From Here.

Here I am in Casablanca at my hotel. Not in my pyjamas because I still have no bike and no luggage. I have so few belongings that I could list them here for you:

Net book

Camera

Clothes I’m wearing

Credit card and a bit of cash

I now can also add to the list a tooth brush, tooth paste which I later bought realising the brush didn’t cut it alone and a shaver because apparently a tidy cyclist is a happy cyclist. At the moment a good shave has failed to make me happy so I may have to stop saying that. I suppose its debatable as to whether you can now call me a cyclist. I have the shaver so can keep my legs hairless so in my eyes I’m still a cyclist.

At the moment British airways have taken my beloved bike and gear from me. They are about to take my dream of a continuous around the world cycle from me and they have probably taken a couple years of my life from me in the stress they have generated. In another day or so they will have cost me another couple thousand dollars for a ticket home (which wont be on BA). But they can not and will not take my accomplishments so far from me, or the joy I have of cycling, and cycle touring. Once I have recovered from this I will be on a bike again and cycling.

I am too depressed to talk or think about where my bike might be. But I wont totally give up on him being re-united with me . I will wait in Casablanca for the time necessary to feel that BA has lost him for good. But you have to imagine that I feel pretty vulnerable with no gear here and no wheels at hand. And I have to arrange the flight home to alleviate these concerns. Once I have paid for the return flight obviously the around the world in one go will be over. I wont attempt it again because its too full of problems that the cyclist has no control over and also because I have already now completed so many countries. Not to mention the financial cost.

I will if no Mercian arrives, go home, support Adi during her operation and recovery, then re-group for the future cycling of individual countries.

BA you will not break me. I have unfinished buisness and further countries to cycle before I have completed my cycling exploits around the globe.

I was about to say at least my Word program is back, but it just froze again. Thanks Microsoft geeks. I've always got the word pad. Famous last words.

Its funny the sort of things that go through your head when you are alone and a bit vulnerable. Last night in bed I thought I would have to go to the NZ consulate for help when my credit cards didn't work anymore (after all everything else is down) and they kicked me out of the hotel. But I thought how would I get there with no bike or money?How would I phone them with no cell phone connection (thanks Vodafone, "yes mr niel the wheel , your phone will work in Morocco, part of Europe, isn't it")?

Then at breakfast (which is part of the room rate at the hotel), I ate my boiled egg. I hate boiled eggs as my parents forced them down me as a kid. But I thought, Niel, this could be your last bit of food for awhile don't waste it.

Now just in case some of you are thinking that Niel should be happy that he is in sunny hot Casablanca I should tell you at this point that yes I am on the coast and can see the sea and a no. of palm trees. But that's as far as the tourist image goes. It is in fact pretty cold at 14C, windy and raining. My coat and booties are comfortably nestled next to my bike somewhere between here and Rio.

No the Lens isn't Dirty there's a Storm Coming in.

Later if the sun comes out I will walk to the lighthouse. But wouldn't contemplate throwing myself in because then I wouldn't be around to watch BA meet financial ruin as more customers end up like me. (Its only now that on searching the internet for my stuff that I see they are one of the worst airlines for loosing peoples belongings. You'd think in that case they'd be good at finding them again wouldn't you?)

I leave you for now with the photo of sunny Casablanca.