11th November Last day in SenegalBy text: 17:53pm
Very relaxed morning; good shower, late cooked breakfast, greasing and fettling the car, and a visit to the town of Tambacounda.Very colourful local market, where I bought a bright sarong. Bought ingredients we hadn't seen before and then, at camp, villagers took over and cooked our lunch.
Off by 2.30 and Rosie joined me in the 'Leaf-Jag' for an enthusiastic send-off from the children and a leisurely afternoon drive. A good road took us through atractive bush - with regular forest fires - while we speculated on tomorrow's border crossing (Senegal-Mali).After a good few days, would Senegal make a departure as hard as our arrival?! Found good spots to camp, just off the road, and collected wood for the camp fire. - hope to drive away the mosquitoes.

10th November - The next day.





By text 11:39am

The Radiator repair seems to be working okay - it has been fully tested by potholes this morning and doing better than the people. Rosie and I left the Dakar night club at 2:30am after too many vodka Red Bulls - while Matt was still going strong!

The Alarm at 5:30, and on the road by 6 was painful.

By text 19:41pm
Todays drive good but very long. Just under 300 miles in a 12 hour day on the road - after 3 hours sleep. the potholes were a welcome relief to keep me alert! Now in a lovely campsite in Tambacounda. we're in a small village with loads of children who are very excited to see us. A little girl helped me pitch my tent and erect the camp bed. Now preparing supper, with a few drops of rain - very refreshing.

9th November. Dakar

12:18 - by text.

Great night's sleep - with air con, then a good breakfast.

Now at a roadside welding place to get radiator mounting brackets fixed. Jonny wants to take charge , so I'm letting him. The problem is that when you have an arc welder, everything becomes a welding problem. I don't believe welding brackets will last long on these roads - they broke at a previous join. Will see what extra bracing we can add.

Later - unlikely venue of roadside furniture maker did a decent repair on the radiator brackets - and added side strengthening for extra support. Have put in some Radweld and hope for the best. Early to bed tonight, as Matt is being a slavedriver and is keen that we hit the road at 5am to beat the traffic.

8th November - Dash to Dakar.By text 11:39am

Woke to the news that Oliver had been robbed in the night - case with all his clothes and money taken from his tent while he slept.






Now on route to Dakar. Potholes before dawn were bad. Jonny lost another wing. David and I both ripped off by policeman for spurious speeding offence. With a bit more speeding should make it to Dakar in time.

Crossing the Senegal River suddenly took us into proper black Africa. - Heart of Darness territory, teeming with life. All sorts of birds I can't name, also our first monkey scampered across the road in front of us.
By text 13:14pm.
Reached Dakar outskirts, but now in a queue of stationary traffic - engine off because over revving and watching water temperature shooting up. Overdrive stopped working a while back. Jonny still going, but between overheating and no dynamo he'll be lucky not to be on a tow rope before we find customs for the carnet.

By text 16:06pm
Just under 10 hours since we started our dash for Daka this morning. We're outside the second customs office, where apparently our carnet papers can't be processed for some reason.

And, finally a chance to inspect the damage. The Leaf-Jag's radiator mountings have broken - the rad now resting on the coil. The overdrive has stopped working, and the speedo has given up pretending to work. David needs work to shock absorbers and all cars too hot to touch and we've all got headaches and are exhausted, but are happy and feel we have arrived after an epic days drive.

16:30pm
Happy days: I have a cold beer in one hand, courtesy of David, and I've had a Nurofen, (just waiting for it to kick in). We'll get the cars to a garage tonight, and fixed tomorrow. Hotel beds likely for the first time in ages - for 2 nights, and hopefully also internet for some pictures.

7th November - Mauritania, and into Senegal.

By text at 13:49pm
Just about to reach the border and picking up a signal from Senegal over the river. We spent out first night in Mauritania exploring the capital's illegal drinking dens and night clubs, finishing the night at 1:30am with a camel kebab.



This morning drove the 125 miles to the Senegal River - also the southern border. The country is very sad - seems it used to have an infrastructure; now showers and loos with no water supply, lighting with no electricity and mobile masts with no aerials.


16:46pm
Have been waiting at the border/ferry for over 2 hours, with no indication as to when we'll cross - so where we'll make our camp site tonight.

20:52 pm
Sengegalese bureaucracy continues. 7 hours from starting and we arrived at customs, where we will kip tonight as johnny has no dynamo.
We've been given permission to have the cars in the country for 24 hours before getting our Carnets processed in Dakar. Dakar is 250 miles away and we have to get there by 3pm, so leaving at 6am - first light. this is not Africa's best side!

21:22pm
Tents pitched, food being cooked, Matt gone in search of beer, while the boys not on the beer hunt have been conducting a scrap heap challenge with head torches among the abandoned cars and bikes. Things looking up, but it will be a short night.

6th November - Mine fields and great beauty - Mauritania.

By text at 8pm

Safely through the danger zone of northern Mauritania, which we did in close convoy, noting the land mine warnings.

Souther Mauritania is simply stunning, with fiery red sand dunes and small villages among acacia trees, becoming progressively more colourful

Now camping on a beach in Nouakchott. Went to the fish market, and watched the sun going down while bobbing in the Atlantic.

Now about to eat supper of barbecued red snapper and langoustine. Very limited cell phone coverage.

5th November - In to Mauritania.

By text 10:46am
This morning watched dolphins, swam, collected shells, had a relaxed brunch, and on the move by 10:30. The Border is today's goal.

By text 19:22am
Reached the Moroccan border at 3:25, and to leave the country then had 2.25 hours of queueing for our paperwork to be copied into ledgers many times. We all said no except for Oliver, who handed over 20 euros. Into no man's land, strew with burnt out cars and with a very rough rocky track. We stuck to this carefully as Matt had warned of minefields in the desert and then with perfect dramatic timing a thunderstorm started.

Mauritania border post after 6pm. Locals very friendly but had to stop and pray before we were allowed through. In all, 6 hours to get through the border so sleeping at the border was necessary.