Right, here is my update from the smokiest net cafe known to man:
I was wetter than a fishes wet bits by the time I got to Portsmouth and took refuge in the nearest boozer.
Force 4 crossing the channel and arrived a little wobbly on the Monday morning ... I donīt do boats! Then basically it rained all the way through France until I got to the Pyrenees ... where it snowed. Should have known that it would do at 1710m really ... had to stop to defrost a couple of times. Reminded me a lot of Dumb & Dumber. How I laughed ... when it was all over.
The route was basically as follows ... Langeaise (France), Barbezieux (near Bordeaux), Pamplona (Spain), La Carlota (near Cordoba) & Sabinillas (on the Costa del Sol).
Only had three near death experiences so far - the aforementioned snow and ice, a Fiat Twingo incident and looking the wrong way at a roundabout to the surprise of a Mercedes driver.
Today is Monday 11th February - my bike is in hospital getting new oil and filter and these rather cool looking knobbly tyres fitted. They probably wonīt look quite so cool when Iīm sitting on my arse in the Sahara ...
A little Spanish guy told me to pick my bike up in a few hours (in Spain does this mean donīt bother coming back for a week?) ... the plan is then to get a ticket from Algeciras (now only 30km away!) to Ceuta on the African mainland where everything I own, including bike, will be stolen and I will come home by plane in the next few days.
Anyway, better go before I get addicted to cigarettes ... again.
PS. I have been using my purple suncream in the most unusual places ;-)
Tuesday 12th February to Sunday 24th February
Sorry for the slow update folks! Broadband has not reared it's ugly head in Maroc as yet. I am also struggling with the Arabic keyboard .. so please excuse any typos.
Anyway, to cut a long story short ... Got the Algeciras to Cueta ferry and battled my way through customs ... twice due to a confusion about insurance ... saw two guys getting beaten up by the police which was a nice welcome.
Then got offered VERY GOOD hash about 30 times on the road south to Chefchaouen. The Kif in the Rif is out of control. Goat herders double as traffickers.
Went through the cedar forest and saw Barbary Apes, a big tree and lots of dogs ... all the cats have been eaten. Got lost in the desert at night on the way to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi ... thank god (and Chris Scott) for GPS! Got stuck in the sand in the same place.
Headed west to Zagora but found a lot of German tourists ... and a French terrorist ... on a pushbike.
Now residing in Marrakesh with my bike parked in the reception of the Hotel Essaouira ... chose this hotel as this is where I am going next funnily enough. I'll being camping on the beach at Cap Sim and having a smoke at Jimmy Hendrix's house if you would like to join me.
Take care ... Salam, Chakram, Safi ... cheers, Lee.
Monday 25th February to Wednesday 6th March
Well, it's all gone a bit "Pete Tong" ...
Took a ride down the dullest road in Maroc to Essaouira and met up with Brian the dope smuggling , jewellery making Canadian on a BWM 1100GS ... lovely bloke who led us to Sidi Kaouki and a place we could camp on the beach. My new found dirt bike prowess came in to it's own as I blasted down the beach in search of drift wood ... I elegantly rooster tailed for some French tourists ... promtly losing control and burying the XT in the surf (pictures to follow unfortunately).
Spent a few days in the area ... went to Diabat to find Jimmy's house but every one of the locals seemed to think that he had spent the Winter at their house and offered me in to sample some "traditional Berber hospitality" ... credit cards accepted.
Headed North to El Jadida and Casablanca (don't ask me why) ... DO NOT stay at the Hotel St Germain on Temara Plage ... it's expensive and very unfriendly and some bugger nicked the digital clock off my bike!
Stayed a few days with Yassim in Ksar El Kabir ... he is a true Moroccan and put us up for nothing while his sister force fed us with a recently slaughtered lamb ... these religious festivals do have some use after all! Visited the local Hammam and got beaten up by some aging expert in the martial art of massage. As if I don't get enough near death experiences on the XT!
Anyway, all good things must come to an end ... got the ferry from Tangier to Sete (France) ... called home to find my grandad had died. So as a mark of respect and extreme stupidity I rode 1300km back home ... got the 2.21am tunnel crossing from Calais, had a couple of hours sleep and made it to Ted's send off.
So Saturday night in Africa, Monday in France and Tuesday in Bracknell at a funeral ... bit of a rude awakening. Bill the Tenere riding Yank will be joining me soon so watch this space ... I still have four weeks to hurt myself on the XT before heading to India.
Films have been dropped off at Boots ... I'll scan a few choice moments in soon.
Take care and see you all soon ...
Edward Noel Ovens ... Ted ... 7th May 1910 to 23rd February 2002 ... he will be missed by me and all Guinness shareholders.
