An Experience by HUBERTUS Host Karl Traubel

SPEZL
That was my family’s reaction when I told them I wanted to go to Morocco and the “big sandbox” (the Sahara) with my Spezl (a Bavarian term for friend or acquaintance). And all of this by bike, no less. Since my family is used to my escapades, they didn’t object—which wouldn’t have done any good anyway. The only thing that kept coming up was the question about my will. So, the day before I left, I wrote one out by hand, put it in the safe, and sent it to our family lawyer.

VETERAN
The driving force behind this tour was a veteran of the MTB scene and the creator of the Alpentransalp—a ride from Oberstdorf to Merano—Andi Heckmaier, 74 years old (seventy-four!) and still in great shape. With support from and organized by Top Mountain Tours, we flew—or rather, fled—from the Allgäu winter heading south to the Dark Continent. After just a three-hour flight, we landed in another world—a completely different culture and a different pace of life. Marrakech was our destination on Marroco Air, and we stayed in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house with a courtyard and a rooftop garden. By the way, the term comes from the Arabic word for garden, riyāḍ (from which the name of the city Riyadh is also derived). The design of these courtyards in Morocco’s coastal region stems from the local adaptation of the Roman villa architectural style (atrium house). The riad became popular with the advent of Islam. They offer families protection and privacy. Many riads in Marrakesh are used as hotels today (I copied this from Wikipedia). “We”—that was six cycling enthusiasts from the Allgäu region, plus one from the outskirts of the Allgäu in Leutkirch—and our team: a tour guide (a young whippersnapper, 20 years old), two drivers for the support jeeps, a cook, and two assistants.

HOLLYWOOD IN AFRICA
The next day, we set off in two Toyota Jeeps and an old Mercedes van (estimated 500,000 km). First, we crossed the High Atlas in pouring rain and light snowfall; just like on the south side of the Alps back home, it was beautiful but cold and windy. So windy, in fact, that our bikes “almost” flew horizontally if you weren’t sitting on them. We made it through the first day despite the strong crosswinds. Our destination was Quarzazate, a film location where, for example, *Game of Thrones*, *Gladiator*, *The Bible: Joseph*, *The Jesus Video*, *The Bible* (miniseries), as well as *The Pope’s Daughter* and *The Physician* were filmed. The next day, Agdz was our destination; the route was relatively good, and after a little over 80 km, we reached our destination. The description mentioned something about 46 km . The even bigger challenge was that there was no beer—just peppermint tea and water. The following day (it was getting warmer and warmer), we veered off the main road (we were riding mountain bikes, after all) onto an extremely rough road toward Zagora. The Draa Valley, with its thousands of date palms, marked our path. In the end, we’d covered 107 km and found a hotel that served beer. I can only reveal exactly how much we drank in a private conversation . Zagora isn’t exactly a must-see town—just a few pottery workshops , inhabited by Berbers. The comparatively large date palm oasis remains the center of agricultural production to this day—on small plots, barley, beans, onions, cabbage, and other vegetables are grown in the spring. Harvest time is as early as March or April. Furthermore, Zagora has always been a market and trading hub for the region; in the 20th century, various craft and service businesses were added. Desert tourism also plays a significant role in the town’s economy. The next day, we crossed a mountain pass , where we passed through the gateway to the Sahara, right into the vast sandy expanse. I never cease to be fascinated by the desert. You think you’re traveling alone, and yet somehow, as if conjured up out of thin air, one, two, or more figures always appear. They’re imbued with a friendliness that’s truly impressive. Of course, with our shorts, we always had everyone laughing—no begging, nothing. At noon, when we met up with our kitchen crew, we’d always eat and rest a bit in a beautiful, shady spot. Whatever we couldn’t finish went to the boys from the village.

DESERT CAMP
With four camps in the Sahara, passing by the giant dunes that are several hundred meters high, daily stages of about 80–100 kilometers, temperatures up to 47 degrees, and cool nights, we arrived in Foum-Zguid, located to the northwest. A garrison town with the fastest internet I’ve ever experienced. Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Söder, should try this out so he knows just how fast the digital world is moving in Africa. Here in Balderschwang, we’re still miles away from that. It’s remarkable, anyway—traveling by camel, sitting on a donkey, with an infant at its mother’s breast and a cell phone pressed to the ear or within reach. That wasn’t the case thirty years ago , when I first crossed the Sahara by car. The journey was drawing to a close with the final day of driving—the biggest deviation from the tour map—and 110 km to go. On the trip, we encountered only one Dutch and one Californian cycling group, both of which rode through the Vallee du Draa and then turned back. Way down in the south, near the giant dunes, travelers were staying in luxury camps; otherwise, we didn’t encounter any tourists until we reached Marrakesh. One of our companions earns an average of 300 euros a month, which he uses to support his family and parents. I think tourism offers these people a good opportunity to provide for their families. Furthermore, I wish for and hope that this country will experience stable political development; this would also benefit our own development in Europe.

A TOAST TO MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER
Back home in Balderschwang, I’m looking forward to fresh mountain spring water—not from plastic bottles—lush green valleys with Allgäu Brown cattle (even though dromedaries are cool creatures), mountain cheese and bacon (even though I really enjoyed the couscous), an Allgäu Brauhaus Büblebier, because peppermint tea tastes great at the right time, though an after-work beer in the evening can bea pleasure that’s indescribable...
Wishing you all the best—Yours, Karl.

P.S.: ...and green mountains, snow-capped peaks—even though sand dunes are beautiful, they're just hard to walk up.