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.