Arnold Leeuw
Day 8 Wed, 2 Jan 2008, Marrakech (Morocco)
Got up not feeling too well but no weird dream to mention of or remember. Do feel like a cold coming on, though feeling cold and nosed rather blocked. Oh btw the journal is behind big time. Updating now on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 and I have not been keeping any record of each days activities so Im likely to miss a lot. Oh well, better than nothing so back to 2 Jan
Met the friendly stall owner on our way out. He again answered some questions we had, mainly about where to find a forex place and a super market as we figured we needed to get some food for the onward journey.
Found a bank with forex. Bit of a queue. Notably no security at all and I really mean nothing. You queue and when your turn comes we stand at a counter with a man behind it. No screen separating you at all despite large sums of money being handled. Decidedly refreshing. Continued on our way and bought some dodgy ray-ban sun glasses for DM40. Popped into an internet shop to do some admin things then headed for Gueliz (New Town).
Walked around and found what could be best described as a tavern. It was the fullest drinking establishment we had come across yet so we decided to stay for a drink. As we walked in to our surprise we noticed a couples ladies sitting around. Admittedly they looked somewhat like regulars. We proceeded to the rear of the place which was like a hall filled with table and chairs and men drinking beers. Stayed for a round or 2 before moving on as we still needed to find this elusive supermarket. Oh the reason for wanting this one is that it sells alcohol. We found some bottle-stores/off licences but, they didnt have cold beer and their prices were steep, DM8-10 for a Super Flag cup of tea.
While in the best off-licence we asked about a super market and were told its just further along the road which was by now near the end of the road. We decided to get the groceries before the booze so headed for the super market. At last we found it. It was fairly well stocked so we took it aisle by aisle starting with the booze. Stocked up with some 50cl Super Flag thank goodness they come in such measures and a bottle of VAT 69. We got some groceries like tin fish, bread, chilli sauce of course, pasta, tomatoes, oil, onions, water etc. It wasnt too much. After paying we took some id photos at the automated machine. Nearly forgot the water (5l) but remembered as we left. As we had quite a few parcels we headed back to Rhiad 34. Dropped off our goods, had a beer and headed out to eat. It was back to the food market in the Medina Square. On the way we stopped at the bar we were at last night to see if the band we met will be there. Not only were they not there but the place was shut so we continued on to the Square.
Started off at stall 118 the sheep head stall. Stall owners remembered us. Like last night the meat was good. Only difference this time was that we paid DM20 each. We were kind of told it was because last night we came by late when the price is lowered to try sell the remaining produce. While we ate one of the sheep heads on display was dissected by one of the stall workers and I couldnt help but notice the look on a ladys face sitting across the stall from us. She kind of sat back and pulled her face a bit. I guessed like us she will not be sampling the sheep head. After one portion of mutton we moved on. I was wanting some grilled calamari. Another difference about tonight was that the stall owners were significantly more active in luring customers to their stall. We found a seafood one and sat down. We were given a menu. I ordered the grilled calamari and mixed fish special and Rey went for shrimps. As we waited we were presented with bread which we tucked into.
A little while later olives were placed on our table which I tucked to as I like olives and a while later salad arrived. Both Rey and I got suspicious as we hadnt asked for these things. We looked at the menu and noticed that each unsolicitored item had a price. Basically their tactic is to place unordered food on the table of unsuspecting patrons and charge you if you indulge. Fortunately we picked up on this and asked for the salad to be returned and for no more surprise dishes. Our food arrived soon after and I enjoyed my calamari. The mixed fish wasnt the best. Not sure what fish it was. The one was somewhat tough, almost like red meat and rather bony but I gobbled it all. While sitting we noticed the behaviour of the stall workers as people walked by. They would approach people and literally pull them to one of the benches and a person was about to sit, albeit somewhat forcibly, they would then all clap and cheer to draw attention to you and their stall. I guess it was to make you less inclined to get and leave while also attracting the attention of other passer-bys. It worked on some people. Another tactic was to hone in on the lady if there was a couple. I guess the lady will offer less resistance to their virtual physical persuasion and also the man at some point may have to go help out his lady and they then have the couple nearly on seat. I really dont like such hassling but its par for the course here. After our fish we both felt somewhat satisfied and tired and me battling with the effects of a cold so decided to call it a night. On the way back to Rhiad 34 we stopped at an orange juice stall.
The stall has a high glass counter that is packed with oranges. The stall owner saw us approaching as potential customers and before we got to his stall he had poured 2 glasses of orange juice. We took a good taste each and both found it very tasty, almost sweet. I thought damn!!! Oranges in Marrakech and really great I should buy some especially that I dont feel too well. In fact oranges seem so plenty full that oranges line the streets with oranges on the trees. I would wonder who picks them and more significantly while passing pedestrians dont pick them. Honestly the trees stand about 2-3 metres high and the oranges can be picked by a kid they in such easy reach. Instead it appeared the oranges are left to fall off and rot. Anyway I had some more of my orange juice and the taste was soo good that I suspected a different kind of fruit but couldnt place it. Anyway we finished and asked how much it was and I think it was DM20 each. WOH!!! That much. We then noticed a sign above the stall somewhat obscured by an overhanging material awning stating, Orange juice DM3/glass so why we being charged DM20. Well our orange juice was actually mandarin / naartjie juice. That made so much sense and now I knew the taste. The stall owner was generous enough to pop out to the back of his stall and pull out 3 mandarins from large container of mandarins. Well its the least he could give us after scamming us. By now we had been joined by one of locals who picked up that we thought we had orange juice only to point out that the oranges are horrible and I would like the juice. Go figure nobody picks them from the many trees lining the streets. Well even though I dont feel too well guess I will not be buying any oranges in Marrakech.
As it was not too late when we got back to Rhiad 34. We sat in our room sipping on our beers, listening to music from the laptop and downloaded our photos. After some 3 beers each we hit the sack. This time I slept with the duvet while Rey used his sleeping bag.
Day 9, Thu, 3 Jan 2008, Marrakech Guelmin (Morocco)
Woke up still feeling like hell. In fact, feel worse than day before but it was time to hit the road. It costs too much to stay in the Rhiad (+/- DM700 for the 2 of us for 2 nights) and there is not much to do around Marrakech outside of the Medina or at least we didnt know of much else. In fact staying in Morocco was proving too expensive so we set our sites on Laayoune, Western Sahara as our next destination. We estimated this to be some 850km away and thought that wed make it in a day.
We bid our goodbyes to the Rhiad owner, who was very friendly but, I forget his name. Got to our car which was safe sound. Packed our bags and headed off. It was easy getting onto the motorway. The going was slow though as the road was mainly single carriage 2-way and there was also lots of traffic on the road and the acceleration capability of our car was suspect.
Had more experiences of drivers in Morocco. They tend to drive in the middle of the road even when trying to overtake. I really dont know why they do this. I would understand if the sides of the road were bad but there was no reason not to drive on your side of road and not the middle. Also they were daredevils with their passing manoeuvres passing on blind corners and blind risers. Besides the slow acceleration of our car it also didnt help that it was a right hand drive driving on the right side of the road as this meant the driver didnt have an easy view of oncoming traffic when trying to overtake. We would have to sneak our car out on the left and hope there was no oncoming car. Rey would help by checking for me.
When it was Reys turn to drive I must admit I was not as helpful with helping with overtaking cause sure as hell I would doze off. I will not actually be asleep as I was aware of noises around me especially each time Rey would ask me to check for oncoming traffic while other times he would just overtake. In fact he sometimes took on the locals with their daredevil manoeuvres.
