Left the pairofknees this morning, traditionally late at 10am and ran through the small roads of southern france. Thank goodness its sunday and the roads are quiet because it became quite a task to do 500km. At 5to 5 i was at the cave i missed on the way down hoping to get in. They closed 6minutes before i got there as the clock on the bike was 10minutes slow! They open at10am tomorrow so i headed to rocamadour about 12km away. This is the number two rural tourist spot and as i entered there was an end of season festival on and around 20 hot air ballons were taking off from the valley below the chateau. Camping in france is now out of the question as their season is over, very short season huh? Talking of seasons, i noticed today the trees are begining to shed and it reminded me of when i set out in april just as they were bursting into life and my journey was begining. It seems fitting now that as my journey ends, or at least part of it, that the trees begin to shed as summer closes and autumn begins. So to a hotel, but with the festival the only room was 109euro, nice though, and the restaurant minimum was four courses. I asked for a beer and felt like a naughty school boy!
I sat atop the ramparts of the chateau to watch an incredible show of colour as the sun went down. A meloncholy mood has hit today, it feels like an ending, made more significant by the lonelyness of life. Thoughts of home and back to life normal and ordinary, beaten by each day yet to come. I must remember to read my diary, to remember how life has been and could be again, maybe its time to plan adventure part three. The caves tomorrow then a marathon journey home. The red bull to keep me going will no doubt change my mood. See you all in a day, winter is just 24hours away for me, physically and emotionally.
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Yesterday was considerably uneventful as i ran to a campsite 260km south of madrid, nothing of interest until i met a man in the bar. None of the people here spoke anything but spanish and even soured when i asked if they spoke french! One guy insisted i got to know everything about his little bike which was a pityful little thing but he was incredibly proud of it! Nice he was happy and goes to put me in my place! Today i raised my miserable head in a bad mood at 930 and packed and left at 1015 knowing i was already late for what was going to be a long run to the pairofknees. While the sun shone, the mood in the petrol stations and lunchtime cafe were predictably dark! As i approached the pyrenees, i saw dark clouds and wondered if i could beat them to france. Nope. Changing into wet weather gear in a petrol station and two spanish motorcycle cops pulled in. Please dont look at the 2mm of tread on my back wheel! I got away and slowly pitched through the mountains in the rain. Heading for the second campsite dave had told me about. It was closed, he was only 50% right! Wait till i see him next time! So into a hotel for 32 euros which gives a great opportunity to dry out and ironically has the most fantastic shower! Nice nosh too so not a bad deal, especially since the french know how to smile! Night all …x
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Right. I got through the docks and onto the campsite in tarifa pitched and done just as the sun went down. Considerebly less wind than when i arrived but the bar was closing! Prices out of season in spain havent changed though! Afeaid my view of spain is tainted forever. They are an arrogant miserable breed which persist in ripping you off for both substandard products and service. There are a few exceptions, ive met five spanish that were quite lovely, all of which were women bar one who i bought a drink for to start a conversation. Not a country worth hovering in, beautiful sceanery but even the serving staff are miserable, throwing your food or change at you regardless of any smiles or attempts to befreind. Out of all the places ive been spain is very much bottom of my list to revisit. So on the campsite i re met dave who is a bird fancier, arent we all… And had a nice evening exchanging adventure stories of north africa over a beer, although his tales beat mine, but he has had nine years of travelling to gather them!
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Sorrry folks, my phone was playing up so got a little behind with updates
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Well here i am back in spain after some furtive dealings at the docks. A couple of bribes saw me first on the ferry with all my papers and no stops at customs at either end. Life has been fun in morocco, i hope totell all at forthcoming parties. Excellent place for adventure. I did go to cabo negro to meet a man called eddie but wasnt succesful. Now ive seen morocco, spain holds no allure for me so its straight back with maybe a stop in france to see a castle i missed on the way down. See you all soon. Xxx
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Headed to casablanca and got into the city, not at all the romantic notion you have of this famous place. The lorries and cars long past their useful life churn out deep bellowing dirty fumes that choke. They have no order to their driving and within 30minutes id more than had enough of mad cap overtaking and skimming either side of me to make me whince with horror. Since poop valve was broken and needed servicing every half hour i headed back to where i stayed my first night in morocco, in larache. The guy on reception remembered me and was very glad to see his hotel key again, i had been carrying it since id left. I fell into bed, with intentions to go out later but the only sights i saw this time were the toilet and my bed!
A bit later…
Left larache heading to the lixus ruins, impressive if you know your history, unfortunately, i dont! Im so uncultured! Into asilan and found a nice hotel but everything in minature! Used the toilet 10 or 12 times then fell asleep for three hours. Walked to the medina which has the exotic feel of an old greek island. Shower and out for dinner where i meet yet another old con artist. The entertainment with these guys is well worth the few euro they manage to part from you, always ending with a quick exit excuse of ‘i must go pray’ which is code for ‘find another punter.’ So ive bought some sandels for 15quid - they hurt already, i must shave my toes -, a 100grams of safron for 12quid, got a silver necklace with coral beads which will keep me safe from the evil eye - for ‘free’ because he felt i was kind, not to mention two large bags of natural viagra. Now, what would i want with natural viagra? Although it may be handy, i think you need two to trial and test. The interesting bit to this was the offer to try before i buy…ive often thought i should wander the streets of morocco at night with a bulge in my pocket, but not that kind of bulge! In the end ive parted with 30quid, about 380 dirham, but i have some things to hold, some smiles to remember and an experience yet to come, for me and some lucky girl!
