Well, its nearly been a week so I’ve decided that tomorrow I’m going to head to Morocco but before that, I need some supplies. A few things I can get locally but I really do want to go into Gibraltar, mainly for a nosey as its been a few years since I’ve been there but also for three other things: Some Yorkshire tea, a new GoPro 12 and some photo-copying. Getting into Gibraltar was easy. All you’ve got to remember is to stick to the right-hand lane at the border control as there is a special lane for bikes, scooters and motorbikes. It only took a few minutes to get into Gib.
I visited Gibraltar several times while I was in the Royal Navy, but that was with the border closed. I haven’t been here for over 20 years and found the changes hard to describe, really. It seems so familiar, but it’s very different to how it used to be. Much busier than I ever remember with lots of shops and eateries, and zillions of people. Its got a really good buzz about it and I do like Gibraltar, much better then the old Gib I visited before. I’m also enjoying the sunshine, and of course, doing my weekly shop in Morrisons…
Tea: I managed to get my tea. I also bought a couple of packets of powdered milk – as I don’t know what the milk situation will be like once I get to Morocco. Plus, I got some Jaffa cakes for later… I do love my tea. Many years ago I stopped drinking alcohol. Not because of any beliefs, but because I simply lost the taste for it and with the exception of the occasional nip of malt-whiskey, my poison these days is tea – AND lots of it..! Because I love a good strong brew, over time my favourite tipple has become Yorkshire tea. Also, Yorkshire sell their tea as loose tea, so I bought four bags to replenish my stocks. Why loose tea? Simple: I can carry more tea with me as loose-tea than I ever could if it was in tea-bags. Tea-bags take up a lot of space and when you are on two wheels space is valuable.
GoPro. I already have a GoPro 8 and 6, but my main travelling video camera is the Drift XL camera on my helmet. Unfortunately it stopped working a few days ago so I decided to get a GoPro 12 because it has good image stabilisation. I managed to get a GoPro 12, and together with two extra batteries, a media-MOD plus a charging block, it came to around 250 UKP. Money I didn’t want to spend but I knew I had to to make sure I had enough video camera equipment for the trip.
Photocopying: I also got lots of photocopying done. My passport. When you go to Morocco you are likely to get stopped by the police as a routine stop and you may get asked for a ‘Fiche’. This is just a photo-copy of your passport and it simply lets them know who is in their area. I got myself 20 copies, which should hopefully last me a few weeks.
After I got my shopping I went for a bimble up and down main Street, and at the end is Casement Square – so to celebrate my new purchases I treated myself with some Fish and Chips. It was really good to sit here and just watch the world go by. I am a people-watcher anyway, so it was sheer pleasure to enjoy the sights and sounds of Gibraltar.
One thing I could not buy or find in Gibraltar was a helmet chin-mount for the GoPro, so after leaving Gib I tried a couple of local motorbike shops in nearby Spain but to no avail – so I stopped at a DIY shop and bought some Epoxy putty. When I got back to the camp I got one of the spare GoPro mounts I had in my spares bag and attached it to the chin of the helmet with some cable-ties and Epoxy putty. Then I added more Epoxy around the mount and it looks quite solid. It has added a bit more weight to the helmet, but it seems secure. How secure? Only time will tell, so fingers crossed.
Tomorrow Morocco beckons, and I am so excited…