The road was somewhat hilly in some patches and it also rained quite a bit which we found bazaar as the further south in Morocco the more desert you encounter (much more desert if you head east but, we had no desire for a full desert experience besides we needed to keep our car healthy for a trip through Africa and not just the 1st country we encounter).
As we came over one hill I noticed the car in the distance not really moving. As we approached we realised that there was a queue of traffic. We suspected that there was an accident ahead and it looked to involve a truck as it was half on and half off the road. 3 Mercedes stopped behind us. They these low wide shaped one from back in the day. We had noticed quite a few on the road and reckoned they were taxis. We also noticed as we passed them or they passed us with their daredevil driving that they looked to be rather full. Well some of the passengers of the 3 Mercedes got out to also have a peek ahead and some relieve themselves. For some reason I decided to count the number of people who got out and it was 15 adults while there were still people in the 3 cars. Made me wonder how many in each car. I guessed probably 7 / car. Rey and I had commented a couple times in the last days that this journey would have been much cheaper by public transport but, as always you will get what you pay for and that will probably include a couple hours journey 7 people to a Merc tearing through Morocco with some manic driver.
Fortunately we were not held up for long. As we passed the offending truck we noticed something smouldering on the side of road. It looked to be a tyre from the truck. Probably had a blow out of note or more like a blow up. Fortunately there did not appear to be any injuring to anybody.
We continued along our journey and fast came to realise that we not going to make it to Laayoune today at least not before sunset and we agreed and were advised by Paul not to drive at night.
As we approached little town called Guelmin we noticed a sign for a campsite. There were some campervans driving ahead of us and turned off to supposedly head to the campsite. We were still some 20km from Guelmin and this campsite was another 5km drive per the signpost so we decided to continue on in the hope of finding something cheaper. Some 5km before Guelmin we saw another sign, Camping International and this was right beside the road so stopped, turned back and went to check out the campsite. It was our first campsite so we didnt know what to expect but it was pretty basic. Looked to have what looked like a toilet and shower area. There was another building which was the reception and a little hall. There was another building that looked more like a shelter. We enquired about the price, which I forget, and if we may camp there. They said yes, but the campsite was empty except for 2 cars and who looked like patrons but, not campers, given their appearance and that they were relaxing with a shisha pipe. We decided to head into the city and try find a campsite mentioned in the guidebooks we had. We asked the locals but seemed to be getting sent here and there. At one point while Rey was out the car asking for directions an elderly gentleman approached me saying his uncle has a campsite some 12km outside of Guelmin. He gave me rough directions communication again not very fluent. He then moved into his story that hes going to another campsite and needs money to get there. By now Rey had returned to the car. Taking pity on the man I asked Rey if he has any lose change on him and our notes were rather large. Rey reluctantly handed over some. I thought it was rather miserly of Rey but Rey countered that why must people ask for money for giving directions. I thought more of it and kind of accepted his position.
Anyway Rey had been given directions by some youngsters but they said the place we looking for is some 60km away. We agreed that was too far and to try find the campsite given to us by the old man. I was convinced of his honesty. We followed the directions given but did not come across any landmarks he mentioned. Figured we lost again but, then came across a sign for a place we were trying to get to and sure as hell it was signposted 60km. So the lads were right. We set off in that directions which was on a dirt road. First time on a dirt road but figured sooner or later we will be dirt roading it. I must have driven some 1km when I realised that what we doing is silly. There was probably an hour of daylight left it was around 05h30 where we heading we do not know for sure if there is a campsite and we going to have to travel back this 60km (120km roundtrip journey) to continue on our journey to Laayoune. Camping International is a surety and not to far from where we currently were and more importantly on the road we taking to Laayoune. Fortunately Rey agreed with my reasoning so we turned back and headed back to Camping International.
There was still no other campers when we got to Camping International but we found where to camp for the night and set about setting up for the night. We decided to that it was tin fish, chilli sauce and bread rolls for dinner washed down with the last couple beers we had.
Not long after dark another camper arrived. This gave us some excitement as it meant hopefully meeting people and better still they may have some advice for us. It was a Frenchman travelling alone. He was friendly guy and sure enough had quite a bit of info that he readily shared with us. Language was unfortunately somewhat of a constraint again but, pointing on maps and drawing and picking up words here and there we were able to communicate. His attempts at drawing or at least the logic of trying to explain using a drawing was not the best, though, but we got there. He told us of
a campsite that he recommended we stop at, La Bedouin, 40km before Laayoune and a 5km piste drive. He actually had a campsite guide which I is something we should have;
a 4km drive through no-mans land after the Western Sahara border with Morocco and more importantly that we stay on the beaten track as there are landmines in the no-mans land area;
because of landmines in Western Sahara its important to stick to the road and not go venturing;
there were not many petrol stations driving through Western Sahara so best to fill some jerry cans. He actually offered me 2 plastic cans that looked to be 10 litres each but I politely declined as we had 4 20l metal ones advice in books was that it was not safe to carry fuel in plastic cans as it can heat and explode.
best place to get fuel is 100km after Tan Tan. Tan Tan is 125km from Guelmin plus another 100km so fuel stop is 225km from Guelmin. Diesel before then costs DM9.26 but 100km after Tan Tan it was DM4.23
80km before the Mauritanian border there is no fuel station so make sure we have enough fuel for this stretch.
the exchange rate for the Mauritanian Gouya (G) to the Euro which roughly 1 = G330
He also told us a bit about is journey. Hes desert travelling. He had left Laayoune 04h00 this morning and having arrived at Camping International around 19h00 he had been driving 15hrs. And this by himself. He said the road is not very good and quite a bit of traffic. Prior to this and soon after arriving in Mauritania he set out east where he spent a couple weeks travelling alone through the desert sometimes finding company at an oasis. He marvelled at the beauty of the sand dunes that he said looked like waves in the sea. I tried to imagine the beauty and thought that maybe I would like to experience it one day but not on this journey. The downside was that he said that there were a lot of sand storms. This Frenchman was crazy to be travelling through the desert alone more so when there are sandstorms at least that is the advice in books. He was now on his way back to Morocco where he intended to hit the desert again before heading back to France. As he was setting off early he didnt stay up long and soon headed off to sleep while Rey and I started on the VAT 69.
We sat up chatting and were occasionally joined by a campsite worker taking a hashish break. It was somewhat cold that night and still raining and I was not feeling well so we headed to the hall later in the night. There were some locals there with humbly-bubbly. Guess they come out to the campsite for their humbly-bubbly topped with some hashish as they looked rather mellow. We got chatting with the one guy and the one topic was Western Sahara he saying that its not Western Sahara instead its the Moroccan Sahara. A quick history lesson is that soon after Morocco gained independence from Spain some couple hundred thousand Moroccan walked into Western Sahara and effectively annexed it. He also said he didnt like the SA president Thabo Mbeki as Mbeki had spoken out in favour of Western Sahara being independent of Morocco and the latter to allow that to be. We also spoke a bit about football especially with the Africa Cup of Nations coming up. Around midnight the locals left leaving just Rey, 2 campsite workers and myself. They put on a Pink Floyd cd and were happy for us to stay on and enjoy our VAT 69. We were chilled sitting there but not for long as the campsite owner turned up. He seemed somewhat angry that the music was playing and the hall still open. We quickly picked up that he wanted us to head back to our own camp area and close the hall so we picked up or things and headed to our car.
For the time we were to use our roof tent and both Rey and I were somewhat worse for wear so it was rather interesting getting it open and it was still raining a bit. With some laughs we successfully managed to get the tent up and get to sleep.
