20 JAN – So, with new sprockets, a new chain, an oil change, a bodged seal on the clutch rod, a repair to my favourite cap – plus a NEW intercom for my helmet – I left Agadir and headed to Essaouira.
Arriving in the area during the mid-afternoon there was two campsites south of the town and next to the coast. Both of the campsites were packed with motorhomes and they looked like refugee camps, so I left and headed to a site about 10 miles to the east of Essaouira. It’s a bit expensive (for Morocco) at 130dms for the night (£10) but it’s located within a forest so there’s lots of shade and shelter from the breeze. The site is very pleasant, has food available and is very well laid out. The toilets and showers are also immaculate with wonderfully hot water.
Riding through Essaouira I was expecting something maybe a bit special as it seems to be a ‘destination’ and I was thinking of maybe spending two or three days here, but it’s just a town really, and with nothing to interest me I’ve decided to camp for one night then press on to Marrakesh tomorrow.
The ride today was around 120 miles, and the weather today was a grey and overcast – the first grey day I’ve experienced in Morocco. Also, the temperature was 19 degrees today – cold enough to make me wear a fleece under my jacket. I know some of you will be laughing your wooly hats off because you’re in the grips of an ice age, but after spending a few months in the heat, I’ve become unused to a moderate climate. Yeah, I know – I’m getting soft… Anyway, Marrakesh tomorrow and hopefully some sunshine tomorrow as well.
21 Jan – I made it to Marrakesh this afternoon after a quick and easy ride from Essaouira. It was quite cold overnight, and I was glad that I was wearing my thermals. When I woke up this morning I stayed firmly in my sleeping bag because it was nice and warm and I didn’t venture out until the sun was out and shining brightly.
It was just a straightforward basic run today, with very little scenery and nothing other than a stop halfway at a fuel station with an eatery attached. There’s was dozens of Moroccan’s inside the café watching the football – as Morocco were playing against Congo. There was alot of tension in the air until Morocco scored, and there was complete pandemonium, with lots of hugs, shakes of hands and many happy faces.
I have been worried about the oil seal on the clutch push-rod, especially as I rode lots of hills and bends yesterday yet there was no oil underneath this morning. After my break at the roadside café, as I walked back to the bike I noticed a small drip of oil underneath the bike. At one point this morning I’d been doing around 5/5.5k revs a few times so maybe the extra revs had increased the pressure inside the engine a little too much for the seal bodge to cope with. It’s something I’m going to have to keep a wary eye on.
As I got towards Marrakesh the day started to get much warmer and I arrived at Camping Le Relais De Marrakech mid-afternoon. It’s a really good campsite with lots of trees, lots of shade and all the pitches are really big. Camper-van size. It’s 100 dms a night – around £10 – it’s well worth it. The toilets and showers are excellent and there’s even a swimming pool with an eatery. And… there is even a launderette…
After a while on the road your clothes start to smell. Badly. I separate my clean and dirty clothes into sealable bags and wash my clothes whenever I can, but even the clean ones smell musty after a while. When I was in Agadir I washed all my clothes, but that was in a hand basin – so tomorrow I am going to make use of the launderette. The worst offenders are my helmet and my riding jacket and trousers, as with over two months of sweat on the insides – they stink worse than wet dog. I’m not even going to mention my sleeping bag…
Anyway, as I got onto the campsite who should I meet – but Barbara and Howard – who previously met at TanTan on my journey south. And, just as I arrived the campervan next to Barbara and Howard’s pitch was leaving, so I parked next to them. That evening Barbara invited me to eat and she made the most delicious stew. And of course, several cups of tea. I had run out of my beloved Yorkshire tea last week, I had bought tea in Dakhla, and again in another supermarket but the local tea was not to my liking. I was desperate for a good cup of tea…
I’m here for three of four days to do touristy things and also see a lot more of Marrakesh. And then I’m heading north because I’m hoping to meet a chap called Craig who’s rode all the way from the UK on his Triumph Tiger. Well, it seems rude not to…!
