Dakar to Bamako

Good times with friends

The King's tomb near Ngayene

Stones in the field

We spent a pleasant time in Dakar, visiting friends, doing some needed repairs and purchases, and then we were off. Our first stop was to see the mysterious stone circles that are found in Senegal and Gambia. We had read a little about them, but now, on our way south, we turned off the main road and went looking. Eventually we found the one group, near a village called Ngayene, but they were fenced and locked. Local ‘helpers’ warned that we were under no circumstances to do what they did, and crawl through the fence. After a number of unsuccessful calls, we had to leave to find some place to camp, just as someone came running to say the man with the keys was on his way.

Peanut field camping, before the rain

The chief of a nearby village allowed us to camp in a peanut field, and we pitched the small tent to save time, as rain was threatening. I had done some repairs since it leaked on us, a year ago in Mafikeng. Well, the repairs did not work. We sat on the inflatable mattress like to shipwrecked sailors, watching the water around us, ducking the drips and trying to keep a few essentials from the water spraying in. Eventually we slept, in the puddles on the mattress.

Finding the stones

Crossing into the Gambia was an education in patience. The Senegalese officialdom was friendly, but the Customs officer insisted on stamping also a copy of the SA registration papers, as well as the original! But the Gambians did not have a clue how to treat South Africans. We left, after a few hours, with a tourist stamp valid for 28 days, but were sent back by the first police officer, it seems we also have to have a visa!

Eventually we had lost so much time that we abandoned the idea of visiting the Gambian stone circles, and headed for Banjul instead. No fears for the notorious ferry, they have a new one! Well, they have, but the ferry and the docksides do not match, so it does not work. We crossed after a record four hours, others had taken six.

Using his own funds, Mr Pa tries to conserve his heritage

What a pleasure to be able to crash, tired, sweaty and suffering from a sense of humour breakdown, with an old fried in her air-conditioned house, cold beers in the fridge, washing machine ready,

The sense of peace, history and time was palpable

Two days later we left again. By now we had abandoned the idea of trying to see the dugongs in the Casamance, and so we headed back to eastern Gambia, where, we were told, there is a museum at Wassu where one could see the stone circles.

And what an experience it was! Mr Pa guards the site of burials of centuries ago, making do with what he can get, while international funding usually stops in the capital. We were warned that we might see ghosts, but only felt a warm sense of history around us.

Female Ground Hornbill in Senegal

Crossing back into Senegal, we headed for the acclaimed Niokolo Koba parek, where elephants, lion, buffalo and the rare Derby Eland could be seen.

We had to pay for a guide, and so on to the headquarters where we could camp, but were encouraged to use the air-conditioned hotel with swimming pool. Well, there are air conditioners, but most do not work, and there was no diesel for electricity. Some fuel was found to run the water pump, so there were cold showers. And there is a swimming pool….

Past glory: looking over the Gambia river.

 

 

Between the guide, who had been there for eighteen years, and a researcher, who had been there three years we heard that elephant dung had been seen twice, and two Eland had been found, both dead, killed by poachers. We saw monkeys, baboons, ground hornbills, and a few antelope. Warthogs were around, but that is about it. No paths, no tracks, no buffalo wallows, no sign of herds of antelope, or of elephant tracks. Sad.

Then we left for Mali, where then border formalities were painless, although not too fast. We were told about the beautiful new road, the Southern Corridor to Bamako. Four hours, and we will be there. They did warn that we had to be at the bridge by three, and we were, ten minutes before, just in time to see a crane begin to demolish the temporary bridge. And the permanent one will not be ready to carry traffic for months! Chinese planning!

The result of Chinese planning: A bush camp in Mali

So we turned back on the long road, and almost 800 kilometer, three days and three bush camps, some of the worst roads on the trip and sadly frayed tempers, we are in Bamako. Now we think we should have taken a picture of the Chinese engineer, to invite all readers to stick pins in.