Day 10, Fri, 4 Jan 2008, Guelmin (Morocco) to La Bedouin Campsite (40km before Laayoune) (Western Sahara)
Woke up around 09h00 still feeling not too good. Not having any weird dreams but was wondering if one of the side-effects of mefloquine was flu type symptoms. Checked the info leaflet but nothing of that sort was mentioned. Figured I was going through my annual cold that I get every winter. From previous years I know that it gets worse before getting better. Anyway we packed up and hit the road. I drove first and not feeling too strong had a caffeine boost lucozade that I brought from London. Brought 4 with me for moments like these.
We needed to find the road to Laayoune and asked for directions in Guelmin. As we stopped to ask a gentleman on a motorbike picked up that we looking for the directions and stopped to say that we should follow him. We decided to follow him and while doing so I wondered how much this guy is going to ask for from us?
We stopped at a traffic circle where we were introduced to our guides uncle, Habib. Apparently he has a relative who owns a campsite in Nouadhibou and he proceeded to give us details of it. The campsite is called Camping Noumad (sic) in Rue Molay Joussaf 39. He also gave us some info about the journey through Western Sahara re: where to buy fuel, no-mans land and no fuel stops 80km before the Mauritanian border. All the info was consistent with what the Frenchman of last night told us. He then told us that its good to have tea for the Mauritanian border officials as it will speed up the process and that we can also use the tea to buy diesel in Mauritania. I figured him being a local he was wasnt pulling my leg so asked where I could buy tea. Our guide quickly said he knows where and he will take us so we were soon following him again. We stopped at a shop not much further on and I went in to buy the tea. Oh there was also a 3rd gentleman who looked in his 20s or early 30s who had apparently lived in Kensington, London (stand corrected). He came along with our guide to the shop.
At the shop I was given 4 boxes of tea which I was told cost DM400. I thought thats a lot of money being some 40. Our guide said that 2 boxes are for the border officials and 2 boxes are for 2 tanks fuel of diesel. Sceptical about the latter I asked the gentleman who lived in London about the validity of the diesel for tea story hoping that some western experience will lend us some pity and more importantly truth. He said its true. Thinking that 10 is cheap for a tank full of diesel compared to +/-50 we were currently paying but still not totally convinced I decided to take 3 boxes of tea 2 for border officials and 1 for a tank of diesel. All tead-up we were pointed to the road for Laayoune and set off.
The road got worse than what we had the previous day in that the edges were eroding making the 2-way single carriage road somewhat small especially when trucks passed by or when overtaking. Of course this did not deter the locals when it came to their daredevil driving style. As we drove we noticed how desolate the area each side of the road became. I guessed we were heading towards proper desert area. Soon after Tan Tan we noticed some 500m to our right below a cliff fall of probably 30 metres. We stopped for some photos as we found rather refreshing. It was now getting hot and to our left was nothing but sand and dotted shrubs and to our right the sea.
Later on the road we came across some camels crossing the road. Our first close sighting of the animals.
We came up to one of a few trucks we encountered on the road. It was going fast and it was also quite windy and of course the road narrow but we tried to overtake. As we pulled up alongside the truck suddenly swayed over to the left and gave us a fright that caused us to veer to the left and next thing we found ourselves involuntarily finding our own piste. Lots of thought went flashing through my mind in what was probably 3 seconds. We bounded over some largish stones almost boulder size, shrubs and humps of sand. Some thoughts I remember was I hope the car doesnt get damaged, at least not this early in our trip, in particular I hope it doesnt flip. Fortunately we managed to bring it to a controlled stop. Think the sand more than good handling is what saved us. As we came to an abrupt stop most of the loose items in the bag came piling through to the front. The gear stick was knocked a couple clicks out of drive (car is an automatic). Thank goodness for Pauls boxes that no too many things ended in the front section of the car especially as I thought that we would just pack all that we taking like one would pack the back of your car when going on long journey. Quickly repacked the car and it was time to set-off again. Tried moving but back tyres just dug themselves into the sand. My first thought was, hell no, we gonna have to get out the sand ladders and the spade. Time for hardwork and it was kinda hot with the sun baking down on us. We decided on another 1st instead which was to switch to 4wd and it worked a treat. We were back on the road with great relief. I interestingly realised that there were cars behind us who would have seen us careering off the road but not a single one stopped. Oh well. We continued on our journey with somewhat more caution.
As we were told by the Frenchman we met last night, 39km before Laayoune we saw a signpost, Camping Le Bedoudin 4.5km with an arrow to the right. We took it but, over the entire landscape that lay ahead, as far the eye could see, which was definitely more than 5km, there was no size of any establishment. We continued on following a vaguely marked route rather faded road track and the occasional rock painted blue. As we approached 4.5km we still could see a single establishment in sight and by now the motorway was out of sight but we carried on hoping we following the right route. Suddenly the piste descending and about 100m ahead and below was Camping Le Bedouin. With great relief we pulled up and introduced ourselves to the campsite owner, a French lady we met her husband later.
We immediately set about properly repacking the car and giving it a proper check for any damage from our unexpected 1st piste experience. Everything looked fine. Also removed the air filter and banged it against he sidewall of the tyre and sure enough sand came flying out. There was also sand in the holder of the filter that we blew out with our compressor another 1st use. Also used the compressor to blow away sand in various other places of the engine area. I remember reading a book on travelling overland through Africa and the author commented that when driving through the Sahara the sand get everywhere and this was my 1st experience of how true that was as besides the engine there was also sand everywhere in the car but more like dust. That is how fine the sand is.
While walking around the car I noticed that the front right tyre was looking a bit flat. Well time to put the compressor to its precise use. Oh! We had initially bought a foot pump thinking it will be adequate. I remember from my bmx days that using a foot pump to pump a bmx tyres was no easy task. Believe me after a our day the last thing I would want is to be TRYING to pump our car tyres using a foot pump so we very thankful that Paul organised us a good compressor. Was actually his which he sold to us at cost price being the price he said that it cost for him to buy a replacement.
Put the compressor to work and appreciatively watched it gradually get the tyre pumped but, suddenly we heard a hissing sound like air leaking. Checked around the tyre and couldnt feel or see anything. I went round to the left side and checked under the car and quickly realised the source. The front right rim had a dent on the inside from where the air was leaking. Time for another 1st tyre change but didnt think it will be this soon into the journey. Also another thing to be thankful to Paul for which was his advice to replace the alloy rims we previously had with metal rims that we more robust in that alloy will have cracked and be unusable whereas the dent on the metal rim can be hammered out.
Set about changing the tyre but neither of us where sure how the jack descended. The instructions on the jack where in French so we asked the French lady and together we figured it out. A screw on the bottom needed to be unscrewed which we had tried but pressure if required for the jack to descend which we hadnt applied. Managed to get the tyre changed without any further assistance.
Just before nightfall a convoy of Banjul Challenge overlanders from Latvia arrived. They had really battered cars. Understandably, as the challenge involves handing over the car when you arrive in Banjul, so you have to draw a balance between comfort and reliability versus cost.
There were also a couple who were bicycling it up to France having travelled up from Mauritania. Do not remember how far into Mauritania or whether they had cycled south from France and now heading back north. Anyway, another example of some proper crazy overlanders who give our intention some sanity.
We had our dinner of tin fish, chilli sauce and rolls. Popped into the communal Bedouin tent, hence campsite name, for a couple beers and hope for some chat with the other campers in particular the Latvians as we hoped for some info on the road ahead but, all the groups kept to themselves. We had a couple beers and were getting comfy but then all the people started leaving and the owners wanted to close so we left to our tent. Approached one of the Latvians and had a little chat but he didnt seem too chatty and I didnt want to be an unwelcome extra so I left them and we called it a night.
