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.

Arrival in Tangier

After spending a cold night in an olive grove in countryside north of Seville, we got up in the dark. Malvena, unable to function without a caffeine fix, prepared a caffetiere of coffee. I was the only one brave/stupid enough to endure a shower courtesy of warm water poured out of a plastic bottle on to one,s body parts. Once back on the road, the wind got up to gale force so much so that when we reached Tarifa the ferry to Tangier had been cancelled owing to the rough seas necessitating that we go to Algeciras where the ferries are bigger. Chaos ensued. Some had been cancelled and a huge number of cars and lorries were forced on to the 4pm sailing. Drivers faced bottleneck after bottleneck with horns blaring and arguments flaring. It took 3 hours to board and once on we had to queue for an hour to have our immigration cards stamped. The ferry left at 1930 and we arrived in the dark. By the time we had sorted the car insurance it was nearly 10 o'clock, and since the wind was still howling we sought shelter at a hotel in Tangier township. The following day we drove to Rabat where we needed too apply for visas for Mauritania and Mail. Again, we arrived at night, couldn't find a campsite and again booked into a cheap but very nice hotel where the beer and wine was a welcome respite from the days exertions. We're following closely any news of dangers lurking in Mauritania and Mali. We've agreed to make informed decision based on intelligence from people we met who have been travelling through the area of our intended route. While our natural inclinations are to push on, we don,t intend being foolhardy. Discussions with people at the Malian embassy today were very positive and we will travel through Western Sahara collecting information on the way. We'll make a final decision, therefore, on the viability of this trip at the Mauritanisn border. In the meantime, we've decided that if the for runs out and things get really bad, we will eat Ben since he has more meat on him than the three of us put together.

Arrival in Santander

Over the past 18 months we have planned our road trip to West Africa in meticulous detail; the personnel, the route, the logistics, the provisions, the medical equipment required, the necessary vaccinations, visas, insurance, and above all, the vehicles in which we will be spending most of the next three weeks. It has been an often tortuous process - purchasing them, having them properly serviced and then having one of the radiators blow only a few days prior to departure and the finger-biting period in which we were not sure if it would be repaired in time. On the first day after we had docked in Santander against the picturesque backdrop of the snow-capped Pyrenees, we set off on our 4,000 mile journey. At the very first roundabout, I repeat, the first roundabout, I and Malvena watched aghast as Nick, who was leading the way, drove himself and Ben the wrong way round it narrowly avoiding complete disaster almost before we had started.
Having negotiated the oncoming traffic, we set off on the correct side of the road for as far as we could get through Spain. We were approaching a small town just north of Seville as night began to fall. There were no campsites to be found. The resulting first night in a field will be the subject of my next blog.

Lewis Moody

So sad to hear that a shoulder injury has put paid to Lewis Moody's rugby career. His never-say-die attitude on the field was an inspiration. A few years ago I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the England rugby club where we went dragon-boat racing on the River Thames in London. Lewis was our boat captain - the man who banged the drum telling us when to paddle. He was exceptionally friendly and as much interested in me (a nobody) as I was of him. That's us in the picture. That says a lot about someone in the limelight. Good luck to him in whatever way he fills the void caused by his retirement.