Mali to Burkina Faso

After arriving at the Sleeping Camel, we enjoyed a much needed beer with a bacon burger and chips. This seems like a normal everyday meal... but for us... This was incredible! Every mouthful was amazing with the crispy bacon being a delicacy in our lives on the road in West Africa! We enjoyed chatting to some of the guys that work for the UN in helping train the locals on disarming IED's and helping educate them among other things. This seemed like the local meeting point where these guys enjoy a bit of down time from their hectic and dangerous jobs.

In the morning our mission was to get the Nigerian visa which we heard was a battle for most people normally taking between 5 to 10 working days, so we were nervous to see what we would be faced with at the embassy. I had seen online that the embassy opens at 8am, so we got up early to get there before it opened. It took us under half an hour to walk to the embassy which was a small rundown building with no signs anywhere to suggest it was an embassy. We read on the notice board that visas were to be applied for on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Crap! It was a Monday. We approached the guard to try our luck and he said they would help us anyways, but only after 10am. We decided we would walk back to camp for a cup of coffee, stopping at the supermarket for a few bits a long the way. 

After returning to the embassy, we walked in, greeted the security guard and were told to sit on the bench. We ended up sitting there in this tiny room with old stains and dirt all over the wall, watching the A Team  in French on a small TV. We eventually were given our application forms which were, thank goodness, in English for a change!! They asked for strange info compared to other application forms; like what colour eyes and hair we had, and any other distinguishing features; but very little info about our passport details, which we found amusing. They needed 1 copy of our passports and 2 photos.

About an hour after waiting an official looking gentlemen happened to walk through and asked if we'd been seen to yet. We told him no, but that we were in no rush (acting like you have all the time in the world seems to be the best way of getting the officials to help you)... And we didn't mind as we were enjoying watching the French dubbed movie. He asked us about the purpose of our travel and seemed a little annoyed when we couldn't give him in detailed itinerary, but I brought out my lonely planet guide and showed him a few points of interest which he seemed OK with. He advised us to be sure about where to travel and keep up to date with the travel advise and therefore our safety, keeping clear of the north. After this stern but friendly interrogation, we weren't expecting much success. But he told us to wait a little longer.

He eventually called us through to a room with sofas and a TV which had Nigerian news on it. Again we sat and waited until the official came through. He told us the price (66500CFA = £75 each) and said to come back at 2pm the next day..... Really?? Was it going to be that easy? 

Well, we weren't about to complain and left hoping everything would go through smoothly the next day.

We got back to camp, where we were met by the big bus load, Oasis Overland, of 21 people we had met in the Zebra Bar in Senegal. It was a bit like greeting long last best friends again; which is so awesome! They would stay for 4 nights which only meant one thing.... Very drunken evenings ahead of us!

That night certainly was drunken, and Rob ended up pulling his usual trick and passed out on the sofa after only a few beers and the odd tequila (Ruslin, one of the travellers in the camp, had sold his car that day and therefore was giving us tequila to help celebrate... Not that we were complaining 😜)

 We all had a good chuckle at Rob as he snored the night away. It was only until the morning did we realise he had been totally attacked by the mosquitos while passed out on the couch, and was bitten like crazy around any bit of skin that was on show. Particularly his feet and his lower back where his shirt must have ridden up. This most certainly was a lesson learned as he looked like he had caught a bad case of the chicken pox.

I have since realised I need to play the role of 'mommy', and make sure he puts mosquito creams and sprays on every night.... Particularly when he's drinking! Lol!!

We had a slow morning as we were all feeling a little fragile. We had met a toureg that evening that offered us to go to his house for traditional toureg tea. Cat and I were feeling a little sceptical and knew there had to be a catch (as they had all proved to us before, they would guilt trip us into paying for goods we didn't want), but the boys ended up going and us girls stayed behind and relaxed. They left at about 11am and would need to return by 1:30pm to return to the Nigerian embassy by 2pm. 1pm came and they were nowhere to be seen, 1:15 arrived and we started to get worried. 1:25 arrived and nothing. At about 1:40 we were getting stressed! Where were they? We had no phone to call them and they had left with a strange man in a dangerous country (not that we had felt any danger, but had been advised by the news and a few other travellers previous to our visit). My imagination started to go wild, with all kinds of bad scenarios going on in my head that could be taking place. Rob's mom would kill me if anything bad happened to him!!!

Well I was stressing for nothing and they strolled in at 1:50. They said it took forever for 1 tea to brew and they sat on the floor of this hut watching the world go by. They came back with stories of a small demon child that clobbered a baby chick with a batton, picked it up and threwing it in a pile of rubbish. This happened right in front of them, as if totally normal. Obviously fuelling Robs hatred for the kids in West Africa. And then the bombshell... he tried to sell them his merchandise. Telling them he had to bring food back home and needed the money. But he had spent the night before ordering beer after beer and was incredibly drunk with us, if he needed the money that badly he wouldn't have been drinking like that! (Aah, there's always a catch!) 

But they were back safe and sound, but we needed to motor back to the embassy. We arrived at about 2:15 and were once again told to sit and wait, luckily not bothered by our late arrival. Both me and Cat went through to the sofas while the boys stayed with security. Another hour and a bit of waiting and we finally left with our visas secured in our passports. Wahoooooo! 

(Later we found out that the rest of the travellers in the sleeping camel would have to wait 4days for theirs! Luck was certainly on our side once again!)

The next morning was time for the Burkina Faso visa. We arrived at 10am filled in the forms with 1passport copy and 2photos, paid the 24000CFA each (£27) and were told to come back at 2pm. Easy peasy! Another visa done and dusted with no hassle! 

The next couple of days we swapped stories and became close friends with a few very cool people on the truck, Jacob (from America), Yuki (from Japan) and Alex (from England). One of the days, we ended up going for lunch with them at a shack which Yuki and Jacob had told us about. They dished up a peanut stew with rice, and ghost chillies!! for only 1000CFA a bowl which is only £1.10. It was an amazing meal! Rob and I even shared one as it was so big!

That afternoon, back at the camp, we watched how Jacob would help Yuki to read in English. Yuki had chosen a very hard book to read, The Long Walk To Freedom on Nelson Mandela. Yuki reads 10 pages a day while Jacob corrects or helps pronounce words when needed. It was very impressive to watch, but Cat had an amazing suggestion (the teacher in her came out that day). She suggested Yuki read a paragraph, then for Jacob to ask a question about the paragraph to ensure Yuki understood what he was reading. What a brilliant suggestion as Yuki now had to comprehend what he was reading. He was learning more this way and he loved it. 

Such a great suggestion and I wish someone had taken the time to do the same for me when learning Afrikaans in school. I might then be able to understand the language.

While Cat was engrossed in watching Yuki learn, the boys played Mölkki (Finnish game). A game with 12 sticks that you had to hit with another stick at a distance. If you hit down only one stick you would get the number of points that was written on that individual stick. If you hit more than one you would be awarded only the number of sticks that were down. If you hit all down you would earn a complimentary tequila shot on the house. You had to aim to reach 50points, if you went over 50 you would automatically drop your points to 25. The first team to reach 50 would win! Brilliant game and they played for hours!

That night was another drunken affair as the campsite held a "pub quiz" night. The place was throbbing as the campsite filled with people. Some from the embassies around the area, some from the UN, and the rest travellers. It was heaving! We had joined a table with some of the UN guys and would end up coming last, not that we were complaining as we earned a free bottle of tequila for being the losers! Awesome!!! Saying that though, one of the UN guys said to us that they all earn a fortune with nowhere to spend it...  and as we are tight as anything and only buy beers during their happy hour to save on cash... he mentioned that they would buy us drinks all through the evening and not to bat an eyelid. This is totally foreign to us as we like paying our way, but they insisted. 

Later that evening Cat had retired early after possibly one too many tequila's, while the 3 of us went to the local club with some of the UN guys and the sleeping camel owner, Matt. It was most certainly an eye opener! The club was air conditioned (amazing!), had about 5 pool tables in it and 2 dance floors pumping out some serious tunes out of massive speakers surrounding the rooms. Behind the bar there were about 7 Moroccan ladies (strangely, they seem to have put powder on their skin to make it look more white), that would offer their services during the evening to men at the bar. Most of these UN guys did not even have to lift their hands to have a drink, as the Moroccan girls would put a straw in their drink and hold the glass up for them. Totally baffling! I joined Matt and a few others on the dance floor while Rob tried playing pool by African rules, not being too successful but giving it a good go (might also be because he was becoming incredibly intoxicated and funny to watch). I was surprised to see the girls and guys on the dance floor all standing in a line dancing and watching themselves infringement of the mirrors which surrounded the dance floor. Not dancing with each other, but to and with themselves.

During the evening, there was a big 4 tiered cake that they brought onto the dance floor. I was told that this was an engagement party and they were all there to celebrate. Even her bridesmaids were in matching outfits. Hugs and kisses, selfies and photos would continue for ages until the music was turned up and everyone filled the dance floor to dance together.

Eventually at about 3:30am we decided to start heading back to camp. Trying to get Rob to leave was tough as he refused to leave his Jack Daniels behind, but also was so drunk he wouldn't or couldn't drink it. Eventually he gave up and left with us.

The next morning I learned why he didn't want to leave without his Jack Daniels. He had bought a whole bottle for 50000CFA (£56)!!!! The UN guys were buying bottles all evening and he was getting free drinks from them as firmly instructed by them earlier in the night. But, for whatever reason he went and bought a bottle anyway. Blowing our £50 a day budget in a matter of seconds!!! Already the visas we had bought had killed the budget and we were on £80 a day in Mali without this blow out!

I was fuming! We try to be so careful with our spending, as the more we blow, the less time we get to travel! He certainly has some grovelling to do!

We eventually said goodbye to the Sleeping Camel with its comfy lounge chairs, hot showers, fantastic food and good English company! With all the travel advice and the fact that we had spent all our tourist money, we decided we couldn't spend more time exploring Mali so we headed to Sikasso (the town before the border to Burkina Faso) where we ended up staying in a very fancy hotel's car park as there was no campsite around. We enjoyed a dip in the pool and one last roam in town before bedtime. Tomorrow would be the border!

It was once again sad to leave Mali. This country is absolutely beautiful! The country side is fascinating and the people are a real asset as they wave with big smiles as you pass them. We travelled on beautiful roads and enjoyed every second of being in this amazing place. 

We passed through a few checkpoints and 1 toll for 500CFA (£0.56) until we got to the border crossing. At the barrier we went into a building on the left where they stamped our passports out, then over the road to the customs department where they stamped our vehicles out of the country. 

At this post there was a man asking me if I was ok with this weather? I was confused at first but then remembered this was the 'cold' season, as I was wearing shorts and a vest and he was in long pants and a puffer coat. On average it's about 25-35 degrees every day and this was roasting for us! In the summer months it would reach the 50's which I suppose he was used to. I told him about it being single digits back in the UK, and he finally understood. We laughed and said our goodbyes as we left Mali.

No bribes! No hassle!!

Then we entered the Burkina Faso side where we drove to the next barrier, this is where they stamped our passports at a building to the left where we chatted with the officials and watched the comings and goings of the bus' and taxi's. We were then told to drive 300metres to the last building, before the barrier, on the left where we would need a Laissez Passer Touristique (they would not accept our carnet) that was 5000CFA (£5.60) per car. After this we enjoyed another condensed milk coffee before our next point which I presume was a police check in a building down the road to the right. The gentlemen wrote our names on his book and the car details and we were in Burkina.

Again no hassle! No bribes!! And it only took 1 and half hours!

Our next stop would be town Sindou. This is home to the popular Sindou Peaks which were absolutely breathtaking. Although we didn't go to them, they looked beautiful in the distance. They are towers of rock, sculpted by the elements and stand tall over the landscape. We decided we would walk through town and see how the locals live. Walking through the dusty roads, men would be in their huts behind sewing machines, women carrying wood and all name of things on their heads, children running around and mopeds driving up and down. Eventually we found a little cafe where we had coffee and a little donut type treat which came to 300CFA per couple.... That's £0.33... Costa needs to see these prices! 😜

In the morning we were met by the camp owner that gave us paperwork to fill out and accepted our 2000CFA per car for the camping fee (£2.25). We are going to love these prices! 

Later that morning, the chief of police came to say our paperwork wasn't filled in correctly. The 7 didn't have a line through it and therefore he couldn't understand it. Next to the space where it asks for a bungalow number, we put tent. He said we should have crossed bungalow number out. And he continued in this way... Well he was on a power trip and giving hell to the poor owner and us. Nothing aggressive, just difficult. 

We were then told to go to the police station after packing up. Oh cramp! All this just because of paperwork? 

We arrived and he was nowhere to be seen. Eventually a police officer came out and asked for our passports. We gave them to him and he just wrote our details in his book and sent us on our way. What was that all about? No money was asked for and no explanation. Weird!

Our next stop was Banfora. Here we decided to go check out the Karfiguela Waterfalls and the Dômes de Fabedougou. We made our way there over another tight road that was mostly driven on by mopeds, not big landrovers. But we made it and arrived at a little information booth. Here we asked the guy how much it would all cost. He assured us 1000CFA per person. Great! So he cycled down the track and showed us where we could park our cars (300CFA parking fee). We walked up the path with this guy in tow. We wondered through a beautiful array of mango trees and up a rocky track until we got to our first sight of the waterfall. Absolutely beautiful! But we continued in our ascent along side the waterfall until we reached some of the pools at the top. This is where we jumped in with all our clothes on and enjoyed the contrast from the hot sun to the cold water. We ended up jumping off some of the rocks while the boys got more adventurous doing flips into the water. Such fun!

Next was the Dômes, which was about a 2km walk in the scorching sun! It was absolutely roasting in the heat, but we were glad we had jumped in with our clothes on and keeping us cool while we walked across the rocky floor until we got to a massive pipe. This pipe supplies the water to the town below, Banfora. We would walk along this pipe until we got to the rock formations (like the ones in Sindou) which we would climb up to the top to look over Burkina. Absolutely breathtaking!

We paid the man at the Dômes our 2000CFA (£2.25) per couple and would then make our way back to our cars. Once arriving back at the cars the man that towed along then said his guide price was 10000CFA (£11.25). What!? We had asked him how much it all costed and he never said anything about his price. We paid feeling like we had gotten ripped off again, even if it was great having him there to direct us, it's more the principal that we had asked what the total price would be up front. As we drove out and passed the security desk they told us we needed to pay another 1000CFA per person for the Dômes??? Again! Why didn't he tell us!? 

It's things like that, that really piss us off! It puts a real dampener on your experience. But we decided to ignore the cost and only focus on the good morning we had. It was time for lunch, so we headed to McDonald for burgers. Not the American fast food McDonalds, but the African McDonald. A charming little restaurant in the heart of the town with Art hanging off of all the walls. Fantastic food! A real must if you are travelling through Banfora.

We arrived at the campsite called Boabab Campement. It looked lovely and soon found out it was run by a Frenchmen. It was very basic with a hole in the floor toilet and bucket showers. But we loved it! They said camping would be 1000CFA per person, which ones again made us a very happy bunch! We went to bed early and would make our way to the next campsite where we could visit the Tengrela river and hopefully see home hippos. We woke up early to make the most of our day and were ones again greeted with a bill that said 1500 per person and 1000 for the car??? What? We were getting ripped off again, even after confirming the price the night before. But with our very little French it wasn't worth getting into an argument about it. We have decided, however, to pay up front for everything, or get the quotes in writing before hand.

We arrived to the next campsite (Farafina Campement) and were greeted by the most friendly owner that gave us a grand tour of his Campement. We agreed a price and mentioned how we had been made fools of previously in Burkina. But he was lovely and ensured us that would not happen with him and we paid for the camping there and then. (1000CFA per person) perfect!! He showed us his army of crocodiles which he was breeding to release into the river as numbers were becoming very low and ultimately effecting their tourism. He seemed incredibly proud, and so he should be. He then showed us the bats that would sleep in his big tree during the day and would fly out over his camp at night. Very cool to see them in daylight! He then continued his tour and showed us some of his artwork and played us a very cool tune on his African instruments. His name was Solo and was such an incredible host! 

