Bolgatanga - end of the road

There were times when we thought we wouldn't, but on Monday we reached our final destination - Bolgatanga, Ghana. We'd driven more than 4,000 miles, endured an ever-changing landscape, extremes of climate, political instability and mechanical breakdowns. But we made it intact. The last day was not without incident. We'd bade a tearful farewell to Malvena on the Friday night - it was strange not having her in the car and we all missed her. But Philip Hancock and Dave Brown, whom we picked up in Ouaga for the final leg of the trip, soon established themselves as entertaining travelling companions. We travelled on Sunday to Nazinga Game Park in Burkina Faso which boasted several hundred elephants. Whether they were all hiding or had been shot I'll never know but we saw not one of the long-nosed bastards. On the Monday morning we made our way to the Ghana border where, guess what, Beast 2 wouldn't start. We'd had a problem with the battery and so when a mechanic came it was easy for him to spot the problem and cure it at least temporarily. I was pleased because the idea of being towed into Bolga would have been humiliating to say the least. When we did finally arrive in mid-afternoon we received a warm welcome and a couple of bottles of bubbly. It had been an unbelievable trip. We learnt a lot about the countries we visited, a considerable amount about diesel engines and car electronics, and more importantly something about ourselves. I'd like to add my personal thanks to all those who followed our progress and who offered their support both moral and financial. Without you it would not have been possible to realise this crazy idea. But achieve it we did.
Thanks also to my family for putting up with my long absence, and to Ben, Nick and Malvena for all the fun we had. It was unforgettable and I believe we've left the Ghana health service with two fine vehicles especially the one with the roof rack! .

Ouagadougou

Beast 1 wouldn't start when we set off on Thursday morning. The Maissa Hotel was a pleasant place to break down and the people at reception summoned a mechanic within minutes. While Nick stayed with the stricken car, Malvena and I bought provisions and changed money and by the time we returned the car was fixed. The clutch that had been repaired the previous day had been fashioned from a part not specifically designed for our Nissan. We now had the right component and it drives like a dream. We drove over the border into Burkina Faso with scarcely a hiccup and decided to push on the 450 miles to Ouagadougou. Nick and I led with Malvena following with i-pod in her ears. It was a difficult drive once night fell. There were lorries that had no lights seemingly popping out of nowhere and the inevitable potholes. Yet we were exultant when we arrived at the Hotel Yibi at 10.30 and took great delight in waking Ben up. He was pleased to see us. He felt he'd missed out on the lows and therefore the whole experience. It took some convincing!

Mali mayhem

We've reached Sikasso in Mali near the Burkina Faso border. The past two days have been the most challenging so far though not for the reasons we had envisaged. First Nick got a puncture in Beast 1 that was quickly repaired by a local mechanic. Then our car developed a problem with the relay which is am electronic component that does something electronic - or not in this case. This delayed us considerably and by nightfall we'd only reached halfway to Bamako to a place called Diema that had no place to stay though another mechanic made a temporary repair to this relay thingy. So we did what we vowed we wouldn't do and drove through the night towards the capital. We were 75 miles of our destination when we hit a pothole that broke our clutch. It would be unfair to name the driver since it could have happened to anyone. Besides, she was very upset. It meant we had to spend the night in the cars by the side of the road. Things got even worse when we decided to tow the damaged car to a nearby town and the other car wouldn't start. So we may not be mechanically minded but we are nothing if not resourceful. Malvena and I hitch-hiked into town, found a mechanic with an uncanny resemblance to the athlete Michael Johnson and he had fixed both cars within four hours. So we have driven to Sikasso and will cross the border tomorrow. The Malian people have been so kind and welcoming.

