Morocco 17 March: El Ksar el Kebir - Sidi Kacem
At the City Hall we again met our friends from the local running club as well as some dignitaries. We would like to offer a special thanks to social coordinator Akil Abdessabour for being our guide and translator during our stay.
The representatives of the city of Ksar El Kebir really treated us like kings and we were sorry to say goodbye. As we ran through the town, children from local schools came running out from side streets to join us for a few meters. Our team was growing minute by minute.
It's interesting to mention a great custom that we discovered in Morocco. When they meet you they will often shake your hand and then bring the palm of their hand to their heart. We wish this tradition could spread to other countries. It's a great reminder of our hearts and the connection that we need to feel to strangers that we meet.
It's our third day in this magnificent country and all the people we meet really want to emphasise to us that they feel we are all one big world family.
We hear this in every town we come to.
Along the road we come across such interesting people and scenes of everyday life. We meet young shepherds that want to run a few steps with us. There are always donkeys galloping slowly by our side to keep us company.
We are not sure why these peacocks were sitting on this perch by the road but they gave tremendous joy to Enrico as he finished his 5km run.
The ceramics of Morocco are famous and we are constantly passing stalls selling beautiful colourful plates.
We often think of Morocco as a country of deserts and sand dunes but in this northern part it is surprisingly lush and green.
Another interesting phenomenon is the reaction we receive when we start to take photos of the local people. Most of the people are eager to have us take their picture but many are still very fearful.
They often come out to cheer us on but when we bring out the camera they scatter in seconds only to reappear when the camera has been put away.
If this sign was in Europe it would probably mean no canoeing allowed here, but in Morocco it's obviously a stop sign.
At the end of the day there is nothing better for our tired team than running into the last town of the day with some local runners. They probably don't realise how much energy they give us when they run with the torch.
They were great companions as we ran to the steps of the Sidi Kacem Town Hall. After an official welcome by Abdelhak Mchich the Pacha or governor of the provence we were offered a huge array of local treats and hot mint tea.
After quickly freshening up we headed to a dinner with members of the local government and there we were lucky to meet the Mayor, Arbi Ghartit.
At the front desk of the hotel last night an "Obi-Wan Kenobi" type character came to help Honza check in.
Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Nelson (Homagni) Baptista (Australia), Namitabha Aleksander Arsic (Serbia), Marc Schrader (Germany) Honza Minarcik (Czech Republic), Zoltán Theobald (Hungary), Pierre Lantuas Monfouga (France), Enrico Eugenio (Italy).
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