He organised a pirogue trip for us the next morning (2000CFA each = £2.25) and needed to be ready for 5:45 in the morning, as it would be the best time to see the hippos.

So we set up camp and would find a nice spot for lunch. 

We walked up the road admiring the little village huts and little shops along the way. Greeting everyone we walked past. We found a lovely restaurant/cafe on the main road and thought we would get food there. It was so hot that day we thought we couldn't walk any further even if we wanted to... Shade and a cold drink was calling!

We ordered whole chickens each (they are small here, nothing like the mass fed ones at home!), which according to the Burkinas you HAVE to eat with your hands. Robs worst nightmare as he likes food to come already deboned. But he gave it a go, and when he couldn't take it anymore gave it to Charles and Cat to polish off. It was Devine and the flavours amazing! 

We noticed the chicken balls were still attached, and a Rob being squeamish with this food already. I dared him to eat one... Which I never thought he would do. But he did it as long as I never brought up him blowing our money on the Jack Daniels ever again! (Obviously fed up of grovelling.. Lol!) I thought this was a fair bet and to my horror.... he did it!!!!

Back at the camp site we enjoyed another, under the stars, bucket shower while watching the village over the wall go about their jobs. This is incredibly liberating and such fun!! A real touch of Africa living!

Senegal - Mali border

The road leading to Kedougou was less than desirable as we dodged some seriously large potholes. Some of the road was good and then a massive pothole would creep up on you and you would be swerving all over the road. Then the tar would end and you'd be doing some serious off-roading alongside trucks and top heavy buses. But the boys did amazingly as they drove on this roads with pizzaz, making our heavy vehicles dodge around these potholes as if they were dancers on ice!

In the morning, we headed off from Relais de Kedougou (one of the only campements in town to let us camp in the car park) at 7am in hope to get through the border by midday so we could make our way to a decent campsite in Mali. We all have our wits about us since news about the terrorist hostage event in late November in a hotel in Bamako(where we need to be for more visas). We are aware that they have hightened security until March around the city, which I suppose is a good thing and probably one of the safest times, in reality, to visit Mali. But I suppose we will have to wait and see what Bamako brings when we get there.

We arrived at the Moussala border at 9am. The police check point was in a building to the right and we were greeted by 2 very friendly officers that stamped our passports out of Senegal. They wrote all our details into their notepad, no electronics here. But what a  calm and relaxing experience with no corruption. Just smiles and handshakes all round. (No money asked for!)

Then we drove to the next building (customs) which was only about 100metres down the road on the left. It was a cream building and here they too were friendly, all interested in our travels. Here they stamped our carnet out of Senegal (Again no money asked for).That all took about half an hour! No hassles, no fuss!

We then went over the bridge and now for the Mali side.

The buildings are on the left and the officers would direct us to where we needed to go. The first building was where they stamped our passports into Mali. Once again very friendly and happy! Then we were told to go to the next building (customs) where they told us the Carnet is not necessary for Mali, but we needed the Laissez Passer Touristique (entry permit for the vehicle). This cost 15000CFA (£17) for a 1month entry. Then back to the first building for a police stamp on the vehicle entry permit. No corruption, no bribes. 

Then at the barrier to enter Mali there was a building to the left where they made a note of the vehicle registration and name of the driver. We were done by 10:45! 

At that we decided to enjoy a very delicious Mali coffee (coffee with condensed milk) and buy some meat rolls (bones and all much to Robs dismay) at this border in one of the street stalls for our lunch later. Normally after a border crossing we are all on edge and feeling like we have been shafted. Meaning we would normally not stick around and would be out of there as quickly as we had got in. This was relaxed as we got to know all the border officials and were having a great time! Easiest border so far and highly recommended!

Last we had to pay a toll road fee of 500CFA (£0.55) and we were in Mali! 

We headed towards Cool Camp where we would spend our first night in Mali. The road to get there is a very uneven dirt track, as you try make your way slowly over the bashed up piste. It was a hard day's drive and very tiring! Beautiful scenery, and the people are amazing! When you drive past the little villages they wave and some of the kids even blew kisses back when you send them one. Such a happy feeling, no chance of frowns in this country! We had heard it was dangerous, but there was no signs of anything negative so far!

We were just glad we got the the border early so we could make it to camp on the same day. We were all saying how driving in one of the most dangerous countries at night wasn't the most ideal thing in the world, but we finally arrived just past 7:30 and were greeted by an extremely friendly man who spoke English! It's the small things that make your day! He was so welcoming and made us feel at home! It's worth a visit just for him! 

We finally have arrived in Bamako and at The Sleeping Camel, even with Charles' clutch fluid leaking and therefore meaning no clutch! This place is amazing and even has A HOT SHOWER (haven't had one since Zebra Bar! We will enjoy Mali by the looks of it so far! We are enjoying a cold beer and chatting with some awesome people here! 

VISA run tomorrow! 😁

New year in Senegal

After a long day of driving and getting lost, we finally arrived at Djidjack campsite (http://www.djidjack.com) on the the coast line close to Palmarin. The coordinates on the website were all wrong and took us into the heart of some very secluded villages. We pulled up outside one of the villages to check we had entered in the coordinates correctly and discuss plan B if need be.

Well, that was wishful thinking. As we stopped the cars, the whole village flocked towards us shouting for presents (cadeau in French). They obviously had never had a couple of cars like ours and people of our skin colour ever visit their villages. The cars were parked side by side, but there was no hope trying to chat about where to go next, as the kids and adults where literally surrounding each car, screaming, laughing, talking and pretty much climbing on top of each other to get a look at us and what was inside the cars. 

Rob had a pack of Mentos fruit sweets on the dash board, which was definitely what they were eyeing out. Rob picked up the packed and I was shocked. These are his prized possession and he refuses to share them with anyone if he can help it. This was his second last packed left and he was treasuring them. So I was shocked to see he was even entertaining the idea of giving these away. As he lifted them off the dash board, a hand swooped in as fast as lightening and snatched it away, leaving him with half the packet left in his hand. Rob and myself starred at each other in shock, as we thought 'what the hell just happened there!?'. The kids were now fighting over these sweets and there were Mentos flying all over the place. Of course Rob just handed the rest into the chaos and they lapped it up, eventually asking for more!! CADEAU, CADEAU, CADEAU.... the continuous demanding for more was unreal!

We decided to head back where we had come from and ask a hotel we had passed down the road if they could direct us. So slowly we edged the cars in reverse, eventually making the crowd disperse. Such a fun experience actually, however I think Rob would say otherwise as he couldn't get over how rude these kids were... Not even a thanks. And now he only has one packet left! Lol

We arrived into the campsite and were pleased to see Gill and Marlene in the campsite, they've almost become our travel parents by the way we keep bumping into them. We had heard so many nice things about this campsite, but were a little disappointed. The bungalows look really nice, but the camping seems such an after thought with the rubbish being dumped next to where you sleep. The next day, we enjoyed a good breakfast before wondering onto the beach and were greeted by a very awesome flat, blue ocean with an enormous shipwreck off the shoreline. It looked like it had been there for some time and the rust would eventually be its maker. We wondered along the beach front admiring the different shells and taking in the sights. A fantastic relaxing afternoon.

We decided we would not visit The Gambia as we had heard about its awful corrupt border and the corruption of the police force inside. Demanding money and making life hell for its tourists. There has not been one person we have met or read about recently that has said they enjoyed it. Most having been fined ridiculous amounts for one thing or another and having to fight against the police for your freedom. This just seems like hassle and money we don't have to just throw away. It's a pity, because we have heard it has some beautiful coast lines and they speak English!! It's the small things... Lol!

So we needed to start heading inland to make our way to Mali. We drove for two days until we got to Wassadou Camp (https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Hotel_Review-g1602157-d3321550-Reviews-Hotel_Campement_Wassadou-Tambacounda_Tambacounda_Region.html). It was expensive (they would only allow us to camp if we had dinner in the restaurant), but what a gem of a place. We drove up a long 4km dirt track, that seemed like it would go on forever. But we got to this secluded camp that overlooked the Gambia River. An absolute stunning spot!

