10/12/05
Last night over dinner we decided we would go to Senegal and The Gambia. That is the great thing about traveling with no set itinerary. Thomas and I can just show up at the border and get in but Anna needs a Visa from the embassy. So after packing up the bikes we headed over to the Senegalese Embassy. At the embassy we were greeted by a tall chubby Senegalese man who quickly informed us it would take two days to get the visa. Having no desire to spend another minute in this town I began to enquiring what could be done to speed this process up and after 10 minutes of general harassment I got the guy to get it to us tomorrow. That still wouldn't work as I wanted to get out of this city. I have been to allot of places and I can honestly say Nouakchott and Mauritania in general is the worst place I have ever been to. I have tried to find some type of redeeming qualities but I come up with nothing. The people are mean and rude, I was talking with Thomas about this and we came to the conclusion that what do these people have to be happy about, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. So after sitting at an internet Cafe for a while I came up with the idea maybe someone at the American Embassy had a friend at the Senegalese embassy so off we went to the American Embassy, plus I needed to get some pages added to my passport as it was quickly filling up. After passing the army of rent a cop security ( I was a little disappointed I was looking forward to seeing some US Marines at the gate of the embassy but I didn't see a single one) I talked to a friendly cornfed kid who looked like he just graduated college from some midwest state and got his first job at the embassy. I am not sure who he pissed off or pissed on but boy did he get the bad embassy, hundreds of embassies in the world and he got stuck in Nouakchott. So after a quick phone call to the Senegalese embassy I was informed it should take only one day according to the Secretary of the Ambassador. So after adding another 25 pages to the passport off we went to the Embassy again.
As we walked into the embassy the chubby man cringed as we walked knowing that another round of harrasment was about to begin so after another 10 minutes of big smiles and not taking no for answer he said maybe it would be finished at 4:00 today and to call and check and definately do not come back. So I smiled and set off. We had a couple hours to kill and it was hot and there is absolutely nothing to do in this city so we sat at an internet cafe that was so slow it literally took 10 minutes to load the yahoo page. At 1:00 I decided I had better go harass the Senagalese Embassy one more time. When we walked in this time the guy got pretty upset, but how can someone get upset at me when I am smiling and apologizing. I quickly explained we had no where to go and maybe we could just wait here till 4:00 to see if the passport was ready. He really didnt want this saying this isnt a bus station and that he would really make sure the passport was ready at 4:00. As we were talking a man standing nearby offered that we could come to his house and relax for a couple hours till the passport was ready, The first friendly person we meet in Mauritania and he was from Senegal. So off we headed to this guys house for a couple hours. As we drove across Nauokchott I got to see how dirty and disgusting this city truly is, piles of garbage are literally everywhere with 2 or 3 skinny goats at each pile eating garbage. The streets are in the worse shape I have ever seen with potholes the size of a small Japanese car and all the buildings are one step above a hovel.
The man lived on the second floor in a plain concrete two room apartment, the only furnishings were two cushions and a TV that got about 300 channels, even several English speaking channels.
He sent his nephew out to get sodas and sat and told us his story, it turned out he is a street sunglasses vendor. But since he is from Senegal the local police harass him and extort money all the time so he had finally had enough and was heading back to Senegal and that is why he was at the Embassy.
So as the last couple of hours of sweating from the heat and fending off dehydration it was time to head to the embassy one last time. So we said goodbye to our new African friend who insisted if we dont get the visa today we would come back and stay at his house.
As we walked into the Embassy the chubby man was packing up his desk and hurriedly trying to get out of the office for the day but as soon as he saw us he shook his head and began to smile. After a friendly greeting he reached inside the desk and gave us Anna's passport with a shiny Senegalese Visa inside. Perseverance definitely paid off.
So we had two hours of sunlight left and it was 130 miles to the border. So off we set not wanting to spend another minute in this city.
The plan was to make it to the border and maybe try getting across tonight. We had two options one was the border at Rosso, which is known as one of the most intimidating borders crossing in Africa or take a 50kilometer dirt road west and cross at St Louis. At Rosso you check out of the Mauritanian side on one side of the river and then take a ferry across and check in on the Senegalese side but the last ferry runs at 6:00 so time wasnt on our side for that option.