Day 11, Sat, 5 Jan 2008, La Bedouin Campsite (40km before Laayoune) (Western Sahara) to Dakla (Western Sahara).
During my sleep I was awaken by noise outside. The Latvians sounded like they were having a good time. Must admit that I was somewhat jealous. The guy I spoke to last night did mention that they waiting for some more people who they expect to arrive later that night. I thought who are these crazy people to be driving at night and how will they find the campsite. Well I guess the new arrivals sparked off some partying. I was tempted to wake and wiggle my way into the festivities but as I still wasnt feeling well thought that a good nights rest will be a better option. When I emerged from our tent the next morning I saw a couple more cars and figured they were the late arrivals. Parked right next to us was an old red Lada that was one of the late arrivals. To a bit of a surprise it was 2 ladies to whom the car belonged. A common question prior to our trip was around safety and security and at this moment I thought here are 2 young ladies travelling through Africa who arrived at the campsite in the wee hours. Fear controls too many people in this world, in fact to varying degrees it controls us all. I had respect for these ladies. Not taking anything away from their spirit of adventure all the scare stories one hears when in the western world couldnt be further from the truth as far as our trip has been so far. Admittedly we havent gone very far but the one time I did have some concern about security was when we parked our car outside in Malaga but as for personal security at no point did I feel insecure.
I took some photos of the Latvians cars as they were really worse for wear but, travelling through and making it through Africa nonetheless.
The gentleman of Camping Le Bedouin gave us a map and directions to a wheel and tyre shop in Laayoune and we set off.
The wheel and tyre shop was like any other you find in the developed world. I do not remember the exact cost of the repair but it was around 5. The owner (suspect he was the owner) and his employee tried to explain to us that the tyre needs to be turned around so that the whitewall faced out. The owner also made some gesture to the thread of the tyre so our repaired tyre rim needed a simple strong hammering and it was good to go was turned so that the white wall faced out. The worker then proceeded to do the same to the good tyre. We enquired why as we thought the change was necessary for the repaired tyre due to the repaired rim. The worker didnt speak English or French not the latter mattered but, we figured he was going to change ALL tyres. We thought no man. Paul will not have suggested having the tyres fitted with the white walls on the inside if it wasnt good for the thread of the tyre. We also inspected the design of the thread and it was symmetrical so in our broken communication we asked the worker to fit the new and repaired tyre with the white wall facing in. Got everything sorted and hit the road.
It was a lonely road to Dakla with not many vehicles but there were a number of police check points all asking the same mundane questions:
request to see passport
nationality (its written on the passport mate)
where you travel from and to
what work do you do
address where we live permanently
occasionally cadeaux (gift) at which point I will feign ignorance and pull out our Carnet du Passage and depending how insistent the official is will eventually be on our way without having to part with anything.
This will be recorded and at one checkpoint it was recorded on a used folded piece of paper.
We also noted quite a few army posts and every one with the Moroccan flag waving. Rey commented that they doing like the Israelis are doing in Palestine which is to establish yourself in the region and if they do this long enough the right of the original inhabitants carries less weight. Im not sure what there is to gain from annexing Western Sahara but I guess so did the Russians when they sold Alaska to the USA.
We arrived at the campsite, Camping Moussafar just as it was getting dark. It was the 1st campsite we saw upon approaching Dakla and it looked decent so we decided to stay there or more importantly it was dark and any further travelling is not advisable.
There were a couple people at the campsite, Spanish, English and Germans but as usual everybody kept to themselves. We quickly set ourselves up. Unfolded the tent. Got out the table, cooking utensils and food. I went to source some beers. The campsite owner / manager said he will organise something which he did but, it wasnt cheap. DM20 per tea cup. I asked for 10. He had 18 left and wanted to sell me all so I bargained him down to DM250 for the lot.
Rey got the cooking set out 1st time. Decided it was pasta and tin fish tonight. Put some water on to boil some 30 minutes later and the water didnt even have the tiny bubbles on the bottom. Got me wondering when we were gonna eat. Midnight?!! Rey decided to pour in some pasta in the hope that it will cook. Another 30 minutes passed and the pasta was still hard. Guessed that tonight we gonna have hard pasta and tin fish. Another 30 minutes passed when we checked the pasta again. It was softer but more like chewing gum flour. I figured the whole night. 2 Hours from when we started the pasta was at last edible but, not quite al dante. Time for the tin fish. Used the 2nd bowl which had a slightly different shape. Problem we now had was that the flame kept going out. It was a methylated spirits flame in like a cup.
Admittedly it was rather windy so we tried to build some wind protection around the cooker but this didnt help. Now I thought dinner was gonna be under cooked pasta and cold tin fish. Couldnt complain cause we hadnt eaten all day. While sitting down I noticed that the base of the bowl was almost on the flame basically suffocating the flame of oxygen. Penny dropped that maybe we should use the cooking pan which sits much higher above the flame. This worked a treat and we actually got a roaring pan going. We were learning. Within a few minutes it was time to eat. Ended up being quite a hearty meal that we thoroughly enjoyed albeit that it took nearly 3 hours to prepare. Tea cups were nearly finished so we sat up and polished the remainder before calling a night.
Day 12, Sun, 6 Jan 2008, Dakla (Western Sahara) to Nouadhibou (Mauritania)
Woke up feeling a bit better. Had a shower (cold) and packed up everything. Had a little chat with the English guys. They were also doing the Banjul challenge. We spoke about the security situation in Mauritania given the stories in the western media of the French tourists who were murdered and that the Paris Dakar rally was cancelled due to security concerns. We all agreed that it was probably a storm in a tea cup. After all people get murdered in London, and what appears in recent times to be on a more regular occurrence, but that doesnt make it a dangerous place not to visit. Anyway we exchanged phone numbers and said that we will text them if there are any problems. They were staying an extra night as they needed to do some car repairs.
We were back on the road and the further south we drove the quieter the roads became except for the odd police check and the usual roll of questions and also the odd military base with the Moroccan flag flying high. The roads were so quiet that at one point we stopped and took photos sitting in the middle of the road.
Eventually we got to the Western Sahara / Mauritania border. 1st stop was a police check point. Although we had been through a few travelling through WS none asked for a cadeau till this chap at the border. I offered him a cigarette which he took a couple actually and then asked for a cd. I said I didnt have any and pointed to the flashdrive. I thought about the boxes of tea but, remembered they were suppose to be for the Mauritanian officials and not the Moroccan. Fortunately, he wasnt insistent and let us go. Proceeded to passport control and met some English travellers. Got chatting with them. They had been waiting some 30 minutes so I figured we will be waiting that long too. Was a bit hot and I was still not feeling 100% so wasnt looking forward to the wait but, chatted some more. They were also doing the Banjul challenge and like with the English guys we met in Dakla the security situation in Mauritania came up and again we agreed that it was blown out of proportion. I asked about their carnet and surprisingly they didnt know of it. Okay. About 15 minutes passed when they were called to collect their passports.
Fortunately immediately after our passports were processed so I only had to wait 20 minutes. Next was Customs and this went quicker except that they didnt want to stamp my carnet as having exited Morocco saying that it is not needed for Morocco. Great we wasted a good 90 minutes in Tanger getting it processed. There was one final process point just before exiting Morocco. A guy sitting at a desk under a tree. He wanted the usual information. Finally we exited Morocco and into no-mans land that is described in the Africa Lonely Planet guide as a scene out of the Mad Max movie. The area is littered with car wrecks. Not sure how or why they are there but, it is also advised when travelling through no-mans land to keep to the road as there are landmines in the area. Well there is no road just dirt track and we were ahead of the group that had formed. We got to a point where there appeared to be a couple of tracks. Guess we chose the wrong one when we noticed the cars behind us going in another direction so turned back and rejoined the group this time as followers. It was a rather rocky road and while we took it slow with our 4×4 the people in normal sedans were going quite fast. Guess they will be handing over the cars when they get to Banjul so no need to be cautious.