Rob was also thrilled as they had a car ramp where Rob could look at a random jingle under the car we had developed after our desert driving. Rob, and his trusty helper Charles, pulled out the rear diff expecting to see a loose bearing or something along those lines, but unfortunately found nothing. So they put it all back together and joined us girls at the river view to soak up the sun and enjoy the sun going down.

Us girls have become quite the avid bird watchers as we sat there with our binoculars, cameras and bird books; truly looking the part, while watching the happenings of the river. It was fantastic and we started coming up with a list of awesome birds we were putting names to. We saw the following: Fish Eagles, Palm-nut Vultures, African Harrier Hawk, Pied kingfisher, Hamerkop, Hadeda, Grey Plantain Eater, plovers and one that drove us mad as we couldn't quite give it a name until day 2... A Black-crowned Night-heron. It was fantastic and so tranquil! 

Then the monkeys and baboons decended on the trees across from us giving us a show! They were hilarious as we watched them swinging from the trees, playing and fighting and just being hooligans. We watched them for hours until it was time to get ready for dinner.

Once again we ate like kings as they brought us our starters. Egg salad with a delicious mustard and vinegar dressing. Then for mains which was marinated beef cubes and rice and then for desert which was a fruit salad. It was amazing and totally worth it! 

In the morning we wanted to leave early to find out about the Niokolo-Koba National Park and find out about their entrance fees. Apparently this park has wildlife, but much less than the Game reserves down south as unfortunately, its been subjected to hunting and poaching, so we were already a little sceptical as to its prices and whether it would be worth it. 

They said we were unable to enter the park without a guide and therefore one needed to come in each vehicle. That however, would be a problem since we only have 2 seats in each car, but this was no issue for them as they would just sit on the roof.... Yes that's right, they would just sit on the roof of our cars!? England's health and safety department would have a heart attack if they knew. Lol!

So it would cost 10000CFA per guide, 6000CFA per person, 10000CFA per vehicle and 5000CFA camping fee, so that is 37000CFA (£41) per day per couple! Ouch!!! So we decided against this and would do our game drives down south where there would be a better chance of seeing animals and we could drive at our own pace without a guide.

So we headed into town to grab a few supplies and would head back to Wassadou as it was New Year's Eve we thought a nice campsite would go down just a treat! Our first mission was to draw more cash before heading to Mali, but all the banks were either not working or had a massive queue. So no option, but to joined the queue, if you can call it that!? In England you queue in an orderly line and wait your turn, here you just stand amoung the crowd and hopefully someone will be nice and let you go in front of them. It took about half an hour but we got to have a chat with the locals. One asked me if I was married, of course I confirmed I was and that he was in Senegal with me. I asked him whether he was married and he said no. Then he asked if I had children, after telling him I didn't, he was shocked. "Why do you not have children?" He asked puzzled. "You should have children!" He couldn't understand that I did not want them. In Senegal, the more the merrier. There's something wrong with you if you don't. In the end to get him to stop asking questions and looking at me funny, I told him I would have later, not now. And he seemed happy enough with that. Very amusing!

Then downtown, we made friends with a few of the kids. They kept up their usual tricks asking for CADEAU, CADEAU, CADEAU.... we decided we would trick them into forgetting about asking for presents and asked them their names and had a bit of a chat. When we mentioned a photo, they were all in there and happy to be in it. One guy was a little weird and kept smelling my armpit!! Yes, smelling my armpit! It was roasting that day and I'm not shy to say I was hot and a little sweaty! The poor kid should have fallen over with the fumes, but then again, if I don't say so myself, I smelt better than them. So I'm just gonna go with my lingering perfume being the thing he was smelling 😜😜😜

We left them with big goodbyes and now in search of booze. As I got out to ask the petrol stations where we could find, they directed us back into town. When I got back to the car Cat had seen a chicken stall where they cook whole chickens on hot flames and add onion, secret chicken spices, mayonnaise and mustard. It smelt amazing so we ordered one as well for lunch. It was New Year's Eve after all!

Once back at the campsite the owner told us that the price was more for New Year's Eve as they had a big menu planned and show/party. He told us drinks were included, and that was us sold. It would cost 49200CFA (£54) for the night. Ouch! But it was so worth it! We spent the rest of the day vegging by the river Gambia reuniting ourselves with our birds and baboons. Brilliant afternoon! 

We had to be at the restaurant for 7pm so at 6pm we had to say goodbye to our hooligan friends and try make ourselves look a little bit presentable. Cold showers all round and some smarter looking clothes were dug out of our clothes boxes. Cat and I even put on makeup! It was really nice feeling pretty again! We've gotten so used to not putting on makeup that it was a nice change. To think at home in the uk, I'd never step foot outside the house without makeup! Things certainly have changed!

We were in for a treat! 5 course meal with fresh bread out the oven, white wine, red wine and champagne! And then for the show. Senegalese people from the neighbouring villages dancing and singing to drums. They had different dances for different things, like a dance to bless the peanut and wheat crops and a rain dance. The host was hilarious and tried his best to converse in English with us. Cat and I even got pulled up to join in and try their local dancing styles. It was brilliant fun and we got to see 2016 happen with a bang Senegelese style! 

We hope you all had wonderful celebrations as we did! And wish you all the best for 2016 in life, love, work, and travel! Happy new year everyone!!! 🍾🎉💞😁

Dakar and Lac Rose, Senegal

After spending days searching the net and speaking to other travelers for any information on whether there was a campsite in Dakar. We came to the conclusion there was nothing. We had thought about camping in a hotel car park and spoke to a couple that were currently doing that. After hearing they were spending 20000CFA (£22) a night, we weren't willing to do that! We then looked at Airbnb as an option, but needed somewhere that had secure parking for our homes on wheels. But that would still be a more costly option than we are now used to. So in the end we decided we would head for Lac Rose and catch a taxi into the city to apply for our visas. 

Driving through the streets of Senegal is fascinating! After looking past the rubbish that lines the streets, you start to see the real beauty that this country is. Everyone waves and as we wave back, we get big smiles in return that leaves you with a real sense of happiness. The presence of everyday Senegalese art is everywhere on the streets. The taxis are covered in decorative writing and images; the buildings have colourful paintings (particularly the hairdressers and barbershops). The women are absolutely stunning and wear gorgeous colourful traditional outfits that show off their tall, model like bodies beautifully. They take great pride in their appearance, which is amazing to see! Cat and I keep saying we want a dress similar to what they wear in the beautiful colourful fabrics.

Well we arrived to the Lac Rose and eventually found our campsite (Le Calao Du Lac Rose) after a few sneaky buggers told us their campsite was around the corner and that ours was closed. But we were meeting Dave and Natalie there, so we knew it was open. They certainly do like to try their luck! The campsite was beautiful with a pool and nice facilities!

As we were nursing some serious hangovers from the night before, we were not much fun to be around. Poor Dave and Natalie had to put up with us very sleepy bunch of people. But we had a great time chatting the night away, while enjoying some red wine and whiskey they had bought for us, and sitting under the bright moon which had a perfectly formed circle of cloud or fog around it which non of us could explain. Unfortunately we had to call it an early night as we needed to be up early to get our Mali visa in Dakar. So we said our goodbyes and wished Dave and Natalie a safe journey home. And with no surprise, we passed out as soon as we got into our tents.

The alarm went off at 6am the next morning ready for our taxi to collect us at 7. We got our things together and made our way to the camp enterance where we waited and waited and waited.... Still at 7:30 the taxi had still not shown up. Eventually the owner called the taxi driver for us and he said he would be at the campsite in 10min. Well this only meant one thing... we had to go and disturb Dave and Natalie! So the boys tip toed up to their tent and shook it like crazy! Bet they were wishing they never came to this campsite after all. Nothing like an early morning wake up call when you're on your last day of holiday. Lol!

We got into the taxi, which like all the others, was dilapidated and in serious need of repair. But we drove for ages until we reached the Mali embassy arriving at about 9:15am. Not bad going since the driver had no idea where to go and had to stop and ask people on our way there. The Mali visa was done within seconds (I suppose with Mali's political situation, it was crazy to expect a queue!). All that was needed was to fill out the application form, hand over 2 passport sizes photos, 1 copy of our passport and pay 25000CFA (£28) each. We were instructed to come back at 3o'clock. Perfect!

