A Trip report WITH piccies

slimbo

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a report with piccys

TUES 28TH DEC…

After initial packing of the beast, we gave up.

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Small conference later we threw it all in the back and shut the door.
Around ten Tony arrived to complete the trio! We stashed his gear and prepared to depart.
With goodbyes done to the families we drove away from the land rovers home for the last ten months, off to our first official engagement at the services on the motorway. (j47).

Now a fully loaded land rover specially a 21yr old one is a strange beast, steering like a heifer on acid and the brakes need a days notice even to consider operating
.
On arrival to the services we are greeted to the smiling faces of mbrs of the Christian Lewis children’s cancer care trust, friends and several of the welsh posse ukgser’s, in fact nearly all of them... plus a bonus the press had arrived
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Piccies done bullshine dispensed and goodbyes made we load the beast (later to become Boris) onto the back of a big yellow taxi for the easiest part of our trip.
Although the AA couldn’t give us money they were very helpful in allowing our recovery to Portsmouth saving us a small fortune in UK fuel costs. (Top move recovery).
.
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About two thirty we depart and are accompanied by the throng of gs’ers part way along the motorway.

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‘’Well that’s it ‘’pipes up bill’’ were on our way’’.

We settle back and relax for about the last time in the next three weeks...

The trip to Portsmouth is uneventful except for the acquisition of a whole box of milk cartons for a ‘’ brew’’ when in country. (thank you burger king!) chievely!!
We arrive at the D-day museum car park to the cold but smiling faces of baker man and co plus all the other gser well wishers eagerly waiting to take the Mick and generally stand in the cold!! (And it was bloody cold.)

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Bakes as usual produces pork!! and we all eat, warm drinks are taken to keep the body temperature up. We are given more stuff for bribes and giveaways plus our rations from c.t.f.t ! and our saviour a high lift jack.( It constantly amazes me these folks that I have hardly met taking time to assist us. all with a smile and good wishes.)

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Time quickly slides by and we need to go to the ferry, so once again goodbyes made we drive off to the port. Escorted by Cumberland cruiser (andy the crazy northern blurk!)
Problem no 1 headlights? Well they did work before we left but it seems that the switch has gone on strike, so we switch on the roof lights and drive on sidelights and the stadium illumination on the roof!!
Once loaded on the ferry we settle into a regular habit, and have a drink...
The crossing is smooth and we arrive at Cherbourg around five thirty in the morn.

Problem no 2
Fuel? We didn’t fill up in the UK cos of the price so we only had a quarter of a tank and the first 24 hr station only take cards and not UK ones!!!! DOH!!
A quick meeting and we decide to drive on to the first place with people to sell us fuel...
Twenty miles later and fuel verrrry low we stop at a pretty little village/town to find their fuel station is 24 hours, and yes it does not take UK cards (bugger again).
Tony our man of many talents (most of them hidden) takes it upon himself to accost someone to use their card and we will pay them the cash...
About an hour n a half goes by and eventually we get a full tank and were off.

France is France full of French folks and our journey is pretty nondescript and our aim is to get to Bayonne for our first stop...
The land rover is taking it all in its stride; as this is the only shakedown it’s had since purchase.
After a bit of tweaking en route (tracking and tyre pressures) it settles down
Sadly short lived as we hit a couple of snags!! Sfunny really it was all set by ear and it showed it!
Five times we had to stop, and coupled with a very long day its was testing. Thankfully we were relatively warm and soon had it running again each time.
During one of our ‘’incidents’’ team bus or bust sails past and recognising a fellow nutter calls us up and offers assistance , we meet up ant the next services to swap stories and continue our epic first full day.

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Two hours driving is not bad and the three of us settle into a pattern, plus a steady speed of fifty-five mph is comfy.
At last we arrive in Bayonne two thirty in the morning after driving for 21 hours and spend an era finding a room, then off to bed for tomorrow we enter Spain…

Day two dec 30th
Up early due to the smell emanating from our beds? And pack ready for the off. I send the boys off to find coffee whilst I fettle the landy.(adjust carb with hammer).

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Fettling done coffee drank we set off for the border...
Once again the journey is uneventful and the transition into Spain happens and we don’t really notice.
Fuel consumption so far had been bad varying up but mainly down then all of a sudden 17 mpg?? Bloody miracle!
Life is good and its warm ish …
Spain is wonderful but to be honest its just another country to traverse to get to Africa so we really don’t take much notice, another long day ensues we rush through Spain at a skin rippling 55 mph trying to cause mayhem on the way ..

We stop in one motorway services the place covered in snow, where whilst posing for piccies bill hits me from above with the world’s biggest snowball!!!

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’aha! So war it be then eh??’’.
Later that day we skirt Madrid and somewhere south of valdepenas we stop for the night. Prior to our arrival the phone rang! It was radio five live looking to do an interview live later that night , so with every thing sorted we quickly contact everyone we know to tape it or at least have a listen , a while later they phone back and cancel!!!

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Spose they had something more important to report on (probably some footie players hairdo failing or summat).
So we arrive our next motel and get to bed for a well earned sleep.

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Dec 31st
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Up shower and away destination Gibraltar or sotogrande to be honest we hadn’t booked anywhere so its pot luck on arrival.
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Once again we settle into the two hour stints and the sun is warm.
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The countryside is pretty and the roads very good if we had the time it would have been great to explore as some of the back roads are a biker’s heaven, maybe another trip.
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The day drifts by and we eventually arrive at las camellias hotel sotogrande about fiveish…we was greeted with the arrival of Dennis (he of the heavy cough)And his Spanish riding buddy Enrique!
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New Years Eve in the local area?? Bit of a humorous event, started drinking on arrival
and in bed by two local time.
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In between we set off down to the beach with the BUPA gang for a Barbie
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and later off to find an Irish bar for the celebrations, now how hard can it be to find? The answer is very.

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It was like they don’t want customers but with sheer persistence and bloody-mindedness we fall through the doors five mins to go for the Spanish celebrati0ons 1100 UK time.
The place is full of hookers and expat families all expecting a good night , we just drink beer leer at the hookers and take the rise out of the sweaty ex pats…

Life is still good.
jan 1st


Woke surprisingly early and over breakfast? Decided to give up the rest day and cross into morocco today.
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Hoofed it down to algeceras caught the midday ferry and met up with Dennis again.
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ferry crossing a breeze waved to gib on the way
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Filled up in ceuta (duty free) and attacked the border.
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Where we met up with all those who set off earlier still trying to sort out the mayhem that is Moroccan beurocracy...
To be honest having done this place before I found it less daunting, and we made all the right noises (manually adjusted cover note sorting out the insurance a treat).
We breezed through parting with a couple of portfolio files (thanks grumpy lee) and a couple of dollars...
Hurrah! Were into Africa!
Earlier discussions we agreed to meet at chefchaouen in the Riff Mountains.
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the road isn’t too bad and we arrive about five in the evening pitch camp and brew up! Nothing like a good cuppa to keep us happy.

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This is about the time when bill get all primeval on us and reverts back to his primitive instincts and starts to burn stuff!!
The Roaring fire keeps us all warm and we discover how well eucalyptus burns.

We discuss the merits of border crossing then for some unexplained reason discuss the potential
spontaneous combustion of koala bears?? (Something to do with them eating eucalyptus leaves?)
Retiring to bed with calls of ‘’gnight jon boy’’ ala waltons we fall into a restful sleep.

Jan 2nd
Awake early again (I must try not to do this)

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We break camp ,

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I set about adjusting the land rover to stabilise our comical swaying and the boys repack the roof , a request from BUPA chaps to look at one of their landys as the cold start don’t work, after a while I give up baffled but happy its not serious and advise the use of easy start and leave. Jobs done we set off with crash bash Clive and daz
Into the town for a look-see.
We stake our place outside a café
 
We should point out at this stage that the date on Slimbo's camera was obviously wrong.........

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:


Keep going Graham...you're on a roll now ;)
 
Fanum said:



Keep going Graham...you're on a roll now ;)

Yes, don't stop now!

Great report and pictures!
 
Jan 2nd
Awake early again (I must try not to do this)


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tonys refuge from the snoring??(im sure bill dont snore that much!!)
We break camp , I set about adjusting the land rover to stabilise our comical swaying and the boys repack the roof , a request from BUPA chaps to look at one of their landys as the cold start don’t work, after a while I give up baffled but happy its not serious and advise the use of easy start and leave. Jobs done we set off with crash bash Clive and daz
Into the town for a look-see.

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We stake our place outside a café
order tea and something to eat. Mint tea and bread with butter and honey arrive, and it’s delicious.

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A quick reccy of the town we find the souk where Tony and bill become the waistcoat brothers (ooh suits you sir).
Once again we depart and haven’t travelled far when Meg (crash bashes landy, springs a leak.)

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me springing to action?
Not serious but pipes need to be changed, so tools out and we set to her!!
Half hour later all done and were off again...
Its been decided to travel via the main roads to make up good time and we head for Rabat (campsite in sale).

