Where were we….?!!

Day3 and we’ve stopped for coffee after our early morning fight with the soft stuff I believe…!

So we bought some souvenirs & tried to persuade some local kids to play football!

 L-R of our riders you can see Ben, Eliot, Mick, Gary & Gwion

Here, again, we remember why we’re doing a tour with a Dakar rally legend –  we don’t want any old tour, we want to push ourselves mentally & physically; “It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves”… (André Gide)

Mick now leaves us to go at our chosen pace, warns us of what terrain there is ahead, & sets us off!! “It’s one straight track, you can’t get lost, see you at the end!!”

This is brilliant as the security of the leading bike ahead is no longer! Some chose to ride together, some (including me) set off at pace so it was a solo ride; an invigorating feeling but also a massive relief after some time riding in the heat to find Mick & the speedy Eliot sitting, waiting, at the end of the trail!!!

What a great adventure before the easy coast in to Ali’s Hotel Nomad Palace in Merzouga where the adventure we all came for begins – the dunes!!

A quick lunch & we were out for a quick tutorial. Mick forgot a crucial point when teaching how to recover a buried bike though…..

Some remained to nurse their “Derby belly” or have a siesta, but those with the energy and the desire headed to the dunes to learn to ride all over again.

Or in my case I just found a new way to crash!! See the video here!

That afternoon and the whole of the next day was play time in the dunes for whoever wanted to.

Words can’t really describe it so I’ll let the photos do the talking…!!

Mick shows us how it’s done…

And my favourite photo….

If that doesn’t give you an urge to ride in the sand then nothing will!!!!

That night it was a lovely camel ride up to watch the sunset over the dunes with a beer….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All watched over by Mohammed, an amazing & charismatic kid from the hotel…

He loves this head scarf as it is “Kawasaki green!!!”

Tomorrow the story continues as we leave the dunes for the Todra gorge….

I would love to leave you with this atmospheric shot but I think it fair to let you at home know that the four of us have now been living together for 2 weeks and…. Well…. I think cabin fever is setting in…!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And on that bombshell……!!!

The next installment shall be along tomorrow…!