As we rode south the landscape was quickly changing from sandy rocky desert to savannah and the people seemed to be quickly changing as well. Once again we were greeted by waving people as we passed by on the road. We also noticed the animals were getting better looking and looking like they had actually eaten.
As we got closer we were all smiles as the landscape was starting to look like what we had all pictured Africa to look like only thing missing was a pack of elephants. We were quite happy and the looming monstrous black clouds straight ahead of us couldn't dampen our spirits. As we rode on I experienced one of the most amazing scenes I have ever seen. It was starting to get dark and black clouds turned into a massive electrical storm. Driving across rapidly changing scenery and looking more and more like the Africa I had expected with this incredible lightning show was absolutely amazing even as we rode into the storm and it started to rain and the wind was coming from all directions made the scene even more real. We had to slow down to almost a crawl as the road was in poor condition with huge potholes and the only light was coming from the frequent flashes of lightning. By the time we reached Rosso the rain had turned into a major downpour. We stopped at the first hotel knowing that we weren't going anywhere tonight. The hotel was about 150 meters off the road with deep mud the whole way, Anna decided to walk the distance not trusting my mud riding skills. I guess you never out grow, or maybe I have never outgrown it but playing in the mud is still as fun as when I was a kid. I successfully reached the hotel without falling over and had quite a bit of fun in the process.
After tough negotiations for a room we couldn't agree on a price so we put our best poker faces on pretended to try to leave, as we got on the bikes we looked at the field of mud and also realizing it was up hill, we knew we weren't going anywhere even if we wanted to. So as I started the bike up then owner of the hotel came out and nodded that my last price was acceptable.
After we checked in and showered we ordered some food which turned out to be the worst meal I have ever eaten, cold scrambled eggs with soggy cold fries and a coca cola.
So after an extremely long day we retired to our rooms. A few minutes after turning out the lights Anna jumped up, said she saw something and turned the lights back on, turned out there was a 18 inch long lizard cruising around the room. Since he was quite fat I told Anna he was our best friend against the bugs and be glad he was in here, she did not totally believe my philosophy but reluctantly turned off the light and went back to bed. I slept the rest of the night with one open looking making sure that lizard kept his distance from me.
Todays Specs
Weather: 105+F Sunny/Cloudy/Thunder Storm
Distance: 130miles Nouakchott to Rosso
10/13/05
After waking up and making sure one of my toes hadn't become lizard food during the night we packed up the bikes and got ready for the Rosso Border crossing.
The border was only a kilometer from our hotel so we were quite fresh and rested to deal with it. We pulled up to a collection of small shacks and stores in front of a big blue gate and high wall which behind stood a large 2 story building. As we weaved our way through the deep mud puddles and hundreds of busy people getting their day started we were easily picked out of the crowd and the onslaught of hustlers charged at us. With offers of money changing and echo's of "I work for the police I will help you across the border" coming at from all directions and in all languages. As we got closer to the gate, I had no idea what was on the other side, but a uniformed man made his way through the people and said to follow him.
Once through the big blue gate things quieted down substantially, it turned out that this was the Mauritanian police/border crossing and the ferry dock across the river to Senegal. So now the main obstacle was to avoid the hustle from the Mauritanian Police which was sure to come. For some reason two of the hustlers from outside had managed to get through attached to us so now they were going every where we went. One of them was actually helpful and spoke perfect English, the other was quite obnoxious and within the first two minutes said it would cost each of us 40 euros to get of Mauritania. Well after 30 minutes of waiting and walking to a couple different offices we had our passports in hand and were left looking at two policeman in the parking lot who explained the costs (exit tax, ferry ticket, police blah blah blah) at it would be 52 euros for all three of us and the bike, so after me and Thomas huddled up and checked if this matched what we had read we decided this was actually pretty fair and allot cheaper than allot of people had paid. So after paying the euros we headed back to the bikes where we had left Anna as guard dog. She had been hassled a little bit but not too bad.
The ferry ride across was about 10 minutes, so we sat and caught our breath and tried to relax, well relax as much as you can when you are the main attraction and 80 people are standing around staring at you like you have a third arm coming out of your forehead. The one guy who had accompanied us on the other side had insisted he follow us to other side and make sure we would make it through ok.
