Pedro

After a pretty sad meal the day before, only made better by the staff's enthusiasm over having Portuguese guests, we slept quite well listening to the sounds of the ocean. We left our hotel at our usual, not too early not too late, time, and made our way up the coast to Casablanca. Safi, a nice town with a huge refinery, not my kind of tea but people have to earn a living somehow. Never stop: we share a stoplight with this cool dude and his BMW (sound system properly on!) We get to Casablanca for an early afternoon snack instead of lunch, with Portuguese espresso We tried to visit Casablanca's mosque, apparently one of the world's most impressive religious buildings, it was closed for visitations and too foggy to even see the top It's so tall that it's got a laser that manages to be pointed and "making contact" with the minaret in Meca, and the inside is known to be amazing. I'm not one to visit buildings, so I wasn't too bothered by the fact it was closed, but the outside is impressive and beautiful. Instead we focused on finding a good deal on a hotel in the center. Casablanca is the city I've ever been in with the highest concentration of brand new Range Rovers per 100 cars, including London, but I sort of hagled a room price down. We had a nice bed and a guarded parking, that's all I need. We went out after dar for a walk and a meal, and saw a Morocco that was nothing like what we new, with neons and franchise food places, and cabarets We sat outside at a nice restaurant and had pizza and pasta, I don't remember who had what but I remember it was pretty nice. I get excited when I see a cocktail menu so ask for the wine menu, and the waiter tells me all cocktails are non alcoholic, and just that easily he breaks my heart ... Next morning we bug off early in the morning, just in time to catch rush our. It was raining drizzling, so instead of riding on and get wet I stop to look at cars for 20 minutes, it was pretty obvious why we had stopped so we got a good smile from the salespeople And off we go to Tangier But since I'm a sucker for a marina, we stop for a coffee instead ... took us AGES to leave Casablanca Somewhere, we stop for lunch in the sort of place we usually stop for lunch at. A cafe or cafe/restaurant at the side of the road, we figure that since this would be our last lunch in Morocco we might as well go native: Maria goes for the omelette with minced meat, a bold choice! She proceeds to eat it like a local, with her fingers and bread to help along, which I loved watching I have the skewers with a side of hot sauce to dip them in while eating. Onwards, because a 5 star hotel awaits us, we shall splurge! The roads aren't special at all in this area, the traffic sometimes reminds you you're still in Morocco though, but in a good way. I was feeling nostalgic during this last couple of hours of riding before Tangier. Maria asked if everything was ok with the bike, but no, it was just me trying to make it last a little longer. I love the way this people drive and treat the road and other users with respect. They don't really care for rules but at the same time will move over for a faster vehicle, will expect you to move over if they need to avoid a big pothole, if the road can fit three cars then there is no problem in fitting three cars even though there might be some random theoretical line in between, I get along with road traffic in Morocco a lot better than in Europe. This attitude to driving with survival and cooperation makes it simple. I don't get along with big city traffic, though, that is just random As we arrived to the most posh part of Tangier the sole focus is to enjoy the afternoon and evening, before going back home. Early morning and go to Tangier for breakfast, and quickly catch the ferry. This time we rode straight home, stopping right at the border between Spain and Portugal to put our rain suits on. Riding those last few hours in the rain, with the last 2 or 3 hours being already dark, and arriving home to a cold October night was a shock compared to the previous two weeks. We had little to eat at home, so did the smart thing, had a hot shower, and went out to eat while leaving the heating on to come back to a cozy house. We had grilled meat and drank wine in the only place still open in Azambuja!

You're a star, @Tym

TV?

