December 28, 2011

by Mike Reali in Marrakech, Morocco

We are back on the road. After five nights stuck in Marrakech it almost feels like back to normal, being on an open road in an ever changing landscape. But Marrakech marked a sharp corner in our journey. The ambulance has taken a beating, and we’re all a little worse for wear as well. Tomorrow will mark one week since I last showered and changed my clothes at Jen’s house in Rabat, and between the four of us the ambulance is imbued with a special funk all its own. As we head into the desert our mighty vehicle has never felt so fragile. After weeks of preparation at the mechanic’s in New Jersey, and driving it all over the place from Agawam, MA to Washington DC, I was certain we’d reach Bamako without any major incident. But now it feels like anything could go wrong. However there was no sense in sticking around Marrakech any longer; our mechanic there had done all he could, and we’re a full two days behind the rest of the rally teams. We can only carefully press on and take things as they come.