We strolled up the coastal road and found ourselves at a very large luxury shopping mall. Very strange after being accustomed to stalls on the side of the road, falling to pieces and offering out of date foods. The place was empty and almost deserted. But we strolled up and down looking at all the western shops like Zara and Mango in amazement! We found a grocery store so stocked up on things we couldn't find on the streets. Then it was time for our morning coffee, so we sat down in the food court (on a couch, I might add!!!!) and enjoyed a cup of vanilla latte while watching people start to make their way into the food court. It was strange to see mostly westerners eating and visiting the shopping centre. I suppose this is where the rich and the famous come to enjoy a peaceful meal and a bit of shopping on the waters edge.

We started making our way back to the embassy but decided a spot of lunch was needed so stopped next to the sea to make our sandwiches. We were sat in the baking sun, so we decided to move on in search of some shade! The only place we could find was in the University grounds, so we sat quietly while watching the scholars around us intently studying and revising for what looked like some intense exams. 

Well we went in to the embassy at about 2:30 and we were pleased to see our visas where ready. Such an easy process, so now to wait for our taxi to take us back to the campsite. While we waited a guy came over with a cart that said Nescafé on it, so we bought a cup of coffee from him at 100CFA (£0.11) each. To be more precise, it had 2 and half teaspoons of coffee and 4 teaspoons of sugar in a little cup you would normally get at the dentists to wash your mouth out. It surprisingly was very tasty!

We decided we would spend the next couple of days at the campsite and enjoy our Christmas here. There was one particularly strange Frenchmen who very weirdly would come over and throw water on Cat and myself when were least expecting it. Not particularly bothered by Charles and Robs presence. But we soon got over it, realising he was harmless and just a bit of a flirt. We ended up paying volley ball with him and the owners son every evening at 6. It was actually great fun and got quite competitive when Mr Frenchman wasn't cheating... Lol! 

We decided we would walk around the Lac Rose in hope to see the pink hue the water shines when the sun is high. Unfortunately that morning Rob and myself had a bit of an argument. Robs grumpiness grinds on me sometimes and I guess I then make it worse by rubbing it in. So he decided he would stay in camp and sulk, while the the three of us explored the river side. I really wish he had come with, because we had an amazing morning. 

Lac Rose was the one place I was truly looking forward to seeing. Everyone knows I'm a girl that loves pink, so this would be right up my street! Lac Rose is a shallow lagoon where the water is 10 times saltier than the ocean, and the high concentration of minerals causes the lake to shimmer in a pink light when the sun is high. We watched tourists swimming in the lake, getting out and then being bathed by Senegalese men to wash the salt off. We came across stalls that housed beautiful African art. All sorts of things, like paintings, wood carved African animals and sculptures, decorated cow horns, and fabrics. The sellers were much less forceful that the Moroccans and we were able to walk into their stalls and have a chat and learn more about them without being forced to buy something. 

We stopped and enjoyed a cold beer while trying to decide whether the water had a pink tinge to it or whether it was our mind playing tricks on us. As we couldn't decide we moved onto the next bar where we chatted to the barman and had a few laughs. He thought Charles had two wives, as the three of us sat there. In Senegal it is accustomed for the men to have up to 4 wives if they can afford them. When we explained that Charles and I were in fact brother and sister, he laughed and agreed that would not be a good thing. Cat explained how where we come from only 1 is allowed! 

We made our way onto the jetty where we sat and took in the scenery! It was absolutely gorgeous! The water now definitely was a shade of pink. We watched how the men worked while bobbing in the salt water and churning the salt up for the salt refineries that lined the shores. 

Rob was missing out and I felt awful that he was. So we found out what they were cooking for Christmas and would go back to camp to find out what our campsite was cooking and discuss it with him.

Once back at the campsite, Rob was still not in any better mood. But he soon came round and said to him we would make our way back to let the restaurant know if we were eating there or not, and to see a little of what Lac Rose was all about. We decided we would eat at our campsite as it was slightly cheaper and they were cooking beef steaks!

We wondered back, but as it was late now couldn't stop and look at all the stalls so rushed to the restaurant to let them know we would not have Christmas dinner there. So we enjoy another cold one, where Rob could see the colour of the lake. On our way back we watched the Osprey's flying low and what look like, nesting on the side of the lake. We had a few people come over to us trying to sell their goods. Rob and I ended up falling in love with some pictures made of sand, so we started bargaining. He started at 50000CFA (£55), well at this we started walking away! That was a crazy price for one! After throwing some figures back and forth we ended up buying 4 for 5000CFA (£5.50).... Much better price and he threw in a bag of salt to say thanks. After buying something we were then hounded by others (particularly one woman who was very persistence, almost throwing her jewellery at us) so we swiftly made our way back to the campsite.

Christmas came around and we had an amazing day feeling quite Christmassy in a place that doesn't celebrate it. We spent the day calling our families and friends while sat by the pool side. It's a strange thing to explain, but speaking to the people that you love the most is very special when you are on the other side of the world. While at home, you are consumed by work, bills, and routine, and therefore very rearly make time for the things and people that matter the most! It was a great day and we got to eat like kings!

We left the Lac Rose and are headed south. But first we needed to stop off at the Village for Tortoises (turtles as the guide kept saying). This is a conservation sight for tortoises who get released back into the wild after their rehabilitation. Some come to the sanctuary after being treated badly by their owners by feeding them bad foods, and therefore causing them to deform, or being burned or hurt in the wild. They are becoming endangered, so they are doing their best to help prevent this. The guide was telling us that the Senegalese people don't understand the importance of the survival of these animals and how their waste which is just thrown to the ground is causing such chaos to the wildlife around them. Getting the right help and backing was proving difficult.

We started off with the older tortoises who were absolutely massive, compared to the little baby ones we saw later on that would fit snugly in the palm of your hand. 

We learnt so much about these reptiles like how to differentiate the sex of them, by the shape of their shells. The male's shell being curved inwards underneath and the back of the shell having more of a tail, while the female's shell ended sooner, leaving a gap. They really live the good life if they are in a good environment, with their general activities being eating, drinking, pooing and fornicating (as the guide said), and can live up to 150years old. Brilliant peaceful animals.

Unfortunately We have all come down with a very nasty bug, which means we are 'shitting through the eye of a needle', as Rob would say. Lol! Yes, it's coming out both ends, but hopefully we will get over it quickly! Charles, Rob and I had it yesterday and Cat today. I suppose it's the price we pay for living such an awesome life here in Africa!

Zebrabar, Senegal

We headed into town on the Monday to collect Charles and Cats tent cover hoping they had done a good repair on the broken zip and a few other jobs they had asked to be done to make the cover a little stronger. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the repair they had in mind but it would do the job with a bit of fiddling and would hopefully last all the way to South Africa. While Charles and Cat were sorting that out we had a Senegalese man show us his handmade jewellery which Rob ended up buying a copper style bracelet for 1000CFA (£1.10). After he bought it, Rob realised he had lost his phone. Earlier that day we were in the phone shop getting a local sim card so we headed back there to see if anyone had handed it in (unlikely in these parts, but worth a try). We were sad to see it had closed. There were two European girls that said they were staying in the area and could check whether our phone was there in the morning. So we gave them our details, expecting never to hear from them, but worth a try.

In the morning we decided to pack up the tent at 6am to be there for opening time at 7:30am in hope to get it back. We went in and they said they hadn't had anything handed in. So it was gone! The more we thought about the more we thought maybe the Senegalese man with the jewellery had possibly pick pocketed Rob. It certainly wasn't the end of the world, but a lesson learned, so we headed back to camp. 

Then about 4days later I received an email from one of the European girls to say they had Robs phone, but didn't have reception to contact us sooner (we know all to well about that!). Such fantastic news, but the problem was that she had already left for Dakar and then off to Guinnea Bassau, which was not somewhere we were going. We still may never see it again. But still amazing to know that it wasn't stolen and these girls were trying their hardest to get it back to us. 

We then felt awful that we had blamed the Senegalese man, and we took back all our accusations!

