From Hicham's place I headed south towards Er Rachidia and the Eastern desert. The ride was unbelievable - winding roads through the mountains and spectacular scenery; so much fun on two wheels. I took some photos but they hardly do the scenery justice. I was aiming for Ouarzazate, but with my gawping and stopping to look around I didn't quite get there before it got dark so camped up about an hour away. The next day I hit Ouarzazate, got the final few bits to fix my bike, and even had time to stop off for a studio tour. The studio was CLA Studios, and for about £3.50 you could have a tour of their sets, the most spectacular of which is a giant castle in the middle of the desert, built for the eminently forgettable Orlando Bloom vehicle Kingdom of Heaven, but apparently also used for Game of Thrones (presumably for the blonde one as she is always in the sandy part of the world). It looks amazing; even right up close you can't tell that it isn't real stone (though inside, you can see all the string and sticky tape holding it all together).
While at the set (the tour is several kilometres of self driving dirt track) I noticed a small off road course for quad bikes so took my (fully loaded) tourer around it, just to see. Surprisingly, I got around the course without issue but when I came to pull up I hit a patch of deep sand, ground to a sudden stop and toppled slowly sideways. It was at this point I learned that I need to hit the gym, as I am unable to pick up the bike with all my luggage on it. I had to take of the top bag before I could get it upright again, and then strap it all back on. Still no harm done, until...
A few kilometres down the road, I had my first (and hopefully only!) crash of the trip. Going round a corner, it became apparent that it was tighter than it seemed at first, and while I wasn't going exceptionally fast the luggage was having a big effect on my steering. I leaned into the curve, but realised that it wasn't enough, and as I leaned more I felt the weight of the luggage pull me over and I hit the tarmac and skidded into the crash barrier. Luckily, very luckily, there was no serious damage to me or the bike. I broke the mechanism on one of the panniers (so that now has to be tied on), scratched a few bash plates, and gave myself a hefty whack on the thigh which is still hurting a couple of days later. The best thing was the reaction of the local people driving past. Without exception they all stopped, and two guys helped me get the bike back on, strapped my luggage back on made sure I was ok and finally waved me off. Without getting to mushy on you, it really was quite heartwarming.
For the rest of the day it was back to amazing scenery, but as I stopped to take a photo of the fading sunlight cutting across a dramatic valley, I managed to drop the bike again. Deciding that the day was just to be written off, I went to the next town and stopped at the first hotel I found. It was pretty Spartan, but it did only cost me £2.50 so I was happy.
I got the handlebars straightened the next morning (forgot to mention that they got bashed out of alignment too) and then made a beeline for the coast
While at the set (the tour is several kilometres of self driving dirt track) I noticed a small off road course for quad bikes so took my (fully loaded) tourer around it, just to see. Surprisingly, I got around the course without issue but when I came to pull up I hit a patch of deep sand, ground to a sudden stop and toppled slowly sideways. It was at this point I learned that I need to hit the gym, as I am unable to pick up the bike with all my luggage on it. I had to take of the top bag before I could get it upright again, and then strap it all back on. Still no harm done, until...
A few kilometres down the road, I had my first (and hopefully only!) crash of the trip. Going round a corner, it became apparent that it was tighter than it seemed at first, and while I wasn't going exceptionally fast the luggage was having a big effect on my steering. I leaned into the curve, but realised that it wasn't enough, and as I leaned more I felt the weight of the luggage pull me over and I hit the tarmac and skidded into the crash barrier. Luckily, very luckily, there was no serious damage to me or the bike. I broke the mechanism on one of the panniers (so that now has to be tied on), scratched a few bash plates, and gave myself a hefty whack on the thigh which is still hurting a couple of days later. The best thing was the reaction of the local people driving past. Without exception they all stopped, and two guys helped me get the bike back on, strapped my luggage back on made sure I was ok and finally waved me off. Without getting to mushy on you, it really was quite heartwarming.
For the rest of the day it was back to amazing scenery, but as I stopped to take a photo of the fading sunlight cutting across a dramatic valley, I managed to drop the bike again. Deciding that the day was just to be written off, I went to the next town and stopped at the first hotel I found. It was pretty Spartan, but it did only cost me £2.50 so I was happy.
I got the handlebars straightened the next morning (forgot to mention that they got bashed out of alignment too) and then made a beeline for the coast
