A day off !

My Zebrabar hideaway

Friday PM

Paradise ! but better when shared...

There’s only one problem with having a day off when you’re travelling alone… too much time! Time to think, to reflect, to remember. I knew it was a mistake even before I had my breakfast, as I had no need to get up early I laid on the bed in the cabin, strangely, the same cabin I have had on the last two scoots trips, and listened to music. But music for me always holds memories, some joyful, some not so joyful, other just plain painful! If I hadn’t needed to go into town to change some money to pay the Zebrabar, I would probably have packed and headed off, there and then,  but instead I have had a lazy day sinking ever more slowly into gloom and depression. Even the thoughts of the forthcoming trip with Allie not enough to lift my spirits. I guess paradise is somewhere, something, to be shared; reflection something to be avoided and many memories best left unvisited…

The next two days are the toughest of the trip home as I’m hoping to clear Mauritania and be well up into Western Sahara by nightfall on Sunday, a distance of around  1200 Km but including over 100km of piste and the two worst border crossings, oh and of course the mine field. Once through that little lot I have to decide which way to run through Morocco. At the moment I’m in a “let’s get home” frame of mind ,so I’ll probably just head straight up the coast, but who knows, once I get the wheels turning under me, my mind might settle a bit and let me enjoy the ride. I’ve achieved more or less all I set out to do on this trip or at least all I am going to achieve, so at the moment it seems pointless just wandering about when my heart simply isn’t in it

One slight concern is that the bike seems to have used quite a lot of oil since I changed it in Bansang. It is probably just a combination of poor quality oil, although I bought the best I could get, and the extreme heat. Never the less, I shall have to pick up some more soon as I have used all of my reserve supply and I’ll keep a careful eye on it.