While enjoying our lazy days in camp, Cat and I have learnt that fishing is actually such fun! I always thought fishing was boring as hell and could never get my head around it. But there I was loving every second! We spent a number of our days casting our lines out in the hope of catching something. Normally we would catch the odd clam, rubbish bag, shoe, sock and pants (of course we were trying to get a whole outfit)... But every so often there would be a fish! Fantastic, that meant we had another free meal! We have however destroyed our rods in the process, as we possibly need more heavy duty equipment for sea fishing, and will have to buy a new one at some point, as well as replacing the lures that the fish decided to steal while casting our lines. Charles and Cat have been our fish mongers as they gut and descale the fish ready for eating. Rob is not a lover of fish but he did really well and tried everything.

Charles, Cat and myself were out fishing one day while Rob stayed at the campsite. We weren't having much success catching anything, but we were soaking up the sun, watching the crabs make their little homes in the sand and trying to fish. We saw rob in the distance walking towards us along the beach with something massive dangling at his side. The closer he got to us we could finally see what he was carrying... A MASSIVE RAY! 

One of the couples in the campsite had taken the canoes out for the day to the little island opposite from the campsite. He had some serious fishing kit which meant he was able to catch far more substantial sized fish than we could. But he had no idea what to do with this massive ray, so gave it to Rob. Rob and Charles spend the rest of the afternoon figuring out how to gut and skin this massive fish. They did well and we were left with massive lumps of meet that we would have for dinner. So we went over to the couple that had caught it and said we had gutted it and would have it for dinner if they would like to join us.

We had a fantastic evening learning about them and their travels around the world. They were from Germany and had build an old 4WD Peugeot Van which they had converted fr their trip down to Senegal. They would spend a month in Senegal and then drive home where they had their next trip booked to Thailand for diving. We lit a fire and got some veg boiling away in our Dutch oven while Cat made some couscous and Charles fried the Ray as we weren't sure if it would just fall apart on the fire. We were all shocked to see the meat of the Ray looked like rows of segments in an orange piece. We were hoping it would taste good (always awkward when you're trying to cook something new for guests). We dished up and it was gorgeous! Not fishy at all and almost seemed like chicken. Fantastic meal and always a relief when seeing our guests go back for seconds.

During our last few days at the camp a large yellow tour truck called OasisOverland descended on our quiet Zebrabar campsite. It was filled with 21 people from 8different countries and of all ages. Watching them set up their tents and going about their set tasks was definitely an interesting thing to see as it seemed like a military operation.  Slowly one by one we started meeting them and learning about the dynamics of the team. It looked like it was great fun as they all bounced off each other and could see how they would soon be friends for life. We learned that the tour started from London and would go down the west coast of Africa to Cape Town and then back up the east side to Cairo in 40weeks. 10 of the group would do the whole 40 weeks and others would get off at certain points where more people would then join. There were some people that were on their 100th country that they were visiting. Most definitely shows us what small fish we are!

Our last day in the camp we got to know the group a little more as some of them joined us by our cars, while we drank beer and got merry. It was such fun as the banter started to flow. This would be a long evening of drinking and most certainly meant hangovers in the morning! After dinner we joined them around their fire where they showed us some beautiful pics of their trip so far, we spoke about visas and routes through Africa. Then we moved up to the bar where we sat chatting until the wee hours of the morning. Such fun!!

They were a great bunch and definitely sad to have to say goodbye but of course we wished them safe travels as they did for us.

So packing up this morning was most definitely a hard task as we all had very fragile bodies with burning headaches. But it was time to hit the road, so we settled the bill and said our goodbyes to everyone at the Zebrabar. I am going to particularly miss Nora, a 3year old little black girl who had been adopted by the German family who owned Zebrabar. I'm even going to miss their little puppy called Wifi who had mega sharp teeth and loved to nip at your heals for your attention, which meant walking to the ablution blocks was always a relief when you arrived in one piece! It's safe to say that we absolutely loved our time there as we were only meant to spend a couple of days, but ended up spending two weeks there! A perfect spot in paradise!

Diama Border to Saint Louis, Senegal

Leaving Auberge Menata was sad as it had been a fantastic spot to stop and regroup. We met loads of interesting travellers and had a great time learning about their adventures and where they were headed to next. We met two lovely Austrians, Florian and Sandra, who both worked for Doctors Without Borders and had been to amazing places such as Syria, Irac and now helping out with the refugees in Europe. 

Of course our lovely couple from Belgim, Marlene and Gill who had two log cabins and offered them up for hire while putting on theatre productions for their guests. Their vast amount of travels they had done over the years, offered them new ideas and material for their next productions. 

We had also met a lovely gentleman, Rotger who worked at the Dutch embassy in Moscow, Russia. He had come to Africa for two weeks bussing his way from Morocco to Senegal. We had invited him to have dinner with us while we had a fantastic evening talking about the world and having a good laugh. He brought dessert offering us a huge bag of chocolate M&M's! Cat and I were in heaven!! 

Getting up bright an early on Monday morning, we wondered what the day would through at us with notorious warnings about the fixers and corruption at the borders between Maurintania and Senegal. There are two borders that we could decide between, but after reading about the two options, we had come to the conclusion that the quieter border would be our best bet which would be Diamma. The Rosso border is much larger and the one most people use while moving between the two countries. It is however the one that most overlanders experience the most trouble and can often take days to get through. It also meant we would have to take a ferry to cross the border which only runs 4 times a day, whereas Diamma has a bridge which is open 24hours a day. Diamma, west of Rosso, has its own issues with the road to get there being only accessible by 4WD, particularly not accessible in the rainy seasons as the road becomes one big mud bath. As we are in the dry season, a much better bet.

We were all set to go and head off with our friends, Marlene and Gill. Driving out of Nouakchott would be an adventure on its own as we were right in the heart of the morning traffic. Five lanes were created on a two lane road with cars weaving in and out with the odd car coming up the middle of the lanes in the wrong direction. At that point I was absolutely over the moon that I wasn't driving! Rob however, was absolutely loving this with it's 'no rules apply' kind of driving and used our 'I'm bigger than you' style to slowly weave our way through. Surprisingly, we all managed to make our way out of town without a single scratch!

We stopped on the side of the road to have a quick snack, when Charles noticed a huge thorn in the sidewall of his tyre. Bugger!! A flat tyre is the last thing we needed as we didn't want to keep Marlene and Gill waiting for us. But Rob put a bit of the tyre adhesive stick from our tyre repair kit into the hole, hoping that would do the trick till we got to the other side. Well it worked and Charles was loosing no pressure even after a few days of checking. We will still continue to check, but a brilliant result.

We arrived at the enterance of the Diawling National Park and paid our 2000 smarties each (£4.50) and 1000 gummy bears for the car (£2.20), you have to go through this park to get to the Diamma border. But this was a beautiful park as we tried to pick the best routes on the dried up mud churned road, with beautiful birds, warthogs and monkeys while the land scape now much greener with the sight of water all around us. Such a beautiful way for Mauritania to bid us farewell.

We arrived at the first barrier where our details where to be checked. We handed our passports over and they asked for €10 for compensation. I said no with a smile so we got up and moved onto the next building, while Rob moved the car through through the first barrier. This was the police control where they shuffled you into the small building and closed the door behind you. This was the police control where they would put the exit stamps in our passports. They asked for €10 again before stamping so we couldn't deny this one. We told him we had no euros, only Ouguiya's (Pokemon's). So he said 3000 (£6.70) will do. We reluctantly handed this over, when surprisingly he handed us back 500 smarties for Rob having such a good beard. What, this was crazy! But we certainly weren't going to complain, so we left all laughing and smiling with hands being shaken. (I even got my hand shaken, which is something we have learnt does not happen! Ladies don't get greeted or acknowledge.)

