Todra Gorge to Touradant

Off early from the Todra gorge, stopped at Dades gorge on my way to Ouarzazate.

 

Lunch along thw way was the inevitable tajine, this time beef.

 

In my excitement to get this shot, I was too casual with the sidestand stability and paid for it by way of a smashed front indicator.

Stopped at the beautifully named Ouarzazate (pronounced WarZat) and took off the next day for Taorandant.

The roads would be a pleasure to ride if only the surface was better. I struggled over potholes and subsidence to reach 80kph.

To the Todra Gorge

Rode South from an overnight stop at Zeida to Tinehir and the Todra Gorge

Could have gone further up the gorge but the road surface was horrible and, at the end of a long day, made a U turn and found a small hotel called The Garden of Eden by a river in a palm grove and called it a day.

From Spain to Morocco

Stopped at a small city called Chiclana de la Frontera and ordered new rear shock absorber bushes promised in three days.

Chiclana is a pleasant place and my hotel had a lock up garage as well as being in walking distance from the centre.

There is a popular beach 26km away with a (rare) self serve automatic laundry.

After three days I went back to the motorcycle shop and they replaced the rear brake linings and changed the oil for E75(AUD$113) but said the bushes were still three days away.
Next day went for a ride to Cadiz

The museum was free and well worth a visit.

So after the sixth day my kindly hotel receptionist telephoned the motorcycle shop to see if the elusive bushes had arrived. NO. Wait another three days. This is when I regretted my Spanish lessons did not include swear words. Left the next morning for Algeciras and went to the Yamaha dealer there and paid for the bushes for collection on 28th when I will be back from Morocco. Left all my camping gear at the hotel and caught the 90 minute ferry to Africa the next morning.

The cranes which unload the container ships are some of the biggest in the world

Police on board stamped my passport and pre-printed customs declaration for the bike made customs on arrival pain free if slow.  Found an ATM for some Moroccan Dirnams and happily the insurance office was shut so made a saving there. On the road to Chefchachoan where found Dar Scotlandee, a guesthouse high up on a breezy hill overlooking the valley.

Morocco is very third world with lots of rubbish, piles of neglected rubble everywhere and donkeys and horses used for transport.
Chefchaouen is known as the blue city.

The guesthouse staff were rearing an orphaned desert fox as a pet.

Spent two nights at Chefchaouen then left for Fes.  Without Sat Nav maps for Morocco the strategy is to ride as close as you can to your hotel, then pay a taxi to lead you there.

Road wound through the Rif mountains and straightened out onto plains with intensive agriculture.
My Fes hotel was right next to the medina (Old town)

Next morning made my way to the famous Fes tanneries, in constant operation since the 14th century.

 All natural ingredients are used. The white vats are used for softening the hides with pigeon poo. Yellow is saffron, brown from henna etc.

Virago from Ireland to Bulgaria; 9 days in Portugal

Entered Portugal from Spain at Guimaraes and, after at stop at Evora, made my way to Lisbon.
Visited the Pena Palace in Sintra in the rain.

Pleased I wasn't walking by when this dropped.

 

Caught a ferry the next day in very windy  overcast weather.

But first I had to navigate Monday morning peak hour traffic over this bridge.

Clouds slowly disappeared as I went further south and after some light rain, the sun arrived.
Stopped along the way to check out the cork trees.

Found a nice 51 Euro (AUD$77) hotel in the Algarve near Benagil beach.

There is a famous sea cave at Benagil that I wanted to see, unfortunately the sea was too rough.

So I had to be contented with a walk along the cliffs.

Weather had turned nice at last and I left for Spain in 28 degree sunshine.