5th April Dakar

Reluctant to leave our beach-side camp, we arrived in Dakar after 5 hours, most of which were limping along heavy traffic as we approached the outskirts of the city. Our 1st port of call literally was at the docks to validate our vehicle registration for the country. In fact this was the main focus for coming to Dakar. We then headed directly for the British Embassy where, through Afrikids links, we had liaised with the British Ambassador to arrange for storage of the vehicles if we failed to progress any further - the unrest in Mali still dominated our news searches.

We made home for the next 2 nights in a commune-based site 'Oceannis'. We pitched tent on a concrete floor between sheets of washing. However it was within earshot of the sea we feasted on freshly caught fish grilled and served up with a Sengalese sauce and fresh baguette.

Camping at St Louis

4th April Wednesday
A lie-in, fresh coffee and a cold shower led us into today. we wandered around the town, enjoying their Independence day celebrations. Lunch comprised a delicious fish dish cooked in a spicy sauce. We were beginning to relax. Oh how fickle the human emotions are. Within 3 hours our moods had plummeted and I had tears of despair rolling down my cheeks as we began to learn how dire the situation was in Mali. We visited the Zebrabar, a campsite off the road to Dakar. There were 2 German bikers who couldn't wait to leave Mali. They were in Bamako, the southern capital of Mali. Thry were subject to a 24 hour curfew and witnessed chaos in the city as locals plummeted and looted garages and shops for fuel and food. This did not bode well for a swift resolution to the current disruptions.

Retruning to our campsite we were thrn stopped at random by a very agressive policeman who threatened Ben with prison for not carrying all his papers with him whilst driving the truck. a reluctant bribe later resolved the issue but not without denting our already low spirits.

Later, as we were shopping  for fish in St Louis's vibrant markets, I had tears rolling down my hot face feeling the lowest I have ever felt on this trip. Tension was also  rising between us. However we found a barbeque grill back at the campsite. A delicious meal later of grilled fish, rice and local vegetables, we began to work on our next steps.

Auberge at Noakchott

3rd April - Tuesday
We arrived the previous afternoon at the capital city of Mauritania, an eclectic mixture of architecture and a wide spectrum of poverty/wealth. After a refreshing night's sleep (much needed) we set off at 7:30hr to get through the next border crossing. each one seems to present its own challenges. En route through a lovely national park where we saw wart hog, camel, herons and monkeys.


At the Senegalese border we came across our first (of many) experiences of the need for bribes. Eventually we got through and travelled 50 km to St Louis, a colourful and vibrant fishing port. Pitching tent we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Altantic, a stone's throw away from our tents and our first beer in 4 days.

Driving in the Sahara desert

1st April - Monday

My first lesson in driving through sand and my 2nd ever night in a Bedhouin tent with our exotic guide Dahid.

Border crossings

31st Saturday - Dakhla, Morocco
Rising at 6am we were anxious to leave early to ensure successful passsge across the Ma vuritanian border.'

Arriving at the border we processed everything in a record 45 minutes and that was with the help of a local guide who eased the way through all the fees and stamping of documents. We were then faced with a gruelling drive across no-man's land which reminded me of a graveyard where carcasses of animals and cars were strewn everywhere.

At the Mauritanian border we were greeted with stern-looking officials, who nevertheless trested us with courtesy. Even so we did not escape the eager eye whenever they came across an interesting gadget as consideration for a 'petit cadeau' or 'bribe' in English terms.

Using our border guide to the full we made our way to a delightful but yet again simple Auberge in Nouadibou. There was a calming sense of reassurance having the guide with us since we were now in the 'Red' zone of the foreigh office website. Med Moulaye, our guide, found a safe place for us to stay and then rushed us into a local taxi to buy some fredh fish for supper. While cooking this up a nee olayer entered into the scene, a handsome guide by thr name of Dahid. He eould not have looked out of place in Lawrence of Arabia. pouring over maps and sharing intrlligence over safe routes. What I hadn't mentioned wss thr irony I felt visiting an internet cafe, drinking tea with the locals, catching up with emails and discussing the football match on their local TV - in a high risk zone!

Progress through Africa

29th - Thursday (Marrakesh)
Leaving early we had an uneventful drive, gradually entering more desert-like landscape. We camped wild in a 'Parc National' with a donkey as our 'guard'.
30th - Friday (Khenifisi National Parc)
Setting off at 8:30 we entered W. Sahara and within the hour received our 1st of 2 speed fines. The Gendarme were placed in the middle of nowhere!
The day's travel was long, therefore relief set in when we found our destination camp site outside Dakhla, a relatively large and strong Muslim town set on a long peninsula flanked by deep blue water on either side. The main challenge was coping with strong winds as we pitched our tents. Cooking supper on our sole gaz ring we finished the last dregs of wine from a wine box that I had bought in Bordeaux last summer. This was probably for the best since Mauritania has zero tolerance to alcohol.

Morocco

25th Cont/: By the time we disembarked the night was dark and with gale force winds. Our progress through customs and car registration was conducted in a style I felt I had to get
used to - random chaos (ie worse than simple chaos). We leanrt later that the situation has improved over the last five years in so far as no bribes were asked. As a group we now faced the challenge of where to spend the night. It was late, dark and there were gale force winds. I was desperately hoping we weren't going to camp. Eventually Bob and I took the pragmatic decision to use the Ibis hotel for the night. I will never be dismissive of Ibis hotels again. Despite being 11pm we found a delightful Moroccan restaurant which served the most delicious fish tagine. Spirits were being restored.

 26th Monday - Tangier Today started off very slowly as we sortrd out car insurance (something we couldn't do at home). Therefore we didn't set off until 2pm which led to the inevitable late arrival at our next waypoint, Rabat. Once more as a group we were struggling with how long we took to find a camp site and when should we pike out and choose an hotel. We did - a shabby chic hotel where the loo ran continuously and the towels were the size of handkerchiefs. However it was our home for the next 2 nights.
 27th Tuesday -Rabat Our hotel may not have been 5* but breakfast was taken on a high veranda overlooking a charming bay and beach. Much of today was acquiring visas for Mauritania and Mali. This also gave us the opportunity to gather information on entering these two countries since Mali had experienced a coup the day before our departure from the UK. There had been disturbances in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and through which we were obliged to travel if we were to reach Burkina Faso (our final country before reaching Ghana). Feedback from frequent visitors to these areas were more encouraging than that from internet sources. There was a feeling of surprise when the application process for these valuable visas seemed so straightforward since we were rapidly becoming accustomed to incomprehensible delays. We rewarded ourselves with a fabulous swim in the cool but refreshing Atlantic, reminding ourselves that we were on holiday, not simply "en travail". 28th Wednesday - Rabat As I write this diary we are about to collect (hopefully) our visas, top up eith essential provisions and start the more challenging stage of our journey.