DAY 16 FRIDAY 22ND JANUARY 2010

As arranged, we all left theh Ibis hotel at 8.30 am but split into two separate groups again. We were determined to avoid motorways and major roads and instead wanted to ride on some real Moroccan roads. It meant we would have to ride due south through the centre of town before picking up the N203 to Asni. The main roads of town soon gave way to much smaller roads and for almost the first time on this adventure we were actually leaning the bikes over to go around the sharp corners. The altitude increased and the scenery became stunning through the High Atlas mountains. I had my Ipod playing good music, I was enjoying riding my favourite motorcycle on spectactular roads in the company of good friends and thinking how incredibly lucky I am to be experiencing all this. I thought it couldn't get much better but of course it could. The one missing ingredient is my wife Ann who I am missing so much and I wish she was here with me to enjoy it as well. Then I thought how she might react if she actually were on the pillion seat as I flew around these bends with 1,000+ feet drops and thought that perhaps she might not enjoy the experience as much as I was doing.
The poverty of the subsistence farmers in the mountain regions was emphasized when we stopped and they looked at us as if we had come from another planet. Inthe mountains especially the humble donkey is still used as the main means of transporting all produce down the road.
We spent so much time simply enjoying ourselves on these fantastic roads that we didn't cover the desired mileage and would not get much further tan Agadir. John had previously visited Agadir in 2007 so he was elected to lead us into town and locate us a suitable hotel. He even managed to find the same deluxe hotel he had previously stayed in. They agreed a special off season deal for large rooms with sea views at a bargain price. This was originally meant to be a hard core adventurer expedition but so far the most we have roughed it is one night when we stayed in a 3* hotel rather than our usual 4* fare. So yet another luxury hotel had to be endured...
The panoramic view of the bay of Agadir was lovely when I hung my laundry out to dry on my balcony.
John led the four of us down to the seafront to find a restaurant. Many of the places were closed which was odd considering Agadir is marketed as a winter sun resort. Andres inability to walk too far meant we chose a nearby restaurant and this proved to be an excellent choice. Perhaps it was the lack of other people about but the service and food was excellent. In the very short walk back to the hotel of about 200 yards we were approached and offered cocaine, heroine and sex openly! It was rather sad to see these desperate women trying to sell themselves and added a bit of a sad note to an otherwise amazing day. The other sad note was that Andres would be leaqving us as he had promised his family that he would not ride through Mauritania. Andres informed us over dinner that he had just proposed to his girlfriend and she had agreed that they will get married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas this coming summer.