We got to the Mauritania border safe and sound and headed to the passport office which was literally a wooden shack with a desk and 2 chairs for the officials. While waiting I had my 1st experience of flies. There were loads of them flying and crawling about which the locals just ignored. While waiting one of the English guys asked us if we had a fisch (not sure of the spelling). We didnt even know what it was so he showed us his. Its basically the information that the police and the checkpoints kept asking us. I had my note book with me so I quickly jotted down the required info, updated it with Rey and my info tore out the page and when it was our turn handed it our to the Immigration official. It worked a treat. To our surprise visa cost was 10 pp. Surprised as the Loney Planet quoted 20 which we expected as a minimum.
Next was customs to get the carnet stamped. When I stepped into the 2nd wooden shack I noticed a variety of booze that had been confiscated including juice cartons. Guess that when they want something they take it. In the meantime Rey was with another Customs official while our car was being searched. I was surprised when the Customs official asked for 10 for processing the Carnet. There should be no cost for processing Carnet. In fact me having one protects their revenue collectors from possible loss of import duty. Decided to just pay it as the visa did cost half what we expected. Next was car insurance. There was another wooden shack where a guy sold insurance. Cost 15 but do not remember the period of cover.
Finally we were able to set off. Border crossing took a good 2 hours. Rey said that the Customs official who searched the car was somewhat aggressive. Aggressing saying when he started searching in the car that he can smell drugs and alcohol and demanding to know where it was. We made sure we had none of these but I suppose he could smell remnants of alcohol which we did have and is probably easily picked up by someone who doesnt drink who is smelling inside our car for the 1st time. Not that our car was smelling. Rey said he played it calm saying we had neither and that he was welcome to look. He didnt do a thorough search as he didnt go through all the boxes where I feared he may come across my cigarette stash and confiscate that.
As we set off I thought what the hell did I buy the boxes of tea for because at no point did I need to suggest it. In fact the Customs official who searched our car didnt confiscate which I thought he would do if its so special. Hell no
bought tea that I dont need.
Continued on to Nouadhibou which was fortunately not far but, it was getting dark by the time we got there. Decided that we not even going to try the campsite recommended to us by the scammers in Guelmin. Instead we relied on the Lonely Planet suggestions. Nouadhibou was rather busy with lots of cars on what appeared to be the main city road and people milling about but we easily found Camping Baie du Lévrier. It was rather small so we decided to find Camping Abba which was not as easy to find but we found it. This had more inhabitants so we decided to stay there. Unfortunately again the inhabitants kept to themselves. I went on a beer hunt and was directed to the Chinese shop. Turns out to be a Chinese restaurant. There was a couple and one gentleman employee a local not Chinese inside. The employee spoke English so I asked him how much a beer. I do not remember the price but it was expensive, possibly 3 per 330ml can. I tried bargaining but he wouldnt budge. I asked for 10 and he started packing them in a box. I picked up one of the cans and noticed that the expiry date was Aug 2007 so I asked if they still fresh. I guess it was one question too many as he promptly started unpacking the box and returning the beers to the fridge. He then walked over to the cash register to get my money and returned it to me less cost of one beer. I decided to check for freshness and it did seem fine but, the cost was just too much so I finished my beer not allowed outside with it and headed back empty handed.
In the meantime Rey had met an elderly Frenchman and his Senegalese partner and was sitting by their campsite. I joined and we had a bit of a chat in the little English and French that we knew. It was typically frustrating. Frenchman had a bottle of Grants whiskey and a few beers. He offered me a beer or whiskey. As beers were warm I fairly reluctantly accepted a shot of Grants and he gave me quite a shot. The Senegalese lady recommended a place in Senegal, Sanlouis or at least that is how she pronounced it so we thought we will look up the place and possibly go there. It was apparently the colonial period capital. After some further conversation that was getting frustrating due to it being difficult to understand each other we decided to head over to the kitchen area. There were 2 large groups inside a fairly large hall of sorts sitting down to their dinner – lobsters. Soon one of the groups got up so we sat in their place. Met a local MC who was rather friendly. We asked about a place to eat and he said they cook and recommended it so they cooked up fried chicken and I think rice with some sauce. It was good and filled the gap. We told MC of our tea experience and he said we were scammed but he may be able to sell the tea for us so after eating he took us to a local store. The 1st guy wanted to offer us the equivalent of like DM10 per box so we obviously said no. At the 2nd shop the guy we dealt with said that and looked like he was Moroccan and that the tea was not a good standard and that he pays DM45 per box and that is what he will offer us. That was just under half I paid. Figuring that it was better than nothing and neither of us drink tea we cut our losses and accepted his offer. Was suspecting that I was being scammed a 2nd time.
Asked MC if there is any bar around but he wasnt sure and as we didnt have much cash on us we decided to rather call it a night.
Day 13, Mon, 7 Jan 2008, Nouadhibou (Mauritania) to Nouakchott (Mauritania)
Woke up feeling even better than yesterday so figured I was on the recovery path. Had a cold shower even though we were told they have hot water, my 1st breakfast Alpen that I had brought from London but no banana packed our car and headed to Nouakchott.
Not long on the road we saw a train and wondered if its the longest train for which Mauritania is famous for. It was a long train but, I doubt it was the longest one which is suppose to be 2.5km in length. This one was a couple hundred metres in length.
It was another quiet road to Nouakchott. Few vehicles on the road and not much signs of life including no fuel stops so we had to call on our jerry cans for the 1st time. Just as well we had filled 2 cans and we used one having stopped in the middle of nowhere.
Just as we approached Nouakchott I saw a billboard advertising some product with a white child in the pic. Thought that was rather ironic for Africa.
As we entered Nouakchott there was a police check point. While our passports were being checked a local approached us and gave us a business card for his campsite. MC had also given us details of a campsite, Auberge Menata run by a French lady adding the comment that she is nice. We sought out the locals campsite which Rey went to inspect. He said that it was okay but we observed that it was on the outskirts of town so we decided to try find Auberge Menata to compare. Had a little hassle finding it but got there. This was located in the town and we were told had hot water. It wasnt a big site but we decided to settle there.
Met a young Frenchman (20s) and an elderly (looked 50s) Alaskan. Chatted a bit with them. The Frenchman had been travelling with some friends but earlier in the trip they decided to head home so he was now travelling alone which included through the Sahara. These Frenchmen are crazy I tell you. The Alaskan seemed a bit of a naturalist. He had been to the Parc National du Banc dArguin which the Loney Planet says is where hundreds of thousands of birds migrate from Europe in the winter. It is one of the worlds major bird-breeding grounds and is on Unescos list of World Heritage sites. Neither Rey or I are in the least twitchers so we didnt even consider going there and just as well. The Alaskan was somewhat disappointed by the number and variety of birds he saw adding that it was nothing spectacular. We also spoke about the Paris-Dakar rally. My initial thoughts about it was that its not good for Africa which the Alaskan agreed with. Reason being that these rich Europeans come marauding through Africa possibly causing environmental damage. The flip side which I conceded is that it does add a lot financially to the countries as a lot of money is spent by the competitors, their entourage and following spectators. In fact, I asked the employee from the Chinese restaurant what his opinion was about the rally being cancelled and he said that it was not good. A lot of revenue is lost. Also the rally provides a lot of advertising for the region and Im sure some returning spectators and some returning regularly. Apparently the rally organisers have taken on board criticism and are addressing it.