In the morning me and Maria were back on our own and moving at our own pace. This means that although not in a hurry we ended up doing things in less time, like a well oiled machine. One packs this while the other brushes his teeth, then one grabs this while the other does that, I go for the cases while she goes for the helmets, etc We have breakfast, pack the bike and leave and wave at Rui's bike. I can't lie and say there wasn't a lump in my throat as we left it there. Morning traffic in Marrakech isn't as bad just because the heat hadn't arrived yet, we just moved along with traffic heading out of the city onto the coast. As we move further away from touristy and "cosmopolitan" Marrakech: Lanes? Were were going we don't need lanes! The dial... Morocco is known for it's Argan trees, and with Argan trees come the famous goats that climb trees to eat the organ fruit, some moroccans being the clever dudes that they are, see this as a way to squeeze a couple of coins off tourists, and force goats up a tree and keep them there for tourists to snap pictures with them, while asking for a fee. This is the result, just a sad spectacle, the real thing doesn't compare to this, this is demeaning to the goats and to a proud people. A few kms further on we see the same thing but non orchestrated, but that still doesn't compare to what we saw the year after on the mountains. At the end of the morning we reached the coast at Essaouira The Portuguese had been here before, a long time ago We interrupt our walk for some lunch in a great little restaurant We had orange with cinnamon as starter and fish soup, it was tasty as it should in a fishing town. If you've never tried slicing an orange (a proper orange) and just sprinkling it with a healthy (more than this) amount of cinnamon, do it. It's exotic, very healthy, and will make you look like a chef. After our lunch we just sat inside sipping a little coffee and looking at life going about it's business outside, before carrying on with our walk back to the bike. And thus started our ride back north I don't think any of us enjoyed this part of the ride very much. We were coated with muckyness from the ocean, salty and moist, wasn't very pleasant at all. Eventually we found a place to stay, quite cheaply to be honest, with breakfast included and a swimming pool. Couldn't be any better so we stopped quite looking forward to have a swim and relax. This was is October 2016, yearlier that year Portugal had won the Euro football championship with a goal scored on the last minute, against FRANCE, and they had been pretty sore loosers. We had been getting compliments throughout this trip because football is very big in Morocco and there are few things a Moroccan likes more than to embarrass France. As soon as we presented our passports the reception guy came to hugg me and we were instantly treated like long lost relatives of his Our room's view: Our rooms view within seconds, before Maria could even find her bikini The downside to being treated as football allies against France was that in order to indulge us, the hotel staff simply went on youtube and put on portuguese folk music on a loop. We were tortured by that shit wherever we went, swimming pool, lobby, restaurant, and whenever we told them to turn it off all we got in return were big smiles, a thumbs up and an exclamation of "viva Portugal" They later confessed that Portugal beating France was celebrated on the streets with gunfire to the sky and fireworks, we should have been in Morocco that evening!

After a great night's sleep, we woke up rejuvenated and happy. After a nice breakfast with some proper dark coffee, I took the bike out to the street with a smile. We were off to Marrakesh via part of the High Atlas. It looked promising of great roads and views, we weren't disappointed, but first a stop by the local post office so that Rui could send his daughter's school class a postcard from a small forgotten village in Morocco written in berber. Took him long enough, weather actually changed from morning crispness to hot while he was inside , and we're finally going again! After a while we reach the mountains. Road porn? We were passed by two road bikes going way faster than I wanted to, Rui couldn't hold back any more and went in pursuit About an hour or so of pretty boring riding later, and we're entering the outskirts of Marrakesh A door into Marrakesh We rode around Marrakesh's wall, and visited the reservoir. This reservoir was built in the 12th century to water the Menara gardens and olive trees, it's impressive that it brings it's water from the high Atlas, way in the distance. We were all pretty hot and sweaty now, and negotiated past Marrakech's traffic to get to our hotel and freshen up. And refresh we did Reaction to whatever joke I just finished as always, Rui turned up just in time, just in time for us to go out After a nice shower and some clean clothes, we were eager to go out for dinner in a city where we had spent a few days the year previous, and show it off to our new friend. Rui was going to part ways with us on the next morning, he was supposed to be at work in three or four days, and still someone to visit before being home, so time was ticking for him. Me and Maria were to ride from Marrakech to the coast, and then follow the coast up to see Casablanca and then a stop at our favourite luxury hotel in Tangier before heading home. On our way to Jemaa el-Fna square (look it up) we came accross @Tym's paradise You want to taste something truly great? try one of these orange juices: They're squeezed from cold oranges and a full glass costs pennies, the orange flavor in these is nothing like you can taste in the UK. Jemaa el-Fna is busy, lots of people, lots of food stall, lots of coal grilling, lots of smells and then there's Marrakech's Medina, which branches out from the square. Good thing they don't serve alcohol there because it's easy enough to get lost sober. We found a 1st floor balcony to have some dinner while looking at the bustling square below: Walking back to the hotel after dinner and a few drinks (of coca cola ) we were happy but also sad to be ending ou trip together. In the morning Rui would be getting on the motorway and go at Mach5 on his way to Portugal, at least that was his plan but you know how things went with him We made plans to see each other often.

It's got a center stand and everything, so you can clean and lube that chain after every ride or every 117km, whatever comes closer, perfect!

Pete on a BMW again!

Thanks, Pete, that brought a tear to my eye. It has taken me years to be able to go through these pictures myself, and it was brought on by the fact that it was 6 years ago on the 27th that we bought our first ferry to Morocco. Also, the end of September or early October were the weeks I had destined for this trip because of the weather and work. In a way I'm looking at what I should be doing anyway. It's not an easy thing to do but I'm posting this more for myself than for anyone else, and posting pictures without telling the story wouldn't make sense to me, so I'm telling it.

I might have ingested some of those pool water during the day, and felt a little nauseous as well from some lip balm Maria made me wear on account of my dry and cracked lips, the result of said events was that I slept like crap and felt like throwing up throughout the night. We were supposed to sleep in Zagora that day, but I really didn't feel able to get on the bike. Rui was an EMT and had come prepared with some magic stuff, a quick injection, some light breakfast, and an hour later I'm on the bike feeling great. To this day I don't know what it was he gave me. Off we go And just like that, 400km later we're having cold water in Mhamid, no sandstorm drama this time Back in Zagora, for some reason we have no foots of that hotel and evening, it was quite nice sitting outside under some thick trees. Only picture I have is of the concierge's assistant Before heading off to Ouarzazate, in the morning we visited the friendly mechanics and put a sticker on my new bike. Off we go back north, our destination was Marrakesh but first we would sleep somewhere as we were going through the Gorges du Dades and that means a lot of mountain roads, not fast going like here. Stopping to take in the views, we were approached by this guy whose name I was unfortunate enough to forget trying to sell dates (the fruit). We bought some but then he invited us for some tea. His dad did maintenance on cell or tv signal towers there, and he spent a lot of time up there selling dates to tourists. He was pationate about football, and new more about the portuguese league than I did We said our farewells, and got going. Judging by our current location, I wanted us to sleep at the rock hotel built on top of the Gorge du Dades, so we covered ground to get there still with daytime enough to enjoy the place. A brief stop in Oarzazate for something to eat and Rui dropped his bike taking it off the center stand, to receive a few laughs by people sitting in the restaurant. Had we not lightened his gin and vodka load it would have been even harder to pick up Roads were pretty great getting there, although not as dark as on these pictures. Up there would be our accommodations for the night These switchbacks are nothing special as a road, but the place itself is worthy of a good 10 minute stare. We explored the area a little bit, just trying to be good hosts to Rui as he hadn't been here before. And back to our rooms for the night Our meal didn't get on camera, however it was simple and delicious. As the evening was getting cold, a hot meal does wonders for you. There was not much in the way of entertainment, no internet, and 15 minutes after we made it to our rooms the generator was off and we were in complete darkness. The drone of a couple of trucks negotiating the hairpins made us feel sorry for those poor guys driving old-fashioned trucks with no assisted steering and little in the way of lights on that road, but after two or three trucks traffic stopped completely and we slept soundly. Bed was hard but comfy, with heavy whoolen covers. We woke up rejuvenated.

The group's goals for the day were to do a little motorcycling in the morning, a little lunch, some relaxation by the swimming pool, and watch the sunset on top of a dune. Good goals! Sunrise was pretty great Some light exploring to be done There's an offroad route from Merzouga to Mhamid, and I'd really like to make that route on my bike. Rui was adamant we couldn't do it, and to be honest I didn't really feel very happy about some of the soft sand sections that were bound to appear. Regardless, I went to scout for a few kms. In Portuguese, you see Rui jokingly complaining that they are suffering from the heat while I'm ok cause I've been riding for hours (I had been gone for 5 minutes) Eventually I'll try and do that route, the Vario cases might not be the smartest idea, though, and the GS is not the smartest tool for the soft parts either. As per plan, lunch was had, something about waking up early and riding bikes makes me hungry Then, onto the hotel via a souvenir shop for Rui to get something for his kids and wife. I took the chance and discreetly got something symbolic for Maria as well. I then proceeded to refresh myself and indulge in an afternoon of cold drinks and cold swimming pool. When we were up on the dunes waiting for the sunset, I did something I regret not doing sooner, which was to surprise Maria with a proposal, she said yes. This was most likely the happiest day of my life. Right before sunset the wind picked up and it seemed like a sand storm was forming, but eventually it didn't, just kicked enough dust into the air to make it not very nice to be on top of a dune. We retired to the hotel's shelter and had a delicious vegetable tajine for dinner. The greatest day!