We have done some 10 000 km since leaving Pretoria, and the straight line distance home is just over 6 000km!

And so the voyage started!

And so the voyage started. Hans left Belfast for Cape Town, while we were still fixing, wiring, assembling things. Then, by 10 pm on the 17^th of May we were ready, packed, tired. I did not sleep well, and at six we were up. Having assured the dogs that they would be cared for, we drove out to the primary school to vote in the municipal elections, and by eight we had done our civic duty, and we hit the road.

A first stop in Meyerton to have coffee with my daughter and her fiancee brought a first surprise: A nasty clang from under the car as we reversed out of their driveway. One of the front shock absorbers seemed to have almost no rubber in the mounting, but at the back all seemed to be as it should.

Lawrence proposed the assistance of mechanics all the way to Bloemfontein, but we were reluctant to start the trip like that, and to bother people on a holiday. Fortunately the smooth road provided no repetition of the noise, and we breezed into Colesberg, tired, by sunset, having dodged around the road works with some advice from Hans.

However, leaving the parking lot of the Plattelander restaurant produced the same noise, and I spent the night dreaming of hunting through the streets of Colesberg for someone to fix shock absorbers, broken axles, cracked chassis, and what not!

Day two of our voyage started early. At 05h30 I was crawling under the car, trying to spot something wrong in the feeble light of the head torch. Nothing, even the shock absorber seemed solid. So we headed out again. A splendid sunrise over the Karoo greeted us, and by early afternoon we started looking for the Malherbe residence at Wonderfontein.

At that stage we were still trying to do something to get the Swarts' visas issued, while Stephanus had heard that theirs were OK. We had also heard that we did not need to put the car into the container the next morning, but that we had time till Monday.

We spent a pleasant time with Lizette in Fish hoek (http://www.safarinow.com/go/PeninsulaFeverSelfCatering/)

This gave us a base while doing what had to be done in the Cape.

On Friday 20 May I was able to get to Stikland in Bellville to have Johan Tyre look at the shock absorbers, and he not only condemned them out of hand, showing me that two were leaking oil, but also pointed out two other problems: The guys in Pretoria had mounted the air helper springs so that the exhaust touched the bracket, and the front spring bushes were badly worn. Now, may I wonder why the guy I asked to look the car over before the trip had not noticed this?

The day passed in waiting for parts, having the wrong parts delivered, and waiting again, but by late afternoon I headed back to Vishoek with a more solid, stable vehicle.

Monday morning we navigated into Cape Town centre, and soon after, sucking the fumes out of the tank, the Cruiser joined the other two vehicles at the Container Depot. The first leg is over, now we wait, do paperwork, and plan, until 15 June, when we leave for Doha and Casablanca!

Getting ready for the Safari

Time is running out, and we are getting ready with the last touches. There are still many things to do, and little time to do them in. I must still get a solar panel, and the radio must be installed. The Cruiser is serviced, oil must be changed. I had the wheel bearings greased, the brakes checked, and air helper (Firestone springs) installed. Tomorrow we start packing, I found some beer crates, although these are called agricultural crates. I still need boxes to put the nuts and bolts in.

Then the question is: How do we get the cars on the ship? The shipping company had an option for us to load them here in Johannesburg, but that has gone from the new quotation, and Glenn is not answering his cell phone. Hans has already decided to drive down to Cape Town, and it looks as if we are going to do the same. 1800 km, to start the trip with. Perhaps not such a bad idea, but there are two problems: Shahnaz has just had an important, big, urgent translation job thrown her way, and then we have the municipal elections on the 18th of May. The cars should be in the container by the 20th, so if we leave after voting, and drive till late, and all next day, we should be there in time. Provided nothing goes wrong.

But the Moroccan visa's are done, the Swarts and Malherbe's are now sweating the Schengen visas, but we do not have that stress.

So the saga begins.

Here are the Musafareen:
Stephanus and Mariaan:

Coen and Shahnaz: