Manatali, Mali. December 2014

Merry Christmas from Manatali in pretty hot Mali.  We are all loving Mali so far.  The border crossing was relatively easy and we had a few hours drive before bush camping on the first night.  The next day we had a very scenic drive to Manatali where we would spend Christmas, providing the campsite was OK.  The scenery has gone from flat scrubby land to mountains, rivers, baobab trees and mud hut villages. 

Our Christmas camp was right on the edge of Lake Manatali created by the huge dam nearby.  It was great as the water was very clean so we were able to do lots of swimming and clothes washing. We went into town to pick up the Christmas supplies (meat, beer and veggies), and had a very adventurous walk home trying to find the river track.  Problem was that there were many tracks but none leading where we wanted to go.  Eventually we found our way back in time for lunch and a swim!

Most of the group decided on Christmas morning to go for an early morning walk up a nearby hill.  I passed on the idea favouring a sleep in.  We had a pancake breakfast and then a present giving time.  We had all bought a secret Santa present to the value of 5 Euros for someone after names were picked out of a hat in Fes.  I received a bracelet, a wicker pot and some lolly pops off Paisley which was lovely. 

Dave, having previously worked as a chef did a great job of cooking a roast dinner on the fire.  Despite our limited choice in the market we had beef, sweet potatoes, aubergine, cheesy cabbage and Yorkshire pudding.  Much to my delight the cheese that was bought in Spain and was not allowed to be opened, made an appearance and so did a Christmas pudding which other than Steve and myself nobody likes!  A great lazy Christmas in the sun.

Boxing day had a late start as we headed towards Bamako, bush camping enroute.

The Gambia, December 2014

We had a very easy stamp out of Senegal and an easy entry into The Gambia, well for the UK and Canadian passport holders who can enter for free and do not need a visa.  In our research we also found that the Australians could enter for free and it would just be Sawa and his Japanese nationality who would need a visa at the border.  The immigration officer couldn't seem to understand that the passports were Australian and not Austrian and claimed that visas needed to be bought.  Very unfortunate for the Australians as the internet clearly states that they don't need a visa.

From the border we took a taxi journey to the ferry to then cross the river to the capital Banjul.  The ferry was a great experience as we watched vehicles, goods, sheep and masses of people squish on not the biggest of boats.  I was chatting to man who worked for the port security and he was travelling anyway to Banjul so he gave us a lot of help getting our on-going transport to the coast. We could have done it without his help but it was worth paying a couple of dollars extra for a bit less faff.  It took us a good 4 or 5 hours to get from the border to being in a hotel.  We ended up right on the beachfront in an area called Bakau. 

We spent 3 nights in the hotel on the beach.  It was nice to spend time sleeping in a bed and not really doing a lot.  I spent one day looking around the markets and lounging on the beach and the following day Lucy and I went on a 4 hour walk to Biljilo Forest monkey park.  We didn't see a lot of wildlife after we left the main gate area but it was nice to have walk in peace without anyone trying to sell you something!

Our last night was spent in Georgetown (Janjanbure).  It was a bit of an adventure to get there though as it was a public holiday aimed at cleaning up the country.  As a result there was only one bus running that day and we had to walk an hour to the bus stop as taxis weren't running either.  The express bus was due to take 3 hours but it left 45 minutes late and we had arrived 45 minutes early to get seats.  Good job we did. The seats were narrow and there was no leg room but at least we had a seat.  The bus was jam packed the whole journey.  It was great for people watching though and at one point I had chickens in my face and hanging against my legs, thankfully still alive!  We arrived 6 hours later in the pitch black as the town was suffering from power cuts.  We found somewhere to stay and had the longest wait for food yet- 2 hours!

Georgetown is a great place for viewing wildlife on boat trips as it is an island.  The boat trips were very expensive though and we only had a few hours in the morning spare so no one went on one.  Everyone in Georgetown was so friendly, saying good morning and not wanting anything from us.  Whilst walking on a dirt track away from the main street a family with 7 kids came running up to me and Lucy very politely shaking our hands and asking our names.  An old man also invited us to look around his garden which was right on the end of the river.  It would have been nice to spend a bit longer in Georgetown but we needed to get to the border to meet the truck. 

The border wasn't that far but it wasn't a main border post and people didn't really seem to know where it was.  We took 3 bus taxis to get there (massively overloaded minibuses which only leave when full), the last taxi saying that it wasn't leaving until 6 more people came.  Who knows where those people were going to go or when they would turn up so we just paid for the 6 tickets so that we could leave.

The border didn't even have a sign post and we couldn't get our passports stamped as there was'nt an immigration office, just customs.  We were very thankful to see the big yellow truck waiting for us though!

Dakar, Senegal

We had a casual days drive to Dakar through lots of little villages, on nice smooth roads and some bumpy, dusty dirt tracks.  We stopped at Lake Rose which was pretty salty, similar to the Dead Sea.  The lake gets its name from the pink colour it is supposed to have but actually it's more of a brown colour.  We bush camped in an abandoned housing estate which was pretty houseless with only 2 or 3 which weren't complete.  This meant that we could be within an hours drive of Dakar the next day.

Dakar was far more civilised than I expected.  It was a busy city and we received a lot of hassal especially around the market areas.  As a result we didn't really get a look at anything.  Due to Ebola in neighbouring countries I think that a lot of tourists have been scared off as we didn't see any walking around all day.  We had a great drive along the coast out if the city centre and we stopped at a huge statue on a hill which apparently is bigger than the Statue of Liberty.  It was said to cost 30 million US Dollars to build and wasn't the most attractive.  We were due to be staying in a restaurant garden in Dakar but when we arrived they didn't want us to stay.  After an hour or so and some local help we ended in a carpark area outside another restaurant.  No campsite in Dakar.

The following day we packed up and Steve dropped us in the city for the day.  Not fancying any more city centre hassel me, Lucy and Saskia got the ferry to Goree island for the day.  The islands ownership has been passed between many countries and in the past it had been used as a holding point for slaves.  It was lovely to walk around as there were no cars and the island is full of reasonably well kept colourfully painted buildings. 

Our next stop is The Gambia.  This is a passenger led detour that we all decided would be worth while doing.  The Gambia is not on the Oasis itinerary due to time constraints and the fact that the truck would have a lot of difficulty crossing the river due to the small ferries.  As we are not going through Sierra Leone or Guinea we had a few spare days so we waved good bye to Steve at the border and set off on a 4 day holiday from a holiday!

Saint Louis, Senegal. December 2014

It only took us 1.5 hours to get out of Mauritania and into Senegal and only Steve had to actually get out of the truck.  We drove not too far to Saint Louis.  The older part of town is actually an island connected to the mainland by a pretty fancy 500m long bridge.  On the day we arrived it was a public holiday so not much was open but the next day it was a lot livelier and we did a spot of shopping.  I bought some of the traditional highly patterned material to take home to make trousers.  The island was nice to walk around as it was full of little streets with kids playing in them.  The buildings had definitely seen better days though with most of them falling down.  Most of the ones that had been restored to their colonial glory were hotels.

One if the best things about Saint Louis was our campsite.  We were there for 3 nights and located right on an empty beach.  The German owners were lovely and had sunbeds, hammocks and nice toilets and showers.   A great treat after some of the campsites we have had.

Next stop Dakar.

Nouakchott, Mauritania

We had about 8 hours drive through desert to Nouakchott.  We when arrived it wasn't quite what I was expecting from the capital of the country.  Despite being only 50 years old the city was very basic and looked unfinished.  Most of the buildings are built on the same level to each other with none really standing out more than another.

We stayed 3 nights in Nouakchott.  This enabled us to get our Senegal visas which was done in less than an hour and would also allow a bit of rest.

There's not much to see in the city but I really enjoyed walk down the streets just having a look whats around.  The temperature has heated up to the early 30's which was felt as we were wearing more conservative dress than would be worn at home in these temperatures!

One afternoon we headed to the beach to the fish market.  The whole experience was great and so much better than I thought as a non fish eater.  We spent a good hour watching men drag in the boats and race up the beach with buckets of fish on their heads to unload in the back of pick up trucks.  The beach was packed with action and fisherman lounging around after a days hard work. 

Sawa somehow managed to find a restaurant on the 10th floor of a nearby hotel which was easily one of the tallest buildings in the city.  It was a nice place for a coffee during the day and on our last night in the city we spent our remaining money on a meal out there.  We aimed to see the sunset but we couldn't see it due to all the dust in the air.

From Nouakchott we headed from desert to wetland on the way towards the Senegal border to camp on the border for the night.  The truck only gets a 3 day pass for Senegal upon entry.  This means that we would have 3 days to get to Dakar so by camping on the border and being 1st in the queue we maximise our time in the country.

In the end we got a 5 days pass after Steve slipped the man with the stamp an extra 20 Euros making our journey to Dakar far more relaxed.  I've really enjoyed Mauritania but looking forward to Senegal.

Nouakchott photos

Nouadhibou, Mauritania. December 2014

Nouadhibou is not the most exciting place I have ever visited but I am glad that we have visited.  The population are a mix of Arab and black African and it feels that its a country that very much links Morocco to the north and Senegal to the south.  There are no tourist attractions as the there are no tourists!  A lot of the men are wearing what looks like a pale blue bed sheet and matching turban and the few woman that are around are draped in highly pattered fabric. 

We turned a lot of heads as we walked through town but everyone was very friendly and we are now well practised in our response "ca va bien, merci".  It is a good job that most of the conversation doesn't go much further as our French is improving but not to the conversational level! 

In the afternoon Steve drove us out to the peninsula, Cap Blanc which is a nature reserve.  It was nice to have a walk along the beach and we also saw a Monk seal.  1 of 150 who live on the coast there.  There are only 500 in the whole world so that was a pretty good spot.  We also saw the train run a few times.  Not just a regular passenger train this is an iron ore carrying train which can get to being 2.3km long.  One of the ones that we saw was over 160 carriages long.  There is just one very dusty passenger carriage at the back.  Next stop is the capital Nouakchott.

Nouakchott, Mauritania

We had about 8 hours drive through desert to Nouakchott.  We when arrived it wasn't quite what I was expecting from the capital of the country.  Despite being only 50 years old the city was very basic and looked unfinished.  Most of the buildings are built on the same level to each other with none really standing out more than another.

We stayed 3 nights in Nouakchott.  This enabled us to get our Senegal visas which was done in less than an hour and would also allow a bit of rest.

There's not much to see in the city but I really enjoyed walk down the streets just having a look whats around.  The temperature has heated up to the early 30's which was felt as we were wearing more conservative dress than would be worn at home in these temperatures!

One afternoon we headed to the beach to the fish market.  The whole experience was great and so much better than I thought as a non fish eater.  We spent a good hour watching men drag in the boats and race up the beach with buckets of fish on their heads to unload in the back of pick up trucks.  The beach was packed with action and fisherman lounging around after a days hard work. 

Sawa somehow managed to find a restaurant on the 10th floor of a nearby hotel which was easily one of the tallest buildings in the city.  It was a nice place for a coffee during the day and on our last night in the city we spent our remaining money on a meal out there.  We aimed to see the sunset but we couldn't see it due to all the dust in the air.

From Nouakchott we headed from desert to wetland on the way towards the Senegal border to camp on the border for the night.  The truck only gets a 3 day pass for Senegal upon entry.  This means that we would have 3 days to get to Dakar so by camping on the border and being 1st in the queue we maximise our time in the country.

In the end we got a 5 days pass after Steve slipped the man with the stamp an extra 20 Euros making our journey to Dakar far more relaxed.  I've really enjoyed Mauritania but looking forward to Senegal.

Western Sahara

It was 5 days drive from Essaouira through the Western Sahara to the border with Mauritania.  Our first night was spent at the roadside again after the road had shut due to a landslide.  It had already been closed for 5 days so we were thankful when it opened at 5 pm the next day.  It's been pretty relaxed as we have headed down the coast and have been making many stops in little towns to buy supplies, fuel, get coffee, WiFi and have a shower. 

