 1960, this was the place where the city was located, but because the earthquake had destroyed all the houses on the sides of the hill, the city was rebuild a few kilometres more south. It was pretty. When I was back from this tough, warm trip I relaxed on my matress in the shadow and at dinnertime I went for a restaurant again (because I don't have gas to took). I found the cheapest one and ate a hamburger with fries. The waiter was the fifth man in Agadir who asked my phone number or my Facebook, but I still didn't gave it, because there is someone else waiting in the Netherlands :D. Let's find him in Marrakesh!