EDC 2017 Maroc Ride Report

[WIBO]

We stop at the Tizi n’Tichka summit for a coke break and to buy 400,000 fossils, before dropping down to a village for street food lunch. The road here is now getting widened and is of a good surface..fast and flowing....CCM Bob scorches off to race three Dutch riders who have no idea what a CCM is.



















I produce my 'HP Sprocket' hand size printer and print some pics out for the kids after handing out a few chuppa chups and pens....not once did the kids ask me or pester me. At the end of the day kids are the same the world over...they all love sweets.......learn to give because they have very little compared to our European snowflakes.








Ideal moto for Maroc.........pity about the rider....







Some wag wrote on the GS.....BobH......





After lunch we drop down en route to get fuel and to get to the camp site in ......






We dodge the usual vehicles over the centre line and arrive at the suburbs of Marrakech to the camping.


Good pitches and there's also tent chalets available. The food here is good and they sell wine and beer.




It's a comfortable place to be....









Tent chalets are available if you don't want to pitch your own tent






Some Dutch ladies from the Rotary Club are met....they're delivering old cars to Senegal where they'll leave them and fly back.





Dave is a weirdo......













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[WIBO]

More video....

[PHILinFRANCE]

Great stuff guys ...............................i'm gonna have to go back

[WIBO]

I slob it in the camp site and some take a taxi into the centre to visit the bustling medina....those with suspect hairstyles are detailed to get a haircut...

Rest day is factored in so that's two nights here.






























Weirdo....














Weirdo...










A visit to Decathlon for some kit results in finding this great publicity in the car park......Gregg says he wants to grow his hair like the teenager in the pic......I tell him it is already like that.












Dave needs his pannier support welded and I tell him there's an industrial zone place just somewhat opposite the camp site.



Duct tape at it's best







He rides over and gets it zapped for quid or so....




























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[rodyorkabr]

Brilliant report, video, write up & photographs!...is it mandatory to have a haircut on your tours...its just that I'm rather hair follicly challenged

[WIBO]

I'm sure we could find you a wig in a souk from circa 1972.....after all you can find most things you need in Maroc!!!










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[WIBO]

Most of us eat at the camp site the next night and some head back into the city centre for a dander.















We get crewed up the next morning where we'l be heading to an hotel I know in Khenifra some 300kms away by route national.





Once ready to go Steve's moto won't start. Traced to a dodgy spark plug. That's the second dodgy NGK plug on this ride out. An indication to start at the basics when troubleshooting. Always pack a plug you know that works as a spare.

I give him an old spark plug and it fires up. We off course point, take pictures and tell him his bike is crap.







Of course I'm envious of a Dutch family driving Africa in their truck.







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[WIBO]

Kenifra is a great typical town basically untouched by tourism. There's great,clean cheap hotel in the town centre with garage parking for a few dirhams.

We park in the side street to wait until I go in and see what's what....



Dave likes this moto..........so much he takes it for a ride.











Justin wants the room with bedsheets that match the colour of his eyes.....so we draw lots....











Each night theres a market and food right outside the door. There's always food for a few dirhams.....so;e of the fatboys take two helpings at the plancha,

We take a dander, get fed and take in the sights and sounds.
















The hotel does not offer breakfast but just opposite there's a place to sit and watch the world go by whilst eating a few croissants with tea/coffee








Look.......a weirdo.






We'll crew up get fuel and head to Meknes and on to Volubilis.










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[WIBO]

We ride back into Meknes and stop for a tea/coke.

Still no rain





From here it'll be a short ride to the Roman ruins at Volubilis and to take in an hour.



























Idiots......



























Weirdo...RHS
































What a cock........













Kays catalogue.....










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[WIBO]

We crew up after lollipops and head on to Chefchaouen......








Not again........I pull the driver over and fill out another Health and Safety form ( in triplicate )













We stop for another tea break and whilst chatting with Chinese tourists in the car park Al drops his phone where I buckle over laughing. Of course a picture is needed.










We ride the great twisties to Chefchaouen where we wait to regroup at the roundabout before you enter the town.



I make up a story that it used to be a Roman amphitheatre and they believe me.












Ride on into the town centre in to an hotel





We pull up at the Hotel Madrid and I go in to negotiate a deal then bring our pruk.
















Dave finds a hat
























We stay here which is a typically Moroccan hotel rather than a European copy that one can find in such a town. The hotel is just literally across the street from the historic town centre and where a five minute walk will take you to eat in the main square.

It's hard to find an hotel here with out a taxi ride into town and well worth the £3.96 more than what we've been paying to date to have that convenience and as we're here for two nights.

There's parking in a garage a few meters away for five or six quid per night...more than we've been paying but it is after all tourist town centre and subject to the same pricing as any other town centre establishments all over the world.



Al and I opt for the basement room and are that amazed at the duvet covers we have to take a picture









As you can see it's quite ornate..complete with ornaments on display......



There's always one...........