mighty mouse
Member
Neda & Gene, awesome to be able to follow your travels, living vicariously through your blog. Always learning more about are world , and the fantastic places & people we share it with.
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Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...
- Thread starter Lightcycle
- Start date
Thanks for the comments, guys!
We are using cheap ASUS netbooks, I have a ASUS 1025C. It only cost $300 tax-in when I bought it brand new a couple of years ago, so we're not too concerned if they get lost, stolen or broken, than if they were a $2500 MacBook. They're nice and small and they're pretty durable as well - my old ASUS 1005HA lasted nearly 4 years before it had to be replaced. They're great for surfing, light photo-editing and typing up blog entries. Not so good for video-editing...
As for the rest of our gear, we haven't really enumerated all of the stuff we are carrying. Partly because there's a lot of non-essentials we are lugging that we'd probably get razzed for - like Neda's full complement of cooking spices, and I'm carrying pretty much every type of USB cable ever made...
If there's something specific in our gear list you are curious about, let me know.
We are using cheap ASUS netbooks, I have a ASUS 1025C. It only cost $300 tax-in when I bought it brand new a couple of years ago, so we're not too concerned if they get lost, stolen or broken, than if they were a $2500 MacBook. They're nice and small and they're pretty durable as well - my old ASUS 1005HA lasted nearly 4 years before it had to be replaced. They're great for surfing, light photo-editing and typing up blog entries. Not so good for video-editing...
As for the rest of our gear, we haven't really enumerated all of the stuff we are carrying. Partly because there's a lot of non-essentials we are lugging that we'd probably get razzed for - like Neda's full complement of cooking spices, and I'm carrying pretty much every type of USB cable ever made...
If there's something specific in our gear list you are curious about, let me know.
viper84737
Well-known member
Good call on the computer hardware. I used very similar gear on my rides, too -- netbook-style mini laptops. I got mine used off kijiji for very cheap. They're very useless for doing anything other than checking e-mails, doing basic (not-CPU-intensive) photo editing, the occasional Skype conversation, and general bulk data storage, but I highly recommend them for adventure riding computers.
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/211.html
We've decided to venture further south, over the Middle Atlas mountain range. Despite Rashid's warning of snow on the ground, it's the most direct way to gain access to the more interesting geographies of Morocco. Hopefully we won't run into too many problems.
Our riding day starts off with a lesson in Arabic writing
Just south of Meknes, we stop at a scenic overlook, with beautiful vistas of the distant mountains to the west
We're not the only tourists, people from all over the country visit this area
More bikers pull up to admire the view with us
This couple pulled up in their Moroccan touring rig and smiled and nodded at us. I went over to look at his bike to try to figure out what kind of motorcycle it was since the sticker on the side said, "Batman Motorcycles". To my surprise, he had changed more than the tank sticker, even the engine cover was engraved, "Batman".
I tried to strike up a conversation about his Batman motorcycle, but the couple didn't speak any French at all. I did some research later and I was mistaken - the official languages in Morocco aren't Arabic and French, it's Modern Standard Arabic and Berber.
French is considered a "prestige" language, used mainly for commerce and government, but it is considered the de facto second language of the country, despite only a third of the population being able to speak it. Even with the language barrier, we were still able to convey to our biker friends "Beautiful scenery!" and "Have a safe journey!" through the international language of pantomime.
Never did figure out the brand of motorcycle...
We've decided to venture further south, over the Middle Atlas mountain range. Despite Rashid's warning of snow on the ground, it's the most direct way to gain access to the more interesting geographies of Morocco. Hopefully we won't run into too many problems.
Our riding day starts off with a lesson in Arabic writing
Just south of Meknes, we stop at a scenic overlook, with beautiful vistas of the distant mountains to the west
We're not the only tourists, people from all over the country visit this area
More bikers pull up to admire the view with us
This couple pulled up in their Moroccan touring rig and smiled and nodded at us. I went over to look at his bike to try to figure out what kind of motorcycle it was since the sticker on the side said, "Batman Motorcycles". To my surprise, he had changed more than the tank sticker, even the engine cover was engraved, "Batman".
I tried to strike up a conversation about his Batman motorcycle, but the couple didn't speak any French at all. I did some research later and I was mistaken - the official languages in Morocco aren't Arabic and French, it's Modern Standard Arabic and Berber.
French is considered a "prestige" language, used mainly for commerce and government, but it is considered the de facto second language of the country, despite only a third of the population being able to speak it. Even with the language barrier, we were still able to convey to our biker friends "Beautiful scenery!" and "Have a safe journey!" through the international language of pantomime.
Never did figure out the brand of motorcycle...
