patrickg450
Well-Known Member
I would love that but not sure it is a reality.....
Give me the quick on your plans to ship the Tenere over there?
Give me the quick on your plans to ship the Tenere over there?
Bigguy Rides - 2014 S10 Travels - Finished Riding a Lap Around The World
- Thread starter Bigguy136
- Start date
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
I have 2 rough plans. First is California in the spring and ocean freight to Hong Kong then fly over in September, ride to Mongolia and store bike for winter. 2nd plan is ride to Canada, fly me and bike to Europe and begin Africa. If I do this, it will be either fly in May to Spain then ride Europe and store bike in Bulgaria, go back in late fall and start crossing Africa or fly over in October and begin Africa.
I have 2 months vacation and it starts over in June. I'm checking with my work to see if I can push my vacation into the following year without loosing it.
Hong Kong is easy but mainland China is not looking doable without a guide.
If I fly over in October, I will be doing weekend rides over the summer to test my new bike.
Sorry for no solid plan yet.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
I got to town and found a hotel فندق الأرز in Targuist, Morocco (haha, I can't read it either, just copy/ paste from google maps). I was asking for a room and the guy says 'just one' and being the smart-ass American I am, I said well unless you have a lady friend you could set me up with. I got a odd stare and I said, yes just 1.
Room complete with a bucket shower
I took a walk towards all of the hustle and bustle and found a place with some food. You know by now, this ride report is always about the food.
A 5 star dinning experience with a wonderful view.
Walking back, I stopped for a sporting event
I get to my room and a few minutes later there is a knock on my door. The hotel clerk and he is introducing me to the police officer. Mister officer was asking what my plans were in the morning and said he wanted to be sure I was leaving in the morning. Okay, lesson learned to not joke about sleeping with strange women in a strict Islam city.
As promised to the police, I was up early and on my way.
Stopping to see the sights
An afternoon coffee break. No rest needed, just wanted to people watch
And my first Africa camels
And a repeat of most all prior days. Pull into town, get a hotel and look for food.
And the main dish. I still remember this 3 years later. It was excellent.
Room complete with a bucket shower
I took a walk towards all of the hustle and bustle and found a place with some food. You know by now, this ride report is always about the food.
A 5 star dinning experience with a wonderful view.
Walking back, I stopped for a sporting event
I get to my room and a few minutes later there is a knock on my door. The hotel clerk and he is introducing me to the police officer. Mister officer was asking what my plans were in the morning and said he wanted to be sure I was leaving in the morning. Okay, lesson learned to not joke about sleeping with strange women in a strict Islam city.
As promised to the police, I was up early and on my way.
Stopping to see the sights
An afternoon coffee break. No rest needed, just wanted to people watch
And my first Africa camels
And a repeat of most all prior days. Pull into town, get a hotel and look for food.
And the main dish. I still remember this 3 years later. It was excellent.
sheikyerbooty
Well-Known Member
Morocco hard. Swapped a bottle of duty free johnny walker for a cadburys sized block of hash.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
Without a plan, I was thinking I would keep going south and follow the coast. I had been in the higher elevation and temps were good but I was getting into the Sahara desert and temps were going up. I was in Boumalne, Morocco and decided to see the Marrakesh markets and decide then.
When I was at my hotel in Boumalne, there was a guy that worked for the hotel and followed me everywhere I went. He was just a foot away and was either trying to be very helpful or thought I played ball for the other team. I typically leave my S10 parked and walk around town for dinner but it was time to get on my bike and get away from the guy.
During dinner, there were the usual cats roaming.
There was no breakfast at the hotel and I didn't want to stay for any longer then pack and ride away. There is always street food most anywhere.
Travelling the smaller roads
Not much traffic. Another great thing about the S10 is the reliability when you ride for a day and see no other cars
And a repeat of the night before but without the guy following me....
HAHA, no clue where this pic was taken but it looked nice so why not add it? Everyday people in Morocco.
I'm not a pizza guy but it looked good so why not
And if you travel to other parts of the world, you will see a garbage can next to the toilet. First thing you look for when you enter your room is if the garbage has been taken out. The garbage can is for toilet paper as it will plug up their plumbing (so I've been told). If you experience a bathroom as such, remember, wipe, fold, fold, throw.
And the most important part of selecting a hotel is where my bike is parked. Yep, this will work.
The next day stopping for breakfast.
