Lac Rose – Baobab Camp (Bivouac) 64km

Friday 2^nd

Mileage 69750

I hate goodbyes so this today was hard. Our fellow adventurers left at 1pm to catch their plane home :(

The group now feels very small, we lazed around the pool until 4.30pm when we set off to our camp which was under the biggest tree I have ever seen! Its a baobab tree which was so beautiful I was in awe of it! On the way to camp we stopped with some other teams (Edwin & Peter, Fitz and Stan, Erik & Francine, Sacha & Frits and Robin & Jari) at a hotel to eat, the owner was a French man who spent a long time in England and has lived in Senegal for 12 years. He arranged for his chef to make us a buffet of chicken, pork, fish, chips, rice, and crepes and fruit for dessert which was all really yummy!

At camp we were joined by 2 new teams (driving in 2 of the cars from participants who have gone home) an Israeli and a Flemish Team and a few of the organisation were replaced by new faces for part 2 of our adventure. We had a lovely big camp fire and a few drinks and I tired to adjust to how small the group feels. (there are now 10 cars for part 2)

Koba Camp – Lac Rose (Hotel) 187km

Thursday 1st

Mileage 69638

The final drive......for some. Its our last day with the Dakar Challengers, the Vespa and Motor bikers

tomorrow a big part of the group go home :(

We drove off road and were told to reach Lac Rose by 1pm which we were able to do trouble free. Lac Rose is named so as it is a lake and the water from a certain angle looks red from the amount of shrimps in there. It's a beautiful setting for the end (for some)

We arrived first (after the organiser) Dad & I, Erik & Dave, Fitz and Stan the other teams were not far behind us and we each lined our cars up, as did the Vespa and Motor bike riders, and began to celebrate and congratulate one another on our successes, whether that be finishing their adventure or reaching half way! :)

The atmosphere was superb, everyone happy, some emotional, some tired, but all happy!

After a celebratory drink in the baking sun we all drove in convoy to the hotel which is a famous finishing point for adventurers. Its a really nice hotel with a nice restaurant and swimming pool, we ate pizza and relaxed until 10pm when there was a photo presentation, we gathered around and recalled how far we had come as the beautiful photos and music played before us

Here are some pictures of those special adventurers who will leave us tomorrow...

St Louis – Koba Camp (Camping) 190km

Wednesday 31st

Mileage 69506

Happy Halloween! Needless to say there is nothing halloween orientated in Africa!

Its was really fun today, Gert (the organiser) only created our route last night and when we drove it we were often following the GPS and travelling where no other cars had been, there were no tracks and the grass in places was taller than the cars, I think we even drove through an allotment at one point! Fitz and Stan were on the ball though and stopped to pick up a melon, it was of a strange variety we later discovered when we ate it, it tasted more like cucumber!

Erik had a brake oil leak from the master cylinder about 70kms before camp and unfortunately the mechanics had not done as they should but had gone ahead and we needed a seal to fix the leak! Dad and I raced off in Laura to try and catch the mechanics, we reached a garage and found one of the mechanic teams but not the one who carries spare parts, he was so far ahead he was not able to be reached on the radios they carry, so Dad and I went back and decided to work with Erik and fix it the african way, a bolt and some PTFE tape and he was bodged enough to carry onto camp....It was Laura to the rescue :)

This camping place had wooden huts to sleep in with mosquito nets and a little private 'bathroom' under the stars, with a real toilet which flushed (with a bucket) and a warm shower. To shower under the stars was really nice.

This camp also had permanent residents, not crabs this time but desert frogs! They were really cute and well disguised in the sand.

St Louis – St Louis (Camping) 110km

Tuesday 30^th

Mileage 69424

The no food and drink was worth it as I'm feeling much better today! Wooo hoooooo

Today is a rest day so not much to report, we took a trip back into St Louis to see it in daylight, we had a lovely meal, Chicken & chips for me and Dad had a swordfish pasta dish. Mmmmmm....the first food after 24hours! It was soooooo yummy!

I moved my tent this evening, from under the trees to the waterside, more crabs hiding under out tent here (much bigger sand coloured crabs) but the view in the morning was really special and to watch the fishing boast pass by, I almost didn't want to leave, but there are some fun tracks waiting out there.....

Campement de Keur Massene – St Louis (Camping) 110km

Monday 29^th

Mileage 69424

Not much happened today in the way of driving after about 20kms off road and 60kms of African style tarmac we reached the border to Senegal!

More than 35 degrees and lots of waiting around for paperwork and passports to be signed and stamped for almost 100 people (incl bikers, vespa riders, 2cvers and organisation. We left the border at about 1pm and were pretty pleased with the 3 hour wait (often it takes much longer) While we waited we saw some interesting creatures in a small river too so it was a nice stop really.

