Play it again Sam Once we got off the motorway at Malaga we had a fantastic ride down to Tarifa via El Burgo, Ronda and the road to Taraguilla, which we’d never done before. The dual carriageway around Algeciras was like hell with the lid off but once we climbed out you could look left and almost touch Africa. It’s so astonishingly close it looks like a river. We overnighted in Tarifa where the old town was delightful and great food and wine was had. We caught the ferry to Tangier at 11.am and surprisingly we were the only bikers on there. In fact there were only about half a dozen cars but literally coach loads of walk on day trippers being shepherded around. How can you see Tangier in one afternoon on foot? We had a passport check on the ferry then about 4 more on arrival. Sniffer dogs made sure we weren’t smuggling drugs ‘into’ Morocco and there was a cursory search for drones. Drones not allowed. Try as we might the two of us on UK plates couldn’t get insurance cover for love nor money. Therefore we had to resort to getting Green Cards on arrival at the port, which strangely turned out to be pink. Suffice to say we were over a barrel, so 10 days cover cost us €70, 3rd Party even though we’re only here for 8 days. After much ado we left the port and were immediately greeted with mayhem on the roads and the lovely waft of sewage. Apparently you can pass outside, inside or anywhere where there isn’t a gap and it’s a good idea to wedge your car into the middle of a pack of six bikes. We couldn’t wait to get out of Tangier. Electric cars in Europe were made a mockery compared to the pollution spewed out by ancient diseasle trucks and bus’s. In fact my eyes were stinging because of the fumes. People waved from the minibuses and kids were agog as we swept by. It wasn’t a long run but we were glad of it by the time were reached the exceptional Hotel Aurea in Tetouan with secure underground parking. Six big excellent tuna sandwiches and large glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice €42! Unbelievable value in a hotel. The staff were really welcoming. As opposed to the scroat at the port who wanted to rip us off on the exchange rate and when Jorg The Laughing German assured him for the 5th time that he was not interested nor was he a friend, said scroat turned nasty. Back at the hotel a short siesta was followed by a walk to a Bureau de Change at a much better rate. I tooled up with Six bottles of water then a SIM card with 2 Gb of data for the princely sum of €3. Now not only could my newly fitted Carpuride wide screen shatnav function but I can make local calls when Micky’s Aprilia breaks down or runs out of gas.
"Six bottles of water then a SIM card with 2 Gb of data for the princely sum of €3”. Makes you realise the real cost of living……..
Looking forward to your travelogue, the US one was epic. Is this going to be the last hurrah for your 1200 Mutley?
Hahahaha I get unlimited phone calls (including EU roaming), text and 30GB data for £1.20 a month & drink limitless tap water...
No I’m keeping it in the Uk. I was offered 4/5ths of fuck all for it against a new Pikes Peak in the UK and thought sod that!
I posted it on here when I signed up a few months ago -maybe you were rumbling along Route 66 at the time? Look up Lebara and see what they have on offer?
The Sweet The mocktails in the hotel in Tetouan turned out to be incredibly sweet. I just had the mango drink and couldn’t finish that. The food in the hotel was absolutely superb and the chicken Tagine was the best I’ve ever had in any restaurant. Although Dulcenea del Toboso can turn out a really good one at home.
We headed for Fez taking in the blue village of Chefchaouen on the way. At the coffee stop we struck up a conversation with two local women wearing hijabs a the next table. We were a bit surprised they talked to us but when we asked if they understood English it turned out they did, mainly because they were from East London. They were touring the country in taxi’s which seems to be quite popular and apparently reasonably economical. I’d noticed a European couple in the back of a taxi on the road from Tetouan, now it stacked up why they were in a taxi in the middle of nowhere even though it didn’t stack up as to why the driver seemed to be determined to pass me on the inside at any half opportunity. Personally 10 minutes in a taxi in Fes was enough for me, I don’t think I could stand several hours.
What a Wonderful World On the way out of the coffee stop we made a massive mistake and went to relieve ourselves of the previous coffee’s. It was a long drop and I can only describe it as eyewateringly excruciatingly gaggingstinky, even though the whole floor was slooshed out with a bucket of water by every unfortunate who dropped by. Except of course for us. We decided to make a fast escape and touch nothing except the tap outside. Too much detail folks? A new rule has been applied. DON’T USE THE RESTAURANT’S KHAZI’S.
Bab Taza What a great name. According to my photo locator that’s what this place is or was called. Another worthy place to water the horses.
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop Mike the bike, aka bro 6 and I decided to swap bikes for a bit today. It’s always interesting to go straight from bike to bike. I’ve ridden his Aprilia Tuono before but not for a while. Immediately I was struck by how high the foot pegs were. No wonder his knees ache on it, I could feel the pressure on mine instantly and wondered if the pegs were actually higher than on my Panigale. The engine and the gearbox were pure joy, both smooth as silk and ready to get you on the wrong side of the 15 to 20 speed traps that we encountered during the day. There were loads of them, mostly police equipped with speed guns but there were also Police roadblocks in and out of every village. They weren’t interested in us and waved us straight through every time but I wondered who they were after. How some of the wreckage grade vehicles on the road were let through I have no idea and it would be good if they banged up the loonies in the beaten up Mercedes 190’s or Taxi’s who just have to thrash past on a double white line bend or when we slow to go through a village. It’s mental. Talking of mental, that’s how I’d describe the Tuono, fun mental. A joy to ride but tiring. It could do with slightly higher bars, a half fairing, lower pegs and clip on panniers as well as adjustable suspension on the fly. Then it would be suitable for touring Morocco. Come to think of it, they do an ugly looking touring version. Not sure it has the panniers and adjustable suspension though. I think the lovely sounding standard pipe on the Tuono is even loader than my Akrapovic full system. I was glad to get back on my well sorted Multi 1200s.