When I was at my hotel in Boumalne, there was a guy that worked for the hotel and followed me everywhere I went. He was just a foot away and was either trying to be very helpful or thought I played ball for the other team. I typically leave my S10 parked and walk around town for dinner but it was time to get on my bike and get away from the guy.
During dinner, there were the usual cats roaming.
There was no breakfast at the hotel and I didn't want to stay for any longer then pack and ride away. There is always street food most anywhere.
Travelling the smaller roads
Not much traffic. Another great thing about the S10 is the reliability when you ride for a day and see no other cars
And a repeat of the night before but without the guy following me....
HAHA, no clue where this pic was taken but it looked nice so why not add it? Everyday people in Morocco.
I'm not a pizza guy but it looked good so why not
And if you travel to other parts of the world, you will see a garbage can next to the toilet. First thing you look for when you enter your room is if the garbage has been taken out. The garbage can is for toilet paper as it will plug up their plumbing (so I've been told). If you experience a bathroom as such, remember, wipe, fold, fold, throw.
And the most important part of selecting a hotel is where my bike is parked. Yep, this will work.
The next day stopping for breakfast.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
Riding from Boumalne Dades to Marrakech
I can't read the sign but it's a sign of elevation so why not get a photo??
Most Americans cringe at not refrigerating eggs but this is how the rest of the world handles eggs
I wasn't sure if I should pet this guy or run before I get rabies
Another great dinner in Morocco
The next day I walked around the markets in Marrakech
I can't read the sign but it's a sign of elevation so why not get a photo??
Most Americans cringe at not refrigerating eggs but this is how the rest of the world handles eggs
I wasn't sure if I should pet this guy or run before I get rabies
Another great dinner in Morocco
The next day I walked around the markets in Marrakech
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
Being in Marrakech, I could keep going south or turn back north. The heat was getting to me and trying to cross the Sahara wasn't something I wanted to do in June on a Super Tenere with Klim Badlands Pro gear. I originally thought I was going to ride the Baltic countries and into the Arctic Circle so my ride gear would've been good but not here. I would need a motorcycle with more airflow and much lighter clothing.
New route, go north to Casablanca
Not much for new pics in route. Here is my hotel just a few blocks from the Atlantic ocean. Looking across the ocean was my home....
Not much for dinner. Never know if a meal will be great or not. This one wasn't.
But this cat was much nicer than the last one
A relaxing evening on my balcony
In the morning, I went to the Harley dealer. Back home there is a weekly motorcycle ride group I'm part of and they asked for 15+ HD shirts from around the world. I can do this but when there is a flirty, nice looking lady, I but more than planned. Hmm, I guess that's why she was selling clothing and not working on the motorcycles.
Leaving Casablanca and headed for Ceuta. It's a small area in northeast Morocco that is Spain, Europe but located in Africa.
Another crap dinner
New route, go north to Casablanca
Not much for new pics in route. Here is my hotel just a few blocks from the Atlantic ocean. Looking across the ocean was my home....
Not much for dinner. Never know if a meal will be great or not. This one wasn't.
But this cat was much nicer than the last one
A relaxing evening on my balcony
In the morning, I went to the Harley dealer. Back home there is a weekly motorcycle ride group I'm part of and they asked for 15+ HD shirts from around the world. I can do this but when there is a flirty, nice looking lady, I but more than planned. Hmm, I guess that's why she was selling clothing and not working on the motorcycles.
Leaving Casablanca and headed for Ceuta. It's a small area in northeast Morocco that is Spain, Europe but located in Africa.
Another crap dinner
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
I was enjoying the new riding and started getting into a routine. I went from riding 10-14 hour days when I was in America to maybe 1 tank of fuel per day. A very different culture of sit back and relax. It was working.
Town north of Casablanca. Just everyday Moroccans going about their day
As noted before, I bake a lot when I'm home and love seeing/ tasting pastries from around the world.
It looks like I eat a lot of desserts but this is my normal amount I eat. If only I had a local to share with....
Yeasted laminated pastries. Yet, this is my favorite.
Spoiler alert: These all look great but typically mass produced and very disappointing.
Nothing better than a dozen Apricots on a hot day.
A simple dinner
And a hotel breakfast
The next day I got to Ceuta, Spain, Africa. Here is looking north at Europe when being in Spain.
Town north of Casablanca. Just everyday Moroccans going about their day
As noted before, I bake a lot when I'm home and love seeing/ tasting pastries from around the world.