Well, it's just how the camera sees me

We slept like babies, on a room on the rooftop of the kasbah, a net for mosquitoes on the window, woke up to birds getting busy and singing at dawn We lingered around a little before breakfast Breakfast was to my liking I'll return, for sure: But the road is calling: There's a gas refinery in Errachidia and plenty of army around, for simple security I assume. We aren't that far away from Algeria. You get used to big views I think I put some poor quality fuel the day before on the bike, so as soon as I got an Afriquia station I fueled up, usually Afriquia stuff works well. We've come to Errachidia to buy Rui a sim card, for data and international calls. Administration done, time for some coffee And we're off to the Sahara! Scenery is really changing now We were headed to Merzouga and the golden dunes again, to stay at our favourite place. We were to spend two nights there, taking in the desert, a plan was forming in my head... stay tuned And finally arriving at out oasis, very hot and tired but with some time to kill before sunset. Inside one of Rui´s metal cases were a couple of aluminium flasks with some nice gin and vodka. We quickly ordered a few cold tonics and relaxed a little Tomorrow would be an extraordinary day...

This poll will close at the end of the 01st October, get your vote in!

So, after a surprising election, we've gotten a tie. Here are our two finalists, so cast your vote: @Grasshopper's Ride's Royal Enfield Himalayan @Tym's Tomos

After lunch, we got on our way again, there was a long way to go if we were to sleep where we intended. We were to go through the Gorge du Todra, then to Errachidia and north to where we were to sleep. Maria was back on Rui's bike Good luck passing here when the rains come! After our most touristy stop, Maria's back on with me, and we're off to Errachidia And just like that, we're out of the canyons and onto open space As you can tell by the light, the sun is setting, so we got out of our own way and made a little progress We can smell the desert air by now, but first, a little detour and find our beds for the night. It was obvious we weren't going to make it before nightfall, so we stopped to enjoy the sunset. Sunsets here are amazing, and it was a special moment It was pretty dark when we made it to our accommodation, but we were well received. First a nice shower, then some kind of hot meal I can't remember much about, and plenty of tea. I would have paid good money for a proper bottle of wine

Maybe a second vote between both bikes?

Carrying on, we were starting to arrive at the gorges (canyons) so the land was getting big, the skies were huge that day, and it was amazing, I hope the pictures show half of what it felt like We stop on this hairpin to enjoy the views: Maria rode with Rui for a while, trying to get a few pictures of my bike on the road. I hoped she didn't enjoy leaning against the top case too much otherwise I'd have to get one too After an amazing morning, we stopped for lunch. The air was crisp and clean, perfect temperature, and we ate somewhere with a view Coca Cola attrats flies, deal with it!

We had planned on a big day today, going through Imilchil coming from the north via mountain roads, which we never did before, go towards the desert, visit what appeared on the map as "legionare's tunel", that same valley which we didn't know either, and sleep there. We were up for a memorable riding day After a nice night's sleep, we woke up to a cold crisp morning, and feeling quite eager to get going, packed the bike and went for breakfast. We waited for almost an hour for bread, but then realized that they were waiting for the baker's van to arrive with fresh baguettes. It turned out to be simple but tasty, so we left happy. I might even return to this hotel if searching for a most Moroccan experience After the previous day's dirt roads, Rui had mentioned he had his fair share of eating my dust, so we planned on what looked like pretty good mountain roads, with numbers that made them look important enough to be tarmac. So far we were riding mountain roads of almost European quality, but then came construction work That lasted about 20 or 30km, and it got a little too soft for Maria's confort so she held on instead of taking pictures. At last: Some great roads ahead Starting to climb up to Imilchil, via a very cool mountain pass This was the definition of my kind of road, not offroad, not fast, but not really tarmac either, with great views As we go over the mountain, the road and the views both open up Arriving at Imilchil, we stopped for a tea I was a little cold up here in the mountains, I had come with my summer jacket and a fleece underneath, this was already October so I should have been better prepared. Back on the road