Upon arrival at the border out of Morocco we found that we were at the back of a long line of trucks and the border hadn't even opened.  We spent 6 hours queueing to get into the compound to depart from Morocco.  The truck needed to be x-rayed.  This is something that the Moroccans do as they don't want any weapons to be transported into Mauritania which could then be used against them.  This was a long process.  Us as passengers were stamped out of Morocco before the truck had been x rayed so we just had to wait.  Getting into Mauritania was a little quicker, taking about 2 hours which was mainly paperwork for Steve. We had spent nearly 12 hours doing the border crossing and it was well into the evening when we would have to find somewhere to camp.  Northern Mauritania is classed as a red zone by the Foreign Commonwealth Office which is "do not travel" so it wouldn't have been safe to travel at night.  Kindly the border guards offered us a place to camp within the border boundaries.  We got instructions though not to venture too far to the toilet due to the amount of landmines in the area!  Next stop Nouadhibou.

Essaouira, Morocco

We arrived in the coastal city of Essaouira to torrential rain and a campsite that was full.  This means that we spent 2 nights camped in a car park which has been very interesting in gale force winds.  I thought that the fly sheet was going to blow away the first night as we just hooked it on to rocks.  We even had a dog hiding under it for the night, great for her but not for me and Lucy. We were already struggling to sleep and it wasn't helped by the dog lying on our heads!  The second night we slept in the truck which was much better.

The city has been a great place to have a wander around.  Its a nice mix of tourists and locals with shops and cafes for both next to each other.  There has been no hassle to buy stuff either which is nice and again we have enjoyed great pizzas, crêpes and brownies.  The car park is close enough to the town along the sea front which I'm sure is completely different in the summer!  The fishing harbour has made great viewing as the huge waves crashed against the walls.  They must have been big as even the locals were taking photos.

We are staying another night in Essaouira, moving to the campsite for tonights stay as the road south is shut due to flooding.  The winds are easing off but the rains not stopping.  Not really what I was expecting from Morocco.

We are slowly heading towards Mauritania and we have been told by Oasis that we need to make sure that we are fully insured for Mauritania and Mali for which visiting is against FCO advice.  Fully aware months ago that my insurance didn't include these countries I checked in with the Oasis office who said that they were OK with this and they would still take me on the truck.  Now to be told that I can not travel on the truck as I would not be covered under Oasis' insurance because my insurance isn't valid for going against FCO advice is more than a bit annoying especially when the office told me differently earlier in the year!  This is going to result in me having to pay out more that what I originally paid for my insurance to be able to to continue the trip.  Better stop all my shopping now!

Next stop Mauritania after a few nights bush camping down the coast providing the road lets us.

Marrakech, Morocco

We arrived at our campsite about half an hours drive from Marrakech in the morning.  The weather had completely changed and we had 2 nice sunny days in the city.  We spent lots of time eating very tasty food and having drinks on the roof top terraces around the main square, Jeema el Fna. 

The square is another world heritage site and is a complete spectacle.  During the day it is filled with dancers and snake charmers.  There is even a dentist but I'm not sure that I would visit!  In the evening half the square is turned into an open air restaurant with tasty but completely overpriced street type food and the other half is filledwith locals playing music.  It was a great place to visit and I really enjoyed the city.

Todra Gorge, Morocco

So from Rabat we drove for a full day towards Todra Gorge bush camping along the way.  The weather has been awful.  Cold and constant rain.  We got to the Todra turnoff, 10km away from the gorge and found out that the road to the gorge was shut.  This was a major disappointment for all as it was such a long drive to get there.  We waited for about 3 hours to see if the road would open and the rain would lift.  It didn't though so we decided to head to Marrakech.  On the way we had another very wet bush camp which meant that we had a muddy and wet truck dig out the next morning. 

We stopped at Ait Benhaddou which is UNESCO site Kasbah, a fortified village.  Only a few people live there now and there has been lots of restoration due to its use as a film location.  Due to the rain there were no other tourists visiting when we went for a look around which was great.  Sadly for the people who live there the buildings were crumbling right in front of us as they are just made of clay from the river mixed with straw. The river was very fast flowing.  The locals are saying that this is the worst flooding in over 5o years and usually you can access the kasbah through the main gates by using stepping stones through the river!