Kayes, Mali

Yes, you've read it right. After reconciling ourselves to a failed mission, we've taken advantage of a wind of change and gone for a splash and dash through Mali. It was a difficult decision and one nearly revoked from the start when neither car would start. We had stayed in a town called Saly in Senegal A mechanic was summoned and it soon became apparent that Nick had put the air filters in the wrong way round. No change there then. We then motored our way to Tambacounda where we found a nice hotel. This morning we drove to the border not knowing what to expect. I admit to some metaphorical loosing of the lower bowel over entering Mali. The reality saw the imodium still untouched. The border was a nightmare. There was intense heat and we found ourselves queuing up with several hundred lorries.
What's more, we were caught in a sandstorm - it couldn't get much worse, one would think, but it did! Malvena went to investigate where the customs place was and ended up walking more than a mile. Some lorry drivers kindly made space for Nick and I to drive on to a service road and we made our way towards the front after locating Malvena. Eventually we got through with patience running on empty. At the first petrol station which had fuel we noticed Nick's car had a puncture. It's always Nick's! Immediately, people came to help and within an hour the tyre was fixed, the air filters cleaned and the tyre pressures checked. We then drove to Kayes where we have found a safe place to stay and keep the cars. The Mali people have come up trumps so far. Having passed through the windiest town in Europe we are now in the hottest town in Africa at the hottest time of the year. It reached 50 degrees this afternoon. Hot hot hot.

Dakar

We were sad to leave St Louis. It was a pleasant distraction from the despondency we felt over the Mali situation. We met two hardened German bikers who told us of how soldiers in Mali were commandeering any 4x4 vehicles they could find. They were told to get out of the country asap. Many others have related similar tales. We drove the four hours to the capital Dakar and met the British Ambassador who has kindly found a place for us to store the vehicles until they can be collected when Mali is accessible again. I was hoping he would invite us for pink gins by the pool but alas he was too busy. We have found a campsite in a diving school where someone has just caught two enormous fish that they are barbecuing for us. Bob Marley is playing on the speakers. It's the closest to Mali we're going to get (geddit?). Please yourself!

Senegal

We have arrived in St Louis, a vibrant bustling town in Senegal. We used a guide to show us a route through a national park that was "off-piste". Ironically, as we approached the park we saw groups of warthogs and exotic birds. Then when we paid the money to enter the park we saw sod all! Our tow-rope came in handy when Nick tried, for a reason known only to himself, decided to attempt a slope he should not have and got stuck in the sand. We got through the border in less than two hours and drove to a campsite on the beach - the biggest I've ever seen. The sea looks decidedly hostile though. However, we are back in a country that serves beer!! We took full advantage.
The bad news, however, is that our effort to drive to Ghana looks in serious jeopardy because of the deteriorating situation in Mali. All four of us agree that it is too unsafe to go there - we have been warned off it by all and sundry. By-passing it looks to be impractical so we are looking at options such as leaving the cars in Senegal for others to pick up later. Needless to say we are all very depressed about it. Even Ben getting stuck in the sand in the campsite necessitating the use of the tow-rope again has not lifted the mood. Well, actually it did but perhaps not as long as it might have.
Today is Senegal's independence day and we will be having a rare day off before travelling to the capital Dakar tomorrow to get our car import validation.

Nouakchott

They said it would be dangerous and that we should stay away but so far Mauritania has exceeded all expectations - friendly people and plenty of military around to make us feel safe. Getting through the border at Noadihibou was painless thanks to a guide called Mullai who saw us through the bureaucracy. He then drove us to an auberge where they had a sit-down toilet and hot showers (bliss). We bought fish in the market and cooked it in their kitchen and then met a real cool dude called Dahid who for a price next day took us to a national park where we swam in the sea and ate lovely fish in a house near the beach. We all four slept in a Bedouin tent that had iron pegs - vital since we were exposed to gale force winds. The journey there was partly off-piste which called for the first use of the 4-wheel drive. After showering the following morning in the dark still with the wind howling, we set off for Nouakchott, Mauriania's capital. We drove straight to the Mali embassy and processed our visas within hours. Nick took Beast 1 to a mechanic friend of Dahid who fixed an overheating problem. Malvena took Ben to an eye clinic where he was diagnosed with conjunctivitis and got drops and ointment. I was left to cleam out Beast 2. We are headed for Senegal tomorrow with amother guide who will ensure a smooth passage through the border. We will await news of the Mali border situation before heading west. Ben has told us that he has bought beer for us tonight as a treat. I happen to know that it is non-alcoholic but he doesn't know I know. It'll be fun playing him along! Apologies for typos - I'm writing this on my Blackberry.