When we last checked in with Itchy Boots, Noraly had just started a new journey on her Honda CRF300L Rally (the bike also known as Alaska). After taking a ferry from Spain to Morocco, both woman and bike set out to ride, explore, and experience a place where she’d only had a limited opportunity to spend time previously—as well as see a great many countries in Africa that she’s never visited before.
The journey is the point of Itchy Boots’ videos—not so much the destination, but how she gets there, who she meets, and what she sees, experiences, and shares with us along the way. In this video, she starts out in the High Atlas mountain range of Morocco, where the morning starts below freezing (about –5 degrees Celsius, or about 23 degrees Fahrenheit).
Luckily, the very nice couple in whose accommodation Noraly stayed have a warm stove, and serve a lovely-looking and warm breakfast with hot tea to warm up before going outside. As she takes off, she crosses a seasonal river that is now mostly dry, but will be much more active later in the season. Today, though, in the places where there was still a bit of water, it’s now ice.
As she travels on, she notes the wide range of different languages spoken in the area. She came expecting to be able to use her French due to the area’s colonial history (Morocco achieved independence from France in 1956). However, she’s since discovered that there are quite a few people who also speak Spanish thanks to a lot of Spanish visitors to the area. (Morocco and Spain also have a long history that’s worth digging into if you’re interested, but it’s a bit outside the purview of RideApart.) A variety of other languages are also spoken here, including various forms of Arabic and Berber—and languages used vary widely based on where in the country you’re traveling.
No matter what languages are spoken, though, one constant throughout Noraly’s videos is just how friendly and helpful people tend to be. Whether she’s stopping to ask for directions, or she’s trying to find somewhere to eat lunch, people are unfailingly kind in every language. It’s a great reminder that there are a lot of amazing people in the world, if we only have the chance to spend time with them.
By the end of the video, she’s reached the Sahara Desert, and has spent a bit of time on the edge before finding accommodation near some dunes that she plans to explore. In the next video, we should get to see a bit more time in the sand.
