Day 24, We had a snow ball fight!!

After the most relaxing day off we have had it was hard to get going this morning, as well as pack our stuff in the. Bags they came out off!!

But we managed to leave by 11.00 and after a short hop down the motorway we were on the B roads we desired, we stopped for fuel and ian blessed the bike with his old water (an Irish thing i think) and headed off to the mountains, we stopped for provisions in a small town for lunch and even talked about camping in the wild tonight. The road then took us along a winding road full off switch back and good Tarmac, until we hit the left turn that just went up. We were not sure if we could get across the top as the map Justin had studied the night before showed a track that went right over the top so as we have discovered so far on this trip ......if Justin says its a route ........don't believe it !
As we wound up through the mountain the road got worse and turned to pot holes and then mud with puddles and slippery stuff, it was great and we were both enjoying it.

When we reached the top at 2050 meters there was a barrier saying we could go no further (well done Justin), so nothing else than to set up the stove and cook some soup, I must say at this point that 2 hours before we left a nice 22 degrees, it was now about 2 degrees and we were surrounded by snow. So there was nothing else to do while the soup was boiling than to have a snow ball fight! After all that energy Ian made some cheese and ham rolls and Justin boiled the soup to perfection.

We were enjoying the moment when the clouds came in and things got very dark, so we decided to pack up fast and head down the mountain, which was more fun than going up, with mud flying and the back wheel spinning up on the wet mud, we even made a small detour through some very large puddles just to see how deep they were.

Back on the road we headed East on some fantastic road with flowing bends and hairpins to die for, if I had to guess I would say we must of hit t least 400 bends today of which about 70 of them were hair pins!

At about 4 o'clock we needed to find somewhere to sleep and Ian wanted a mountain auberge and Justin agreed, so we headed up through a mountain pass again through the snow and found a small auberge but decided there would be more. We crossed another snow covered pass at 2000 meters where ian picked up a walking stick for later use, not much later! The road the spiralled down at quite a rate through some very pretty but very closed towns until we hit Guadix a small Spanish town on the plateau of the Sierra Nevada. And picked a small hotel on a back street and went for a couple of beers before diner, but diner was not needed!!

We had a couple of beers in the hotel bar and got a fee tapas dish with each beer, we thought that was enough before diner and went for a walk, we then stopped for another beer at a small Spanish bar and got another tapas dish free, so we thought we would test the idea and had a few more drinks, all accompanied with a free tapas dish. This seemed to good, and we were now full so returned back to the hotel for a coffee and surprise surprise a free cake, so we have spent 17 euros on drink and had 5 tapas dishes large enough for 2 and a free desert, so more money saved and still no need to camp.

The plan for tomorrow is more mountain roads and maybe an auberge if we can find one before heading further north, but we both agree that today has been the best road riding day, although we can only remember the last few days, it's like we were never stuck in the sand!!!

The card is again enjoying the balcony of this little hotel, knowing she has little time left to get a tan!

Day 23, today we have been practicing our Spanish............dos cervezas por favour!!!!

After we had a well earned lye in and a good breakfast, it was time for some bike maintenance, so down to the underground garage to give the girls some loving and some fooling around!

We tightened Ian's chain, and then loosened it and then tightened it a bit more before we loosened it back to the original position, we left Justin's alone, we degreased and de sanded both chains before coating them in some fresh grease. They also took a lot of oil, we have nearly used 2 litres of oil between us on this trip!!

This all took a couple of hours which made it cervezas o'clock and time to sit by the pool and for ian to make like a lobster while justin went a further golden brown!!

Once the redness got to much for ian we walked along the beach to find a beautiful town that we failed to find yesterday, we are good navigators!!! Nerja is beautiful with quaint shops hidden coves and plenty of places to practice our Spanish. While walking down the beach Justin turned round to find ian gone, so he re traced his steps to find ian chatting away to whom he thought was Justin!

While we were out we bought a local area map and started planing our way across the mountains tomorrow with as little road as possible.

After returning to the hotel for a little more Spanish practice we made like the Spanish and had a siesta!! Then back in to town to find another area we had not found on our pervious 2 excursions, this time we were sure we had found the town centre! The place was full of Spanish family's watching Barcelona get thrashed and having a good time.

We enjoyed probably the best meal we have had to date and a glass of wine or 2 before a wonder and back home for a early night! 1 am

The card enjoyed some paragliding today at great expense!!

Day 21 and 22, Leaving of North Africa! Or trying too!!!

We must apologise about 2 days in one, but this is purely due to Moroccan time as all will be revealed!

As a leisurely breakfast and a walk by the sea (Ian's idea) we head north to find the Peage and avoid Rabat, as I'm sure your already guessing, we went straight through the heart of Rabat, with all its traffic, scooters and lorries as well as the obligatory donkeys. The city from what we saw is very different to everywhere else we have passed through, with traffic lights, and we just about remembered how they worked, road signs, and 4 lane road with curbs but no pot holes. Despite what we had been told we can say that the Rabat we saw was really nice.

