I have fotos but failed to embed them into the text so gave up. If there is a simple way, someone let me know please (I did manage to down load 5, but could not place them?)
A trip to Morocco
In May 2006 my wife Beryl and I had a trip to Morocco on our 1200gs. We meandered our way down to Algeciras through France and Spain and caught the earliest catamaran across to Ceuta on Sunday 28th May.
Day 1.
We chose a Sunday as we guessed it would be quietest at the border crossing. We had read many stories regarding the border crossing and most of them are true! It was a pain in the arse. With only small queues it took 2.5 hours to get through, lots of hassle and frustration (in 30 degrees). The 3rd party insurance was typed (with one finger) on an old fashioned typewriter and if there had been a queue, it could have took hours.
I did not pay any backhanders to ‘helpers’, but in retrospect it may have been worth it.
Once through the border, you know you’re in Africa. We went through the first town due to a road diversion and the place looked like Mogadishu. Black people standing in groups, no road surfaces or pavements. I guess it is a staging post for those wishing to get into Spain? We moved on around Tetouan and then over the mountains to Asilah on the Atlantic sea board. The road was hot, lots of trucks but we found a road side restaurant for a late lunch. Lunch required you to point to the carcass you wanted your meat hacking from. (Its amazing how fast flies move when a cleaver is descending towards them). This was served up barbequed with a slab of bread by a man in a bloody white jacket. I got to eat Beryl’s portion as well!
On arrival at Asilah we booked into the best hotel in town (as in the Rough Guide), what once had been a French Palace. It had seen better days; the plumbing was dodgy and no hot water. What was worse, there was no alcohol available, neither at the hotel or in the town (or at least we couldn’t find any). After the day we had had, Beryl was not amused. With the poor hotel, crap evening meal in the town, too much traffic (most clapped out and puking fumes out) and the heat, the better half was talking about the nearest airport!
Day 2.
Prudence and the need to stave of a revolt led me to hit the motorway south and then east to Meknes, where I knew there was an Ibis hotel (prices are similar to Europe and they all seem to have parking and a bar). The motorway was quiet and the going easy and not too expensive by European standards. Meknes old town is worth a visit, lots to see, not many tourists and reasonably laid back (not too many rip off merchants, a constant feature of the more popular Moroccan tourist destinations).
Day 3.
A short drive to Fez, where we stayed two days in a pre booked Riad (Old Palace) called Riad al Bartal (there is a web site). This was the only accommodation we booked and at £80 BB it was money well spent. French owners, superb in every way and secure parking across the road (for a small fee). Fez was the stand out city in Morocco for us. Fez, as most Moroccan cities, is split in two, the old and the new. The old has 9000 streets in the medieval walls, most navigable by donkey only. The atmosphere is amazing and the problem of being hassled continuously by false guides has largely been eliminated (the tourist police lock then up).
Day 5.
Headed out of Fez going north on the road to Ifrane. Once clear of the traffic chaos that is Fez, the roads empty and start to become entertaining. Good road surface, bends, mountains and scenery. Ifrane is styled like an alpine ski resort and is very affluent (and has unleaded petrol). After Azrou in the ‘Forest of Cedres’ there are a couple of troupes of ‘Barbary Apes’ in clearings. You know you are in the vicinity when you see the various stalls for the sale of goods (deserted when we went through). We stopped on the south side of Midelt and the Hotel Asmaa. A modern hotel in the guise of a Kasbah, reasonably priced, good parking, but I picked up a stomach bug there that lasted a week.
Day 6.
And what a day it was. We moved again south with growing vistas of the Mid Atlas. Good roads, little traffic. Oasis started to appear, through the Gorge du Ziz and into parmeries that line the west side of the road. On the way down to Erfoud we were caught up a desert rally, racing cars and bikes came past us at speed, very entertaining. We had intended to go to Merzouga, but a huge storm the week before had damaged many of the hotels in the area (Our host in Fez had a friend with a Hotel there). From Erfoud we travelled west to the Dades Gorge along a lined desert road, saw a camel train (the men waved at us). It was very hot at this stage, but again, very little traffic. The Gorge seems to have its own micro climate and it had been raining heavily. We created a bow wave through a narrow section of the gorge as the road was flooded. After about 30 miles through spectacular scenery the tarmac ran out and so we headed back for accommodation after a long, but fantastic day. Found hotel ‘Chez Perre’(?), French run, OK but poor value for money in our opinion.
