An Accident on the Road, and Essaouira

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An interesting village on the coast boasting a well preserved medina and showing some conspicuos Portuguese heritage, Essaouira is a bit of a relief for travellers coming from wilder Moroccan territories. To me, having survived an accident on the road travelling here from Rabat, Essaouira is not much more than a stop towards the desert.

I walk the streets and observe. Unimpressed. Still harassed by haxixe dealers, I try to forget the car that crossed the road in front of my bike without warning. I look for good images. I search for bread that hasn't been touched by everybody who comes into the shop. I try to enjoy the food, to ignore the discomfort in the campsite, to deal with the communication difficulties when I have to compete for attention at small shops and ask for things behind the counter in my poor French...

Both me and the bike got away with little damage. My left knee and the bike's left side are all scratched... We slipped down the tarmac some twenty metres, the metal parts sparking, my gloves being reduced to a pair of thin leather sieves with big holes on them. While the palm of my hand was burning as I slid down the road, a very sad thought crossed my mind: my trip had come to an end.

Travelling is dealing with the unexpected. It's not just wonderful places or exciting moments. It is discerning what one likes and making do with what's available. To carry on travelling is to keep hope. Like the inspiring couple from the Netherlands I met, who are pedaling their bikes everyday through a little bit of the African continent hoping to get to South Africa by next Christmas.

I picked up my bike with a broken clutch handle and started the engine. It still worked fine. I got out my winter gloves from the torn luggage. I got back on the road.

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Photos

Cycling the Planet
Antoine & Chantal, two really nice guys travelling by bicycle all the way to South Africa!

Comments

[Kai]

Merry Xmas!
Jose, sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you and the bike are both OK and healing well. I've been following your blog and enjoying the beautiful pics. Really inspiring! Jen and I are spending Xmas eve at the Castle lead climbing. We have decided that there's no point in sitting at home staring at our ropes and saying Manana ;) Have a Brilliant Xmas and New Years!!! Kai

[John]

Hey
Hey José, hope you are okay after your accident. I hope you don't feel down, just enjoy yourself in Morocco and come back to Europe when you've discovered all you can. Hope you enjoy Christmas and the New Year, see you soon, John

[Celso]

Oi! Menino, It seems u ok just a couple of scratches... I am sending you good vibes all te way to Morocco. The bastards that don't look!!! Let me know if you need anything ;-)

[mark]

Hey Jose, Mark the American; still complaining about my Kawasaki, just checking in from Tafraoute, (which you would see as bouldering heaven---wonderful, sculptural rock). I still maintain that Morrocans drive better than Italians, but I did have an inches-from-death experience yesterday coming up from W. Sahara, so maybe I will come around to your point of view. Nice blog, and much appreciated. Mine will follow someday. enjoy, Mark