Had a much needed shower and shave and there was indeed proper hot water. That was very refreshing.
Set out to see what Nouakchott had to offer. Found a bar that we were told about. 330ml Can of Kronenburg cost O1500. WHAT!!!! That nearly 5 for a little can. Had one each and then decided to find a place to eat. A guy at the bar recommended a place and walking to find it we walked down a very dimly lit sandy road but, didnt feel any insecurity at all. Found our restaurant and the beers were also O1500 but we had another can each. Meal was decent and reasonably priced.
While walking back to the campsite which was around 2200 most shops were still open and all types of shops, clothes, cafes, internet, mobile, furniture, sports but, all empty. In fact the streets were quite deserted. Also noticed that most shopkeepers appeared Arabic or rather that not many were African. Seems that there is a supply of goods and services but no demand probably because people do not have money to spend.
Back at the campsite it was rather dead so I popped out to an internet shop to sort out some admin things and then hit the sack.
Day 14, Tue, 8 Jan 2008, Nouakchott (Mauritania) to St. Louis (Senegal)
Got up feeling stronger. In fact nearly back to normal except that my nose is still somewhat clogged. Went to internet shop to finalise our le fisch. Had problems printing them but eventually got it done. It was around midday when we were done and I had considered suggesting a trip to the fish market but, it was windy with sand blowing everywhere and also a little hot. There was very little to nothing to do in Nouakchott and this weather was annoying so we decided to hit the road. Went back to Auberge Menata and settled our bill. MC was right, Frenchlady was rather nice.;o)
Upon exiting Nouakchott we noticed what was probably a mini-bus taxi loaded with people and some literally hanging out the back. The mini-bus was also significantly battered. Public transport Africa style. By contrast we also saw some very flashy cars Mercs, Toyotas, BMWs, pick-ups and 4×4s all in very good knick and some very recent models. Story of Africa, some with lots of money and lots with little money.
As we exited Nouakchott we noticed an area on either side of the road that was littered with plastic packets. Thought what a great idea that SA clamped down on the use of plastic bags.
We were heading to a border crossing at Diama and the road was typically quiet. Did notice more and more green shrubs among the endless sand as we drove further south. Also noticed some pipeline being laid. Wondered what it was for. Drove pass 2 oncoming trucks that were packed very high and wide with hay
so much so that we wondered how oncoming trucks passed by as surely the height of the truck will collide with the width of the hay. Guess they found their way pass each other local style.
As we approached Rosso we saw our 1st avenue of trees. At last vegetation. We leaving the desert behind.
As we got into Rosso, the road continued straight to what looked like a gate and there was also a left turn. As there were no signs we took the left turn. As we took it some people gestured that we need to continue straight instead so we pulled up and as we did so a number of people came rushing over to the car. The one guy was dressed in what looked like an official uniform and said that we must continue straight to get the ferry to Senegal. So this was the Rosso border crossing that we wanted to avoid as we were advised from various sources that the border officials are corrupt and try extract as much out of you as possible
worse if you are a vehicle owner which we are. I responded to the official that I want to go to Diama. He dismissively replied that I should go then which for a moment made me wonder how bad the piste stretch was to the Diama border. Both borders had their problems. Rosso had corrupt officials while to get to Diama where the officials are not as corrupt there was a stretch of off-road that had to be covered. We tried to get info about this stretch but not enough to know what to expect. I did ask the French lady of Auberge Menata and her response was if I have 4×4 and if so then it will be fine. Well we will have to make do with that much info. That its fine. Being a guy hearing that response from a lady did not fill me with any confidence.
Besides the border officials, there were also some other people milling about our car. The one guy said he knows the way to Diama and will show us to the road for 10. It was now just passed 16h00. We had been driving for nearly 5 hours through a hot day. Our immediate concern was getting to Senegal before dark. There were a number of people milling about our car all with some comment / request / offer. Not thinking clearly we accepted this guys offer but where was he to sit as we had a grey box of goodies on the available seating part of the back seat the other part had been folded to accommodate our (4x20l) jerry cans. He quickly responded that he will stand on the side-footings and hold on to the roof bars. Before we could consider his response he assumed the position and told us to drive. Being in a rush we set off. Such driving was not considered dangerous as none of the officials in clear view of us stopped or attempted to stop us. We hadnt gone far when he asked if we have car insurance for Senegal which we did not. He replied that its not possible to get it at Diama so we should get it here at Rosso and he can get it for us. We need insurance and took this guys advice as true so our next caution was to ask for a receipt to which he replied no problem. We wanted to drive him back but he said he will quickly run there and back but we must give him the money. Forget how much it was except that 5 and 10 day cover cost the same. Fearing that he may run off with our money and him detecting this he offered us some badge and his mobile as surety. We agreed and off he ran with our money in hand. While waiting for his return and having a quiet moment Rey and I started assessing our situation. Next ferry was at 17h00 and it was now around 1620. Our understanding of the piste to Diama was that it was some 30km. Our 2 main objectives were to avoid supposed corrupt Rosso border officials and get to Senegal before dark. Given our understood distance to Diama we chose this option confident that we will cover 30km before dark.
Soon after the gentleman returned with our insurance and receipt which was completed by hand and in hindsight I figured any amount could have been written there but at that time we didnt question it. We just wanted to get to Diama. The guy wanted his phone and badge back so we gave it to him and he assumed his position hanging on outside the left passenger doors. I do not remember the route we took to get to the piste to Diama. The route he directed us through was also piste and had the odd fork and turn so there was some case for needing a guide. It wasnt long when we came to another police check where we were stopped. They didnt hassle us much except that they didnt want our guide riding hanging onto the side of the car so he said this is as far he takes us. Besides the police I think this is as far as he guides gullible overlanders like ourselves. The piste ahead had 2 tracks. He told us to take the one on the left and stay on it. That was as much direction as he gave us. We had also asked the Police Officer the distance to Diama and he replied something in French that we didnt understand at first so it was written in the sand 93km. WHAT?!!!! 93km of piste!!!! Admittedly the West Africa Lonely Planet guide does mention, Maka Diama barrage, 97km southwest of Rosso …but there is no proper road.
Not sure where we got 30km estimate or at least we expected a piste stretch of 30km not the entire 97km. One of a few examples that expectation is not a good thing. Along with assume which I learned in the shower in Rhiad 34 in Marrakech. Well we now hope the track is not too bad.
By now it was close to 1700 or rather too late for the Rosso ferry. We had to follow through with our decision to cross the border at Diama. Our guide wanted his 10 payment. Considering the distance we covered which was not more than 2-3km and that we had now thought a bit about what we agreed to earlier we realised that 10 was too much and tried bargaining. Our guide insisted on 10 and again given our predicament of getting to Senegal before dark which was now 3x times as far as we originally thought and also not having Euro denomination smaller than 10 we gave him 10 and set off. I did a quick mental calculation and calculated we needed to average 60kph over this Diama stretch plus hopefully not more than another hour at the border to get into Senegal before dark. That is 2hours 30min, it was now around 16h50 and it gets dark around 19h20 so average speed of 60kph should be fine. The piste was not the best and in the hope of averaging 60kph I was pushing the speed but seldom did I get to 60kph instead we would be doing well to get to 50kph and most of the time it was around 30-40kph. To make matters worse we came across a large herd of cows which slowed us right down as we slowly forged a way through the herd. Setting off again we really tried to push the pace. At one point a bit too fast. There would be fairly long stretches of decent road and then suddenly a ditch and I hit one at quite a speed causing the car to veer to the right. We were driving on an elevated stretch with steep decline on either side into thick reeds not knowing what was among the reeds and I nearly found ourselves careering down into the reeds.