Sitting with the locals having a fried chicken lunch on the road in Boufekrane. Reminded us of all our meals in Latin America!
There are absolutely no hustlers outside of the medinas. A few people stop to look at our motorcycles, and during lunch, a couple of them ask about where we're from, but instantly we recognize that there's no hidden agendas, just curiousity. I can feel the mental guard that we put up in Fes and Meknes slowly begin to fall and we're feeling much more relaxed about being in Morocco.
As we ascend the Middle Atlas, we are surrounded by cedar trees, their limbs laden with... snow! Uh oh.
It is quite a sight to see snow appear on the ground in Morocco. This is not what we were expecting to see when we crossed into Africa! The Middle Atlas is the most northern of three Atlas Mountain ranges in the country and the peaks of this range reach over 3300m (11,000 feet) above sea level. We were nowhere near that elevation, but still high enough for the snow on the ground to pile up higher the further up into the mountains we climbed.
The road skirts the edges of the Azrou Cedar Forest, but we get a good taste of what the scenery must look like. It's a popular tourist destination, with the trees here growing up to 200 feet tall over a lifespan of 400 years! Along the road, we hit a traffic jam, cars were stopped on both sides of the road making the passage between very slow. What were they stopped for? We got off our bikes and hiked into the forest to find out for ourselves:
Monkeys!
Actually, these are Barbary macaques, indigenous to Northern Africa and named after the Barbary Coast where they originated from. They were everywhere up in the cedars, looking down at the crowd of people gathered below taking pictures and offering fruit up to them. I'm not sure how friendly they were, but they must be very used to human presence. This guy gladly took the banana that was being handed up to it.
Ah, a better portrait! To get his attention, I had to act like a monkey...
Back on our bikes, we left the snowy cedar forests and climbed higher up the Middle Atlas. We watched in wonder as the snow banks on either side of us grew higher and higher, sometimes reaching up over the height of our helmets! We had read that although the Moroccan government does a very good job at clearing the snow regularly, sometimes after a heavy snowfall the road can still be impassable for quite some time.
This is just astounding! We have to stop and take a picture of this!
So we do!
Morrocan in a Winter Wonderland!
This was an unusual custom in Morocco...
We noticed that most of the cars passing us had neglected to clear the snow off their windshields. We thought that they must not be used to driving in snowy conditions here. But it soon became clear that this was intentional - Moroccans visiting the Atlas Mountains will make a snowman on the passenger side of their hood in front of the windshield. It's a big thing up here, almost everyone does it! While coming up, we had no idea it was supposed to be a snowman because the snow had melted by the time the cars reached us. But as we reached the peak of this pass, we clearly saw the three balls of snow piled high in front of the windshields. So funny!
Some people do the same thing in Canada, except instead of a snowman, they make a thick blanket of snow on top of their cars and hoods, blinding all the vehicles behind them as their artwork disintegrates on the highway. They get a nice certificate from the police for their effort... or lack thereof...
Up near the top, the road becomes a makeshift parking lot.
Whenever there are high enough hills by the side of the road, little industries have popped up renting out toboggans and skis to the tourists traveling through the area. There is actually a real ski resort in the nearby town of Ifrane, but this is the cheaper alternative - no lift tickets required!
And dogs! Lots of them! This is where they all went after being exiled from the cities by the evil cats
"Hey Neda, I have something I want to give you..."
The snow disappears as the road that we're on descends a little bit into Timahdite
We pass by small streams and are absolutely blown away by how beautiful it is up here
And then the road climbs again, we know this because the snow reappears around us
What an amazing riding day! We really haven't ventured far from Meknes. We're in Midelt for the evening, only having traveled a mere 200kms, but there was so much to see along the way.
Our riad in Midelt, which is a popular mid-way point for travelers along the Middle Atlas route
In addition to the pastries and jam we also got dates in the morning.
You could say we were Carb and Date-ing for breakfast...
So far our first steps out of the medinas of Morocco have been thoroughly enjoyable! We've shed the hustlers of the big city and the scenery and geography here is absolutely incredible. Can't wait to see what's ahead of us!
Awesome pics in that last entry, any chance I can get a full size of either of these for my wallpaper?
http://mym0ry.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Road-Trips/Canada/i-3vz8BS4/0/L/DSCN3562-L.jpg
http://mym0ry.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Road-Trips/Canada/i-P4mdGBS/0/L/DSC_1687-L.jpg
http://mym0ry.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Road-Trips/Canada/i-3vz8BS4/0/L/DSCN3562-L.jpg
http://mym0ry.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Road-Trips/Canada/i-P4mdGBS/0/L/DSC_1687-L.jpg
Thanks for all the comments, guys! :thumbup:
viper84737
Well-known member
I like those chosen routes. Fraught with treachery and danger and doom.