Well it was then onto customs and the next barrier. There was a man asking for 500 Yougi Bears for the pleasure of parking our vehicle between the barriers. We asked for a receipt and he had one. As we were stuck between barriers, we didn't really have a choice so we paid the man. Then it was customs where we would stamp the vehicle out of Maurintania. Rob wasn't with me so I went in first before calling him where they shut the door after me and all smiles and greetings were being made (obviously more sneaky business was about to commence) then Rob entered and they all went very stern and serious. After checking all the registration documents they asked again for €10. Rob mentioned that we paid the guys before, but they weren't having any of it. We had no Euro's and showed them what we had left in Ouguiya's, making sure our dollars were hidden away. We only had 1000 left (£2.20) so they took it without asking for anything else. Perfect! We had gotten away with only paying £10 at this notorious border. We are slowly learning how this all works. 

We drove across the bridge and into Senegal! We got our things stamped and sorted with no corruption. But unfortunately they wouldn't stamp our Carnet. I tried everything, offering to spend money in the northern parts of the country, even a bit of flirting, but they weren't having any of it. We had read that they stopped stamping it at the border within the past year but would still give it our best shot. They instructed us to get it stamped in Dakar within 48hours only. This was awful news as we wanted to spend at least a week in Saint Louis at the Zebrabar for Robs birthday. 

Driving through the border I immediately got the sense that we were finally in Africa!!! Beautiful woman wearing tradition dresses, beautiful scenery, and monkeys in the road. It was a feeling I'd get as a kid, when our folks would take us to the game reserves and enjoy the quiet, wild bush-veld. 

We arrived into The Zebrabar (http://www.zebrabar.net) after a quick trip into the centre of Saint Loius where we could draw some cash and randomly met up with some of the travellers we saw in the Menata camp site. This is where we finally could enjoy a cold beer!! It went down a treat as spoke to the owner about our dilemma with the carnet. She said it's been like that for 7years now and really effecting the tourism in the north, which is so sad to hear as this campsite and its surroundings were absolutely gorgeous. But she told us that there is a bush taxi that runs into Dakar. So the boys decided they would do that in the morning with Gill. 

We once again met two lovely people called Dave (American) and Natalie (German) and would have dinner all together while enjoying more cold ones. Rob and I started to feel really ill and realised it was because we had only shared a small bottle of water and hadn't eaten anything all day (Rooky mistake!). We had dehydrated in the African sun. I couldn't eat anything and had to give my food to the boys, Cat was lucky and could enjoy the whole bottle of wine to herself! 

Dave and Natalie told us how they met as they ran expeditions with Drakoman Tours, but now had started up their own business (http://infiniteadv.com/) in America where they take groups of up to 16 people up to Alaska to see the Bears and other amazing things. They had both travelled the world loads and told us amazing stories. They were so captivating and we all thought it would be a great adventure to go on one of their tours! 

Rob and Charles got up at the crack of dawn to leave for Dakar at 7am where they would get their carnets stamped. As us girls couldn't join them, I'll have to hand over to Rob to tell you how the day went. (Ps: please forgive Rob's swearing! He normally can't string a sentence together without using a swear word, so it's totally normal. But I promised him I wouldn't edit it)

Me, Chappers (Charles) and Gill got the bush taxi (an ancient shithole Peugeot estate) from St. Louis it would cost 5000cfa(£5.50) each. Unless the taxi wasn't filled with 8 people, we'd have to pay for the empty seats; so we sat and waited at the ranks for an hour or so (with hoards of kids begging for cash and bonbons. I'm starting to hate kids more and more) before it finally filled and departed.  Chappers was sat in the boot with two huge fellas. And me in the middle row with a small woman (that stank like a rhino that's been hitting the gym) and another fella. And Gill got the front seat the lucky old goat. This was a 4 hour drive to Dakar. 

Once in Dakar we needed another taxi to the customs office for the carnet to be stamped. Immediately out of the bush taxi ranks, we were met with hundreds of taxis and their drivers. The fuckers where like flies and all fighting for our attention. This ride would cost 6000cfa (£6.50) between us. And was even more of a piece of shit than the last. The passenger rear shock wasn't attached and I'm quite sure there was no spring in there either. This was fun, going up a quiet toll road at I don't know how fast, as his speedo didn't work. 

Now at the customs 1:30pm, we where told they're on lunch and to come back at 3pm. So off we went in search of food. We ended up in I think, a small shipping container that had a few small tables and chairs inside. This was the restaurant we chose. What a mistake that was. They served up some rank fish stew that would no doubt, give us a dicky belly. It was shit, but Chappers ate it all, as did Gill. Dirty bastards. 

Any ways 3pm came and we waited outside a door in the customs office. Then we waited some more. And some more. I think they decided to have pudding or something. Eventually we were seen to and the fella checked our passports, carnets, the temporary, temporary papers(that gives the car 48 hours entry into Senegal) and the log books and put a stamp and a staple in the carnet. Then sent us to another room.

In the next room another guy removed the staple. Give us back our logbooks. Checked the carnet, and the temporary, temporary papers. Gave it another stamp, and sent us off to a third room. (they must be taking the piss now!) 

In the third room he asked for a photocopy of our logbook and passport, he wanted the temporary, temporary papers back, then asked how long we wanted to be in Senegal, gave us another stamp, ripped a bit out of the carnet and said finished. Finally!

Then we had to find a taxi back to the bush taxis. We found a fella, he was a bit slow and after asking for 10000cfa settled for 4 or 5000 depending if we wanted to take the toll roads. We took the quicker toll roads, but this was not very eventful and quite boring up to the rest of the taxis. 

Then for a bush taxi back to St. Louis. There were none! But there was a bus that would cost 5000cfa each. But Gill wasn't happy about this as busses are slower and wanted a taxi. So we missed the bus by a few minutes trying to negotiate prices with the taxi drivers. Then, after all that, decided we should get the bus, but the next one was at 7; 2hour wait. Fuck that, so we got a private taxi at the cost of 15000cfa each, after a lot of haggling. This was fine, a nice merc, so we thought. It was fucked. But he'd try get us back anyway. 

Ther rear wheel bearings and possibly diff bearings had all gone. Making a lovely drone and grinding noise for the full trip. This was ok, as the first bush taxi was the same. And I'd got used to it.

Then it got dark and he put his candles on. Yep, it had no lights. Nice. Only 2 hours to go, maybe even 3 with no lights and going a bit slower than normal. At least that's what we thought. He carried on at 80/90km/h all the way back. He only hit one warning triangle, just missed a second, a goat and a pig. But the speed bump, or speed wall I think is more accurate, was a bit more tricky to avoid as it went across the road completely. So we took off and landed with a large bang. We carried on as normal....80km/h. Then we got pulled. He paid a bribe. We got let go... And back to the campsite. In one piece!

The boys arrived back at 9pm. It was a weird feeling having no means to contact them, so we were starting to wonder if they would even return at all. They joined Cat, Dave, Natalie and myself around the table to tell us the happenings of their day. We were thrilled the carnet was stamped and therefore something we no longer had to worry about.

Cat and myself had a fantastic day with Dave and Natalie who so kindly took us with them into Saint Louis, where we had a nice stroll through the town center and along the river where we could watch the fishermen go about their jobs. We bought a very delicious Senegalese frozen fruit drink which was amazing in the blazing heat! We bought some veg and then back to the campsite for a chilled afternoon reading our books. That night we would make dinner for Dave and Natalie as we so enjoyed their company.

The next day we headed out in the canoes to the little island across the way with Dave and Natalie. We had a fantastic day swimming in huge ocean waves and soaking up the sun. That night we enjoyed another botched meal with veg and spam with Dave and Natalie. Rob mentioned we were having more dinner parties here in Africa than we ever had in England! There is no stress, just fun! It certainly is a hard life here in Africa!!

The next few days we would enjoy more beers, food, swimming, and sun... and who can forget, the big important day, Rob's birthday!!!!. The boys also did a few jobs on the car like changing a wheel bearing, and just the normal checks. Charles fixed his solar panels, bonnet, and also did the normal checks.

We are in Saint Louis today where Charles and Cat have found someone to fix their tent cover. It should be ready on Monday, so we have a few more days to enjoy in Paradise at the Zebrabar before we head off to Dakar to sort out more visas.  

