Kris Roos

@krisr

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Hey everyone, starting a solo moto trip through Western Africa! I’ll be sharing pictures and updates here, but don’t be concerned if I miss days. To keep things interesting I’m considering opening up some decisions to you all in real time… let’s see how this goes! 🤩

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DAY 12, April 27th Bir Gandouz Currently waiting on the visas for Mauritania, should come in soon! Rode out to the coast to visit a fishing village/port where the majority of the $ comes from in the region and it left more questions than answers. Really weird investment into different parts of the town. For example, consistent 20 meter high streetlights in the village and wide roads, but then 90% of the people live in shacks made from scrap materials. Ventured out onto the coastal roads and found a small hut in the distance. Decided to go investigate and turned out to be a military zone with a few guys living in a makeshift tent. The outpost is mostly for spotting drug traffic into Morocco from Mauritania, but the guys just had one old pair of binoculars. Invited us for tea/ cookies and fishing when the weather is better! Otherwise had a moment of adrenaline after getting chased by a pack of dogs guarding the port gate :) Looking to enter Mauritania in the next 24 hrs where the real adventure begins 🤩

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DAY 11, April 26 Dakhla -> Bir Gandouz 300 KM day went by surprisingly quick with zero speed loss even after more than doubling the weight (10 additional liters of fuel, more gear, and two people). Endless Sahara desert, driving past only two gas stations and a few abandoned looking huts during the ~8 hrs of riding. Stopped along the way to see the third highest rated activity in all of Western Sahara, Thermal Source Of Asnaa. Turns out to be literally just a guy with a hose who will spray you for 15 dirham (1.5 euro) 🤣 Got a local rec for camel and had my first camel Tajine, tastes almost like a cross between lamb and beef, overall pretty nice! 🐪 Found also the nicest hotel I’ve stayed in here, feels really out of place and like some sort of oasis (Fyndy Hotel Bir Gandouz) 😍

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DAY 10, April 25 Dakhla Convinced madman Adrian from my time in Singapore to join the adventure and already off the ground with a great start 🤩 First headed to the top attraction in Western Sahara, Dune Blanche, which was a lot of pushing the bike through a few KMs of sand. Successfully avoided the quicksand a guy we met on the beach warned us about. Great views, but the best part was the off-road section back where we pushed the bike to its limits :) Got back to Dakhla at night and went for dinner at a butcher we saw while walking. I saw what looked like a testicle hanging from a piece of meat and I asked in hand signals if it was eaten, but the guy instantly cut it off and started preparing it for the grill… Tasted 90% like tofu. Everyone is warning us about Mauritania… had a driver really confused about why we are going to what he described as “hell” from Western Sahara which is already apparently “medium hell” 🤣

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DAY 9, April 24th Dakhla Started the rest day off great with a surprise breakfast brought to my room by the nice people at the hotel! Worked for the Japanese company for a few hours and then jumped into the streets to see the city. Next got a haircut at a relatively nice barber shop which came out to be two euros, after the barber didn’t want to break my bill for the remaining euro it was supposed to cost. Was a really nice experience since the guy used like seven different cutting devices. Left a nice review and gonna go back tomorrow to tip him. Got inspired by a friend to try kitesurfing, and was totally the right decision... Did three hours today and will go back tomorrow for more 😍 Aaand finished the day with a crazy fruit smoothie filled with nuts and dried fruits :)

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DAY 8, April 23 Boujdour -> Dakhla After arriving in Boujdour, I had a few hours so explored the town and decided to make an important upgrade to the bike. Was just a matter of time but decided better sooner than later 🤭 Otherwise today I pushed about 400 kms down to Dakhla with constant surreal coastline views on the right and endless desert views on the left. 😍 ‼️Fun fact: Also met a local guy at breakfast who lives on Tenerife now and I managed to get some insight on how the human trafficking works to the Canary Islands. Usually the boats used are stolen and it costs around 400€ per person, which is a lot more than previous years since police are cracking down. They usually have an old engine which is used primarily with a new one as backup.

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DAY 7, April 22 Tarfaya -> Boujdour Time has come to say my goodbyes in Tarfaya and continue south towards Mauritania. Amazing coastline along the way, paired with loooong stretches of open hardcore Sahara desert. Super beautiful. 😍

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Quick anecdote from Tarfaya: yesterday while I was at a shop buying tea, I dropped a 200 dirham bill and didn’t notice. The woman from the cafe told Mohammed’s father who in turn found me to let me know to retrieve it. For reference 200 dirham is roughly enough to pay for 10-20 meals in Tarfaya. Really speaks to the quality of people here :)

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DAY 5/6 April 20th/21st, Tarfaya After meeting Mohammed at the local hardware shop I decided slow down and spend some more time in Tarfaya. If you’re ever near Tarfaya you have to visit… it’s a really special community of amazing people. Mohammed is a really special guy that is bringing out a smile from everyone in the town and bringing the entire community together. I’ve never seen a host as good as him, immediately introducing me to everyone around, teaching me Arabic words, welcoming me into his home, and serving me three meals a day, not to mention all the tools and bike upgrades. Super special experience. 🤩 By spending time behind the counter at the shop, I got to meet a bunch of people from Tarfaya. The level of kindness is unreal, but also education. I met a mindblowing amount of people that worked local, non-tourist facing jobs who spoke, many time in combination, fluent English, Spanish, German, French, and Italian, in addition to their native Arabic/Darija.

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DAY 4, April 19th: Tan-Tan -> Tarfaya Left the oasis of Tan-Tan, making it back to the coast and into another village over 200 KMs south named Tarfaya. Spent the day sideways riding against intense wind with sand blowing over the road at some points, cutting consistently at my neck. Had some insane views and desert encounters along this leg, some really beautiful dunes and coastline, only dotted with a single road and the occasional 15 sqm home. Got into Tarfaya and went to get parts and met Mohammed who is the local legend and pulls a smile from everyone in the city. Instantly was taking me around the city, getting me coffee, and giving me parts. He tried to get me to stay in his house but I already had the hotel but I’ll do it tomorrow 🤩

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🚨NEW UPGRADE🚨 Mauritania has few fuel stations and sometimes are even out of fuel so I’m increasing the range to 750 KMs! Got help from the best local guys in Tarfaya to weld together this rack to hold 10 additional liters of fuel 😍

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Day 3 started strong leaving Agadir and quickly getting into the Sahara desert with nearly nothing for hundreds of KMs in every direction. Pushed through some 350 KMs, making it to Tan-Tan which is this lost town in the middle of the desert- really surprised it exists (look at the map). Trip is getting more interesting with some unexpected obstacles now! After a detour to find gas, the last 100 KM ended up in the dark with crazy winds since this week there’s a windstorm here. I made it into town freezing at around 21:00 after the ride and found the hotel/ house I booked but with nobody there. Also in the meantime the USB outlet on the bike went out so my phone was about to die. Waited for nearly an hour before a little girl found me and gave me a cookie and then disappeared into the village to find the guy whose house it was thankfully :)

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Day 2 of the journey down ending in Agadir for tonight. Took a lot of side roads today and explored the coast and especially enjoyed the lost town of Teldi. First mechanical issues today with the chain starting to drag against the chainguard when I arrived at the bottom of a valley with ~30 mins of mountain road to get out and to a shop with tools so had to improvise with the multitool to make the adjustments. 🤩 Otherwise great local breaky, lots of KMs on coastal roads, and found a local beachside skatepark for sunset 🤗

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Finally started the trip this morning after four days of hardcore research and negotiation to get a bike. Marrakesh is famous for scams and I expected it but still is insane how difficult it is to get reliable info. Spent the last days talking with everyone I could in the streets, markets, and dealerships to pull together some offers and info. Had tons of guys tells me everyone else is lying and they were my brother. Everyone seemed to have opposite opinions on topics incl. brands, models, prices, paperwork, regulation, and condition. Long story short, got the bike that every delivery guy drives. Paid everything in cash and no receipts or contracts of sale… Probably gonna be some issues with this in the next days/ weeks, but you can’t get plates or the official ownership certificate after buying in Morocco for around 4 months, so let’s see how I get through the corrupt borders + sell the bike in Gambia or somewhere without the papers. Arrived today in Essaouira and gonna head south tomorrow!

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