That stretch through Syria and Iraq might be a bit sketchy but I'm sure our intrepid travellers would breeze right through.
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/212.html
We are continuing our trek southwards. Now that we've reached the other side of the Middle Atlas Mountains, we are seeing a much different kind of geography than Northern Morocco. The satellite map above illustrates this point quite well.
Heading out of Midelt
These older Mercedes were quite common on the roads in Morocco. If they were cream-coloured, they were almost always taxis.
It's a brilliant day for riding, the clouds have all but disappeared by the late morning. However the temperatures are still quite cold and we keep all our layers on for the ride.
We had to stop to check out these storks which had built a nest at the top of this building
Two of Morocco's biggest T-Swizzle fans in one place?
As we were stopped, this little guy came running towards us and started talking to me in Arabic or Berber (not sure which). We couldn't make out what he was saying, but he was definitely asking for something. I thought it was money, but it turned out he wanted a pen.
Of course, we could give him a pen! I radioed Neda and she happily dove into her tankbag to find one. Neda's tankbag is like the TARDIS, it's much bigger on the inside than anyone can imagine. She keeps everything in there from seashells, coins, leaves, pens, small dogs...
Back to the storks
Did you know that the White Stork is the national bird of Morocco? You can find their nests on any tall chimney, building, tree or pole. Unlike in the western world, these nests are very welcome because the birds are a symbol of good luck and fortune. They say that the stork at rest is reminiscent of a man in prayer, and there's a Berber belief that storks are transformed human beings. We're told that disturbing a stork will get you three-months in prison. Don't mess with these jailbirds!
We are continuing our trek southwards. Now that we've reached the other side of the Middle Atlas Mountains, we are seeing a much different kind of geography than Northern Morocco. The satellite map above illustrates this point quite well.
Heading out of Midelt
These older Mercedes were quite common on the roads in Morocco. If they were cream-coloured, they were almost always taxis.
It's a brilliant day for riding, the clouds have all but disappeared by the late morning. However the temperatures are still quite cold and we keep all our layers on for the ride.
We had to stop to check out these storks which had built a nest at the top of this building
Two of Morocco's biggest T-Swizzle fans in one place?
As we were stopped, this little guy came running towards us and started talking to me in Arabic or Berber (not sure which). We couldn't make out what he was saying, but he was definitely asking for something. I thought it was money, but it turned out he wanted a pen.
Of course, we could give him a pen! I radioed Neda and she happily dove into her tankbag to find one. Neda's tankbag is like the TARDIS, it's much bigger on the inside than anyone can imagine. She keeps everything in there from seashells, coins, leaves, pens, small dogs...
Back to the storks
Did you know that the White Stork is the national bird of Morocco? You can find their nests on any tall chimney, building, tree or pole. Unlike in the western world, these nests are very welcome because the birds are a symbol of good luck and fortune. They say that the stork at rest is reminiscent of a man in prayer, and there's a Berber belief that storks are transformed human beings. We're told that disturbing a stork will get you three-months in prison. Don't mess with these jailbirds!
Another roadside stop
Morocco makes my bike look pretty
Not real Moroccans. Damn hippies.
We overheard these guys, they were a bunch of granolas from Spain dressed in designer djellabas and striking meditational yoga poses on the wall overlooking the gorge. Then after about 15 minutes of Faux-Ga, they all hopped into their hippy van with Spanish plates and drove away to the next beatnik spot.
*SMH* Nice robes, though...
Hiking to get a spot away from the granolas
It was a very nice view, there were small villages at the bottom of the gorge
As we were riding down from Northern Morocco, Neda told me that one of her favorite books when she was a little girl was "In Desert and Wilderness" by Polish author, Henryk Sienkiewicz. It's about a pair of children who are taken hostage and are forced to travel through the Sahara Desert. Ever since then, she's always dreamed of visiting Africa, and our first steps in Morocco didn't jive with the imagery she got from the book.
However, south of the Atlas Mountains, everything here is the colour of the desert sand. Even the buildings seem to rise seamlessly up from the same stuff that the ground is made from. *THIS* is totally the Africa that we had in our heads when we crossed over from Europe!
My toes tingle when I look down from tall heights
Moroccan ruins gives the whole place a ton of atmosphere
Ready to hit the road again
Everywhere we go, small towns look like they rose up organically from the ground
Our path takes us through more mountains again
Some beautiful scenery as the road hugs the Ziz River (Oued Ziz) through the mountains
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