Two hours ago I was feeling a bit low, it was a horrible day on the bike and i was starting to think i may have to go off road a bit to find somewhere to camp. I am now sat on a game reserve park bench eating pasta, drinking coffee and listening to Lions roar while monkeys run around. Its funny how quickly things can change.
Just letting everyone know all is OK – I will be doing blogs for these days tomorrow – Teasers: – I nearly met the president of Senegal, I slept near some lions and went for a walk with them this morning – as in walking alongside them like you would a dog, I crossed into Gambia, met some Scouts, had my own personal concert from the national Scout band, met the incoming chief commissioner for Gambian Scouts… And there’s more!!!
John
Dakar is probably most famous for the Paris Dakar rally but, now I am past that area, I can let my family known that the rally is now held in South America. The area I have just travelled through is regarded as too dangerous.
So far Senegal has stood out for these reasons:Friendly and helpful people, bright vibrant colours, fish, dust, heat and speed bumps.
This will be a long post but bear with me, it involves a scam, an arrest and me being separated from my passport and bike by the Senegal river.
I left Steve early yesterday morning (thanks again for your hospitality) for the Senegal border and Rosso. Described by other travels in endearing terms such as the armpit of Africa and the most corrupt border in Africa. I have been dreading this day since early in my planning and on the ride down I felt like a lamb going to slaughter.
Distance: 230km
To get a Senegal visa the procedure is to pay online and then take a confirmation email to the border and deal with everything else there. Despite several unsuccessful attempts to do the online bit overnight I decided to go to the Senegal embassy in Nouakchott and do it there.
Problem 1 was that my satnav did not recognise the address, ok I will ask around. Problem 2 was I went straight to the busiest part of town and everyone and their dog was trying to run me down, beg from me or try to sell me something. I soon realised that red traffic lights mean stop off you feel like it, drive on the wrong side of the road through the junction of you do not feel like stopping.
Distance 560km, Western Sahara to Mauritania
Well I did these things:
1. Woke up in a tent on a warm sandy beach.
2. Rode my motorbike through the Sahara desert
3. Crossed the tropic of cancer
4. Exited Morocco and braved their customs
5. Crossed no mans land, a 3km stretch of wasteland between the borders littered with discarded vehicles and surrounded by land mines.
( What is the plural of Oasis? )
I woke just before the dawn this morning to see a beautiful sunrise. After getting packed I was on the move by 7.30.
The road was a long straight one with the occasional potholes but unchanging. I had the desert to my left the sea to my right and a lot of tarmac in front of me. Every now and again the coastline would change and i would see large sand filled inlets that I assume were once full of sea, or go over a bridgeover a dried up river.
Distance: 590km
Just a quick update today as I have been on the road for 9.5 hours with only a 45 minute break for dinner.
This bit was always on my list of NOT spots and apart from a few bright spots it has lived up to expectations with long straight roads with little variation in scenery.
I have stopped at a little roadside camp site where a young girl and her mother seem to be in charge. They don’t speak French which is what I have been using up to now (badly) but they only speak some form of Arabic. The girl wrote down the camp fee as 500…. Now that is about 50 pounds. . What!! I said no too much and the mother got out 25 from a cash box. Ahhh that’s better, about 2.50 in pounds.
I was just about to put up my tent but the mother pointed to some tents. I gave the international signal for sleep ( hands together at side of head) and she nodded. Looks like i’m sleeping in there then.
Tomorrow I go deeper into the desert.
Distance 0km
I woke early to the sound of waves on the shore, had breakfast of a fresh orange and read my kindle for a couple of hours. Does life get better?
I changed the tyres on the bike, did my washing, took a walk on the beach and sat on the rocks for a while, drank coffee at the cafe, made my dinner of pasta and tomato and then read some more.
Distance: 470km
Last night somebody on the HUBB confirmed that the Mauritanian visa was available at the border. I have decided to go for it. If the information is right it saves me three days in Rabat, if the information is wrong I will have three days travel down there plus three days to travel back to Rabat plus another three days to travel down again. 9 days! I have heard from several sources so i think the risk is worth it. All this because of a puncture!