As the ferry docked a uniformed officer came on board and managed to collect passports and documents from the mad rush to get off the ferry. We were quickly approached by a tall man in a red sports shirt insisting he works for the police and he would take all our documents and get them stamped for us. I came pretty close to losing my temper as he wouldnt take no for an answer. My personal assistant assured me it was ok as well as the uniformed police officer. So I handed the hustler my documents and off him and the police officer went. As we got off the ferry we parked the bikes off to the side. On this side there was a collection of several small building all centered around a mud parking lot and then an exit gate with a mud road with many shops leading into Senegal., this side was filled with lots of people many just wanting to talk to us and many more trying to sell us stuff, so through the whole experience it can be diffucult to think with the fast pace of people moving around you and the dust and heat, these things add to the confusion if you are used to this. My assistant explained all we had to do on this side was get our carnet de passage stamped ( which was about 4euros) get our passports stamped (no cost) pay a 1 euro exit tax and then get insurance and that cost depends on our negotiation skills. A few minutes later the man in red returned with our passports all stamped and I set off to get the Carnet stamped which was very easy and took 5 minutes. He refused to give us passports till we got the insurance (this is where he would try to make his money on backpay from the insurance and by getting a tip or forcing us to pay to get our passports from him. So the first insurance place wanted 50 euro per bike, for an absolutely worthless piece of paper Thomas and I walked out of the place after 2 minutes of pointless negation. After some more dealings we found a place that would give us the insurance for 20 euros. So as we sat there filling out the paperwork Thomas convinced the guy in red to give us all our paperwork but he could hold our drivers license's. My drivers license is a fake that I had made at a printing shop so I was quite happy to leave it with the guy if things go wrong, not even a particularly good fake but it has worked at about 30 police checkpoints so far so maybe it isn't so bad. So after getting the insurance we got on our bikes, I tipped out my assistant 5 euros, he seemed quite happy and said he would make sure we get out of the gate ok. Thomas handled tipping the more aggressive guy in red, Thomas told him he would get his tip once we were through the gate, so after we got through the gate Thomas offered him about 5 euros and the man instantly refused said he needed three times that, this is where we would be screwed if he still held the passports, so Thomas looked at me then back at the hustler and told him he could keep the drivers licenses and off we slowly road, he must have realized he held no cards because sure enough about 100 meters down the road he came running a gave us our licenses back and gladly accepted his tip.
After we got away from the border we pulled over and took a deep breath for a few minutes. Deciding that the last 3 hours would have been allot worse if were alone but since there was 3 of us we didn't have to worry about the bikes since one of always stayed with them and that when one of us got tired of dealing with the hustle we could tag out and let a fresh person step in. So in hindsight it wasn't as tough or as expensive as we thought but if we had been by ourselves or not as prepared as we were we would have added our story to the list of people that this border had eaten up.
So after an hour ride we made it to St Louis where we decided we deserved a couple day break. St Louis reminds me of New Orleans, it is an old French colony so the buildings all have the balconies and are built in French style. We checked into a nice little hotel for 15 euro a night, best part was they had a bakery and bar in the hotel 10 feet from my room.
So the rest of the day and evening were a blur of wine, whiskey, beer, and pretty much any other alcohol put in front of us. I think we even "accidentally" when to a disco/brothel around the corner of the hotel, but the details are a little fuzzy. After the last week it was good to relax and cut loose.
Todays Specs
Weather: 100+F Sunny
Distance: 130miles Rosso Mauritania to St Louis Senegal
10/14/05
Today we spent recovering and lounging around St Louis. Nothing to exciting, mainly enjoying some air conditioning, one thing I have talked about to much is how hot it is here, I wont dwell on it fishing for sympathy but it is really hot.
We rode around the town and even walked through the market before finding a nice restaurant and for 5 euros a person had a great dinner with wine.
Todays Specs
Weather: 100+F Sunny
Distance: 0 miles to St Louis Senegal
10/15/05
We decided to sleep in and get on the road a little later today, big mistake. We set off at noon and after being on the road we quickly realized it was the hottest day we had experienced yet. With air so thick you could cut it from the humidity and the thermometer reading over 105 we were drinking water ever 10 minutes.
