Spain, Cartagena, 9 – 11 December 2015

Posted on Thursday, 11-December-2014 by Chris Desmond

Cartagena is well know for its restored Roman theater and some other ruins, the old town looks quite new, a good place to wander around.

I am now going to take a break to spend Christmas with friends in Holland.

Christmas 2014

 

 

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Morocco and Spain, Meknes, San Roque, Cartagena, 7 – 9 December 2014

Posted on Tuesday, 9-December-2014 by Chris Desmond

After Merzouga my goal was to head back to Cartagena in Spain. First stop on the way was Meknes and the ride through the Atlas mountains was fine and cold with snow on the side of the road, altitude over 2000m. The scenery, well I am used to it now but spectacular as usual.

After a cold night I left Meknes at 0900 and followed the freeway to Ceuta and caught the 1600 ferry to Algeciras. I stopped at the border and changed my leftover Dirham to Euro, Morocco immigration made me fill out the same 4 line form I filled in when arriving and stamped my passport, Customs took one copy of the bike import document stamped the other and waved me on. Entering Spain took longer because of the queue and the sniffer dogs checking out the boots of cars for drugs. I did not even take off my helmet they just waved me through, lucky I got a stamp from Morocco it now shows when I left the Schengen area and returned.

Follow the signs to the Algeciras ferry. At the check-in point there is a booth on the right where you can buy a ticket, 66 euro again for the myself and the bike. The ferry docked and it was only a few kilometers to San Roque.

San Roque to Cartagena was freezing even with my heated jacket and gloves on, through the mountains all the way, temps below 10c, have to wear a few more layers.

 

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Morocco, Merzouga, 5 – 6 December 2014

Posted on Saturday, 6-December-2014 by Chris Desmond

I booked a 4×4 and driver, 100 euro for 4.5 hours, cheaper if you have someone to share the cost with and went on a tour of the dunes and surrounding area and had lunch at a Berber camp. This included getting lost a few times, impossible to tell where you are in the dunes and the riverbed and finding a way through the mess without getting bogged permanently.

 

Step by step Berber sandwich

I next very stupidly paid 50 euro to ride on a camel for 1.5 hours to a desert camp and spend the night in freezing temperatures in a tent and ride the same poor camel back home.

After about 15 minutes on the camel it felt like I was sitting on rocks and after 30 minutes they felt like very sharp rocks and only another hour to go and the return journey at the crack of dawn did not bear thinking about. Finally we get to the camp and the camel sits down nearly throwing me over its head in the process and I get off and fall down with both my hips dislocated hahaha, you have been warned. I am still suffering.

On a sad note one of the camels collapsed overnight and could not get up the next morning so one of the four young Italian guys with me had to walk back 4.8 km.

 

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Morocco, Taroudant, Zagora, Merzouga, 02 – 04 December 2014

Posted on Thursday, 4-December-2014 by Chris Desmond

Essaouira to Taroudant

The coast road from Essaouira was closed due to a bridge being destroyed so I had to backtrack towards Marrakesh and get on the freeway south, 4 lanes all the way to Taroudant except for the last 50km. Upto now I have not seen any police radar, today there was a blitz , they were everywhere. I got stopped for doing 93 in an 80 kph zone, the guy said 300 dirham so I gave him 300 and asked for a receipt, so he gives me back 200 and says “okay” and I say “okay and back on my bike hahaha. I met an Italian couple at breakfast and they also got stopped, doing 69 in a 60 kph zone and got the same fine 300 dirham, the guy paid and got a receipt but he is not sure what amount is on the receipt.

Taroudant to Zagora

The only reason for stopping in Taroudant was to find out if the Tizi nTest road through the Mount Toubkal National Park was open. Mount Toubkal is the highest mountain in Morocco 4167m.

The guy at the hotel made some enquiries with the locals and the Police and they said it was closed.

So the next day I carried on to Zagora, the first 150 km was quite busy and had many washaways and diversions, after that blue skies and the road climbed into the mountains between 1500-2000m, best ride so far, the scenery was rugged and beautiful. I arrived in Zagora and stopped to phone the hotel guy to get directions and a local mechanic said he would wash my bike for 50 dirham, it was covered in mud, he saw me riding past and followed me hahaha, so back to his garage and got it cleaned up.