Day 7
West to Ouarzazate and then south to Zagora. Another great day. Fantastic roads, more Kasbahs, parlmeries than you can point a stick at, mountain roads, a couple of passes and huge canyons. Attacked by a couple of dogs, they charged out from under a barrier. One suffered death by pannier, a very close call. Found a pretty meadioka 4* hotel (more like a 1*). Zagora had little of interest, though we did find the Timbuktu sign (which has been renewed and moved to a new location not far from the old position). With more time the surrounding country side looked worth exploring, lots of tracks leading off the main road.
Day 8
Decided to have a short day’s riding and went back to Ouarzazate and found an Ibis hotel. The race that passed us a couple of days prior had its HQ and pit crews there. It was like a F1 meeting. Lots of bike and car teams, millions of pounds worth of kit around, quite a circus. Ouarzazate is a largely new town, but has lots of good quality hotels and restaurants. (It’s worth noting that it has one of the best preserved Kasbahs in Morocco). It would be a good place to base yourself for some un-loaded exploration of the surrounding area if you had the time, we didn’t have.
Day 9
Over the Tiz n Tichka pass (2260m) to Marrakech. An interesting scenic ride, roads were OK. Lots of 4x4’s full of tourists having their day out from Marrakech coming towards you. It was nice to get some cooler air at altitude. Stayed at the Hotel Akabar, not far from Marrakech old town. Recommended, good value and clean. We were not too impressed with the old town, very touristy and some hassle in the places of interest. Nothing like the atmosphere of Meknes or Fez.
Day10
Went South, over the Tizi n Test pass (2092) to Taroudannt via Asni. This is an impressive route. Again scenic, but more challenging than the Tichka. Narrow for much of the pass (single track), lots of debris on the road, no barriers and thankfully little traffic. On the day there were very high winds, which swirled and became very unpredictable. At one point we almost turned back, but once the pass widened the funnel effect lessened and it became more manageable. Two days in huge wild mountains and not one bird of prey spotted, very strange? On the way over the pass, a small lorry had crashed and the injured driver was laid in the road with various helpers. We passed the ambulance about an hour later (still at least an hour away), a sobering reminder not to have an accident in these wild places.
Taroudannt looks very impressive dressed in its 360 degree walls, but the interior was largely new with few redeeming features. The Hotel Palais Salam was very nice and built into the wall of the town. Not cheap but a shaded oasis after the hot, hard days ride. As usual, the bike was accommodated within the premise.
Day 11.
We headed west to the coast (towards Agadir) and then south to Tiznit (quite a busy road). Here we headed of the main road down to the sea at Aglou-Plage and followed the sea along the curving and newly tarmaced road to Mirleft. A sleepy dusty town set back from the sea. We stayed at the French owned 3 Camels (what ever that is in French), which is up a dirt track east of the town on a hill under an old fort. There was cheaper accommodation in town, but nothing that took the eye and had secure parking for the bike. Apart from the last stretch of road along the coast, it was the most unremarkable days ride since the motorway to Fez.
Day 12
To Essaouira. The return to Agadir was uneventful and we encountered road works and heavy traffic around the city. We then took the coast road north and this was superb. Twisty, good surfaces and great vistas. There is evidence of development just starting, but still the usual donkeys, mules and camels abound (depending on the size of the load). Essaouira is sighted on a rocky headland at the end of a long beach and while it is a tourist destination, it has a nice laid-back feel to it. It is surrounded by walled fortifications that you can walk along. Fresh fish are cooked at stalls by the harbour and while there are plenty of tourists about, there is still a very authentic feel to the place (The sheep and goats heads are on view in the butchers as else where). We planned to stay a couple of nights but could only find accommodation for one with secure parking and it was too hot to trudge about looking. Essaouira is certainly somewhere we would go back to for a week in the sun.
Day 13
To El-Jadida. The road north from Essaouira to Safi and on to El-Jadida was terrific. Good surface, vistas, huge sand dunes, cliff tops and more camels. Occasionally the tarmac road disappeared for a short distance, but this is usually visible as dust clouds from the occasional vehicle. At El-Jadida we stayed at another Ibis on the sea front and had a stroll around the town that evening. The promenade is being renovated and work is under way to smarten the place up. Worth a stop over.
As we left in the morning we came across a new scam. The hotel car park had an attendant in uniform, hat and pass, was charging people as they left for parking (it was free!). Very inventive and raised a smile!
Day 14
To Fnideq, near Ceuta border crossing. The motorway runs south from Casablanca and is being built to El-Jadida, we joined it at first opportunity for a blast down to the border crossing. The coast road from Tanger to Ceuta looked good on the map so we chose that route, big mistake. In Tanger the driving was about as bad it got in Morocco and the coast road was busy with lots of road works. At Fnideq we stayed at the conveniently situated Ibis with underground car park.
Day 15.
Up at 0530 for the border crossing. Surprisingly quick and easy. The border guard refused to take the passport without the exit paper tucked inside it (not laid on top). It took a few minutes to find out what the prat actually wanted, but other than that, a breeze.
2 hours later we were in Spain and both relieved to have had an un-eventful trip. Would we do it again? My wife would not, although she is pleased we did. I would do it again, but use the motorway to get down south as soon as possible and then spend my time down there.
The bike was faultless and was returning over 60mpg on occasion. The extra 15mpg I put down to extreme caution while driving. Morocco would be a crap place for a prang.
A few tips:
· Do not take any impromptu meeting with a local at face value, in every case they were trying to extract money from us. This was the most wearing problem with Morocco, not being able to trust people, trying to second-guess the scam. (Perhaps we were unlucky)?
· Drive carefully, road surfaces disappear, animals and people try to commit suicide using the front of your bike. Lorry drivers are very aggressive with their share of the road (which varies).
· If you need help, ask a policeman. The most helpful I have ever met anywhere.
· We ran on unleaded and only had one tricky moment when I chose to ignore my own advice to fill up every 100 miles. In the north leaded is readily available, in the south its not always available.
A trip to Morocco
In May 2006 my wife Beryl and I had a trip to Morocco on our 1200gs. We meandered our way down to Algeciras through France and Spain and caught the earliest catamaran across to Ceuta on Sunday 28th May.
Day 1.
We chose a Sunday as we guessed it would be quietest at the border crossing. We had read many stories regarding the border crossing and most of them are true! It was a pain in the arse. With only small queues it took 2.5 hours to get through, lots of hassle and frustration (in 30 degrees). The 3rd party insurance was typed (with one finger) on an old fashioned typewriter and if there had been a queue, it could have took hours.
I did not pay any backhanders to ‘helpers’, but in retrospect it may have been worth it.
Once through the border, you know you’re in Africa. We went through the first town due to a road diversion and the place looked like Mogadishu. Black people standing in groups, no road surfaces or pavements. I guess it is a staging post for those wishing to get into Spain? We moved on around Tetouan and then over the mountains to Asilah on the Atlantic sea board. The road was hot, lots of trucks but we found a road side restaurant for a late lunch. Lunch required you to point to the carcass you wanted your meat hacking from. (Its amazing how fast flies move when a cleaver is descending towards them). This was served up barbequed with a slab of bread by a man in a bloody white jacket. I got to eat Beryl’s portion as well!
On arrival at Asilah we booked into the best hotel in town (as in the Rough Guide), what once had been a French Palace. It had seen better days; the plumbing was dodgy and no hot water. What was worse, there was no alcohol available, neither at the hotel or in the town (or at least we couldn’t find any). After the day we had had, Beryl was not amused. With the poor hotel, crap evening meal in the town, too much traffic (most clapped out and puking fumes out) and the heat, the better half was talking about the nearest airport!
Day 2.
Prudence and the need to stave of a revolt led me to hit the motorway south and then east to Meknes, where I knew there was an Ibis hotel (prices are similar to Europe and they all seem to have parking and a bar). The motorway was quiet and the going easy and not too expensive by European standards. Meknes old town is worth a visit, lots to see, not many tourists and reasonably laid back (not too many rip off merchants, a constant feature of the more popular Moroccan tourist destinations).
