During our 3 weeks riding in Morocco, luck led us to Saytlia, Mohamed’s and Irene’s organic farm. Of course, they cultivate their land without chemicals, but more importantly, they do it with passion and conscience. A whole ethic gravitates around the farm. This is what makes it so rare. This is what won us over and convinced us to talk about this initiative.

Our video report about Saytlia (interviews are in French)

So we have made a movie and written an article about Saytlia. Both are in French, but we suggest that you CHECK OUR ARTICLE HERE, and USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE to read it in your own language. (It has made enormous progress and will hopefully give you a correct translation!)

If you are truly interested in this topic, tell us (write a comment below or send us a mail) and we will try to make our next report more international !

This recipe comes straight from Andalusia. Very easy and quick to cook, discover the flavours of the south of Spain with this recipe of  Gambas al ajillo!

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Way of life

– The hammam we tested was not of its first youth, and it was after all for the better: we were at the heart of the Moroccan tradition. There are two rooms, the second hotter than the first one. The heat remains soft, we sweat without realizing it. Then comes the show … A Moroccan joins us. His mission: to cleanse us from head to toe. At first his flannel burns. We are on a spit, turning to offer each side to the burn of the scraper. We then adjust and relax. Eventually, our guy turns into a masseur and, in a far too expert movement to be  describable, he attacks our spinal column: several vertebrae crack but the stretching makes us grow 5 cm!
The price of this makeover: 10 dirhams (entry) + 30 dirhams (tip for the “massage”).

– Each village has its barber. We both tried it: our beard had never been cut with such precision before. Then, of course, you need time: 20 minutes for shaving only! The price is set by the client, roughly 30-40 dirhams for the beard, 50 dirhams for the beard and hair.

– Young people seem to dress more and more Western, but many men still wear the jilbab (with underwear of course). We would have tried, but cycling would have become quite complicated …

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We arrived in Morocco on August 1, 2013. We cross the border via Ceuta and start riding towards Tetouan. Along the road, the scenery is deserted. Houses are silent. Shops are closed. The ghost train of the theme park is certainly made of real ghosts… Gardeners water the lawn along the road: they are the only living souls. Which illness this country is suffering from?!

Surprise! In Morocco, the August 1, 2013 is also the 23th day of the month of Ramadan. The country does not suffer: the country lives at the rythm of Islam. 98% of Moroccans are indeed Muslim and, during the month of Ramadan, they fast from dawn to sunset. They feast during the night (between the Maghrib prayer, which breaks fasting, and the Fajr prayer, which announces the beginning of fasting), get up late and live slowly to hold until the night.

Morocco makes itself heard pretty quickly. His message is clear: “Gentlemen cyclists, you’re not in Europe anymore, be ready to be amazed!”

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