PaulJ - Sorry I've been a while replying again! I actually "replied" within a day or so of your post, but pressed the "back" button before I had submitted it and lost the lot! I was so p....d off that I haven't got back to it till now.

Not sure where I'm off to next, but I do know I will be going back to the Sahara again, probably more right into it next time rather than just down one edge. Depeneding on time available, which is my usual problem, I would like to do a proper crossing, maybe right down to Dakhla, then accross and up through Tamanrasset or thereabouts (I keep looking at my Michelin 953!) and up to Tunis. Obviously on a more suitable bike than a Pan though! More likely next though I might have a go at doing a similar route to the one Chris Scott is planning at http://www.adventure-motorcycling.co...s/roadride.htm, riding from Tunis down to Djanet and back, which apparently is all good tarmac now. Then again, next spring I might just go to Switzerland and Austria, but these places to be honest seem a bit tame now after Africa. I also always fancied doing America, but that doesn't seem quite so appealing now either!

Funny, your comments about stomach problems. I actually didn't have any problem in Morocco (thank goodness with their toilets!) until I was on the Ceuta-Algeciras ferry, although this might have been due to the sudden intake of after 10 days in an alcohol-free country!

Scandinavia was excellent, in particular Norway (Swedish landscapes I thought pretty monotonous generally). Norway is totally different, big mountains and fjords, whereas Sweden is all trees. The real highlight for me was the remote areas of Lapland (including into Finalnd), and getting up above the Arctic Circle - very beautiful. I've discovered since that I was actually quite lucky with the weather - when I went in August 2001 it was blue skies, bright, really crisp sunshine (mainly), and not even that cold, except within about 100 miles of Nordkapp. If I was going again though, I would time it to catch the Northern Lights or Midnight Sun though. There are similarities with the Sahara - big distances, remoteness, and a bit of a sense of adventure! It's just a bit colder, and not so many carpet salesmen. The people are really nice as well, speaking excellent English, and for a change are surprised at how cheap things (bikes/cars/) are in England. I'd thoroughly recommend it!

[This message has been edited by IanC (edited 26 November 2002).]

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