Okay - deadly serious advice time please

[OscarIndia]

Bear with me for a sec, please - context required:
Been riding 20+ years, but on a GSA for 10 days. Usually do a trip each year with the lads, but this has been sports-bike related (France etc), or SM related (Tesco's carpark, sideways).
Am giving up the smokes - BIG thing for me. Nine days in. Mrs India has agreed that if I can (and it's a big "if" as I'm presently more evil than Alan Rickman in Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves) I can feck off once a year on the bike on the savings.
So...to help me stay off the evil weed I'm trying to plan a dream trip for 2012 or (conceptually), late 2011.
I was born and raised in Kenya, and have "worked" in Sierra Leone and nearby bits of West Africa, but don't know Morocco etc.
Solo Africa is fine - I've been solo and non-solo in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo etc. Can look after myself.
I reckon the max I can extract from "senior management" here is 10 days.
So - looking for suggestions for an African trip, late this year or early next, on my own GSA. Can stretch to sending bike ahead if that's advisable/safe (can't see another way of doing it, but terrified of thought of flying in and finding it bust at a docks).
Morocco, Mauritania, where?
Seriously - talking here about what could be the bike trip of my life so far AND the thing that keeps me out of the cancer ward.
Advice, benefits of experience, no suggestion too small or big, if you'd be so kind.

 

[Mr K]

If time is limited Fanum on here does Moto Morocco: He'll ship your bike out for the start of the tour and fetch it back, Yuo fly out to Tangier (I think) and are reunited with bike maximizing holiday time...

Just a thought...

 

[Deleted account W]

Fags are dead cheap in Morocco

 

[RichieS]

Giving up.....

Go to your Drs and get on CHAMPIX......easy peasy gining up with them....and then go biking! Good luck

 

[Ogmios]

this might be useful;

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227230&highlight=electronic+cigarette

though i 'slipped' back to roll ups while doing the Gambia trip (coz the effing lead on the 12volt charger packed up )
i was doing very well up til then.

straight from 38 years of rollies to the 'Leccy ciggy - no problem.
p.m. me if you want more detail.
Good Luck.
~~

 

[Tim Cullis]

There's a great sense of achievement in riding your own bike down, but ten days isn't much when you consider it takes the best part of three days each way to get to and from southern Spain—you'd only have four days in Morocco (mind you, four days in Morocco is better than none).

Sending the bike on ahead will save you four days. Moto Morocco doesn't seem too active at the moment? Another option is Biketruck ([email protected]).

Alternatively rent a GS in southern Spain with www.motoadventours.com.

Or... rent in Marrakech with www.loc2roues.com

Rental or bike shipping looks expensive initially, but not once you've worked out how much it will cost you in ferries, fuel, hotels, etc. to ride down (factor in % of servicing costs, tyre wear...). Plus you gain so many days.

 

[OscarIndia]

All,
Fantastic tips and suggestions so far. Cheers. Please keep 'em coming. I can go anywhere I can afford to get to and logistically get to.

 

[Edventure]

Just do it

Do it, there is no time like the present, ship the bike down and back if you can. Who needs too much organisation around you You'll have a blast.

Did a trip down to West Africa year before last and it was THE best thing I've done for many many years. http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187124

You only live once.......

 

[boatman]

Key thing here seems to me, to be, the max from senior management is 10 days. Now correct me if i am wrong but few of us will, at the end of our days, wish we had DONE MORE WORK so i recon ,that having swmbo on board, if the management put any value on what you do , and you Tell them that you Need to take some time off ,Then they should just simply let you go and have a bit of your own adventure. Life is too short to be a slave tae anybodys machine.
Ps. oi is a managing director of 30 people in a very competative biz
but yer punters need tae be happy to come to theirnwork in the morning

THERE IS MORE TO THIS SHORT LIFE THAN WORKING

 

[OscarIndia]

Do it, there is no time like the present, ship the bike down and back if you can. Who needs too much organisation around you You'll have a blast.

Did a trip down to West Africa year before last and it was THE best thing I've done for many many years. http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187124

You only live once.......

Been reading that over an early morning coffee - brilliant stuff

 

[OscarIndia]

Key thing here seems to me, to be, the max from senior management is 10 days. Now correct me if i am wrong but few of us will, at the end of our days, wish we had DONE MORE WORK so i recon ,that having swmbo on board, if the management put any value on what you do , and you Tell them that you Need to take some time off ,Then they should just simply let you go and have a bit of your own adventure. Life is too short to be a slave tae anybodys machine.
Ps. oi is a managing director of 30 people in a very competative biz
but yer punters need tae be happy to come to theirnwork in the morning

THERE IS MORE TO THIS SHORT LIFE THAN WORKING

Swmbo won't go Boatie. She's never set arse on the back of one of my motorcycles in the 15 years I"ve known here and probably never will.
As for work management - I work for me these days. I reckon I can get the time off, although the boss is a tit, obviously.