Africa by Motorcycle
Although I have been riding on motorways all day, it has been through some spectator scenery. This part of the country is well worth visiting in it’s own right. The only thing is that it has been cold and windy.
I went straight to Tangier med, the ferry port, this morning; only stopping for fuel and to buy a ticket at one of the service station sales booths.
I arrived may after 12 and checked in for the 2pm sailing with FRS to Algeciras in Spain.
I did not blog this next story at the time because I did not want to worry you good folks. Especially those that were already overly stressed over my health and well being (hi mum). Now I am safely back in Europe I can tell you what happened in Guinea.
The rear tyre is down to about 2mm of tread at it’s centre which is close to the UK legal minimum of 1mm. Also the steering head bearing has got worse.
I decided to go to Agadir in the morning because I found two motorcycle companies on the Internet that may be able to help.
Afterr 5 days crossing the Sahara Desert I have finally reached the Atlas mountains and the relative affluence of Morocco.
Since I took the bike for a swim in Sierra Leone the instrument cluster only displays in Klingon.
This means I have no idea what speed I am doing, I have no fuel guage, and the odometer and trip distance counters are not usable.
Will I use more fuel on the way home going North than I did going South?
I am going uphill !! Ôÿ║
The desert roads are long and boring.
I have been on them all day so this blog entry is short.
150 years ago anybody exploring Africa would not have any contact with friends or family for at least one or two years and may never be seen again.
I have been blogging on the Internet daily and even when I cannot do that I have sent a text to Amy saying I am ok and giving my location.
Africa, or at least the parts I have visited, has very good mobile coverage and Internet access. Communication has radically changed the world. Hopefully it makes it a safer place, not just for travellers but for locals.
I just think it would be nice if we had as good coverage in rural parts of the UK
Here I am in the Sahara desert and for the first time in months I have had to do up my jacket during the day and put a warm fleece on in the evening. Tonight I will have to sleep inside my sleeping bag rather than on it.