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The roads are getting better as we clear the riff mounts and the countryside constantly changes, both land rovers now performing very well and making good time.

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About fifty k from Rabat we come across team BUPA, one of their landys has knacked a rear wheel bearing and we stop to offer assistance.

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Hub removed new bearing prepped we leave them in the capable hands of a local spanner man.
And continue on.
We arrive in salle in rush hour? Somehow I think it’s always like this.
Spend a while getting lost then eventually find the campsite.


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We Pitch the tent and the bivvy and get ready to go out on the town for food...
To be honest salle is a poor cousin to other area’s of morocco in fact it could do with a tidy up.
We spend half the evening looking for a restaurant, and eventually find a deserted but sparklingly new place and demand a discount!( Love the british attitude)
So its brochettes all round and beer for the ladies?
Back to camp dispense bull shine and to bed.

Jan 3rd

Left earlyish heading for Marrakech, quite uneventful drove through a large agricultural area very flat and boring


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so we took our time to water the vegetation!!

to arrive at the campsite at dusk.

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A quick shower and we head into town for a look-see.

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Cabbie on retainer we head for the main square where we are greeted with the smells and sights of the main square in full cooking mode.


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we decided to give the sheep’s heads a miss but some of the food looked great.

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Unable to resist we stake a claim at a bench and negotiate food!! Soon it arrives and

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quickly devoured, (ensuring a ready supply of Imodium back at camp)

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Departing we negotiate a discount as the price was hiked for our benefit...
We had a look around part of the main souk


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but its late so we knock it on the head and head back to camp, tomorrow is a rest day so we intend to return.
 
Jan 4th

Drove down the road to a supermarket bought the worlds supply of booze! (My head still spins thinking of it).
Then get back to camp and hitch a lift into town, our lift will not accept any money (top bloke).

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We walk into the centre in search of a hammam (local sweat room and bath house)

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back streets of marakesh!!

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clive in tourist mode!
For forty dirham I get scrubbed and scoured by some bloke in his pants but it was worth it. We leave the bath house glowing and really clean and enter the souk again to try our hands at haggling.


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bill makes a friend in the main square..
I have found a new haggling technique and it works well , once the price is given and I will then offer a very low price in return , now the normal way is they come down a bit and I go up a bit till we find a mutual figure? But my way is to only want to pay the figure I have in my mind and offerd first(you know the very low one) so he will come down a bit and I then drop too and offer a smaller price?!!! This throws them off completely and I only buy at the price I offerd in the first place..simple innit.. and it works a treat ..

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treasure trove in the souk!!

This place is amazing full of colour and shiny stuff, clothes and shoe’s dodging requests to enter shops taking piccys we relax with a coffee.

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relaxing after the battle of the souk!!!

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The sun sets and we head back for the campsite.
Now this is where my brain goes fuzzy cos we had whisky?
Several bottles of it!! Good old? Jack willows!!
I didn’t intend to drink too much but it kept being passed to me and well you can’t refuse in good company.

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Once again bill decides to burn stuff and after the local hedgerows are scoured he returns with half a palm tree?

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the booze flows and the bull is flowing freely

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That evening gets fuzzy only for me to remember waking up in the middle of the campsite freezing me bits off in my sleeping bag? (How did that happen?).

I wreak revenge by waking them all up, and then promptly go to sleep back in the tent...


Jan 5th
Whilst I practice at being unconscious the boys tidy up the campsite and I am excused life duties for the day (to be banished to the floor in the back of the landy to recover...
Recovery hardly started and im awoken by Clive,

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it transpires that Meg has had a severe drop in power misfire and not happy. I emerge in the sun wearing my shorts and a grimace hair all akimbo still not sure wot planet im on... the local mechanics nearly run a mile on my emergence , but Clive calms them announcing that im the tame mechanic they keep in the back for emergencies…(break glass to release mongo!)



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note patheticly small bottle of water for rehydration???
Initial prognosis a valve problem, the head has got to come off.bugger!
My head is not my own I think it belongs to a bell ringer on holiday? And the gorilla has been round and left a deposit in my mouth.
But Meg needs repairing so with the assistance of the local apprentice we strip it down.


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panic sets in when we see the garage and the lack of tools??
One hour later the head is off valve removed and head gasket inspected (also blown between cyl 2-3) lucky megs spares have a gasket but no valve, so bill and Clive with a local chap depart to scour Marrakech for a replacement valve, whilst I am allowed to play at being unconscious on the floor in the sun until they return.
During my recovery period on the floor, daz changes the water pump on Meg as its getting noisy.