Zagora to Merzouga

The next day I planned to ride to Mhamid but 38 km down the road there was quite a wide river and the road was closed so turned around and as it was only 10:30 decided to ride to my next destination Merzouga. Again a great ride through the mountains, no traffic and only one washaway where I actually had to ride through the stream.

Merzouga is very close to the Algerian border on the edge of the Sahara desert and people come here for a Desert experience. The Paris to Dakar rally used to come past here.

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Morrocco, Essaouira, 29 Nov – 1 Dec 2014

Posted on Tuesday, 2-December-2014 by Chris Desmond

Essaouira a smaller place on the coast, nicer than the cities, people are friendly and not as pushy but the Medinas and Souks are starting to blur, when all’s said and done they are much of a muchness.

The ride was wet with roads flooded, bridges washed away and I had to make a detour when police blocked the road, the guy only spoke French no idea what he was saying but probably a bridge down. The rain continued, heavy at night intermittent showers during the day.

Apparently the rains were late this year and people were praying for rain, now they are praying for it to stop, no pleasing some hahaha.

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Morocco, Marrakesh, 25 – 28 November 2014

Posted on Saturday, 29-November-2014 by Chris Desmond

I rode from Casablanca to Marrakesh, it was a cold ride 17-18c, did not have my heated gear on and Marrakesh is at 460m altitude. The whole journey was on a freeway cost of tolls 70 dirham less than 7 euro.

The Medina or old town is huge, a tangled mass of alleys with people and donkeys and smokey mopeds dodging each other. They should rename it Marketkesh, shops and touts around every corner, you soon learn the art of completely ignoring someone hahaha or you risk acquiring an unwanted appendage.

I did an oil change on my bike while I was here. Buying good quality bike engine oil is always a problem, I managed to find a Honda dealer, this is the address.

Honda Seat – Corner of Ave Hassan II and Rue EL Ordone, Phone : 0524 434 324.

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Morocco, Casablanca, 21 – 24 November 2014

Posted on Tuesday, 25-November-2014 by Chris Desmond

Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city, population 5 million, it is a place of business and not a tourist destination. Public transport is rudimentary, there is one tram line cost 7 dirham per ride. The most common way to get around the city is in a red taxi and you share the ride, they have meters and are very cheap, 10 dirham per ride average, which is equal to 1 euro.

I rode from Chefchaouen to Casablanca, the first bit was through the mountains, fun ride though slow going with many small villages and towns then onto the plain and finally the freeway. The freeway is a toll road but not expensive and it is as good as any of the freeways in Europe, total cost 30 dirham or 3 euro. The freeway between Rabat and Casablanca is 3 lanes each way and busy. The traffic in Casablanca is chaotic whereas in the the country areas people are not so aggressive.

I bought a Maroc Telecom SIM card for my phone in Chefchaouen, you have to show your passport. Cost 20 dirham or 2 euro, valid for 1 month, 1.5 hours talk, 1000 SMS and 1 GB 3G data. It takes upto 24 hours to become active and then you have to make a call, you will get a recorded message in French and Arabic and you have to respond by pressing the appropriate numbers when prompted. As I do not speak either of these languages I got someone to help me and the phone started working, data speeds are fast and Maroc Telecom has the best coverage in Morocco.

Grande Mosquée Hassan II

It is the largest mosque in Africa and the 7th largest in the world. Entry 120 dirham.

The Old Medina, quite a large area of narrow alleyways clogged with anything and everything you can think of from people cleaning and selling fish on the street to fake designer labels.

Notre Dame de Lourdes

Catholic Church with walls made of stained glass. My first visit was on Sunday when a service was in progress and I noticed that the congregation and priest were all African.

Casablanca Walkabout

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Morocco, Chefchaouen, 19 – 20 November 2014

Posted on Friday, 21-November-2014 by Chris Desmond

From Algeciras I took a ferry to Ceuta which is a Spanish territory in Morocco. You don’t have to buy a ferry ticket in advance as there are ferries leaving at least every hour all day and the journey takes 1:15 hrs. Follow the signs to the main ferry terminal, buy your ticket, mine came to E66 including the bike, then follow the signs that say Ceuta Con Billete (Ceuta with ticket) to the ferry check-in and boarding. I got to the terminal building at 0915 and left on the 0930 ferry, very simple and easy, the ferry was not even half full.

