Filed under: The Trip
a few photos – will sort some more after
Filed under: About the kar
A few days ago i was fqcing down heat and endless sand. Against tough tracks, no tracks and digging/pushing and co-ercing cars forwards. How things change.
Now i’m sat here in my seedy £6/night hotel room, listening to the endless rain of the day. Fighting the cold and damp in my coat and lapland hat. Room dripping with pants and socks, fresh (fresh?) from morning scrub in the cold shower. Car parts delayed en route from casablanca due to snow and rain in Atlas mountains. Local mechanic assures me car will be fixed tonight however late it gets. Enchallah. God willing.
Filed under: The Trip
Just had word that Paul has ‘limped’ the car to the finish in Agadir with the car on its last legs…
WELL DONE PAUL!!
Now the adventure continues with the journey home… more details when they’re available.
Rob
Filed under: The Trip
It would appear that Paul is having problems with his mobile although we’re not sure if it’s signal/credit or other… So updates are difficult. Word is that the car is fixed, so can only assume he’s making his way to the finish in Agadir today. Will try to update when we hear anything new.
Rob
Filed under: The Trip
Filed under: The Trip
22nd Jan
Engine now struggling for power. getting dark and still need to get to metalled road to catch up with others. norwegian guys are heros. towed me 20kms across rough open stoney plains in dark, chasing moving lights in distance.
Filed under: The Trip
22nd Jan
Inconsistant reception – one dune has connection on phone – others do not. still 40kms south of nearest metalled road. Beetle stuck in dune and cant start it. local berber appeared from nowhere on crusty moped. No real idea of money – wanted 40000 euros to bring rescue. at that price maybe via helecopter.
fixed problem with starter. Now trying to find possible route across wide river plain, avoiding too many dunes. 2 locals showed us good route across, though ripped front top shock mount off crossing up far side of river bank. car still drivable.
Filed under: The Trip
21st Jan
Driving tough route from Merzouga towards Zagora with 3 wonderfully over optimistic indian guys in a mercedes saloon and 2 norwegian medical students in a 4×4.
Very tough day. Indians cracked their sump and lost all their oil to the sands after just 2kms.
Me and Norwegians continued on over roads i wouldnt have thought possible to travel without a 4×4. My sand driving skills have improved – as have techniques with indispensible sand ladders. will be very useful on return to England 
Smashed sump plug off but affected repair with liquid steel. Benighted in the Sahara 60kms south of nearest road. Stars are like nothing i’ve seen.
Filed under: The Trip
20th Jan
Checked/ serviced car then watched the sun go down over the dunes with berber moroccans and ‘whiskey de Maroc’ (refreshing mint tea).
Filed under: The Trip
After 1hr queuing for Dirham and another for Moroccan car insurance. Left port of Melilla, to head towards Guercif, and over the Atlas mountains. Getting dark by the time i was coming down,sunset was incrdeible, but no time to stop for photos, or food, or anything else really. Still had 200km more to go. From Ar-Rachidia and on to final Bivouac in Merzouga, driving across a few miles of desert, just following gps dot on blank screen was pretty tiring after a long day and a few bits rattled loose, but nothing serious. Woke this morning to the Saharan dunes. Some confusion as to new route means we now have an impromptu rest day.very needed 