All too soon though it was all afternoon the boys return with hurrah!! Four new exhaust valves? Why four? Well according to the slime ball that supplied them they only sell them in fours?? Wtf!!! .

Still new valve ready to fit …. Valve fitted lapped in and all the bits in order we reassemble Meg, soon she is ready for the first start, we all hold our breath (I think it was due to the fact it had been repaired by a bloke with a hangover and couldn’t quite remember everything??)

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Still starter is pressed and Meg spins into life!! Sweet as a nut…
Quick celebrations and load up pay the bill and off again.

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Once again im excused duties and the boys drive on into the night...



It was a long day but the boys did well, they drove until 0100 found somewhere to stop and we bivvied out for the night just short of agadir...

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breakfast and i didnt fail the toothpaste test


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wierd sight goats in trees...


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Ah, memories :D

Keep it going Graham - I've forgotten a lot about my trip and this thread is helping to remind me lol. Great report so far :thumb
 
We got those djellabas in Marakesh, and it had to be the funniest night of the trip.....we spent two hours bartering them down just for fun, and my sides were aching by the time we finished!

(hmm ok, you had to be there for that really :rolleyes: )

I wear mine a lot now.....it's dead warm and comfy and is the perfick thing to chuck on to slouch around the house in ;)
 
Apart from the riding up and over the sand dunes on a honda 125 traily whilst rat arsed on cheap scotch in the pitch black in the middle of the desert.

That was funnier :D
 
PS If i wasn't a gentleman, I'd let on that it took four blokes, one whole packet of wet wipes, half an hour and one of the helpers barfing after getting too close to Slimbo whilst the others hosed him down to reach a point where we could get him into his sleeping bag and then move him 100 mtres away into the middle of the campsite to sleep it off.

(and yes, we did go back and check on him several times ;) )

But I am, so I won't :D
 
Did Fanum really scowl all the way until he put on the blue cagoule?
 

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And you’re trying to tell me you aren’t been drawn to the Dark Side
 

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Jan 6th
Up again unhealthily early and managed breakfast?
And a brew …

I am reinstated to driving duties and we set off heading for layoune via agadir.
The route is changing once again more desert and very little vegetation.
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But its nice and warm
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and the landy’s are behaving. But we still need to do another all dayer!!
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one for the album cover collection..
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We arrive layoune 0100 again. Find a hotel and hot shower (wow) all for a paltry sum collapse into a bed and sleep.

Jan 7th
Were up early again (why do we keep doing this?)
And breakfast outside with coffee and croixants?, stow our gear and go!
Just a mere 320 miles today? To dakhla..and potentially our meeting with tiffany.

Into Western Sahara!
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Down the skeleton coast, the roads are surprisingly good and we make good progress
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stopping occasionally for photo opportunities of shipwrecks.
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and pee breaks.
Only thing of excitement was having a puncture (eek) and not remembering if we had a wheel brace? DOH!! (it was there but buried under a ton of stuff)
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Stopped a passing tourist in a land rover (Spanish model for the purists) and swapped over wheels.
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As we approached dakhla it was surreal, listening to holst planet suite mars on the Zen nomad and driving through some very rocky and desolate stretches of road a truly remarkable feat (listening to music in a land rover)..
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As we approach our goal we stumble on the campsite only to find everyone there, the place is full of smiling friendly faces.
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Soon we are slapping backs and shaking hands with folks not seen since the launch party and life once again is good.
We quickly set up camp and se to on drinking beer.
That evening clemo(group mentor) , and all round good guy, gives us a team briefing ,
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clemo above about to preach to the converted , and the happy throng fuelled by beer listening intently…
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then a request for assistance as his kia shag nasty van is not well at all.
A few of the lads have managed to get it working again but its sick and in need of some tlc.
I wander over to be briefed on its indiscretion and simply the crank pulley threw its woodruff key and the timing went out?.
Problem is there are no reference points for the pulley and it runs but smokes heavily
We try a few minor adjustments but sadly it’s the end for the clemomobile!!.
That evening daz and bill have another whiskey night!!! Both expressing love to all in an inebriated way .very funny… also bill makes fire again this time in a wheelbarrow?
Before we retired we drop off a pair of desert tyres and new riding gear for tiff as we realise she wont make the meeting in time.(sms messages flying across the ether to locate us and tiffany by the B.H.T)
Our fire wood it transpires was the local builders scaffolding!! Whoops!
Once again the late night is upon us and we all drift off to bed...