A short ride to the border, the Spanish guys just wave you through. After that its absolute chaos with cars and people screaming and pushing not sure what was going on, being on a bike I just threaded my way through to the front. Then Morocco Immigration where you stop at a booth and don’t get off your bike, the guy gives you a form to fill in, it takes 2 minutes he stamps your passport and ride on to Customs. I acquired a couple of helpers along the way dressed in brown robes with ID’s around their necks, they both spoke good English, thought they were officials at first but they are just out to make a buck by doing all the running around for you and telling you what to do. Next fill in a Green customs form for the bike and wait for the guy in the booth to enter the details into the system, then get it stamped by two other guys wandering around and you are out. Now go to the insurance booth and buy insurance, I bought 1 month for 950 dirham which according to the guys exchange rate worked out to E95. Ten days insurance costs 650 dirham. Next tip the helpers E10 each, avoid crashing into the million waiting taxis and out of there.

The ride from Ceuta to Chefchaouen is about 100 km and it took 2 hours. The first bit was along the coast with hundreds of hotels and resorts lining the road, it must be a complete mad house in summer. After that into the mountains on a narrow, winding, bumpy road with some very slow traffic, speeds under 40 kph, cool weather, overall a good ride.

Chefchaouen is the town where all the buildings in the old town are painted blue. Its an absolute rabbit warren of narrow steeply sloping alley ways with many stairways, all packed with shops, impossible to know where you are, I got lost did a complete circle and finished up where I started hahaha.

 

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Spain & UK, Algeciras, Gibraltar, 17 – 18 November 2014

Posted on Wednesday, 19-November-2014 by Chris Desmond

After a short break in Sevilla I rode to Algeciras which is where you get the ferry to Ceuta a Spanish exclave in Morocco. I was informed by another bike rider that this was the easiest way to enter Morocco as opposed to getting a ferry direct to Tangier.

Gibraltar is located opposite Algeciras across the Bay of Gibraltar about a 30 min ride. The Rock as it is known is under British rule, the currency is the pound and they have their own distinctive notes but they drive on the right.

The ride from Sevilla to Algeciras

Day trip to Gibraltar from Algeciras

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Portugal – Lisbon, 10 – 14 November 2014

Posted on Sunday, 16-November-2014 by Chris Desmond

Lisbon, capital of Portugal, population 3 million, I arrived there in a drizzle and left in a drizzle, 2 good weather days out the 5 I stayed there.

The buildings all need a coat of paint and the streets are full of Africans, all the small shops are owned by people from Bangladesh or China, the new look Europe.

And there is no Tapas or Paella hahaha, quite different from Spain.

Public transport is disorganised, there is the Metro (Underground), 2 kinds of Trams, Buses and also Trains. You buy a card for 50 cents and load it with credit which you can use on any of the above but when you continue a journey from one to another you get charged another ticket and the prices all vary.

I took the back roads for the ride from Sevilla to Portugal, up to the border the road went through hills with winding roads dotted with small towns and villages, great ride. After the border it flattened out and then an hour from Lisbon it started to rain.

First stop was to buy an umbrella from a former resident of Bangladesh, I asked him where I should have dinner and he gave me directions to his local hangout and it was good, authentic Chicken Biryani in Lisbon.

The Castle of St.George (E8.50 entry) up on a hill dominates the old town and you have to hike up the cobblestone streets to get there but I discovered a lift coming down. Its a well kept secret, on Largo do Chao do Loureiro behind the Pingo Doce supermarket, you  knees will say thank you.

Sintra, 40 minutes by train west of Lisbon in the hills has a fairy tale palace called Pena Palace completed in 1854, there are a number of other sights as well in the area. There is a train every 15 minutes from Rossio station and costs E4.90 return. When you arrive at Sintra there is a hop on hop off bus that takes you past all the sights for E5.00 and entrance to Pena castle is E11.50. The castle is a bit run down and is undergoing renovation.

Praca do Comerico, Lisbon Cathedral and Belem

The ride back to Sevilla, my favourite Spanish city. I decided to use the freeway a toll road to get out of the Lisbon urban sprawl and the rain as quickly as possible, should have done this on the way in, lesson learned. After 120 kms (toll E9.05), the rain stopped, off the freeway and back on to the same road I rode in on.

 

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