We made it to Thies by 4:00 completely dehydrated and exhausted. So after finding the Rex Hotel we checked in and took a well needed shower. After cleaning up Anna and I walked around the market, it was quite nice, nobody paid attention to us and only one or two beggars even approached us. We actually felt somewhat normal walking around.
Back at the hotel we found 40 American do-gooder peace corp recruitees having dinner. So as we ate dinner we watched the fresh out of college wanna-be hippies sing Kum-by-ya my lord and talk how they are going to save Africa.
Todays Specs
Weather: 105+F Sunny Hot Damn Hot Africa Hot
Distance: 140 miles to St Louis to Thies (Senegal)
10/16/05
After our lesson of leaving late yesterday we were on the road by 7:30 today. As we loaded the bike Thomas realized he left his GPS and tank bag on the night before, someone had dismantled his GPS lock stole his GPS then brought it back and set it on the bike. They had rummaged through his tank bag and left everything. We think it must have been the night watchmen who either got caught or decided he would get caught. Whatever happened someone spent about 20 minutes to try to steal it and then left it or brought it back. Thomas was extremely lucky.
Today was about 15 degrees cooler so it was quite pleasant. It was quite easy to convince Thomas to get off the main road and explore some of the smaller roads that would get us to Gambia. The smaller roads where much nicer, not lined with broken cars and food stalls and people staring at you as you passed by. Instead the smaller roads were filled with beautiful countryside.
Down one road we found a dead end into a river but quickly found out that a ferry would be there in an hour and half. So instead of back tracking to the main road we decided to wait for the ferry. So after changing into some shorts we lounged around and enjoyed some down time.
By 3:00 we made it to The Gambia, yes the name The is part of the title of the country kinda reminds me of The Josh, anyways we found that Senegalese customs was not letting any vehicles across the border. Apparently The Gambia had raised their ferry prices by 10 cents and not given Senegal 30 days notice so for the last two months they weren't allowing people in and out of the border.
There were two Brits in a Landrover trying to get out of Gambia into Senegal who had the same problem as us except they had drove into Gambia 4 days earlier at a different border with no problems.
HHHMMM what to do. So after a quick huddle we decided we should run the customs post. A walked across the border to make sure the Gambians would let us in and not shoot us upon entry for running the Senegalese border, not only were they happy to have us but they seemed enthusiastic about us running the border. Anna continued across the border on foot, not wanting her on the bike if something happens. So as Thomas and I put on our helmets looking defeated gave the bikes gas and shot around the gate to the Gambia border post. It was all quite dramatic and I wish I could say the guys came out guns blazing and shaking fists but I think the guy glanced up from his paper shook his head then went back to his reading. Owell in a few years or maybe in few weeks over a beer or two the story will grow into that version for sure.
So after the red carpet treatment at the Gambia border we were on our way, normally the Gambia border is know for being by the book and searching everything and they are know for "NOT" taking bribes. The two Brits had their Landrover taken apart, and even while we waited they searched the suitcases of 4 priests who came through, well they didn't even look in our bags.
Once through the border we made it to the ferry in short order. Once at the ferry dock we were informed the ferry leaves in 3 minutes so we better by a ticket and get aboard, they police rushed us through the checkpoint and had tickets waiting. As we got to the boat I couldnt believe my eyes. There must have been 2000 people on this boat. We were the lasts one to board and we literally had to shoe horn the bikes on board. As we pulled away from dock by back tire was literally one foot from the open end of the boat. The captain must have saw this because after 2 minutes the boat backed up to the dock and allot of people started moving my bike further in so they could close the gate to make sure nobody or no motorcycles fell off. The good news it was a new ferry, bad news is it replaced the one that sunk a few years ago from overloading, 2500 people died in that accident.
Once on the other side we found a nice little restaurant ordered a Pizza and Heineken and relaxed before finding a hotel and calling it a night.
Todays Specs
Weather: 98F Sunny Hot
Distance: 140 miles Thies (Senegal) to Banjul Gambia
