11/24/2023 Bikepacking Morocco Day 108 : Guelmim Errands

I’ve been trying to explain to Janet what it is like here, and I keep coming back to extremes. The good people are really good: bright and welcoming smiles and big hearts. And the bad people… well maybe I’ve been typecasting the bad ones; coming down too hard on the money/candy grubbers as you will see:

I just found a Moroccan guy named Aboubakr on Strava who is 10 days into a bike tour of Morocco. He is from Guelmim (where I am now), and I was writing to him for help finding a bike shop. He is not here right now, but he saw the same French cyclist (Michel) who I saw a few days ago! Aboubakr wrote on his Strava, “Three joyful kids approached asking for candy, spreading smiles that truly made my day.” Whaaaaa?

Why have I been fighting this? It suddenly occurred to me that a simple change of attitude and behavior could flip my experience 180 degrees. Am I making my own “badness” out of Morocco? Probably. Why?

I think it is because I’m hung up on two things:

Number One: These kids have managed to learn “candy, pen, money” in French, but they never say “please” (in any language, including Arabic). That gets me too - but maybe it is just my culture? Is just saying “give me…” ok in other cultures?

Number Two: I bring from my own culture that giving handouts is “bad.” Yet, yesterday, several of my friends just handed over money to me - and a lot more than the value of a giant bag of candy. I didn’t deserve these handouts! People were willing to give me more money than the actual cost of the puppy care. Why? I didn’t ask for anything, yet people rapidly just gave. Should I just give to the local people here? Where do I draw the line? Who “deserves” giving? Who doesn’t? Definitely the rock throwers don’t deserve anything… but what about others? Am I leaving a trail of problems for those who follow in my footsteps if I give just to make my own day better for me?

Anyway, I didn’t have to deal with any of that nonsense today. In fact, I thought from the map and the layout of the city that Guelmim would be a depressing spot in the desert. Instead, I really like it here - so far a genuinely good time. I went to a bike shop for to ask about sealant for my tires. “No way you will find that!” He announced. Later, I saw the same man at the grocery store and you know how there is that thing where you see someone twice, but in a different place? That familiarity, however brief, somehow catapults your relationship into the next level of friendship. He asked questions about the tour, as did other nearby locals - with zero snake oil anywhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, I went to pay Ayoub (the vet assistant) for the puppy services. My main concern was that the puppies wouldn’t get good enough care here. I made sure that he agreed to send me photos of the puppies being cared for, raise them for 2 months, and then send photos of them in good homes. I checked in on the little guys in the morning, and it really did make me happy to see them. I don’t consider myself to be an animal lover. I’ll confess that I have thrown rocks at attacking dogs, kicked ramming goats in the head (saved my mom’s life once from a goat), and (more recently) yelled at children that were behaving like wild animals. But I gotta say, if I had been coming home within a week of meeting Mila, I may very well have figured out how to bring that dog with me.

I insisted that Ayoub wash the puppies. They looked kind of uncomfortably dirty - still with yogurt in their fur. He sent photos (attached), giving me good confidence that they are being loved.

I’m taking naproxen for the Achilles, and it already feels a lot better. The weather window for “comfort” in Sub Saharan Africa has a tiny aperture - I’d say November 20 until February 1. I hate to blow one of those precious days, but I think that taking tomorrow off too will pay dividends in the next leg. Thanks again for all the kindness and generosity you all displayed in yesterday’s activity. Your help made it much easier to ensure the puppies received care moving forward. Everyone who commented participated in driving that in the right direction. Thank you.