Sidi Ifni – is a former Spanish town on the Atlantic coast. The main focal point of the town is basically a large roundabout with palm trees and ornate gardens in the centre, surround by Art Deco buildings. The boundary of the gardens is marked by a wall about 3 feet high with stone pillars holding the top up. This has been painted a bright blue, but apparently they ran out of paint at some point as there is a distinct line where 2 shades of blue meet.
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The Hotel Bellevue provided us with the shelter for the night and parking for the bikes. There’s a bar and a terrace area to enjoy the sun and the view down the cliffs to the beach below. The ocean looked tempting so the 4 of us donned our t-shirts, shorts, flip flops and helmets and took a trip down to the beach. Despite it being straight down a cliff, the road to it isn’t easy, but we made it. The sea was warm but a refreshing break from the direct sun, but the rollers are strong here, easily knocking a fat bloke (me) off his feet. Joining us on the beach was a large gull (or similar), obviously in pain. It had a fishing hook stuck in its mouth which despite attempts from myself & Nigel, we couldn’t free. A small crowd gathered, all trying to help, without success, when a nice local man came along and picked the bird up and walked off with it. I’d bet he got the hook free, probably by chopping the whole head off and chucking the rest in the oven.
We couldn’t find anywhere to eat that evening but walking around, we came across a Café with no signage outside and no-one inside, apart from some bloke. Turns out this was the best meal since Zinebs Pizza. He spends the time you eat drawing out your receipt. Then back to the hotel bar for a pot of Mint tea (very popular in Morocco - very nice) before crashing out for the night, despite the bar being open until 1am.
After breakfast in the morning, Jen & I headed off up the West coast to Essouira. Nigel & Hannah had decided to stay for another day, and it turns out, they ended up getting a flat and staying for about 2 months with some German bloke who was in Schindlers List.
Sidi Ifni – Essouira –
This part of the tour was mostly on open roads, so although it was around 200 miles, it didn’t take us long at all. Even Agadir traffic didn’t hold us up too long. There were coastal and mountainous stretches along the way but nothing too testing, apart from the bumpiness nearing Essouira. It’s here that you see the bizarre sights of goats looking down at you from the trees.
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