A bit later still….
Had a close shave. I forgot to mention today i had a haicut and a real shave, i mean one like ive never had before. My face is as clean as a babies bum, its taken ten years off me. I now look 17again. Fantastic feeling, why cant we get this in england?
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Had a terrible accident, i thought it was a trump, then i thought the warm feeling in my trousers was the glow from the days beautiful sun, only to find out im now poo pants jo. Having to stop every half hour to poop, im exhausted by it ! Gonna head to asilan for two nights to recover, drink water and look to see what tablets i have…oooo….gotta go….theres a burble in my bum.
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Today, breakfast at 9am with p and a then into the kasbar which was very memorable, although each corner seemed to have a tourist boutique with owners swarming like flies to sell, without meaning to sound snobby, tourist trash. Nice morning, then another goodbye as we headed for marrakesh, same route but slightly different intentions. Crossing the atlas mountains took me to 4000m up and back down and suddenly it was very cold. Met two italians doing a similar route on bmws, then met them three more times! One of them said he had heard about me in italy from one of his freinds in europe, said he recognised the bike, amazing eh??? In a hotel 30km from marrakesh waiting to see what tomorrow brings, hoping to get up early…hoping!
….a bit later
Im parked up in a hotel in serrat, when i say this i mean literally, shirley is up some stairs and parked in the reception just in front of the desk for safety… !!!
A bit later still…..
Breakfast with the french in the hotel then into marrakesh, perfectly into a secure carpark and wandered to find a laberinth of dead ends, music smoke and shops of the souqs. The main square is huge and had snake charmers, dancing monkeys, hoopla and orange juice stands. Wandered until lost and bought some saffron for big sis then still lost, further confused by children sending me the wrong way and had to pay someone to show me the way out! Rode to within 60km of casablanca and found a hotel who said my bike would be safe up the steps inside next to the reception desk. If only my camera wasnt broken! Shirley has an interesting bed for the night! Out to find dinner but its after ramadan and now food during the night is hard to find! During ramadan food in the daytime was hard to find as many places just close due to little business, now they close at night as traditionally everyone eats with family for a rew days after ramadan in a kind of party atmosphere. Add to this the somewhat backward town im in and ive rushed to my room since the current poo valve was about to fail due to fried wild cat kebab.
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Again a late breakfast but very enjoyable, pietro and alice intend a walk to see the apes hand stones or monkeys fingers and im going to try to get to a mountain village thats famous here and only accesable in the summer. Little did i know what i was in for. 30km of road of asphalt with random washouts and then nothing but rubble called here ‘the piste’. This turned from fun to challenging, no road signs here at the junctions! After another 34km the going was so rough, steep and tight to drop offs in the turns that 1km took 15minutes! At two pm i turned back since whilst i had enough fuel, i didnt have ther the daylight hours or the energy to continue. The marker showed 61km still to reach the village. The view atop this last mountain into the gorge was quite breathtaking. Back in the digs i fell straight onto the bed and dozed! Later i found three lovely spanish girls had arrived, one of which was part
icularly lovely but i thought they were very young so was polite, only to find out after they had left that they were all in their 30s.good dinner and laughter music and instruments then stargazing on the terrace under blankets, bed called at 3am!
Later on 20th….
Yesterday was a simple run from ait oudinar to ouazazate but breakfast and goodbyes lasted until midday! Lovely quite roads playing dodge the free roamimg g camel then 26km from ouazazate pietro n alice caught me up, they intended to bunk in a little village 57km further on called ait benhaddou which was used to film jewel of the nile and jeses of nazereth. I arrived in ouazazate and was increasingly unimpressed by its tediously flat symmetrical boring architecture so i had a horse burger and moved on. I did intend to stay here but it was such a horrid plain uninspiring place i couldnt see anything worthy oy backdoor! I left to find p and a who had taken the biggest suite in the hotel. I negotiated a room an ensuite with drinks three course dinner and breakfast for 22quid. We all took tea by the pool and jumped in, finding out my waterproof camera isnt waterproof! We tried to walk to theold kasbar but the sunset beat us so we returned to a bar run by a scruffy arrogant frenchman who looked down his large dirty hairy nose at us whilst getting steadily more drunk. P and a were great entertainment though and both very clever, sharp as a drawer of knives.
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Another incredible day but a very entertaing night with two italians, three fabulous spanish girls and two berbers. Really good fun, music dancing singing and laughter in all languages! Tell you more later…
….later
The spanish girls have left and ive just found out they were not as young as i thought, they certainly seemed young so i was being polite! Im already sadthat they have left and now im leaving the italians and berbers…oh short stays can be so sad!
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