Day 7: Oualidia to Safi

February 22, 2023

It shouldn't have been this hard

“I can see why Joanna said this was the toughest 65km”, Rachel says. Today was harder than expected for Rachel, even with the wind helping. And for them they had a headwind.

The Kepinski’s were kind enough to get up early to see us off, helping carry gear down the stairs. We say goodbye and hopefully have convinced them to visit us in Boise. We have too many stories to share that a few hours over dinner was not long enough.

We say goodbye to the Kepinski's and expect to see them again, maybe in Boise.

Immediately leaving the hotel is a steep climb, but this gets us out to the edge of town. The road has no shoulder and is rough and broken in parts. The traffic though remains considerate most giving us a wide berth when passing. The landscape is more scenic as we follow the coast, on top of the cliffs. Below us are farm fields all the way to the beach. There are more hills today, even with the tailwind, some of the hills are a struggle for Rachel, and the worse part the hills really aren’t that steep. Oh, the beginning of a tour can be painful.

Patrick takes many great photos that show the rural Moroccan life. There are very few shops along the way. We missed a chance for a cold drink when cycling through one of the few towns. It was bustling with market day. As advised by the Kepinski’s we take the “shortcut” road the last 13km into town. It takes us through a couple of small towns, and then steeply down past the city campground into downtown Safi.

Photo by Kepinski's, spot the cyclist on the hill Thanks for the photo

We reach Safi around 2pm. At the traffic circle at the bottom of the hill, we stop for a late lunch before finding the hotel. We are spotted by a guy who convinces us to eat, thinking he was part of the restaurant. There is a set menu with deep fried fish and bread, we order only one serving which is plenty to feed us both. There is sole, shrimp, and several other unidentified see creatures, all covered in batter and nicely fried.

50dhm ($5.00) for a plate of a variety of fish. We stop to eat before getting to our hotel

Rachel's camera is only working on zoom so excuse the bad picture. Hotel Riad Asfi, where the Kepinski's stayed

With full bellies we ride the last couple of kilometers downtown. Our hotel is a little more expensive, but in a great location. We could be saving money by staying in the campground, but there is no way we would have made it downtown, and back up that hill. After some rest Patrick walks to a supermarket to get some supplies for tomorrow. We don’t expect to find much along the road between here and Essaouria. Rachel works on our journal. In the evening we walk towards the Medina and down several busy market streets. We find a side alley full of beautiful pottery. Huge colorful platters. We would need a car to get them home. For dinner we find a small restaurant that according to googlemaps is “woman owned”. The food is great.