It looks like I eat a lot of desserts but this is my normal amount I eat. If only I had a local to share with....
Yeasted laminated pastries. Yet, this is my favorite.
Spoiler alert: These all look great but typically mass produced and very disappointing.
Nothing better than a dozen Apricots on a hot day.
A simple dinner
And a hotel breakfast
The next day I got to Ceuta, Spain, Africa. Here is looking north at Europe when being in Spain.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
I didn't see much for hotels. So little, I considered going back to Morocco for the night. I looked around for some camping areas. Not much luck. Found a hostel that worked for the night. At this point, I didn't eat all day. I didn't find much for restaurants. Finally found one but I needed a cell signal/ app to order food. No luck being my sim card doesn't work here. I ended up going to a grocery store deli department. Nope, no pre-made food. I about got on my knees and begged to have the deli person make me a sandwich. She motioned not to tell anyone, pointed to pick a bread loaf as she cut it, slice meat/ cheese and add some spices. Best dinner I had in a long time. Ate it in the park with a sunset on the beach to reflect my time in Morocco.
patrickg450
Well-Known Member
nice story
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
The evening before, I bought a ferry ticket to get my bike and I to Mainland Europe. I thought I was more than an hour early but when I showed up, the line I was to be in was empty and I realize my phone being on wifi was on one time zone and the ferry was on another time zone. Nobody said to stop so I was that guy the ferry was waiting on to show up. OOPS
The night before ferry on the beach in Ceuta looking across at the Rock of Gibraltar
Ferry crossing and standard border crossing paperwork. It was the first and only time I was asked for my covid vaccination card.
I started riding north and wanted so get into the Swiss Alps hoping for some cooler weather. One night walking around a city somewhere in Europe, I saw a few bike. As bike crazy as Europe was, I never came across may motorcycle dealers.
One evening I pulled into Carcassonne, France. I went into hotel and got a room. I went up to my room, dropped off my helmet, jacket and baggage. I went back to lobby and asked where I could park my motorcycle. They said pull up onto the sidewalk. Sounds good. I went from the street to the sidewalk as shown below in red line. Got off my motorcycle and two cops told me I broke two laws. 1 for going reverse direction of traffic and a 2nd for riding my motorcycle without my helmet. Ummm, really? It's 100°F and I went all of 30 feet. Nope, they need to see my IDP and passport. Back up to my room to get my documents and they were still there when I went back outside. Really, what is the problem? Did I run someone over? Hook up with their sister or wife? I could've walked along side my motorcycle without issue. Cop says, sir, I don't think you fully understand the severity of what you did here. Um really? Nothing better to do?
In the end after both cops lecturing me about everything I did wrong for 5+ minutes, they let me off with a verbal warning. I still feel they can go f*ck themselves.
There was a rally race going on in the morning and a lot of racers were meeting at my hotel. It was a great night talking with racers from around Europe and seeing their race cars. And more food....
If being a tourist isn't confusing enough
I had breakfast at the hotel and got on my way. Shortly after, I came across a market. Not too hard to convince myself to stop and have a coffee and pastries.
As I was taking this photo, two ladies were pointing and giggling that I was taking photos of food. I pulled up some pics of my Macarons I make along with other pastries and had a great hour-long chat about life. And as most, the Macarons were machine made, taste of chemicals and over baked. Rasberries were good though.
A few pics of the market.
The night before ferry on the beach in Ceuta looking across at the Rock of Gibraltar
Ferry crossing and standard border crossing paperwork. It was the first and only time I was asked for my covid vaccination card.
I started riding north and wanted so get into the Swiss Alps hoping for some cooler weather. One night walking around a city somewhere in Europe, I saw a few bike. As bike crazy as Europe was, I never came across may motorcycle dealers.
One evening I pulled into Carcassonne, France. I went into hotel and got a room. I went up to my room, dropped off my helmet, jacket and baggage. I went back to lobby and asked where I could park my motorcycle. They said pull up onto the sidewalk. Sounds good. I went from the street to the sidewalk as shown below in red line. Got off my motorcycle and two cops told me I broke two laws. 1 for going reverse direction of traffic and a 2nd for riding my motorcycle without my helmet. Ummm, really? It's 100°F and I went all of 30 feet. Nope, they need to see my IDP and passport. Back up to my room to get my documents and they were still there when I went back outside. Really, what is the problem? Did I run someone over? Hook up with their sister or wife? I could've walked along side my motorcycle without issue. Cop says, sir, I don't think you fully understand the severity of what you did here. Um really? Nothing better to do?