We made it out of Rabat in the end and found the Peage ,just like in Europe, but with people standing by the side of the road hitching lifts, goats and sheep grazing on the side verge and people using it to cross to there properties, but I suppose they were there 1st. After a few km we stopped on the hard shoulder to check something with the radios, now think about this, your on a motorway in the middle of nowhere and you think you would be safe from children asking for money, nope, not anywhere!! As we were chatting away 2 children came running over the hill with a glint in their eyes and all the expectance of a pregnant women. They did not want much, our helmets, or the sat nav or anything of great value!!! Unfortunately we needed these bits and had to head off on our way.

After about 300km we stopped for our last petrol before the boat, and at £1 a litre so would you, it had been a chilly ride up through north morocco as it was a cloudy day but no rain. We filled up with petrol and ate some food while we prepared ourselves for the experience ahead, the port!!.

Thinking we were now ready and prepared we headed out to the bikes to head of, when the heavens opened, but not with just rain we had hail stones bouncing off the cars!! So we waited and watched the pump attendants deciding who they were going to let fill up with fuel and who they weren't!! Which we could not work out why? When the rains really fell they also provided us with a rain dance!

And so the final 30km to Tangier Med port and thankfully Mohamed was there to guide us through the process, he had a boat that was leaving in a hour and the current time was 3 o'clock. Justin decided to carry out the final negotiations in morocco as he now had it sussed!

Negotiations went well and Justin only paid a little more, until he later looked at the ticket and discovered he had paid a lot more than he should off. Mohamed had a friend with him that apparently would guide us through the port process, so we saddled up and waited for little Mohammed to take us through, and we waited a bit longer and so did little Mohamed until Justin nudged little Mohamed with a ready, at which point little Mohamed held out his hand for a tip. There was then some confusion as to what would happen next, until big Mohamed explained that little Mohamed has now done his job for us and we should give him £20, for what we are still not sure, but Justin did not give him £20!! And we headed off to passport control.

The next little bit all went smoothly with a passports stamped, and waved passed customs we were in our lane at port ready for the boat.

3 hours later we were still in our lane but still no boat, so Justin decided to entertain the 300 followers who were also waiting for the boat ,patiently, by becoming the fool ! He performed many a trick including wall walking ,balancing on 1 leg , wearing his neck scarf in a variety of ways ,surfing on the bike and then the piece de resistance ...........starting his bike in gear , revving it hard and propelling himself forward ..........and subsequently falling off!

All of this was to the amusement of port officials ( who had asked him politely to switch off his engine), and many many patient Moroccans, Spanish , French and our new best friend Mia aged 4 and her parents who are away for 18 months from Belgium in a camper van . MIa found this so funny she has declared never ever to ride a motorbike as they are like bucking broncos. Ian has tried to explain to Mia that actually they are safe in the right hands , but she could see the problem with this!!,,,,
So now Justin was laying on the floor whilst Ian was desperately trying to find the camera . Justin did not see the funny side in this and politely asked Ian to get the bike off him !!!!!!revenge is sweet!!!!
However being the good guy that Ian is , I'm afraid to say there is no photographic evidence so Justin will deny all knowledge of this experience.

Another 1.5 hours later our boat arrived to much excitement and we put on our helmets ready for the off, after another hour we were then loaded on bored a ferry from Glasgow, for the 1 hour sailing which got us in to Spain nearly 2 hours later. Luckily we were entertained by Mia and her parents and we shared a beer and some more laughter directed at eddie the Knievel Justin, as well as the local Moroccans stopping and starting at this new sensation and his of tricks!

Ian took the lead off the boat and we weaves through the traffic missing the long que as well as passport control stop and nearly customs!

We returned to the same hotel we had stayed at before we left and hit the sack with a thud.

Day 22 was due to be an easy day just a few hours up the coast away from the sight of any tagine and a stop to get some bits for the bike.

And so it began again, a helpful Harley custom bike builder but no bits, a very friendly Honda dealership with the wrong bits and the customary arrogant BMW dealer with no help after half an hour waiting, just like BMW back home!

So it was off to Malaga for a Yamaha dealership searched on the web, along the coast road of millions of time shares and apartments and then a coffee stop in Fuengiriola but to be fair we could have had any Spanish food we wanted, fish and chips, a full fry up or even a Sunday roast on a Tuesday. We made a hasty retreat and made it to Malaga by 2pm and found the Yamaha dealership, at which point everyone in Spain was asleep and they would not be awake till 4pm.

So we relaxed over a tapas 4 course lunch including drink for 5 euros each while we waited for Spain to wake. But once they had woken they were fantastic in there service and the help we needed, so we were on the road again heading to Nerja as Ian had some recollection of this being a Spanish type seafront town.

And it is, after 220 km from Algerciras this is the 1st Spanish type town we have found, we are held up in a nice waterfront hotel and a day off to maintain the bikes tomorrow.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and a couple of beers to celebrate being back in Europe, tomorrow we are heading for the Sierra Nevada.

The card has been relaxing on the balcony watching out to sea and keeping her eyes out for any rally drivers!!