Day 3.
A short drive to Fez, where we stayed two days in a pre booked Riad (Old Palace) called Riad al Bartal (there is a web site). This was the only accommodation we booked and at £80 BB it was money well spent. French owners, superb in every way and secure parking across the road (for a small fee). Fez was the stand out city in Morocco for us. Fez, as most Moroccan cities, is split in two, the old and the new. The old has 9000 streets in the medieval walls, most navigable by donkey only. The atmosphere is amazing and the problem of being hassled continuously by false guides has largely been eliminated (the tourist police lock then up).
Day 5.
Headed out of Fez going north on the road to Ifrane. Once clear of the traffic chaos that is Fez, the roads empty and start to become entertaining. Good road surface, bends, mountains and scenery. Ifrane is styled like an alpine ski resort and is very affluent (and has unleaded petrol). After Azrou in the ‘Forest of Cedres’ there are a couple of troupes of ‘Barbary Apes’ in clearings. You know you are in the vicinity when you see the various stalls for the sale of goods (deserted when we went through). We stopped on the south side of Midelt and the Hotel Asmaa. A modern hotel in the guise of a Kasbah, reasonably priced, good parking, but I picked up a stomach bug there that lasted a week.
Day 6.
And what a day it was. We moved again south with growing vistas of the Mid Atlas. Good roads, little traffic. Oasis started to appear, through the Gorge du Ziz and into parmeries that line the west side of the road. On the way down to Erfoud we were caught up a desert rally, racing cars and bikes came past us at speed, very entertaining. We had intended to go to Merzouga, but a huge storm the week before had damaged many of the hotels in the area (Our host in Fez had a friend with a Hotel there). From Erfoud we travelled west to the Dades Gorge along a lined desert road, saw a camel train (the men waved at us). It was very hot at this stage, but again, very little traffic. The Gorge seems to have its own micro climate and it had been raining heavily. We created a bow wave through a narrow section of the gorge as the road was flooded. After about 30 miles through spectacular scenery the tarmac ran out and so we headed back for accommodation after a long, but fantastic day. Found hotel ‘Chez Perre’(?), French run, OK but poor value for money in our opinion.
Day 7
West to Ouarzazate and then south to Zagora. Another great day. Fantastic roads, more Kasbahs, parlmeries than you can point a stick at, mountain roads, a couple of passes and huge canyons. Attacked by a couple of dogs, they charged out from under a barrier. One suffered death by pannier, a very close call. Found a pretty meadioka 4* hotel (more like a 1*). Zagora had little of interest, though we did find the Timbuktu sign (which has been renewed and moved to a new location not far from the old position). With more time the surrounding country side looked worth exploring, lots of tracks leading off the main road.
Day 8
Decided to have a short day’s riding and went back to Ouarzazate and found an Ibis hotel. The race that passed us a couple of days prior had its HQ and pit crews there. It was like a F1 meeting. Lots of bike and car teams, millions of pounds worth of kit around, quite a circus. Ouarzazate is a largely new town, but has lots of good quality hotels and restaurants. (It’s worth noting that it has one of the best preserved Kasbahs in Morocco). It would be a good place to base yourself for some un-loaded exploration of the surrounding area if you had the time, we didn’t have.
Day 9
Over the Tiz n Tichka pass (2260m) to Marrakech. An interesting scenic ride, roads were OK. Lots of 4x4’s full of tourists having their day out from Marrakech coming towards you. It was nice to get some cooler air at altitude. Stayed at the Hotel Akabar, not far from Marrakech old town. Recommended, good value and clean. We were not too impressed with the old town, very touristy and some hassle in the places of interest. Nothing like the atmosphere of Meknes or Fez.
Day10
Went South, over the Tizi n Test pass (2092) to Taroudannt via Asni. This is an impressive route. Again scenic, but more challenging than the Tichka. Narrow for much of the pass (single track), lots of debris on the road, no barriers and thankfully little traffic. On the day there were very high winds, which swirled and became very unpredictable. At one point we almost turned back, but once the pass widened the funnel effect lessened and it became more manageable. Two days in huge wild mountains and not one bird of prey spotted, very strange? On the way over the pass, a small lorry had crashed and the injured driver was laid in the road with various helpers. We passed the ambulance about an hour later (still at least an hour away), a sobering reminder not to have an accident in these wild places.
