Destined for Casablanca, we quickly abandoned the idea of staying off the highways in favour of small roads and tracks. The road network in rural Morocco is simply not up to it. Travelling via the motorway from Tanger to Casablanca is a journey of 310km via the motorway, but this becomes nearly 600km when staying off the national highway.
Whilst stopping for a brief break in an unknown town enroute, I came to grief in the main street. An enthusiastic car driver threw open his door as I was travelling past, and it collided with the side of my bike to send me tumbling into the street. No major injuries to worry about, but my throat smashed the leading edge of the windscreen leaving it bruised and painful to swallow. The rest is just a bit of bark missing and the pain of having to buy a round of margaritas this evening for the laughing hyenas.
The car driver was most apologetic and helped us get the bike up and off the street. He was genuinely remorseful and arranged a round of coca colas while we decided what to do. In the end, the damage (both physical and mechanical) was minor and cosmetic, so we hugged shoulders and just agreed to fix our own vehicles.
A nearby bike shop kindly assisted with repairing the pannier that was torn off when the bike slid down the street. They also carried several windscreens, so we choose a replacement and modified it to fit.
No real harm done, and a salient reminder to be extra careful in this unfamiliar environment.