Noudhibou and Nouakchott, Mauritania

Mauritania would greet us with yet another police checkpoint. There is certainly a difference between the police styles in Morocco to Mauritania; with Mauritania having military men check your details in a very stern and to the point way. They seem much scarier, however with us being very friendly with big smiles they seem to become much more relaxed and wave us through without any hassles.
We drove up the pristine tar roads with the white sand blinding us with the glare, as the wind kicked it up creating a fog like mist which meant we couldn't see too far ahead of us. Unfortunately the desert was still cluttered with rubbish which unfortunately steals the light away from these beautiful countries. Which is strange as they seem so patriotic with their flags flying EVERYWHERE and all decorations and signs being the flag colours of green and yellow, but yet they are not too fussed about living with filth all around them. Perhaps their rubbish removals are not as sufficient as we are so blessed to have in the UK.

We arrived into the city of Noudhibou and were in search of a campsite after a long, interesting, eye-opening and stressful day at the border. We wanted to just rest and hopefully find a warm shower after a day in the sandy wind. The city was buzzing with crazy, mental drivers that were even worse than the driving style we experienced in Morocco. They just drive and hope for the best!! If they were coming out of a parking space into the traffic, they would not wait for a gap but make a gap, pulling in whether you liked it or not. Four way junctions meant that you drive towards on coming traffic, and hopefully you would come out alive on the other side. It certainly makes for interesting driving!!
People were greeting us and waving at us as we drove through the chaos. You can't call this a beautiful city but certainly an interesting one with many colours, fascinating people, dusty roads and rubbish.

While driving down the main road we noticed a bank where we could draw some local currency. This proved harder than it sounds with the banks wifi being down and therefore the ATM machines not working. we tried one bank after another and still no luck. After about 6 times of trying we eventually came across a bank that would finally give us 50 000 Ouguiya's (£110) (We still can't pronounce this so we have been giving this currency all sorts of names such as Yougi bears, Smarties, Drachma's, Pokemon's, Uggums, Gummy bears and the list continues), but the feeling of holding a wad of notes gives you a false sense of being rich! Its a great feeling, if only!

After a long day, we arrived at the campsite which was small but to our great pleasure it had HOT WATER!!!!! It would be 5000 smarties for the night, which is almost UK prices at £11! I had read that Mauritania would be one of the most expensive so I suppose this was to be expected.
We had an early night without dinner, but with a cup of coffee before bed enjoyed in the campsites lounge type tents. When I say an early night, this is nothing like back at home with an early night being 10pm! Here in Africa an early night is 7:30, with us normally hitting the sack before 9pm. It is what happens when there is no booze, comfy couches or TV to help occupy the time.

In the morning we would start our course of Doxycyline Malaria tablets as we would be nearing the malaria area soon. We packed up camp and would head off to the Cap Blanc where we would hopefully see some Monk Seals. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky as they were all out fishing for the morning. We did however enjoy the beautiful views of the coastline and enjoyed a rather interesting route up the hill back to the information centre via rope. We watched swarms of sea gulls, crabs and snakes while enjoying a tranquil walk along the beach. On our way out of Nouadhibou we had to cross the train tracks where we saw one of the longest trains in the world pass us by. It was incredibly impressive while we waited for it to pass... eventually.

Our next point was to visit the National Park Banc d'Arguin which I had read offered beautiful spots for bird watching and had amazing dunes and beaches, but was only accessible by 4WD vehicles... Well, this would be no problem for us since we had well kitted vehicles that would do the job nicely. Well it turned out to be nothing like expected as the tracks that were pointed out on the Tracks for Africa maps on our Garmin were seriously out of date, and therefore found ourselves mapping out our own route through the desert.  The boys did so well driving through the soft sand until after lunch when we started getting more and more stuck. Rob did quite a lot of off-road driving back in the UK so his practise was coming in handy as he seemed to know just what to do, even if the sand was a new experience. We enjoyed getting the sand ladders and spades out when Charles got stuck and occasionally Rob as well.

We found a campsite for the night in the middle of nowhere next to the antlantic sea, where we were welcomed by 6 gorgeous Moroccan wild dogs. They were so friendly and just wanted a cuddle and a bit of love; unfortunately they are mostly very skinny which is difficult to witness! They would sleep under the cars and keep guard all night by barking the whole night long, so unfortunately we didn't get much sleep!! Just before jumping into bed we turned off all our lights to see the amazing clusters of stars. That's when we noticed the plankton in the sea which would shine in each wave as is barrelled over. Absolutely beautiful.

Well we were off into the dunes the next day and travelled more miles into the wilderness. Eventually I t was soon starting to get late and we were still miles away from civilization. We passed through a fishing village and were stopped by two men to ask for gifts. One was looking at me through the car windows very strangely and made me feel very uncomfortable. I did not want to get stuck here, but the boys managed to get out safe and sound. We had reached really big dunes and were still going nowhere fast. Panic set in and I started feeling very scared! We were in the middle of nowhere, getting stuck, running out of fuel at this point with no phones, and of course we had just pasted that village that looked as though they hadn't seen woman in a while. But I was stressing for nothing, working myself up and not looking at finding a solution but drowning in my own sorrows. Well I soon snapped out of this and joined the others for their support.
Well we came together, worked as a team and came up with a plan. We were on a roll after this and decided to head to the beach away from the dunes where we could rely on the harder beach sand to get us out of this rut. I loved this and being able to rely on each other was just the ticket!

When we got to the beach the tide was in and coming right up to the dunes, so we had some calculating to do. Cat and I would run along the beach and around the dunes (like Baywatch girls, of course) to see whether it was safe on the other side. The boys would wait for the waves to wash out and then make their move around the dunes after we gave the thumbs up. This worked well and the boys were doing great by avoiding getting pulled in by the sea.

The problem was we were still running out of diesel and Charles ran out first putting the only filled jerry can into the car. Then ours went, so we filled up ours leaving a little in case we needed to put more into Charles' tank.
We reached the main road after dark, thank goodness for that!!! and after going passed a police checkpoint we asked him where the next garage was. Well his answer was about 100km away. OH SHIT! It was dark and we had been told from day one never to drive at night for safety. What were we going to do now with Charles having about 15km left and us having just enough to get there. We spoke on the CB's and had come to the conclusion that we would tow when Charles had run out and hope for the best. While driving we noticed a small petrol pump next to a little brick house. We pulled over immediately as asked if they had diesel. They did not..... but said that there was a lady down the road that had a few jerry cans that she could sell to us. We were in luck and she sold 20L to Charles at a crazy price!!! £1.70 per litre!!! Ouch. But it meant that we would get to the next campsite without any worries. Cat had made friends with these ladies as they tried to converse in French. They got their English speaking families on the phone so that they could practise their English with her. It felt as though we had left as best friends!
Later we talked about them being so happy because Christmas had come all in one day for them!

We arrived at the campsite at about 9pm, had a hot chocolate and straight to bed after another night of no dinner. What a stressful but incredible day as everything fell into place after we had put our minds together.
The next morning we would head to Nouakchott, the capital city, where we would head to a campsite called Auberge Menata (5 000 pokemons(£11) per night per couple) where we met up with more amazing travellers. We will stay here for three nights and make our way to the Senegalese border on Monday in tow with a couple we had met in the campsite. They seem incredibly knowledgeable and seem to have travelled all over the world. With their help and guidance, hopefully this next border we will avoid all fixers and do it without paying much money! 

While in the centre of the city we decided to sort out a few things before we got to the border. So we headed into town to get insurance for the vehicles to avoid getting ripped off at the border. On our way we had children hanging off our arms and clothes asking for food, money, clothes, anything. Sad to see but we had to keep moving so we prised them off which was actually quite hard as they were strong and determined!!!
We paid for 3 months that would cover some of the other African countries (hopefully) at 13 495 Yougi bears(£31). And of course needed to get more copies of our fiches.
We popped into a store on the side of the road where we would try ask if they did copies. There was a gentlemen who was a customer of the shop but was interested in us and our travels. He helped organise a price for us for 50 copies each totalling 8 000 Uggums... but he ended up paying 2 000 to the shop owner to bring our total to 6 000(£13). What was happening? We were not being begged for a free gift? We were being offered money? This was very strange but of course we thanked him for his generosity!! He spoke about some of the travels he had done around the world, and of course about our own adventure. Another crazy moment that restores your faith in humanity!!! 

So tomorrow we will head to Senegal, wish us luck for the border!