Taroudannt looks very impressive dressed in its 360 degree walls, but the interior was largely new with few redeeming features. The Hotel Palais Salam was very nice and built into the wall of the town. Not cheap but a shaded oasis after the hot, hard days ride. As usual, the bike was accommodated within the premise.
Day 11.
We headed west to the coast (towards Agadir) and then south to Tiznit (quite a busy road). Here we headed of the main road down to the sea at Aglou-Plage and followed the sea along the curving and newly tarmaced road to Mirleft. A sleepy dusty town set back from the sea. We stayed at the French owned 3 Camels (what ever that is in French), which is up a dirt track east of the town on a hill under an old fort. There was cheaper accommodation in town, but nothing that took the eye and had secure parking for the bike. Apart from the last stretch of road along the coast, it was the most unremarkable days ride since the motorway to Fez.
Day 12
To Essaouira. The return to Agadir was uneventful and we encountered road works and heavy traffic around the city. We then took the coast road north and this was superb. Twisty, good surfaces and great vistas. There is evidence of development just starting, but still the usual donkeys, mules and camels abound (depending on the size of the load). Essaouira is sighted on a rocky headland at the end of a long beach and while it is a tourist destination, it has a nice laid-back feel to it. It is surrounded by walled fortifications that you can walk along. Fresh fish are cooked at stalls by the harbour and while there are plenty of tourists about, there is still a very authentic feel to the place (The sheep and goats heads are on view in the butchers as else where). We planned to stay a couple of nights but could only find accommodation for one with secure parking and it was too hot to trudge about looking. Essaouira is certainly somewhere we would go back to for a week in the sun.
Day 13
To El-Jadida. The road north from Essaouira to Safi and on to El-Jadida was terrific. Good surface, vistas, huge sand dunes, cliff tops and more camels. Occasionally the tarmac road disappeared for a short distance, but this is usually visible as dust clouds from the occasional vehicle. At El-Jadida we stayed at another Ibis on the sea front and had a stroll around the town that evening. The promenade is being renovated and work is under way to smarten the place up. Worth a stop over.
As we left in the morning we came across a new scam. The hotel car park had an attendant in uniform, hat and pass, was charging people as they left for parking (it was free!). Very inventive and raised a smile!
Day 14
To Fnideq, near Ceuta border crossing. The motorway runs south from Casablanca and is being built to El-Jadida, we joined it at first opportunity for a blast down to the border crossing. The coast road from Tanger to Ceuta looked good on the map so we chose that route, big mistake. In Tanger the driving was about as bad it got in Morocco and the coast road was busy with lots of road works. At Fnideq we stayed at the conveniently situated Ibis with underground car park.
Day 15.
Up at 0530 for the border crossing. Surprisingly quick and easy. The border guard refused to take the passport without the exit paper tucked inside it (not laid on top). It took a few minutes to find out what the prat actually wanted, but other than that, a breeze.
2 hours later we were in Spain and both relieved to have had an un-eventful trip. Would we do it again? My wife would not, although she is pleased we did. I would do it again, but use the motorway to get down south as soon as possible and then spend my time down there.
The bike was faultless and was returning over 60mpg on occasion. The extra 15mpg I put down to extreme caution while driving. Morocco would be a crap place for a prang.
A few tips:
· Do not take any impromptu meeting with a local at face value, in every case they were trying to extract money from us. This was the most wearing problem with Morocco, not being able to trust people, trying to second-guess the scam. (Perhaps we were unlucky)?
· Drive carefully, road surfaces disappear, animals and people try to commit suicide using the front of your bike. Lorry drivers are very aggressive with their share of the road (which varies).
· If you need help, ask a policeman. The most helpful I have ever met anywhere.
· We ran on unleaded and only had one tricky moment when I chose to ignore my own advice to fill up every 100 miles. In the north leaded is readily available, in the south its not always available.
