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not be described as easy , there were three substantial meals on our first day , mint tea and snacks , and five-star accommodation . What an adventure . Though the day was long and physically demanding we were not roughing it on this tour .
We left the Sawadi eco lodge and stopped for fuel in Skoura , bumping into a group of German riders on Royal Enfield 500 ' s , they , like us , were on an organised tour but riding on tarmac as the 500 ' s were road bikes .
We had a laugh with the group , and they couldn ’ t believe we were riding all day on dirt tracks on tiny 50cc Chinese bikes and were astonished that Julie and I were riding two up ! They looked the part as well riding in full leathers whereas we were looking decidedly dusty wearing a weird selection of clothing .
We then set off for another 117km off-road . A few kilometres into the ride Martine , our guide , spotted a large open-air market on the outskirts of Skoura , where we spent a fascinating half hour wandering through the bustling market . The sounds and colours were fantastic . People were riding their bikes through the lanes between the stalls , the popular 3-wheel Docker trucks either filled with people , animals or produce .
On the trail again , we were riding through an amazing desert landscape , it could have been Mars but , again , hundreds of shades of brown , gold , and orange . Occasionally we would descend into fertile valley bottoms , populated with all shades of green plants , small gardens , and palm trees . At one point we crossed a bridge over a river . Martine asked if I fancied a cooling swim . I declined as I didn ’ t have my swimming gear with me and didn ’ t want to shock any locals by bathing nude !
After 60km we arrived at a small holding and house , in the middle of nowhere .
Under a wool cloth Berber tent a table was set for us . This was our lunch stop prepared by the family owner . The chicken and vegetable tagine were delicious with lots of home-grown vegetables and spices . The Berber family and particularly the children were fascinated by us and stood in the distance watching us eat .
After a hearty meal we then set off again onto the trail , seeing nobody for kilometres , then spotting a pair of camels and a Berber family sitting in their tent .
The trail was so varied ; hard compact tracks with soft sand on the bends , we dropped down , crossing over dry riverbeds where the sand was so fine it was like riding through cement . This tricky stuff is called fesh fesh , a fine sandy dust .
Eventually after climbing up another one thousand metres or so we looked down into an amazing valley , nicknamed Monument Valley , by John , the tour company owner . The view was stunning with mountains rising from the valley bottom .
Some of the trails were covered with hard packed stones and random sections of loose smaller stones that made for some interesting riding . A few of the riders skidded off a couple of times but they managed to pick their bikes up with a little help from our mechanic , Ali !
After another 50km or so we hit the tarmac and dropped into the Valley of the Roses in the busy town of Kalaat M ’ Gouna . The local drivers were crazy , moving in all directions , stopping to stare at us and with the beautiful children waving and smiling , bringing tears to our eyes .
On the outskirts of the town , we stopped at our accommodation for the night , a beautifully restored 200-year-old Riad called Bab el Atlas . The lovely Swiss owner , Brigitte , welcomed us with mint tea and plates of nuts before showing us our lovely
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