I worked in Germany a while ago and you know, you make money but life gets boring and monotonous and it's cold outside. One day I'm sitting with a friend at lunch, we're talking about motorbikes and suddenly I got an idea.
" Let's quit the jobs and go to Africa on motorbikes"
my dream
My friend laughed at the idea for a while, but after a while he said:
"Okay, let's do it."
So we quit our jobs, got our bikes checked and started getting ready for the trip.
Our bikes:
- Motto Guzzi V65C 500cc: an old school Italian bike from the 90s, known for its trouble-free engine and cardan driveshaft.
- Kawasaki KLE500: a proven lightweight enduro with a good quality engine.
Equipment:
- food for a few days
- summer and winter clothing
- GPS and cameras
- money and full petrol tanks
- guitar
As soon as we were ready, we met up in Prague, Czech Republic.
We didn't have an exact itinerary, basically we agreed on three things.
- Avoid highways and tolls
- Avoid big cities if possible
- Head south for warmth as quickly as possible.
So off we went.
We left the rainy capital and headed straight south to the Austrian border. The Czech countryside is very picturesque, especially if you drive on smaller roads, and the journey went by beautifully.
Not far from the border we stopped for a nice bath in the river and to sleep.
refreshing bath in the river
Austria
Austria is a very beautiful country full of green meadows and snow-capped mountains. We saw that pretty soon up close, because we didn't have any rule that said: avoid the mountains.
And Austria has the highest mountains in Europe called the Alps.
in sight of the Alps
With these beautiful views we found a place to sleep and left the rest for the next day. In the morning it was getting noticeably colder, but as there were quite a few cars driving by we just thought we'd go for it.
entering the Alps
But as you can probably imagine, the road was getting higher and higher and had no end and there was more and more snow around us. We put on another layer of clothes and continued our journey upwards.
It didn't take long and we found ourselves completely trapped in snow, but it is worth noting that the Austrian roads are perfectly maintained even at such high altitudes.
trapped in the snow
After many turns and I don't know how many kilometers we finally found ourselves on top of a mountain pass, where we were rewarded with beautiful panoramas of the Austrian Alps. Even though we were freezing to the bone, we had to admit that our little Alpine detour was worth it.
on the top
After a short stop to freshen up, we headed down south, towards Italy. Later on we found out that we had just passed the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, one of the highest drivable roads in Europe.
farewell to the Alps
Italy
Northern Italy is perfect for motorcycling, lots of twists and turns, beautiful views and a more pleasant climate to enjoy. The journey passed quickly, we were almost always going downhill to the south.
I have already said that rule 2 is to avoid big cities, but we have made some exceptions. Here we visited Venice.
Venice
Venice is hard to describe. On the one hand a very old town with a great history, on the other a lot of tourists and shops. You just have to experience it for yourself.
the famous Venice
We quickly cross the "Italian shoe" towards the west. Italian traffic is worth a mention, especially if you are on a motorbike, in one word: chaos.
The Mediterranean coast with its already very pleasant weather has made us forget the cold of the Alps, and we are now riding quite lightly and enjoying the journey.
France
The French Mediterranean coast is beautiful and worth a visit. We quickly stop in Monaco, which seems to me terribly small and crowded, and not very interesting, and Saint Tropez, which still looks like in a famous movie about French gendarmes.
But we don't delay too much and continue now to the southwest towards the Pyrenees mountains.
approaching the Pyrenees
Since we'll be up in the snow again, we thought we'd take it through Andorra while we're here. So suit up and up we go.
Andorra
Andorra is a relatively small area high in the Pyrenees mountains. Probably the most outstanding thing about Andorra is that it's a duty-free zone, so a lot of people come here to buy everything from petrol to Rolex watches.
Principality of Andorra
There's not much for us to see here so at least we fill up the gas tanks and head south again towards the Spanish border.
with the Pyrenees behind
Spain
On arrival on Spanish soil, we immediately feel a big change in temperature. It is much warmer here and I must say that after the snow of Andorra we are very happy.
We continue through the Spanish hinterland back to the Mediterranean. We will have a bit of a drive, but the seaside climate is very pleasant.
And it is here that we meet the first great inconvenience. Sudden rain at night and lots of mosquitoes in the morning. We build a quick shelter out of ponchos and motorbikes and, packed on the machines, we spend the night.
DIY shelter
zillion of mosquitoes
After reaching the south coast we turn west. It is already evident that we have arrived in an almost subtropical zone, there are olives and citrus trees everywhere, the amount of water in the environment is visibly decreasing.
southern Spain
Before we try to cross the Mediterranean to Africa, we have one small quirk. We're going to visit Gibraltar.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British territory in Spain with a very interesting history and location. You'll also find the only monkey colony in Europe here, though they're more ice cream thieves than monkeys.
Gibraltar, in the background is Africa. (No, don't try to swim across.)
Gibraltar is another duty-free zone in Europe and a major trading hub where plenty of ships unload their cargo.
Gibraltar port
Now, as our ferry arrives, we're leaving Europe heading towards the African continent. The ferry is quite modern, the journey only takes 45 minutes.
ferry to Africa
Marocco
After arriving in the city of Ceuta, a Spanish territory in Africa due to historical circumstances, we head east along the Mediterranean coast. The plan is to avoid big cities and continue south towards less populated areas.
the first African soil
After crossing the mountains to the inland of Morocco, we are very surprised by the landscape we encounter. The Ketama region is incredibly green, and we pass through many beautiful valleys a hidden villages.
Ketama area
Ketama mountains
We continue south and visit Fes, probably the largest city in this part of Morocco. After walking through the old town and spending a night on the roof of a local hotel, we continue further south. If there's something exceptional about Fes, it's the number of satellite dishes per capita.
leaving Fes
Ahead of us now is the Atlas Mountains, which entice us to visit its snovy peaks, but this time we resist. We pass through the Legionnaires' Tunnel, saving a lot of time.
Atlas mountains
On the southern side of the Atlas Mountains, a noticeable change in the landscape becomes prominent. We're getting closer to the desert.
towards desert
We talk a lot about the harsh conditions of the local people and how tough it is in these areas. Almost all life happens in oases deep in the valleys, where they have their homes and practice agriculture.
oasis in the valley
another oasis
As we get closer to the desert, the conditions for our motorcycles are becoming more challenging. Sharp rocks on the ground and the beginning of sand – we often have to pull the bikes out of sandy pockets.
tough times for machines
We're fortunate that Italian and Japanese engineers did their job well, and the machines keep going. Finding a repair shop around here might not be easy. In the distance, the first dunes of the Sahara Desert are already emerging.
the first dunes
We notice that vegetation has almost entirely disappeared; there's only sand and a few palm trees. The architecture of the local houses is also noteworthy.
welcome to the desert
Now it's time to dismount from the bikes (I would like to keep riding, but I don't have desert tires) and continue on foot. We're about to tackle a few small dunes where the Bedouins have their camp.
Bedouin's camp
We continue on foot further away from the Bedouins, away from the camels, a few more dunes, and here is where we finally stop. Finally, we've reached the Sahara Desert. Nothing but sand, heat, and complete tranquility.
Sahara
Here, I'll end my story and add just one sentence:
If you can, fulfill your dreams; you only have one life.