That scare slowed me down a wee bit but it wasnt long when I was trying to push the pace again but still seldom getting to 60kph. There were also stretches where the road forked and we were not sure which way to go. Didnt help that ours was the only car on the stretch which added to my doubt whether Rosso border officials were really so bad and still that way. Maybe they had softened a bit and people preferred their renewed level of corruption versus the Diama piste but, way too late to change so remove the doubt from my mind and keep going. Our choice of routes when faced with a fork was to stick to what looked like the most used stretch while in some cases it was obvious that the one stretch didnt go very far.
After 30km Rey took over. We had been diving for 40mins. Thats an average speed of 45kph and it generally stayed at 45kph having passed over some horrific potholes. There were also some scenic stretches where we stopped to take pics having resigned ourselves to the fact we going to have to drive in the dark.
The last couple kilometres of the piste became very rutted. If you go slow you feel every rut. Going faster made the ride smoother but you would effectively be skimming over the ruts with little control of the car. After going slow for a while you would lose patience and speed up; lose control; then slow down and we alternated between the 2. Also when going slow the car would sometimes literally crab i.e. move forward but sideways. Rey was concerned by this thinking that there may be something wrong with the car. I explained that the thread of the tyres at low speed was gripping into the ruts causing the car to crab. Adding that Ed 4×4 course instructor said that is what the tyres have a tendency to do.
Just before the end of the piste there is a National Park and it was at a T-junction where there were 2 officials. We asked them the direction to Diama border and they said left and added that we are to pay O1,000 each to pass through the park. We responded that we dont want to go to the park instead we want to get to the border but they insisted we must pay O1,000 each suggesting that we will be passing through the park. Alternatively if we dont have enough Ouguiya we can pay 5 each. What exchange rate is this chap operating on!!? O1,000 is max 3. Well if we do pay then provide us with a receipt. They insisted that we pay first. This went on for a while. Rey had O1,000 so we suggested that we pay for one person and you get us a receipt and then we will pay for the 2nd person. Nothing doing. In fact the one guy laughed at the suggestion. So much for Diama being the easier option and we havent even got to the border yet. As it was getting late or more importantly the sun setting so I figured the amount was not worth quibbling about but, I still was not going to pull out the necessary Euros that I had instead I tried to explain that we pay O1,000 for one person and pay for the 2nd person with some Euro coins we still had worth about 3. Btw this conversation was in broken language, hand signs, drawings in our notebook, showing of coins and any other means of trying to make ourselves understood, as they didnt speak much English and our ability at French as I mentioned is virtually nothing. Eventually they conceded. Kept our O1,000 and told us to carry on. At this point we figured that this bribe / cadeau process is about who can outwear who. If we have enough patience in terms of time and our behaviour getting frustrated definitely does not help instead you have to be polite at all times and generally feign ignorance we should be able to get by with parting with less than what was originally requested if nothing at all.
It wasnt much further when we arrived at the short barrage over to Diama. It was now just pass 19h00 it took us a good 2 hours to cover the 93 / 97km piste.
First stop Mauritanian Immigration (passport) and Customs (carnet). Lonely Planet (LP) mentioned that there may be an extra hours tax if crossing at night. Another reason to get to the border before nightfall. The sun had set and it was getting dark but not yet dark. It was dusk. Entered the Immigration office which was also Customs they stamped our passports and completed our Carnet all very friendly but then asked for 10. We politely asked for a receipt? The response was an abrupt and somewhat aggressive response along the lines that it is standard procedure and an admin fee that is payable. There were 3 of them 2 of us, it was a long day and getting dark and their attitude was one of lets bargain so I handed over the 10 and we moved on.
Next was Senegal officials.
Just over the short barrage we were approached by a gentleman with a receipt book in his hand saying that it cost 10 to cross. LP did mention that there is a cost of CFA5,000/10,000 to cross in winter/summer, respectively. The exchange rate mentioned in LP (remember published in Oct 2006) is 1 = CFA656. The gentleman was going to provide us with a receipt so stuff arguing about the exchange rate as it should be more like 8, I just paid.
Next was the Senegal Immigration. Friendly gentleman engaging us in some conversation as he processed our passports. LP stated that citizens of EU and South Africa did not require a visa but, as he was done he requested 10 each. We countered that we understood there to be no payment required especially if we do not need a visa but he insisted and well we were tired so just paid.
4th Stop was Customs to get our Carnet processed. Another friendly gentleman but he asked for 10. If Diama is the easy crossing what is Rosso like? The problem with proper officials is that you at their mercy and at this moment we had no patience so again (4th time) we paid. They asked about car insurance and we said we had and showed it to him. He accepted it. More importantly, however, we were able to get insurance at the Diama border. I was tempted and did try find out how much the insurance was but battled to find the person who sold it. I didnt try very hard and having considered whether I want to potentially give myself grief by coming to know that we were ripped off for the insurance I decided to leave it and move on. It was now dark. Did a quick reflection of the how much it cost us to cross the border at Diama and it 60 + O1,000 for the 2 of us when it should only have cost CFA5,000 (+/-8) for the barrage crossing. So much for Diama being the easier option.
We were not far into Senegal when we realised that given our level of petrol which was just above reserve and not knowing where we going it will be better to use the last jerry can of diesel so we turned back to the border post as there was lighting there compared to the road we were on that was only lit by the moon and stars. Just as well we had a jerry can of fuel that we filled when leaving Noukchott. While we were busy filling the tank a gentleman approached us probably checking what we were up to. I thought I recognised him from one of the stopping points getting through the border post. He engaged in a bit of conversation and told us the way to St Louis. We finished and as we set off he approached the front passenger door and I must be honest that my initial thought was that he was going to ask for money but he pleasantly (and embarrassingly for me) gestured that we must wear our seatbelts as we may get fined by the police.
The road to St Louis, where we decided to stop, was not far but it was really dark and our car lights seemed ineffective. Now we got an appreciation for the advice of not to drive in the dark. Rey soldiered on nonetheless.
We soon arrived in St Louis but did not know where we were going i.e. we didnt know where we going to spend the night. LP only mentioned one hotel, Hotel Dior that allowed camping so we decided to head there but we hadnt a clue how to get there trying to figure our bearings on the basic map of St. Louis in the LP book. We tried stopping at a fuel station but they were not much help so we continued on. The roads were quite busy and not very well lit. A couple 100m on we came to a roundabout and noticed a gentleman who looked like a police officer so we pulled to the side to ask for help / directions. As he approached the car I realised that I didnt have my seatbelt on. I had taken it off at the fuel station as I had intended to get out of the car but more importantly hadnt put the seatbelt back on. As I was in view of the officer as he approached the car I didnt want to reach for my seatbelt instead I just left it.