In the end after both cops lecturing me about everything I did wrong for 5+ minutes, they let me off with a verbal warning. I still feel they can go f*ck themselves.
There was a rally race going on in the morning and a lot of racers were meeting at my hotel. It was a great night talking with racers from around Europe and seeing their race cars. And more food....
If being a tourist isn't confusing enough
I had breakfast at the hotel and got on my way. Shortly after, I came across a market. Not too hard to convince myself to stop and have a coffee and pastries.
As I was taking this photo, two ladies were pointing and giggling that I was taking photos of food. I pulled up some pics of my Macarons I make along with other pastries and had a great hour-long chat about life. And as most, the Macarons were machine made, taste of chemicals and over baked. Rasberries were good though.
A few pics of the market.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
More of the market
Always many varieties of olives
Simple burger for dinner. America has way better burgers than Europe, hands down
One morning a stop for a coffee and a snack
Hmmm, only coffee available. No problem, I carry some protein bars.
Now the scenery is starting to improve. Swiss alps ahead.
Always many varieties of olives
Simple burger for dinner. America has way better burgers than Europe, hands down
One morning a stop for a coffee and a snack
Hmmm, only coffee available. No problem, I carry some protein bars.
Now the scenery is starting to improve. Swiss alps ahead.
SilverBullet
Well-Known Member
Ironically if you had your helmet it might have been worse. Is your helmet ECE certified? Snell and/or DOT doesn't count. And also helmet must have reflective stickers on all sides. I've never heard of anyone stopped for either but once stopped French police have been known to check and ticket you for it.
Also France requires CE approved gloves. Funny they didn't mention that to you since they were kinda being sticklers.
Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
I was headed towards Switzerland and Italy. I have some in-laws that live in Italy but not the in-laws that I care to stop and visit. I didn't have a plan or schedule. I was getting into the Swiss Alps and was a bit let down. I was expecting bigger than Colorado Rockies. They were big and beautiful but I think the Rockies are more spectacular. I had periotic bits of rain that came and went in all of 10 minute sessions. I got lost a bit and had some back tracking but all sorts of wonderful.
And of course, more food. The bread is the show stopper.
I was recording video my entire trip and had 4TB of video that I was going to pull images from rather than take a bunch of pics but..... my 4TB portable SSD found a new home without me knowing it just before coming home.
And as always, more food.....
Maybe I didn't get to the premium pastry shops but 99% of all pastries I tried sucked.
And yes, below are my Macarons made correctly.
And of course, more food. The bread is the show stopper.
I was recording video my entire trip and had 4TB of video that I was going to pull images from rather than take a bunch of pics but..... my 4TB portable SSD found a new home without me knowing it just before coming home.
And as always, more food.....
Maybe I didn't get to the premium pastry shops but 99% of all pastries I tried sucked.
And yes, below are my Macarons made correctly.
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
And more riding east with incredible scenery
One of my favorite photos from the area
A stop for the evening, find some food and walk around town for the evening
One of my favorite photos from the area
A stop for the evening, find some food and walk around town for the evening
Bigguy136
Well-Known Member
HMMMM, my helmet is Snell/ DOT certified only, no stickers and elk skin gloves with no padding. I go back to Paris in August for another round. I might have to skip France. I also notice everyone sits when riding and I stand a lot. Only one time a cop motioned to sit. I assume that's another law for Europe?? Nice having a USA plated bike in Europe. No speed cameras to worry about and many times at check points, I was passed thru knowing I was American.
Boris
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t give any of that a seconds thought. I’d just get on and ride.
Damn it....
Now I have to start to save even more money if you were not impressed by the Swiss alps...
I have to come and see those Rockies of yours before I die!!!
So many mountains so little time....
SilverBullet
Well-Known Member
Same that I do as my helmet is DOT only and no stickers. But I do research the laws some so I know what I'm taking liberties with. Same with tolls, some countries are free for bikes others are not. I avoid toll roads like the plague anyway but when getting hammered by rain and needing to get somewhere the twisty mountain roads can lose their appeal.
Good link for checking requirements by country.
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Boris
Well-Known Member
Useful link….thank you.
I was travelling by bike through Hungary in 2018, completely unaware that a vignette is required if using particular motorways….a fine followed me home a few weeks later. Tolls are one I check pre travel now.