Day 186 - Horse Riding in Morocco and the Heat Finally Broke Me

We woke up to an absolute scorcher of a morning. The second we stepped outside to make coffee it felt like the heat hit us all at once. Up until now Morocco had mostly been warm and comfortable, but this was our first proper taste of serious heat.

We made coffees and sat downstairs for breakfast while chatting with the young German girl staying at the accommodation, who was getting herself organised for a surf lesson. We were due to head off horse riding again later in the morning, so everyone sunscreened up, grabbed water bottles and tried to prepare for what was obviously going to be a very warm day.

Transport arrived a little later than planned, which is honestly all part of the slower pace of life here, and we eventually made our way back out to the horse compound we’d visited the day before.

The compound itself sits hidden behind huge walls, sheltered from the wind, so it felt even hotter inside there than it did near the ocean. While we waited for everything to get organised, Emmett and Kia spent time patting the horses while Maddie and I searched for little pockets of shade to cool down in.

Eventually the horses were ready and we headed off once again toward the beach.

The ride down was a real adventure. Rocky paths, winding tracks and narrow little sections between stone walls kept everyone focused, especially the kids, who were becoming much more confident on horseback with each ride. My horse definitely took its time across some of the rougher ground, but once we reached the beach the cool ocean breeze made everything instantly feel better.

The beach itself was beautiful.

Wide open sand, waves rolling in and barely anyone around.

We stopped for tea and biscuits near the ocean and everyone had a chance to relax a little. Emmett was immediately keen to learn how to canter along the beach, while the rest of us mostly enjoyed sitting in the shade watching the horses and listening to the waves.

At one point I actually fell asleep for a little while under the shade shelter, completely worn out from the heat and the rough night’s sleep before. I woke up to discover Maddie had hopped on a horse for a go, despite originally saying she didn’t want to, and later Kia ended up giving it a try too. It turned into one of those funny travel moments where everyone slowly ends up outside their comfort zone.

The horses themselves definitely seemed to be feeling the heat as much as we were. One in particular had spent most of the break happily eating hay and looked very content with life.

By the afternoon the heat had started catching up with me a bit, so I took things slowly on the ride back and was happy to eventually make it back to the accommodation for some rest.

I tried laying down for a while, but the flies had other ideas, so instead we all wandered up to the nearby pool while Kia did some washing. The kids jumped straight into the water while Kia and I sat chatting about the trip, Morocco and everything we’ve experienced so far. Travel has a funny way of making you slow down and reassess things constantly, and this part of Morocco has definitely pushed us outside our comfort zones in a few different ways.

Once the washing was done we headed back and settled in for a quieter evening. The kids watched a movie while I spent some time catching up on website work for Running Wild Together, which I’d fallen a little behind on lately.

A big tour group arrived during the evening and we ended up chatting with a few Australians and other travellers who were asking about the area, the water temperature, restaurants and what there was to do nearby. It’s funny how quickly travellers connect with each other when you’re all passing through the same places.

Later on we headed back to our favourite local restaurant for dinner. We’ve pretty much perfected our order there now, with a couple of mains and a heap of sides shared between everyone. Maddie still insists on getting her salad every time.

After dinner we headed home for another warm Moroccan night. Even with all the windows open there wasn’t much breeze around, so the apartment stayed pretty hot well into the evening.

Definitely one of the hotter and slower-paced days of the trip, but still another memorable experience for the family and another reminder that travel days aren’t always perfect postcards. Sometimes they’re just long, messy, hot adventures that eventually become the stories you laugh about later.