Our camp is 'Zebra Bar' its a camping place with a bar and restaurant it was lovely, camping between the trees, a large lake flowing behind us, a tower (pretty old judging by how corroded the metal structure was!) looking out over the area, I was amazed when I looked out from there, it was breathtaking, as far as the eye could see was palm trees and sections water all around us. On a nice exploration mission I saw awesome purple and orange crabs which, when I stepped on the sane near them they ran away as fast as they could sideways and disappeared into there holes. There were also lots of nice fishing birds here and later we even got to spot some pelicans! We were told there are crocodiles in the water but didn’t witness this!

In the evening we went into the city of St Louis. Unfortunately I had been experiencing short cramps in my tummy for a couple of days, I discovered one of the participants, (Spanish team Daniel & Jose) Daniel, is a Doctor so after a short consultation which him and a translator (Marco – Vespa Rider) he gave me some tablets and very strict instructions not to eat or drink anything, only water for 24 hours! I was sooooo hungry and no matter how much I tried my bestest smile he insisted NO BEER :(

So the evening in St Louis was not as fun as it could have been but it was nice to go there and see it and I had a lot of support though this difficult time as someone 'fasted' with me (in a bar, no drinking = Rubbish) lol

But I was able to learn that St Louis is an island, the French used to fly the African post into a place here (La Poste) and there is one main connecting bridge designed by Mr Eiffel (Eiffel Tower designer) once I heard this you could see familiar features.

It was really different walking around here, in Marrakesh its crazy and everyone wants to sell you something but here we walked free, there were no other tourists in sight and we weaved the shops without being pestered.

Nouakchott – Campement de Keur Massene (Camping) 294km

Sunday 28^th

Mileage 69254

This morning we made a short visit to the sea shore and saw the African fishing boats, I loved to see them, they are all painted bright colours and patterns and a lovely sight to see. We continued on through crazy busy Nouakchott (here it does not matter if nothing works on your car as long as you have a good horn!) We have a long track of tarmac then a little under 100km of off road to our next camp which we are told there will be something special there for us.

Once we reached the off road it was a fun day of driving, weaving to avoid big (well hidden) holes, I 2 cars bent arms on this track today it was pretty tough at times, the scenery was nice, we are beginning to see a bit more greenery now and we were even lucky enough to spot the wild boar which we were warned about. They are known to be aggressive and the advice we received was to stay inside the car if you see them so my photo is not great (also because the african dust has stopped the 'zoom' working on my camera) but its evidence! :)

There is a team who I have nicknames the 'Rasta Dudes' (their car is red yellow and green and the number plate lends itself well to the name – of course they are dudes also!) :)

We came across them (Robin & Jari) on the track helping the 2 cars with bent arms, we stopped also but when the Rasta dudes set off again after a couple of metres they discovered their gearbox was stuck in 3^rd gear, we assisted until the mechanics arrived one of which (David) then drove the car (in 3^rd gear) though the rest of the rough track, back to camp which was about 20-30kms!

Later in camp Dad, Erik and I took the gearbox apart there were parts which had come loose but no lasting damage so we wound up and secured everything back in is rightful place and they were back on the road again the following morning! That's team work!

The surprise of the evening was a huge pork shank thing with vegetables which was delicious

The Rasta Dudes have a website which they are recording their adventure on too, take a look: www.2cvtrail.com

Cap Tafarit – Nouakchott (Hotel/Camping) 337km

Saturday 27^th

Mileage 68881

After some fun off road tracks we hit the tarmac, everyone is low on fuel (2cv's and Vespa riders) and when we reached the petrol station (228k before camp) we discover they are out of fuel! A couple of people were feeling a little worried and everyone working out how much fuel they have in their tanks and jerry cans and trying to find out how far it is to the next station and whether they have fuel! After half and hour or so we and 3 other cars decided to take on the challenge and were determined to find a way! So we set off, the 2 cars with the least fuel (Erik and Edwin) slip streaming ourselves and Fitz and Stans car. We hear there is a petrol station in 120km and they have 200litres of petrol. One car ran out of fuel so Fitz shared a few litres of his and we continued. We celebrated our efforts when we reached the station (ignoring the strange looks from the locals) and we filled up (10litres) just what we needed to get to the next station so there was still some left for the equally adventurous teams behind. After the final stretch it was again a celebration when we arrived at the hotel first. It was a 'Mauritanian hotel' so no real luxury but the shower was appreciated and we found a nice pizza place to eat while enjoying the sight of a locals Acadiane which was in great condition. A lovely evening.

Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) - Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) 0km

Friday 26^th

Just another day in paradise.....

Its really beautiful here. Its just crazy to think that we are only a few km's from the desert where some people, especially Vespa riders were struggling to finish the track. So the rest is a much needed one, and although its lush here I have had been swimming in the sea, eaten, enjoyed a few beers, slept and am very ready to get back on some fun tracks!!

Nouadhibou – Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) 257km

Thursday 25^th

Mileage 68881

Today we ride the desert! Woooo hooooo!

For approx 120km we were in the middle of nowhere, well the middle of the Sahara, Every direction you look is identical.... nothingness! There is 'Camel Grass' (humps of sand with a hay like plant growing through, these are not good for the cars, they are really hard! So you may imagine being able to drive through the desert in one straight line, but no, we must slalom to look after our suspension.

We found a small tree and all 6 of us huddled under the shade of it for a spot of (tuna and bread) lunch and the realisation of where we were was really clear. If you had no GPS and spun around a few times you would have no idea where you came from or where to go! There were mirages everywhere as we travelled and they looked very real until we got closer....its a crazy place out there!

About 15 -20km before our beach camp we drove over a small dune of soft sand, keeping our momentum so we didn't get stuck, as we came over the crest there was a lone vespa in the middle of the track, Dad swerved to avoid hitting it and then at the same time bad luck struck and our tie-rod broke, our springs are open and not in cans so we had to walk back to pick us the pieces of Laura left behind! We moved the vespa off the track to where there were 2 more vespas with there riders beside them, We asked if they were of, one of them (the Father of the other) had fallen and hurt his ribs so they were resting, I saw a vespa rider laying under a tarpaullin a little further back so went to check on him, his eyes were closed and he was almost asleep, I talked complete rubbish to him for a while then get him some of our water which I poured over him and made him drink slowley then continued to blablabla to stop him falling asleep, 5-10 mins later Edwin passed by in his Mehari and helped look after Mark while I went and helped Dad who was fixing Lauras suspension. Mark was put into a fellow teams 2cv replacing the 2cv driver who then squeezed himself into the back of Erik's 2cv (Houdini would be proud) we then helped secure the vespa onto the back of the Mehari. After all of this in 48 degree blazing sun Dad was sick, a few times so I took over the driving, once we began moving and the air began coming into the car dad was feeling better. Laura then stuck to the back of that Mehari like glue to ensure the rest of the journey to camp was trouble free, It was 2 hardcore TT cars and 4 hardcore TT team members saving the day as a team! :)

Camp was paradise! Right on the beach front with some nice african tents for shade and here we will stay for the rest of today and tomorrow,.Rest time, swimming, relaxing oh and working...re-mounting Lauras suspension to make her open cans a little more horizontal and better.

Dakhla - Nouadhibou Camping 381km

Wednesday 24^th

Mileage 68650

We continue on the loooong western Sahara road today and leave camp at 5.45am as we must make good progress, Crossing the border from Marocco to Mauritania can take some time, We must first dross the Moroccan border, then we drive through the approx 4km of 'No Mans Land' there is a track we must stick to as there are land mines either side and exploded car wrecks left there to warn of the danger....to be continued....

some pics to follow soon too :)

So we arrived at the Moroccan side of the border at 10am and wait...... Finally we receive our passports back, drive the 4km of no mans land (strictly sticking to the track) at 12.30. We then wait.......and leave the border to enter Mauritania at 3pm. Although we spend a very long time in the heat at a boring border it was not so bad. Everyone was in high spirits and we were all talking and getting to know each other better :)

Anyway, by the 'African Way' I don't think 5 hours to cross the border is too bad! Haha

85km later and we arrive at 'Camp Abba' no dancing queens here though, this is Mauritania, Commonly described as a s**thole! It's noticeable as soon as the border is crossed, its smelly and there is rubbish everywhere, lots of plastic, bags and bottles, but, the people have bigger smiles and this time no different to my previous experience of Nouadhibou, They are all very friendly and interested on us and Laura and make us feel very welcome.

We set up our tents, changed our Moroccan 'Dirhams' into Mauritanian 'Ouguiya' and then went for a drive, we were told we will not be passing anywhere to buy lunch for 2 days so we must shop. We had fun buying fruit, bread, tuna, water, biscuits etc then just drove around a little, One small side street had about 10 hairdressers and because Dad did not have time before he left he decided to visit one! There were 4 guys inside this really tine room and I think it must have been about 70 degrees in there I therefore stood in the doorway (there was no room for me anyway!) Turns out the men were from Ghana and love England so we had a really good laugh with them. Dad wanted a trim so we were both a little nervous when the barber stood ready and armed with a shaver! But he did a great job (even though it took forever! ….but nothing needs to be done fast in Africa!

