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MikeBerks

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Bike(s)
    Yamaha XJ6N
  • Location
    Wokingham, Berkshire

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  1. I was there over a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and didn't notice any attractions closed. I remember going to Cologne some years ago and the place was like a ghost town on a Sunday. Trying to pass the time when many shops and restaurants were closed was near impossible! But Marrakech is very much alive, both day and night. Jemaa el-Fnaa in Medina is a the big old square, which is at its best when the sun goes down - food and drink stalls, snake charmers, henna artists and the enormous souks of course. The many restaurants in Jemaa el-Fnaa are very cheap. I paid around £3.50 for a basket of fresh bread, a plate of olives, a beef tagine (very tasty) and a litre bottle of sparkling water. That seems to be standard prices for middle of the road restaurants in the area. English isn't too widely spoken. The main language is of course Arabic with many speaking French too. Many of the people that you encounter will known sufficient words to get by on and restaurants seem to offer menus in English too. For bartering in the souks, just plug your price into a calculator or your phone. English won't be necessary here! Just be aware that the currency - the Moroccan Dirham - isn't available outside of Morocco and nor are visitors expected take unspent money home. You're best to take sterling and change small amounts as and when you need it. You'll find some exchange counters in the airport and plenty in the city, with there not being very much difference in rates. At the moment, it's a little over 13 Dirhams to the Pound.
  2. With the short time that I had, I decided to stick to the main areas of interest, and always felt safe. I didn't feel threatened by anybody nor did I feel that the bag on my back was going to be snatched or have items removed from it. On the many occasions that i appeared lost (it's easily done) I was approached and pointed in the right direction. Many of the people were very friendly. Morocco is a Muslim country that has come a long way - especially with regards to its treatment of women. Few women wear veils or any other type of headscarf, they can drive, marry/divorce, work etc. it didn't feel quite as I expected, if that makes sense. The city is definitely do-able in just a few days. There is a hop on, hop off sightseeing bus which drops you at gardens, mosques, souks, museums etc, meaning that you don't have to spend endless hours walking. During my three days, I spent just £40. That covered all transport, meals and shopping. I love visiting places where my wallet doesn't take a battering - and Marrakech didn't disappoint.
  3. I dropped the bike on my last session before the module 1 test and crossed the line on my first five or so attempts at the turn in the road. I too went along to the test believing that I would fail but things worked out just fine! Don't overthink what you're doing and try to relax (and enjoy) the 10-15 minute test.
  4. I recently went away on my own (first trip without friends or family) to Marrakech. Plenty there to keep me busy for three days, great food and shopping, and very cheap too. There's also no end of affordable guest houses and hotels in the city. I'd definitely go back. Budapest too is somewhere I'm really fond of. Again there's plenty to keep you busy for a few days and a trip to the Gellert Spa is a nice way to warm yourself up on a cold winter day! Both can be accessed direct from the UK with a variety of airlines - including easyJet and Ryanair if you don't want to break the bank.
  5. That'd be great. I'm over in Sindlesham. Do you want to suggest a time and place to meet? Any other locals out there?
  6. Hi all, If anybody's out and about this weekend and wouldn't mind some company, please give me a shout. I'm still getting to grips with the bike having only passed my module two test a couple of months ago so you'll need to bear with me. Really up for a trip anywhere - for a couple of hours or the day. Would be really great to start meeting people. The thought of just turning up alone at a bike café is something I find a little daunting right now! Mike
  7. The test has 14 clips; thirteen with a single developing hazard and one with two. You can score up to 5 points per hazard. There are 75 points to be had. You need to score at least 44.
  8. The school I used had access to the Farnborough test centre at weekends, which meant that students could get a good couple of hours practice in the actual environment before taking the test. Over my four days of Direct Access training, I spent a good six hours in the place, but my last session was probably the most disastrous and I didn't hold out much hope for the test. I was asked to repeat the same exercises over and over again by the instructor and I felt confident with all but the U-turn. During my first five attempts, either my foot went down or I crossed the line (which would have resulted in a fail during the test). On the sixth attempt, I was too slow and turned too much, and, in a flash, the bike was on the floor! Despite being pushed to try again, I had a bit of a tantrum and had to take a break. On the morning of the test, we went to the car park of an empty office block. Within a couple of minutes, this large open space was transformed into a test centre - with dozens of coloured cones all over the place. Thankfully, everything came together at the last minute and I finally took on board the instructors advice about not looking at the floor during the turn. Not staring at the floor made this once challenging manoeuvre much more straightforward! The test itself lasted a little under 15 minutes and I came away with two minors. I was travelling at 49km/h on my emergency stop and the examiner didn't like that I dragged my left leg for a little while when moving off. Before you have a chance to give the module one test any thought, it's over.
  9. I did a hazard perception test for my car licence back in 2007 and again for my bike licence in July The only advice I would give is not to study the clips too hard. The developing hazards tend to stand out like a sore thumb e.g. a clumsy parent with a pushchair who walks into the road without looking, a large lorry pulling out suddenly etc.
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