Although during the day we had few ceremonies and experiences on the road, it definitely had a touching beginning and great ending.

After a small breakfast in the hotel we were invited to the brand new library of Taza. It was a beautiful modern place dedicated to the local children and youth. We also visited the local botanic garden which was being upgraded to include a playground area. We were very impressed by the care and dedication to the children`s safety and well-being demonstrated by the local authorities.

We headed off to meet the young runners that had accompanied us on our run through the city yesterday. When we arrived at the school, we were welcomed by crowds of smiling kids and we went straight to the school stadium. After a few laps with these young athletes we invited the whole crowd to join us. The stadium was roaring with joy and enthusiasm. Using the microphone from the car we had a brief ceremony and the chance to take lots of photos with the kids.

Among the many people that we met, we were most surprised to encounter a 2:15 marathon runner that spoke Czech. It was a funny situation, because just a few days before we were joking that it would be virtually impossible to meet a Moroccan that spoke Czech. One group of children sung a moving song for us in Arabic which we will never forget.

The whole meeting was so much fun that it was almost impossible to leave the kids for we knew that soon we would be alone in the mountains again. We were very grateful to all the organisers and representatives of this city who had so nicely arranged this beautiful meeting.

We only passed one small town, it really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

We were glad to have some time to take some nice pictures of these beautiful sand dunes and mountains of Africa.

Although we did not have any organised appointments during the day we did have 2 visitors. The first was a lady from Belgium and her Moroccan husband that stopped to take a few steps for world harmony.

As the day went on we met another couple, this time from Germany, that were on their way back home. These people were real adventurers. It was hard not to take notice of their car which seemed like a combination of a tank and a caravan. They were on a two month trip through the African desert but had to return after some car trouble. What made it more interesting was the fact that they had brought their two kids along.

The rest of the day was spent running through a dry desert-like landscape with the snow-covered Atlas mountains on the far horizon.

A Desert picnic.

Zoltan considers running next.

The Grand Canyon of Morocco

We are continually astonished by the weather we have encountered over the last few days. We have been running under hot conditions and at the same time being whipped by a cold dry wind.

By sunset we arrived at our final destination in Morocco - Taourirt. After all the places we have passed through and all the different experiences we have had in this country it was really hard to imagine what could happen tonight. We were not greeted by runners at the entrance of the town so we started to think that there wouldn't be much happening but this was Morocco, a land of surprises.

As we made the turn we could hear drums close by and before we knew it, we were enveloped by a huge crowd cheering and singing. The Local Authorities together with the Governor of the region guided us through what seemed like the entire inhabitants of the town.

Traditional folk music groups played loudly, dancing and singing with joy.

The local TV and press were ready to conduct interwiews and to capture the whole scene as we arrived to the Town Hall.

A group of children dressed in traditional costumes released white doves in our honor. As we proceeded inside of the city hall, the officials gave a great speech highlighting the importance of creating harmony at home and in the community.

When we reached our accomodation and had freshened up, we went downstairs and were met by two friendly waiters especially provided for us. Our royal dinner consisted of a three course meal big enough to feed a family of 10. Many thanks Taourirt.

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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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