We didn't get very far before our next stop, just a few kilometres from Ait Benhaddou.  The rain had washed away bridges on the road to Marrakech and the other road to Agadir was also shut due to surface water flowing over.  We were completely stuck in a little village.  After waiting the whole day on the side of the road we camped overnight and joined the queue the following morning waiting for the road to open.  Steve still wanted us to get to Marrakech and Essaouira so we headed towards Agadir when the road opened at 11am the next morning and had a long drive.  With a quick stop to cook our tea at the roadside we drove until gone 11pm to get to 60km from Marrakech.

Todra gorge, Morocco

So from Rabat we drove for a full day towards Todra Gorge bush camping along the way.  The weather has been awful.  Cold and constant rain.  We got to the Todra turnoff, 10km away from the gorge and found out that the road to the gorge was shut.  This was a major disappointment for all as it was such a long drive to get there.  We waited for about 3 hours to see if the road would open and the rain would lift.  It did't though so we decided to head to Marrakech.  On the way we had another very wet bush camp which meant that we had a muddy and wet truck dig out the next morning. 

We stopped at Ait Benhaddou which is UNESCO site Kasbah, a fortified village.  Only a few people live there now and there has been lots of restoration due to its use as a film location.  Due to the rain there were no other tourists visiting when we went for a look around, which was great.  Sadly for the people who live there the buildings were crumbling right in front of us as they are just made of clay from the river mixed with straw. The river was very fast flowing.  The locals are saying that this is the worst flooding in over 5o years and usually you can access the kasbah through the main gates by using stepping stones through the river!

We didn't get very far before our next stop, just a few kilometres from Ait Benhaddou.  The rain had washed away bridges on the road to Marrakech and the other road to Agadir was also shut due to surface water flowing over.  We were completely stuck in a little village.  After waiting the whole day on the side of the road we camped overnight and joined the queue the following morning waiting for the road to open.  Steve still wanted us to get to Marrakech and Essaouira so we headed towards Agadir when the road opened at 11am the next morning and had a long drive.  With a quick stop to cook our tea at the roadside we drove until gone 11pm to get to 60km from Marrakech.

Rabat, Morocco

We now have a grand total of 8 passengers after picking up Dave in Fes.  From Fes we headed towards Rabat.  We would be bush camping every night in Rabat due to the lack The funds which means that we have to find a place to camp just before dark and then pack up the next morning.  Rabat is the capital of Morocco so it's the place to get visas.  We rocked up at the Mauritanian embassy just before 9 in hope of submitting our application and getting the visa as quickly as possible so we could then submit for Mali.  Steve wore a tie for the occasion and we successfully got the two visas by the end of the day.  Whilst waiting we had a wander around the city walking through the market and a huge cemetery to the beach.  Morocco so far has been great for coffee and cakes so I'm making sure I'm fitting lots of them in.

The last visa we need to get is the Cote d'Ivoire which we couldn't submit when we wanted to due to a public holiday.  Tyson and Dave headed on the train to Casablanca and the girls went for a shower in town and then on to find a beach to spend the day on.  It wasn't the cleanest of beaches but the views were good.

We had a morning in the Cote d'voire embassy getting fingerprints and photos taken.  Its a good job that there weren't more of us otherwise it would have taken all day.  The man in the embassy didn't really know when they would be ready.  Most likely the day after next but possibly then next day.  In the afternoon most of us headed out for pizza and wifi. 

The following day we had another day in the city.  First stop was the Chellah.  This is an old walled city.  Originally a Roman site and then, in the 13th century the sultan built a mosque and maulosleum.  Now everything is in ruins.  It was nice to walk around and the gardens were well kept with nice plants and fruit trees.  We also spent some time walking around the half of the Medina that we hadn't seen and taking another shower.  We now also have a truck pet.  A tiny tortoise named Mertyl which we bought from the market.  We decided that it would be easy to look after and more likely to survive that the other options of fish, chameleons, hamsters of a ferret!  Hopefully she will survive the journey and will go to a happy family in Harare, Zimbabwe where the truck is headed after this trip.