The office was very friendly. Asked where we from and we replied, Afric du Sud. Ahhh!!! Nelson Mandela. Good man came the response smiling and shaking our hands. He asked for Reys driving licence so we gave him the international licence. He checked it out all fine but held on to it. We asked for directions which he gave to us. He then noticed that I was not wearing my seatbelt. He said this is wrong and must pay a penalty. I tried an excuse that I had taken it off to jump out the car to approach him but he was having none of it and still politely insisting we have to pay a penalty of 20. We said that we had no money which was partly true. I did have Euros but no local currency. He responded that he will then hold on to Reys international licence, which we can pick up from the Police Station the next day and also pay the penalty. This day is gradually going downhill. We didnt want nor need this hassle nonetheless we tried negotiating our way out of this or at least the amount of the penalty. We asked where the Police Station was but also reluctance for having to go down this route while we also did not have money. All the while he was very polite still smiling as he insisted on his penalty. We added that if we are to pay now then we need to go to a cashpoint. The fine did start coming down. 1st 15 then 10 and after some more haggling it was 5. Still we insisted that we had no money while he responded that he will hold on to the licence for us to collect at the Police Station the next day. His occasional repeated comments of Nelson Mandela!!, that we South Africans and his politeness didnt seem to help us but eventually and for whatever reason he conceded. With a friendly smile he returned Reys licence and let us be on our way, with my seatbelt on of course.
We were headed to the peninsula of St Louis and to get to it we had to cross the Pont Faidherbe bridge, which was designed by Gustav Eiffel of Eiffel Tower of Paris fame originally to cross the Danube, the island, and then another bridge, nothing famous about it, to the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula. The Pont Faidherbe bridge was well lit up with an array of colourful lights. While it is still steady it is in need of some maintenance especially that it is over 100 years old. We made our way to the next bridge, Pont Mustapha Malick Gaye but as we got to it there were some cars ahead waiting to cross. On the bridge there appeared to be a crowd of people. We waited a while and then I decided to get out and have a closer look. Sure enough there were a crowd of people on the bridge preventing any vehicles crossing. Guessed that it was a protest of some sort. What next is going to go wrong tonight? The map in the LP indicated that there was another bridge, Pont Geole so we drove on to try find it. The island, that we were now on, is not big, about 2.5km x 0.6km and we drove up and down it twice trying to find the second bridge and found nothing not even remnants of a bridge. Decided to ask but language was an issue. Nobody seemed to understand us. I even tried pointing it out on the map but still nothing doing. We then decided to ask for another campsite. Looked up the translation in the phrase book but again we were battling to be understood. Rey and I came to the agreement that these people have a problem associating things. If you didnt say it exactly as they understand it then you have a problem on your hands. Gestures dont even help. It was very similar when we were in Brazil. If ever Im playing charades I definitely will not want a West African or Brazilian in my team.
We ended up meeting a young guy on a scooter and somehow managed to get him to understand that we want to get to the Peninsula other than over the Pont Faidherbe and need directions to Hotel Dior. He said that he would direct us riding ahead of us on his scooter but for 5. Well I suppose he wanted something for his fuel usage but 5!!! The Peninsula is not that far. I thought that he was going to take us back to the mainland and around the island hence 5. Anyway we bargained and agreed on CFA2,000 and off we went hopeful that at last we will get to our stop but, first we needed to get to an ATM to draw CFA so our guide directed us there 1st. He took us down some dodgy roads which raised some doubt in my mind as to how honest this guy is especially that we have just arrived in Senegal and dont know anything about the place and people. Before the doubt could manifest itself in anyway we soon stopped outside a ATM. Got cash no problem and set off again. The hope was short lived as he directed us right back to Pont Faidherbe that was still blocked by the crowd of people. Again we tried asking about the 2nd bridge but no luck. Asked if he knew what the crowd was all about and he didnt know. We had noticed the crowd for the past 30 minutes or so and still no police presence to clear it as there were other vehicles also trying to cross.
It was now around 2100 and having not eaten the whole day we were somewhat hungry and thirsty so we decided to ask if he could direct us to a place to eat which he did. It was a real dodgy looking restaurant. A place I know most people I know will not be willing to eat at but there were people inside the small seating area (some 3 x 5m) so we went in. Checked the menu and it was in French so didnt understand a single dish. The owner came out and fortunate for us he spoke English. I wanted to try a local dish and he recommended yassou poulet which is grilled chicken, rice and an onion based sauce. Rey went for a similar dish but with couscous, forget the exact name. My meal went down a treat. I really enjoyed it. Of course I had chucked some chilli sauce in it. Rey found his a bit too rich in taste. So much for the dodgy appearance the food was good and so was the price CFA2,500 for my meal. We were joined by an uninvited guest who looked either drunk or stoned or both. Along with the owner we had a little chat. At one point a gentleman walked in and commented about the crowd on the bridge. As it turned out it was Mauritanians protesting about their treatment by the Senegalese. Apparently there is some animosity between the 2. The Senegalese are angered that the Mauritanians own lots of businesses in St Louis. I thought I hope this is not a signal of potential conflict in St Louis but, I wasnt too concerned about it. A little while later our guide reappeared saying that the bridge is now clear and we may get going. As the restaurant did not serve alcohol I asked to be directed to an off-licence / liquor store 1st.
The drunk/stoned guy decided he was going to come along and wanted to ride in the car with us. We told him that we had no space and showed him. The grey box we had on the back passenger seat could have been moved to the back on top of the other boxes but, we didnt want him tagging along. Not to be defeated he hopped on the back of the scooter and off we went. Got 6 long toms beer and headed to the bridge. There were police there now and the bridge was clear. There were still lots of people about though and they all seemed to be looking at the river. We wondered if someone had been drowned in the river. It was dark with very little lighting so you could see anything and wondered what they were looking at. I commented that there is sheep mentality in people. Cause some people are looking at the river thinking that there is something there of interest more people will do the same and so on causing a crowd to develop all looking at nothing. Anyway we eventually got to Hotel Dior. The drunk/stoned guy comes up to our car and says he wants to come drink with us. I politely declined his offer only for him to ask for a beer. I again politely rejected his request. Fortunately he wasnt forceful and accepted my rejections. We paid our guidewho then left with the drunk/stoned chap. Gave him CFA3,000 in the end and headed into the camping area. Relieved to find other campers in the site. Parked our car and went to register at reception. To our joy it had a bar that was still open so we both immediately had a Gazelle, local brew, each. Cost CFA1,200 for a 63cl bottle which was also a relief to see the cost of beer come down to something more reasonable. We had a couple more Gazelles and got chatting to the bar lady and the campsite owner Frenchman.
Asked about night life in St Louis and he told us of Papaye not far from the campsite 10 minute walk. After a couple beers we asked what time he closed and he said normally midnight but it was now passed midnight. He said he stayed open as we were special guests. Fancy that given that we just arrived. We quickly finished our beers and headed off to the club. It was down a dimlit street and not in immediate sight but we carried on. While I was a bit aware of safety given our current surroundings; that we had just arrived in Senegal for the 1st time and we didnt know exactly where we were heading, it was nonetheless safe. We came past another hotel and checked if this was where Papaye was but it wasnt so we carried on along the dimlit street. Soon we saw some more lights and it was Papaye. Paid CFA1,500 and went in. There were a few people but it wasnt rocking. It filled up a bit more around 02h00 but, nothing spectacular. Had our first taste of some local music and while very different from what we hear and listen to in the UK and SA I quite liked it. Lots of drum based beats and rhythms. Noticed that there were African bar staff but also a European looking gentleman who looked to be either the manager or owner. I was beginning to wonder whether locals own any established businesses other than some stall on the side of the street. Appears not so far. Not good. Around 03h30 the club started emptying, it closes at 0400 and as the tiredness was starting to set in we decided to head back to the campsite. We hadnt opened the tent and being tired decided to sleep in the car. I also wanted to stay up to see the sunrise. We tucked into our beers but, not far into Reys 2nd beer he passed out. I stayed up listening to music till around 0700 when it was getting light but no sign of the sun. Eventually called it quits. What a day!!!
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