Next day we wake up in a great mood, had a nice day of riding and relaxing, packed and went for breakfast. I had my favourite Moroccan breakfast, (several helpings of) freshly made Msemmen with honey to get me going with plenty of sweet calories We check out, pack the bike (put sidecase on) and wait for Rui , after 20 minutes he shows up, and we're ready to go. Maria is quite enjoying me being annoyed for waiting. And we're off from Fez on a very short ride to Azrou. Azrou, to visit some furry friends of mine, is a very interesting place because if you were to not notice that most people are not light skinned you could think you were in Germany or Austria, just look at the streets and houses. It's a winter resort so they probably got inspiration from similar places in Europe. Rui wasn't too comfortable with the monkeys, but I enjoy them quite a bit. And I was very happy to meet my friend from two years ago, he's a cool dude: And we're off again, through the cedar forrest, with a brief stop by the half dried lake on our way to some route Maria had in store for us And off we go again, there was a detour to a small road (small on the map) that would prove to be very nice to ride. A lot of people outside of towns still use donkeys to bring their daily water home, this is what you see a lot of kids do in the morning After the dirt road, we stop to figure out where we were and were to go next. Spirits were high after this ride, it got a little hot at times and very dusty, but there you go. We head for a cheap hotel with a promising swimming pool via a road going near a body of water. Pretty views as the sun was going down Eventually we arrived at the hotel, it looked nice outside but was the definition of run down, the back looked like Beirute in the 90s, and there were lots of rooms with open doors and broken windows, staff was very nice and friendly but clueless. Beds were clean and the bathrooms as well so all is good. Morocco has a lot of places like this, big hotels built in another era that were left without maintenance for ages, and then left to a very small staff team that is unable to keep up so they just keep the ball rolling any way they can, with lots of shortcuts. We were in good spirits, though. 50 meters in front of the hotel there was a fuel station with a cafe. For some reason, some fuel stations have these huge grand buildings for a cafe, mostly empty, here is the perfect example Rui enjoyed following us along so much that he asked if we could travel together for a few days, so we now had a new travel companion, one that unbeknown to him would be present in something really major in my life ...

There's still time for someone to cast a final vote. Voting is a duty!

Some do, others closer to big cities ride R1200RT. I think some ride Transalps, but I might be mistaken.

I, for one, could have done without it

We wake up earlyish, have a quick shower, and go for breakfast, this is the view over Chefchaouen First priority is to get our data card charged. Since the way we do this is to go to network shops and pay cash for it we have to wait at the Inwi shop in Chefchaouen for it to open. The dude probably enjoyed a sleep in that day, but he was extra quick after arriving, must have been almost 11 by the time we left to go and see the road that we had left on a taxi the previous year. I swear you can see how slippery this tarmac is Grass, the kind you smoke: A brief stop for some tea And some more pot Lots and lots of marijuana growing in that area. You can see that everything that is properly green after summer has been well watered and most of it is pot. Everything is very well organized, houses have nice windows and isolation, lots of people drive more or less fast pickups or SUVs, you can tell there is some kind of money but it's not like you're walking amongst drug lords, they're just farmers whose produce is not really legal and pays a little better than most. Baby donkey cuteness alert! And a brief stop for some lunch, after the place we were last stranded. After some time taking in the smells and sights of openness, we get back on it, choosing backroads to head to Fez, these roads are probably tarmac by now and soon enough, we're in Fez Fez used to be the capital of Morocco, it's a proper busy city with loads of traffic, but a lot more pleasant to get around on than chaotic Marrakesh, Casablanca or Rabat, it also gets proper hot in the summer here, maybe more so than any other major city in Morocco. We were having no excuses, having arrived at our destination swimming pool, I went straight in. We spent a good couple of hours at the swimming pool, maybe three, and were already thinking Rui wouldn't be joining us so went for a shower and to get dressed, when he texted he had just arrived. So: we left Chefchaouen later than he did, rode on cooler roads than he did, stopped way longer than he did, he rode like a maniac while I rode slowly, and yet we arrived more than two hours earlier than he did. Not surprisingly, he eagerly accepted when we invited him to tag along the next day. Not before going out to dinner and a walk around a very warm Fez The next day, I'd be riding with company for the first time and we'd go visit some monkeys!