Our visas were granted quicker than we thought so we were all very happy to be leaving Rabat and our cork forest bushcamp after 5 nights.  We are now headed in to the Atlas mountains for stop at Todra gorge.

Fes, Morocco

We had a local guide for our stay in the city of Fes.  On the first day he look us to a viewpoint and a pottery workshop.  In the afternoon most of the group went to a Hammam (steam bath).  I didn't fancy it so I stayed in camp.

The next day we had a Medina tour.  The Medina is a world heritage site and a massive maze of alleys with some just 60cm wide.  We weren't too happy at first as the guide wasn't letting us have any freedom in where we went but by the end of the day we were happy.  He took us to see the kings palace, and a spice shop.  The visit to the tannery was great as we would have definitely never found it ourselves.  It was interesting as we could see the different steps in creating the leather bags that are around in every stall.  We had camel burgers and mint tea in a carpet shop whilst getting shown all the lovely different styles of rug.  4 of us bought a rug.  We probably paid more than we should have but it was hassle free shopping.  The rug I bought is a simple one in an orange colour with a Berber tattoo on it which is of the tribe who weaved it.

Next stop Rabat for visas.

Volubillis, Morocco

Volubilus was a stop for lunch on the way to Fes.  The site is full of Roman ruins which were abandoned in the 1800s and left to disrepair.  We declined a guide and it was nice to spend an hour wandering on a lovely sunny day.

Chefchaoun Morocco

Chefchaoun is a proper Moroccan town.  Our entire stay here though was pretty cool and rainy.  Not really what I thought Morocco would be like!  It was a nice to have a wander around the Medina (old town) which was painted in a variety a blue paint.

The truck food hasn't been great. As we are a small group our local  payment for camping and food is low so we are on more of a budget than a full truck.  The local food has been great though and Chefchaoun lunch was mystery meat skewers which unexpectedly came with home made chips and veggies.  All for less than 5 Euros with a drink.

Chefchaoun was a great introduction to Morocco but I was glad to be leaving due to the damp miserable weather.

Gibralter, Nov 2014

We'll this isn't the original written but that's lost in the internet somewhere.  To summarise though, I flew from Luton with 3 of the fellow passengers and met our crew member Steve. We were suppose to have 2 crew but the other crew member will be hopefully with us by Christmas.  We had a day wandering around Gibraltar.  The attraction being walking up and a long the rock and for us seeing the road closed so that a plane could take off right in front of us!  From Gibraltar we headed across the sea to Ceuta on a very rainy morning.  From Ceuta (Spanish Morocco) we crossed the border in Morocco and onto Chefchaoun. 

Rabat, Morocco. Nov 2014

We now have a grand total of 8 passengers after picking up Dave in Fes.  From Fes we headed towards Rabat.  We would be bush camping every night in Rabat due to the lack of funds which means that we have to find a place to camp just before dark and then pack up the next morning.  Rabat is the capital of Morocco so its the place to get visas.  We rocked up at the Mauritanian embassy just before 9 in hope of submitting our application and getting the visa as quick as possible so we could then submit for Mali.  Steve wore a tie for the occasion and we successfully got the two visas by the end of the day.  Whilst waiting we had a wander around the city walking through the market and a huge cemetery to the beach.  Morocco so far has been great for coffee and cakes so I'm making sure I'm fitting lots of them in.

The last visa we need to get is the Cote d'Ivoire which we can't submit when we wanted to due to a public holiday.  Tyson and Dave headed on the train to Casablanca and the girls went for a shower in town and then on to find a beach to spend the day on.  It wasn't the cleanest of beaches but the views were good.

Blog is getting written!

I am writing my blog as I go but i'm having a lot of issues posting as I've added photos and tried to publish on a too slow internet connection so nothing is really happening and I cant stop the posting and start again!

The journey begins

So after 9 months working it's time for 9 weeks travel in order to escape British winter and to go on a jolly around West Africa.  I'm heading with Oasis Overland to explore Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali and Ghana.  West Africa is somewhere that I've always wanted to go to.  I couldn't tell you if there is anything there but I'll find out!

I have travelled down to Luton today in order to catch my flight to Gibraltar tomorrow afternoon to meet everyone else on the trip.