• Michael Spies
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  • Michael Spies

Eagles fly, deserts call!

"High Atlas" mountains and deepest Mauritanian Desert. Time to move again! En savoir plus
  • The Spanish rock castle

    27 septembre 2025, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We continue along the coast and over a beautiful pass where we spend the night over looking endless mountain ranges.

    We are slowly getting into the rhythm of finding beautiful places for the night, and creating a little paradise in Sprinti for ourselves. Living with Elfi in this tiny space feels better and better. We are cruising nicely with each other.😁

    The following day we arrive back on the coast via a long off road track (red) and end up high above the sea overlooking "Penon de Velez de la Gomera", a big rock belonging to the spanish and guarded vehemently by its soldiers. The location is so beautiful that we spend the next two days here, observing the spanish soldiers guarding their ridiculous but beautiful Rock😁.
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  • Chechaouen, the blue town.

    24 septembre 2025, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    In Chechaouen most houses are painted blue. But what is really important is that it is at the center of the marrocan Weed production region.
    We did not know that, but as we drove with open windows the smell of haschisch wafted in although there were no people. Later we learned that it was the pollen we were smelling. It is mid-harvest time!!!!
    So we embarked on a endevour to become weed specialists😀
    Did you know that Marocco has a 70% market share in Europe, that it exports 67.000 to. per year, that 2million people live off this production in the Riff mountains, and that they have been growing a local weed called "Beldya"for hundreds of years.
    So, we hiked up the mountain behind Chechaouen to visit three young maroccan growerd with their french friend who explained things to us.
    The female plants are cut and dried on the flat roof tops. Then a kind of stocking is spanned across a bucket, a plastic layer comes on top of the dry plants and is then beaten with a stick. The THC laden Pollen/resin falls through and is then pressed to beads and blocks. Like with the quality of olive oil there is first, second and third beating. The result is best quality "Kif"
    It is really tough work and yeld is low.
    These guys were living on the floor in a tin hut bearly above subsistance level.
    En savoir plus

  • And off we go, to Tetouan

    24 septembre 2025, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today our first mountains, coastal roads, and finally Tetouan with our first Medina (old town and souk) head-first into arabian life where everything happens in the souk: shopping for food, chicken and goat slaughtering, with small eatery directly next door and endless stalls selling second hand clothing, and shoes.
    Wow! What an experience. I am spontaneously beamed back into the world of Iranian markets in 2022 during our Arabia trip.
    We planned to spend the night on a beach nearby called "Oued Laou plage", but were chased away by the royal maroc army shortly before midnight. Once again a parking lot becomes our home 😁
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  • Arrived at last

    23 septembre 2025, Maroc ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Arrived in Tanger at last!
    Two whole days and nights on a ferry ship is pretty long!
    After hours getting through customs and out of the harbour area it was already dark and we headed for the next parking near a beach where we spent the night.
    And then our first morning,, jog on the beach, swim and meditate. Wow, what a feeling to be here. Now the journey really begins.
    En savoir plus

  • Warming up! Off-road training

    16 août 2025, Allemagne ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Off road driving training for Elfi and Barbara.
    And oh my god, how they impressed me! growing beyond their fears during the course of a weekend and having real fun while at it.
    I really do have two very cool women accompanying me.
    Markus will be doing a similar course during October.
    Among some of the exercises, how to choose your path through the terrain to keep all wheels on the ground and keep traction, and if they are in the air, how to behave. And the most exciting, when the motor stops on a really steep hill, how to drive backwards without loosing control.
    What an exciting weekend!
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  • Eagles need to fly

    16 août 2025, Allemagne ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    "Sprinti" wants to move again, this time through the high Atlas mountains in Marocco, on to Mauritania, deep in the Sahara desert, along the Senegal river into black Africa.
    There is something in human nature, in MY NATURE, that after a while in comfort, needs to break free and live on the edge again.
    Especially Mauritania is going to be a challenge this time as we will be deep in the desert for many days without access to diesel and water.
    Once again we will be travelling together with "Mantoco" who organised the Iran/Arabia trip in 2022/23 and 3 other trucks, good to know, as Mauritania is really very empty!!!!
    My travel partners will be Elfi Aschenbrenner for the first 2 months, then Barbara Erber joining me for Mauritania and then Markus Härtner for the last leg back along the Algerian border.
    En savoir plus

    Début du voyage
    16 août 2025