Laayoune to Agadir
I woke to a change to the weather in Laayoune. As I looked out of the window I could see low cloud or fog. After almost a month in sunshine this was a shock. The streets were damp and I thought there may have been rain. I had 300km to do today and did not fancy it in fog or damp roads, after so long a dry spell. Well I'd see how it was after breakfast and take it from there. I did a few errands after breakfast, water and a visit to the pharmacy. After 4 weeks in heavy boots in hot conditons my feet and toes were suffering. Back at the hotel the sun had come out but it was 11:00 before I left. The day started with a headwind which turned to a side wind and became strong. It was picking up sand and blowing it across the road. Of course I had to lean into the wind as I didn't want to be blown across the road too. In a few places, near corners the sand was depositing on the road. I had thought before setting off on the trip, that I would like to experience a sandstorm in the desert. Well this was not a sandstorm but I'm glad it did not get any worse. There were some corners on this stretch and it's not much fun to come around a corner, leaning over, and find your path was covered in sand. As the ride progressed the wind turned to be a tail wind and I wissed along. A throttle setting that would have given me 85km/h was now doing 100km/h, good for fuel economy too. Stopping for petrol about half way I was amused to see the forecourt invaded by goats and the staff chasing them away.
In the end I got to TanTan plage mid afternoon and wondered if I should have gone further, but I was tired and happy to park the bike and have a rest. One thing to know about Tan Tan Plage is it has a sardine canning factory and when it is operating the smell is pretty foul if you are down wind. I didn't notice it when I stayed before but could smell it as I approached this time. I had decided that if the smell was around the hotel I would decline and go on further. The wind was keeping the smell away from the hotel when I arrived, but later it changed around and I could smell it as I went down to dinner.
I stayed at this hotel on the way down as it is cheap and OK as a stop over. In fact they seemed to have tried to improve, the room was cleaner and the wifi worked better. They got the price right this time in Booking.com. Last time it was 20€ for a room and breakfast but they challenged this when I arrived. I had the copy and they agreed. This time it was 23€ for the same, which was OK. The guy on reception said he had to pay the difference last time, I assume he had updated Booking.com incorrectly. I*took a rest once I'd unloaded the bike. The cumulative effort of the ride and the stress of the borders up from Senegal was telling. In addition the change in temperature, it was cool today, had given me a cold which did not help my energy levels.*
After a rest and before dark I thought I'd give the bike a quick check. I'd noticed that the chain was not as correct as when I set off and needed slight adjustment. I put the spanner on the aluminium wheel nut and it would not budge. The spanner is not too long and I didn't have a way of extending it so not too much leverage. I had done the nut up myself before I left with this spanner so it should loosen, and then I remembered the guys at Agadir had replaced the tyre and probably did the nut up with an air gun. This was all going around in my head till I readjusted the spanner, stood on it and it turned, panic over. I had fitted a new chain and sprockets (the pointy wheels that chains run on, for the non bikers or shaft drive riders, reading this) and checked adjustment before leaving. The adjustment had not varied and had not needed changing till now. When I did the adjustment it only needed 2 flats of the adjusting screw, a tiny amount, for over 4,500 miles, much of it desert. Am impressed with the quality of modern chains and the smoothness of the bikes power delivery. In the days when I rode a BSA bantam in the 70's chain adjustment was a weekly event. As well as the chain I topped up the oil. It has used about 0.3l on the trip, and the 0.4l I took with me should get us home.
In the evening I went down to the bar and had an omelette and salad and joined the locals watching football, the African cup of nations qualifiers. It was a game between Egypt and Tunisia, *full of commitment, which Tunisia won against the odds.*Next morning, the breakfast was a further improvement with fresh orange juice. The staff were interested in the bike and my travels and wanted photos around the bike and even on it. Being a glutton for admiration, I obliged.
The route today was about 370km to Agadir. I was only counting 170 of this as desert as Guelmim is traditionally known as the Gateway to the Sahara. *The last bit of desert went smoothly and I stopped at Guelmim for a coffee and to reflect on crossing the Sahara twice. Now when planning this trip I realised it was a circular trip and I would have to return. But the focus was on getting to Dakar, the title says "Basingstoke to Dakar", it does not say "Basingstoke to Dakar and Return" I think it was only when I arrived in Senegal, having just gone through Rosso, that it sunk in that I had only gone half way and would need to cross the desert again. And of course going down I had a freshly serviced bike, running like a dream and was not concerned it would have a problem in the desert. By the time I started the return the poor bike had suffered the Senegal roads, Mauritanian fuel and was not starting as briskly as earlier. On the way down I had the welcome company of the Irish Land Cruiser lads for some of the desert but they were back in Morocco now, and I'd be doing the Sahara on my own this time. All these factors increased my anxiety for the return trip, so sitting in Guelmim, drinking my coffee, I was both relieved and a little pleased with myself.
Anyway I was less than half way to Agadir so on I went. The landscape north of Guelmim was initially desert too but I could see some hills in the distance. *Once the road got to the hills it became a road over a mountain pass with sharp corners and as if rewarded for our efforfs on straight desert roads the bike and I were enjoyed with some great corners. The bike may have remembered how to get around corners but I had to ease my way in, it had been so long. Soon though, we were bombing along, testing different parts of the tyres as we swung through the corners, me with a grin on my face. This part was fun but we stayed in the hills for some time more and showers appeared in front of me. Then it began to spit rain and I noticed the road was wet in places. This made the decent on the twisty road more of a challenge. There was a definite black line on this road, where oil would drop from vehicles and with the dampness it gleamed. I was giving it a wary eye as I cornered as I suspect after the long dry spell this black line could be slippery. I was doing fine till a during the decent a right hand corner tightened up on me and as luck would have it there was a car coming the other way who did not fell the need to keep to his side of the white line. It was a tight squeeze on this slipppery road. Now I, like a lot of motorcyclists, believe I have 9 lives, if a cat can have 9 why not me. Well I'm not saying that the incident on the corner used up one of the lives but I suspect when the *"9 lives comittee" reviews recent events this corner will be under consideration. Ironic that after leaving the desert I should have my first near miss.
The sky was darkening as I approached Agadir and the temperature was no warmer. I'd stopped to put on my goretex liner but I had not really put on enough clothes to keep warm and arrived in Agadir quite chilly. I stayed again at the Atlantic hotel and parked the bike outside the front door so the guardian could keep an eye on it. It was the same guy as when I'd stayed on the way down and he was interested to know where I had been. Once I had rested a bit I went in search of a barber. My trim beard was now quite scruffy and needed some attention, either that or I should buy a bedber headscarf and fully look the part. My beard got trimmed and so did my hair and I left the shop a lot lighter.
There was a heavy thunderstorm in Agadir the night I arrived and I decided to rest up another night before going on to Marrakesh where I will stay for a few days and hopefully clear up this cold before heading home.*
I don't plan significant updates to this now, maybe a few photos, until I return home. Thanks for the interest and sharing the trip.