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!
Distance: 110km, Start Kanitra, Morocco, End: Mohammedia, Morocco
Today started very well with the best cup of tea I have had since leaving the UK and a tasty pancake breakfast courtesy of Bob and Ellie. Thank you for giving me a good start to the day and for your donation to Street Child.
The missing day 8 post:
I took my time getting packed and ready to go this morning. This was my first night camping and it was an opportunity for me to rearrange things in a logical way. By 10.30 I was on my way to Algeciras and the ferry.
At every service station or layby along the road was a little tiny booth with massive signs advertising tickets to tangiers. At first I ignored them thinking i wanted official tickets not fake ones. As I got closer to town even the official road signs proclaimed tickets at the next junction. I succumbed to less than subliminal advertising, stopped, and bought one..
Mine said my ferry left for Tangier med at 2pm. I need not have been so suspicious of being ripped off.
I was at the terminal with loads of time to spare, the waiting area slowly filled with cars. And then, one by one, they started turning around, getting others to move out of their way, and driving off. 2pm came and went and a Spanish lady on a Ducati with her partner approached me and explained the port of Tangier med was closed and if i came back at 4.30 to the Cuetos terminal the ticket would let me on a ferry there. Great… where’s Cuetos?
It turns out it is Spanish held terratory along the coast from Tangier. Slight change of plan but nothing serious, I would however use Expedia to book a hotel there due to the time. I found an Ibis advertising for about 30 euros, bargain! I tried to book but the transaction failed. I put the address in my satnav anyway.
On landing it was getting late and I was getting tired. I followed the sat nav but suddenly the border post was in front of me! Eeek! What do I do? I had not seen any decent hotels so far and the area looked decidedly unhealthy as a place to stop and ask. Ok, let’s go for it…
Even before the first roundabout I was approached by a man wanting to speak to me, He dodged out of my way just in time, I have been warned about fixers! ! They help you through the borders for a fee. I can manage on my own thank you! The next guy approached me had a semi official tourist board id around his neck. I could have made that, I thought.
He asked me if i had the green import form for the bike! Christ! I forgot about that! I was supposed to get it on the Tangier ferry which lands in Morocco, my ferry landed in Spainish territory! Panic! What should I do? Ok, I had been told in these situations, play the dumb tourist. Not hard seeing I was the dumb tourist!
My friendly guy just happened to have the form and guided me around getting things done. . I was suspicious as hell and made it obvious to him I was not going to pay him. After the customs checked my now completed papers My friendly guy.explained he would show me a good safe hotel with a garage for the bike and then show me around the town. OK suspicions confirmed, alarms ringing, I decided to confront him. . How much was he going to charge for these services? He eventually said 35 euros. I surpassed myself at how quickly I agreed but the whole area did not feel safe and I did not fancy my chances of finding somewhere after the border, I followed him in a taxi, to the main town. I was expecting a short journey bit no, we went for many kilometers along a motorway, we went through police road checks and a toll booth where the fixer paid for me as well. Now this is where we all expect me to be led up a dark alley and be mugged, I was thinking this as well. But…
The garage is fine, the hotel cheap and reasonably clean, he gave me a walking tour of the old town and market, found me something to eat that was cooked on a BBQ right in front of me, and then returned me safely to my hotel. I was so grateful, and not having change, I have him 40 instead of the 35 he asked for.
So once again sir (he did tell me his name but I was too tense to remember it) I must apologise for doubting you and I am grateful for your help. For the second time today I need not have been so suspicious of being ripped off.
Tomorrow I plan to travel to Rabat where I need to get some visas via a blue town. …