July 2010
4 posts
No Woman, No Cry - No Elephants, No Car
The unexceptional drive (apart from the overwhelming greenery) from Ougadogou to Benin was split up by a brief meal in the town closest to the frontier. The drive between this town and the border was also unexceptional - driven in the dark. The road quality wasn’t as bad as other roads we had seen, but it wasn’t great. Unfortunately, this minor road transgression multiplied out of...
Black Africa and "The Tubab Nomads"
In the last update I talked about the change of scenery. I think that this will be a nice way to start this update seeming as its ‘Green-ification’ - not a real word - coincides with the phase of the trip that we are now in.
The drive down to Bamako from Nioro was a romantic Africa the likes of which we had not yet seen. Rich green plants carpeted the hills and plains as far as the...
Welcome to Mali
To continue where I left off, the car is in great condition.
After spending a few days longer than expected in Nouakchott, due to traveller’s tummy problems, we ventured into the Sahara to get to our next destination, Bamako in Mali where I am currently writing from, armed with a fixed car, plenty of water and an opportunist hitchikker that we acquired at a police checkpoint on the...
“No Money, No Problem”
– The official wording of a contract we signed with some checkpoint Gendarmie (soldiers).
June 2010
6 posts
Western Sahara - Mauritania: Unexpected Deviations
Having spent an idyllic few days in Dahkla, and feeling quite at home in the street our hostel was on - complete with bakery, resturaunt that we ate in at least once a day, and an internet cafe (where I made the last post from) things have taken some unexpected turns.
On leaving Dahkla, saying goodbye to it and all the land,arks we had come to know our voyage towards the Morocco-Mauritania...
Morcocco: Idleness and Occupied Territories
Having driven from Chefcheon (where I last posted from) much has happened.
First of all, I got my - very expensive - Visas for Mauritania and Mali in Rabat, the country’s capital before driving down south to Hassi Labied, the site of Morocco’s only erg (HUGE sand dunes) where I repeatedly threw myself down the golden dunes atop a Snowboard we borrowed from the Hostel we were staying...
“We don’t eat people, we eat couscous”
– Random Moroccan man on the street after I thought he was trying to hussle us some hash like most other people who come and speak to us in this place
Morocco: Chefcheoun
Having spent a day in the beautiful whitewashed hill-top town of Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, and then crossed at Algericas-Ceuta to Morocco we have spent the last few days in Chefcheoun in the Rif Mountains. The people have been really friendly and helpful. Did a lot of reading in my hostel room (currently going through James Heartfield’s backcatalogue: need and desire in post-material...
“(when talking about getting a girlfriend) “Slowly, Slowly Catch a Monkey”
– Abdulhak Garanti - both the worst Muslim ever, and the most welcoming berber shopowner in the city of Chefcheoun.
Morocco Tomorow
Currently done 1,500 miles.
London-Dover-Dunkirk-Abbeville-Ruen-Dreux-Chartres-Tours-Chataulleraux(sleep in car, rain)-Poitier-Bordeaux-Bayenne-Sans Simon-Burgres-Valladollid-Salemenca-Some where beginning with P(sleep in tent)-Seville-Jerez de la Frontera-Cadiz-Vejer de la Frontera.
Getting a Ferry to Morocco Tomorrow.
Read: Book on street art and nearly finished Socialism: Scientific and...
May 2010
2 posts
London-West Africa
welcome to the blog about the trip.
Departing 8th June 2010.