View Full Version : MORONS return
The M.O.R.O.N.S. (Morocco Overland Rebels On Nomadic Safari) have returned. Well, half of them have! Out of the original 4 vehicles only 3 went and of those, one vehicle stayed in Morocco working as staff for the LRO Adventure Club.
An excellent time was had by all and new tracks were found and new places visited.
I didn’t manage to get a green card for Morocco with my current insurance company but insurance was easily purchased in Morocco. It’s available for 5 days and under, 10 days and under or 30 days and under. Of course we were just over 10 days so had to get the 30 day insurance which worked out to be approx £55.
I didn’t get a speeding ticket this time but was stopped for crossing a solid white line. A 400 Dh fine was inbound but a joke here and a cigarette there sorted it out.
Battle Damage
110 - Cracked windscreen, nicks in tyre sidewalls, O/D oil venting through breather pipe
Disco - Total lights failure
90 - Diff oil venting from breather pipe
Problems
Locked ourselves out of the vehicle but it took just 10 minutes to get in without damage! Pleased we got in but very disappointed that it was so easy.
Route
Tangier – El Ksiba via Meknes & Azrou
El Ksiba – Dades
Dades – Merzouga via Anif
Merzouga – Oulad Driss (Zagora)
Oulad Driss – Tata via Foum Zguid
Tata – Ouarzate via Akka Irhen & Alougoum
Ouarzate – Marrakech
Marrakech – Tangier
Anyone interested in more detail or GPS routes give me a shout and I can e-mail them to you.
After 4 visits now I think we’ll be looking to go somewhere different for ‘different terrain driving’ even though there is so much more to see and do in Morocco. The hills and mountains of Slovenia are next I think. It’s a beautiful little country the size of Wales where the people are friendly and everything is ‘cheap as chips’. After visiting there once before with work and once on holiday (non driving) I reckon it will be a good driving/adventure holiday. May as well spend 3 or 4 days getting there instead of Morocco.
AJ
Festerfly
20th Oct 2004, 15:07
looks like you had a fantastic time....
Exactly the sort of thing i wish i was able to do....
Lee
Slime101
20th Oct 2004, 19:50
Looks good AJ, somthing i must try sometime...
Certainly was fantastic Lee.
Thoroughly recommend you make a good go of sorting out a trip if that's what you really want to do.
AJ
Looks good AJ, somthing i must try sometime...
Thoroughly recommend it Slime.
AJ
Slime101
20th Oct 2004, 20:25
Thoroughly recommend it Slime.
AJ
Once i've done my GB photographic one, and then my iceland trip (Oif i ever get there)....then maybe i'll do morocco; altho i do have soem BIG plans for 2006 ;)
Slime,
If there's any info you need on/from Iceland give me a shout as my daughters going to work there on Sunday. Her contact there has already sent me phots of his landy.
AJ
Slime101
20th Oct 2004, 22:44
Nice :)
A daughter huh....isnt in her 20's and single is she :p
P.S - I'll do that CD tomorrow if i remember!!!
Yes she is (21) and she is. It's going to take hundreds of CDs for an introduction though!
Cheers Slime.
AJ
Slime101
21st Oct 2004, 09:34
Hehe :p
My whole collection is in the post m8 ;)
ROB 110 HICAP
21st Oct 2004, 09:43
Glad you had fun!
Mega wheel extentions on that Icelandic 130
Festerfly
21st Oct 2004, 09:57
AJ.
Was trying to suggest the idea to the wife last night of a european adventure trip.... and she sort of showed an interest so things are looking up! lol
Will let you know if anything ever gets off the ground!
Lee
Hehe :p
My whole collection is in the post m8 ;)
Everything has it's price! :D
Glad you had fun!
Mega wheel extentions on that Icelandic 130
Cheers Rob.
Those Icelandic vehicles are something else arn't they? I've seen quite a few articles on them in the mags but they never mention the cost. Must be mega bucks considering the bodywork, wheels, tyres, suspension, driveshafts, gearing............... They look very capable vehicles but I wonder what they're like driving around town or on a motorway?
AJ
AJ.
Was trying to suggest the idea to the wife last night of a european adventure trip.... and she sort of showed an interest so things are looking up! lol
Will let you know if anything ever gets off the ground!
Lee
Hope she comes round to your idea of an adventure Lee. I'll look forward to hearing of your plans: Hopefully in the near future.
AJ
antshybrid
27th Oct 2004, 16:43
well aj glad to hear you had a great time, love the pics!! i was co-driving a friend of a friends 110 on the LRO trip(what a night mare!!!!!) got off the boat at bilbao to and drove down towards estepona. six hours into the trip ther was a burning smell from the front and we stopped. front diff nose oil seal burned alive so checked oil- bone dry! the bloke whos 110 it was assured me that 'everything was checked before we left and was ok' he had NO spare fluids so i scrounged some from another LR to top up the diff and off we went. forty miles later the diff bearing give up spectacularly and we ground to a halt again!! to isolate the front diff i had to take off both wheel bearing caps and the prop so we could limp to estepona to get it fixed. mr 110 bloke had a "tool kit" that you would give to your son to keep him away from your tools!! nine metric spanners-all different, and a few pliers, and a hammer! not pleased by now!! our trip was really over by now so the others had to head off to the ferry to ceuta and we eventually headed to estepona to get the thing fixed. had a few days sightseeing around gibralter and then decided to head to meknes for a three or four days. we thought if anything happens then at least we are on the road the others are coming back on. came back to spain on the 20th and spent two days in estepona. headed back towards bilbao at the weekend and two hours out of estepona the back wheel bearing went! pulled into the hard shoulder and lots of head scratching- NO SPARES!!! by chance the other lads and lasses were starting to make their way back and we flagged them down and swiped a bearing kit and hub spanner to do it. half hour later off we go AGAIN!! it lasted ten mins!! the back half shaft went on the bearing side and we had no drive. disconnected drive to the back and continued in front wheel drive till that blew! Ants getting relly p****d off by now!! all these things were avoidable by a bit of maintenance! any way got sorted and got out of there. if i go again ( which will happen) i will be taking my 110 so i know its ok! Dad used to say you learn by your mistakes!! rant over!
Ant,
What a nightmare mate. Sorry to hear you didn't get to see and experience what the whole trip had to offer. A life experience and lessons learned if nothing else!
Good to hear that you'll go again though.
Although our small outfit didn't have a full complement of spares each, between us we had all the important ones.
AJ
antshybrid
28th Oct 2004, 18:06
i was gutted to say the least!! this bloke had all the kit- awning,rooftent, fridge etc etc. he spent the evenings planning in great detail what had to be done the next day. which of course went t*ts up whenever the 110 broke!! there was NO prep work done to the mechanics of it and i spoke to a mate today that did some electrical switch work on it before we went and he had pointed out the oil leaks to the bloke!! the response was "it'll be ok" just wish i would have found all this out before the trip, might have had a different outcome i think!! on the subject of going again, i would love to go again but it would be in my 110 so i know everything is ok. it put a bit of a dampener on the holiday not being able to relax and enjoy the trip. dont get me wrong i love landies!! having the hybrid and building the 110 up gives me immense pleasure and i love working on them but you get what i mean?
Ant,
'This bloke' will have spend hundreds of pounds on the kit he has so what a bloody shame the holiday was spoilt through lack of/ignorence to basic maintenance which would have cost a couple of quid.
Completing the exped in your own vehicle, having done your own preparation and maintenance, planning your own route and returning in one piece with only minor snags is quite satisfying. Good luck on your next exped.
AJ
Astbury
21st Nov 2004, 09:56
any info on your Euro trip? we may be interested in joining you all.
Sorry to hear about your ****** of a trip Ant! When are you going to Morocco (in your own Landy)
C
Astbury,
We may be off to Slovenia Jul/Aug next year. Will keep you posted.
AJ
Astbury
21st Nov 2004, 12:43
Sounds great! Interested in a tour through the Alps on the way through?
Chris
antshybrid
21st Nov 2004, 12:53
thanks for the kind words gents, it was a ****of a trip! will be heading off somewhere maybe morocco same time next year. will be going in my own 110 so will be better :D would love to do the hannibal trail over the alpes sometime in the new year. would be a nice break :)
Sounds great! Interested in a tour through the Alps on the way through?
Chris
Would be rude not to. I'll be in touch.
It's a toss up between Rajastan (negative Landy) and Slovenia (Landy). Still discussing with Mrs AJ bearing in mind we had a vehicle holiday in Morroco this year as you did.
AJ
Astbury
21st Nov 2004, 13:47
Mrs Astbury is well up for another Landy holiday this year, she wants to go to Namibia & Botswana (with a hired landy not drive ours all the way).
But when I saw your mention on Slovenia I saw a huge saving on cost! I am doing my best to plan for a 2006 or 2007 3 month trip to Mongolia so any cash saved between now and then towards it. When were done with Mongolia we will plan to take a year off (in a good few years) to go all the way round the world though this will not be done in our Td5 we will spen the time building up maybe a 130.
C
Mrs Astbury is well up for another Landy holiday this year, she wants to go to Namibia & Botswana (with a hired landy not drive ours all the way).
But when I saw your mention on Slovenia I saw a huge saving on cost! I am doing my best to plan for a 2006 or 2007 3 month trip to Mongolia so any cash saved between now and then towards it. When were done with Mongolia we will plan to take a year off (in a good few years) to go all the way round the world though this will not be done in our Td5 we will spen the time building up maybe a 130.
C
We considered a flyaway trip with a hired Landy at the destination but it would'nt be the same without the personal preparation and planning which is half the fun. I found it frustrating being driven around on a Kenyan safari for a week never mind any longer period!
Mongolia sounds V interesting. Somewhere we've never considered. You're lucky to be able to take 3 months out.
Our landy was purchased with the intention of a round the world trip which should commence within the next few years when my current work contract expires. By that time the vehicle will have depreciated enough for an affordable Carne de Passage as some countries requireup to 400% of the vehicle value in duty if you leave without your vehicle (sold/wrecked/stolen). We have an 'ish' route in mind but with political climates changing all the time it's very difficult to plan hard and fast so far in advance.
We'll be in touch when we confirm the Slovenia trip.
AJ
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