DAY 18 SUNDAY 24th JANUARY 2010

Woke at 6.00am, fell asleep and woke again when I heard doors banging at 8.00 am. Rushed to breakfast room which was full of UN soldiers all dressed in military uniforms. Only had time to grab a croissant but stilll charged for full breakfast, my fault for getting up late. I quickly packed and joined the others outside loading the bikes. After last nights antics, I half expected the others to pack up and leave without me. There were numerous police checks in the first few miles until we cleared the town completely. The scenery was stunning and apart from the roads themselves the landscape could have been from another planet. We came across a herd of camels so it was a good chance for a photo stop albeit in direct sunshine. We were about 25 miles from the next town and I suggested that we stop there briefly for a drink but the group decided to just ride through. I asked John if he wanted to stop and he agreed so we agreed to ride ahead to allow us time to stop very briefly. As we entered Boudour, John and I stopped at the first petrol station to refill. The strategy from Western Sahara southwards is that whenever you find a petrol station that is open and has petrol available it is wise to fill your tanks. I was surprised when the other 5 riders rode past without stopping although Glen turned in to the next petrol station down the road. John and I pulled up next door at a small cafe for a quick tea and coffee. Glen said he didn't want to delay at all as he wanted to get to Dakhla early to have time to explore the city. Just outside the town the other 4 riders had stopped on the cliff edge for photos I assumed. Having only just stopped a few minutes earlier, I decided to continue but was surprised when John and Glen also turned off. So now I waas riding by myself for the first time since France. I rode on enjoying the freedom of riding at my own pace and stopping whereever and whenever I wanted.
One place I had to stop was at a petrol station about 100 miles before Dakhla. This is where my car had blown up in 2005 and I had spent several hours here waiting to be rescued when I was taking part in the Plymouth Banjul Challenge. This time I just stopped for a quick photo and I was soon on my way again.
I was amazed at the improvements to the roads and general infrastructure since I last visited 5 years ago. Glen had told me that morning that our planned destination in Dakhla was the Regency Hotel. Riding into town I saw a massive sign for Regency Sahara which I assumed must be the right one. After our cheap downmarket hotel last night, we were clearly back up to our usual standards. I still can't get used to this idea of adventure motorcycling but staying in luxury hotels. Last time I stayed in Dakhla it was at the travellers campsite as you come into town but this time in in the poshest hotel in town. My room was massive, you enter into a central reception room and walk through into the spacious bedroom with quality furniture, flat screen TV and balcony. Also from the central room is a walk through dressing room leading to the toilet whilst another door takes you to the large modern bathroom. First thing to do was strip off the hot biking gear and dive into the decent sized bath. Suitably freshened up, it was time to explore the rest of the hotel and find the bar for my first beer in a couple of days and over 750 miles. At last the weather is properly hot and I can feel the sun burning my skin. I must remember to retrieve the sun lotion from the very bottom of my pannier. The hotel had wifi but no computers to use so I walked into town to find an internet cafe. It was a suitably cheap looking place up a flight of stairs into a small room with 9 PC desks and I was allocated no. 9. I wriggled the mouse and hit the enter key but nothing happened. I was just about to complain that the PC did not work when I realised I hadn't actually switched it on!
The internet connection was terribly slow with each page taking up to 3 minutes to update. It took me 2 hours to update one day of my blog and post messages to friends, some of whom were complaining that I had not spent enough time updating this blog! By the time I left the internet cafe it was dark and the temperature had dropped significantly.
At the hotel the other 6 bikes were parked outside the entrance but there was no sign of any of the riders. I asked the receptionist which room John was in so that I could find out if they were still around somewhere. John answered his door and told me that the group was very unhappy that I had rode off on my own today and had not waited with the others. This subjest was raised again when we all met in the bar for pre-dinner drinks. We had a "full and frank" discussion of all issues to try to clear teh air before we embarked on the next stage of our journey into Mauritania. I offered to break away from the group and make my own way to The Gambia as, after the incident at the restaurant the previous night, I did not feel part of any team spirit. However, I was wrong, as I realissed after our exchange of views which succeeded in clearing the air and settling our differences and misunderstandings. We all had a decent meal in the hotel restaurant and agreed we would aim to leave at 9.00am next morning for the ride down to the border with Mauritania.