Jan 8th
Right this is stupid once again a six am start?? (Isn’t this a holiday, if this carries on I will have to write to my mp.)
Break camp and off,
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Not far outside dakhla we come across one of the early starters having had a frontal RTA with a local. Seems they were overtaking in the dark and the local was coming the other way without any lights on!! It’s crazy but true. We stop offer assistance but all is ok so we set off again. (Note to self nooo overtaking unless five miles horizontal separation)
Destination nouadibou and the border with Mauritania.
The desert is again changing and there is even less vegetation lots of sand and nowt much else. Tony is driving first leg today as bill is sentenced to the back seeping whisky fumes.
Special note
Tyres doing ok only one puncture so far the tyre will only do as an emergency spare due to tyre wall damage,
But the intercom is something else, without it we would have gone mad or deaf.
We have had conversations listened to music and the pmr all with ease. A top bit of kit that’s for sure… (A huge thanks to autocom for that)
Mech probs…nil to think of, had to top up the oil a little about one and a half litres sofar.
Also had to tighten up one of the exhaust studs, but that’s really been it... (I love our landy)
The goggles I blagged at the bike show have been priceless keeping the sand out of our eyes in the frequent dust storms.
The cooling system has held up very well only topped it up once.

It’s at this point of the journey homesickness creeps in and I miss the wife and kids, the sounds and smells of home.
I put this down to fatigue, and homesickness is an occupational hazard for the weary traveller.



tbc
 
We arrive at the end of the tarmac and the border post last one till Mauritania.
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Once again all the usual suspects are there still waiting, we get instructions from a man in a uniform and follow to the letter. They are all on the make, but with a smile and a well placed pen or six we drift through the paperwork quickly. Visas checked papers filled we trot off in a sort of convoy heading for the Mauritanian border.
At the Mauritanian side of things we are greeted with guys and guns? But a great sense of humour (fancy asking us for whisky? Bill drank it all!!)...

And again papers checked and we go for the minefield! To be honest we followed Russell in bus or bust and made it through in quick time, he then pulled a cracking flanker by declaring us and Meg as his back up crew and we were on humanitarian mission to the deaf school in the Gambia. It works, and a couple of t-shirts later were all on our way... good man that Russel.
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The road is terrible all washboard and bear traps but we eventually make nouadibou we take up the offer to camp at a chaps place that turns out to be a small compound with a shower and a covered eating area, bus or bust goes off to join the others at another site and we make camp where we found it.
We have our own little UN compound so we get comfy brew up and bill declares his desire to cook for us! (Well if we can eat in a Moroccan market we can risk bills cooking.)
Bill does us proud huge scoff later we is stuffed.
We spend the evening getting clean and relaxing,
Jan 9th.
Next morning we settle the bill with the guvnor and set off to find the others.
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We soon find the other place and realise how lucky we were in finding our little campsite. The other site is a hole but its home to some.
Today’s quest is change some money buy a national park permit and get going into the desert properly
Whilst im getting the permits with daz the boys sort out our other puncture and were ready again.
We programme the street pilot with our gps info for the desert crossing as we wanted to do it unassisted, but life chucks us a curve ball and one of the waypoints is way out to sea?? So we have a 30 plus mile gap in our route.
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We set off to find the start point but sadly no big signs saying start here. And with a big gap in the middle we have to sort out how to do this safely. (Problem is the desert is a serious place and we can’t dive in gung ho hoping to make It. it just don’t work like that.)
We have a constructive debate but in the end sense prevails and we head back to try and find one of the groups leaving after us to tag along with a guide.
It’s a miracle we travel about a couple of miles and bump into a group of pders with a guide yippee!! We tag along and enter the desert.
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Time is against us and soon we pitch up in the lee of a big dune for the night,
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on arrival we do daft things dune running dune jumping and falling over.
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Once again bill wants to burn stuff so with a good fire going we again relax,
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our guide having a brew? this bloke brewed up everytime we stopped!!!
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one of the teams has a mx bike in bits on a trailer and they spend the evening rebuilding it.
Soon the nights peace is shatterd with the sound of the manic frog as the crosser screams into life. Headlights on we illuminate the dune and surrounding desert and the boys play in the sand...
Eventually tiredness creeps in and we drift off to bed unaware of what is ahead of us.
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I know it's been a while, but is there (of course there is!) more to this journey? I'd like to read the rest, if someone could point me in the correct direction ...
 
bill i am sorry there is loads more but due to the fluctuation of my depression at not taking part this year i have not completed it ..so i will extract my didgit and sort it for the masses..

cheers slimbo..
 
here you are slimbo
bill found someone for you
i think you will like this
 

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lump in throat moment!! for sure im so proud in reality!!

and happy that they all finished safe and sound..
 


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