Ksar Tafnidilt / Tarfaya - Dakhla 840km

Tuesday 23^rd

Mileage 68129

Today is a loooong day but necessary to get from Morocco to Mauritania and we do have a treat at the end to look forward to! So we set off from camp before sunrise and followed the tarmac coast road south through the Western Sahara. Laura preformed brilliantly all day, she didn't miss a beat, its a really tough day on the car as we stop only every 1-2 hours to refuel or visit the desert bathroom then we are pedal to the metal again to make progress, we want to try and reach camp before sunset for our treat!
We drove all day with the roof open and only a Matts Soft Tops Sun Mesh over our heads, we were really pleased we has this as we were cooler without shutting the sun out completely, Thanks Matt!

It was again 30 degree c today and the rather boring road / drive was only broken up by police checks, we must hand in a document with lots of info on it (la Fische) smile sweetly and hope the officer will let us pass smoothly! Needless to say we had no problems :)

It was hard going on us today too, driving that road can be really tiring anyway but we seem to have could a cold! Dads is worse than mine, he is sneezing every 5 minutes I just have a really sore throat.

A highlight of the day was when a (heard?) of Camels decided to cross the road as the 2cv's approached but the best bit was when we arrived at the bivouac the organisation had arranged for freshly prepared Oysters! It was Oyster Camp, we have been here before and they were the freshest thing I've ever tasted and really yummy, so much so I had to tell myself to stop after about 8 as I don't want an upset belly tomorrow!

Marrakech – Tree Camp (Tiznit) (Bivouac) 322km

Sunday 21^st

Mileage 67730

You know its gonna be a good day when it starts with Eggs & Bacon! Breakfast is usually bread (often a little dry) with ham, cheese or jam or chocolate spread, and there is only cream, no milk so Tea is off the morning menu :( So I was really chuffed with Eggs this morning!

It was our final day in the mountains, the summits were eventful today, at one Dad found a skull which he has kept as a souvenir... and at another when we stopped our Dutch friend Edwin dropped his sunglasses, the slope was pretty steep but he was determined to get them back, so off came a tow rope from one of the 2cv's and around his waist it went, we then lowered him down, slowly so as not to cause a rock slide, well most of us took pictures! But it was successful, glasses retrieved!

Camp this evening is a red sandy one in the middle of nowhere surrounded by cactus fields, really lovely, but caution must be taken when the 'bathroom' It was about 10k of really fun track to get to the bivouac so a pleasant end to a pleasant day

Saturday 20^th

Ait Ben Hadou – Marrakech (Camping) 180km

Mileage 67426

We start today with a 60km drive along the 'Telouet Track' then onto one of Africas' deadliest roads with descents on narrow roads on steep cliffs for approx 100km!

The day was a success and we drove with 6 cars at times which was really nice to see, snaking up and down mountains. :)

The place where we camped was very nice, with a pool and showers, but no time for that, (although we did was a few clothes) we ate, helped a team mate with his car then took a taxi into Marrakech. I believe the guys ordered a 6 seater, well that means 2 in the front (not including the driver) and 4 in the back of a beat up Mercedes! So even the taxi ride was an adventure!

I loved Marrakech, yes, its more touristic than any of the places I have seen in Africa and I like less tourism but it was cool to see it, there is a big square and you must watch where you step as there are snakes being charmed on the ground, there are different 'fun fair' games like fish the hoop onto the top of a bottle of coke etc, there are people playing drums and dancing, the atmosphere was lovely. I didn't take many pics as they all want to charge you for pictures!

We walked up and down the Souks (long tall streets full of shops selling all sorts, shoes, bags, food, clothes, jewellery and so much more, I also loved the atmosphere down these little streets, ok so every shop keeper tries to see you his goods but they are friendly about it and I didn't find them too push if you say no. We moved on to the food area, now these guys are pushy! As soon as we walked into the food stall section they were like bees to honey, eat at my stall, no, I am cheaper, etc etc, In the end there was a nice lad with a great English accent and lots of knowledge about Little Britain, Delia Smith....and the list goes on! So we ate there, I had a 'meat' tajine (I really love that dish) and dad had lamb chops. Then, to avoid spending too many Dirhams we went back to the camp site for an early night.

Saturday 27^th

Cap Tafarit – Nouakchott (Hotel/Camping) 337km

Mileage 68881

After some fun off road tracks we hit the tarmac, everyone is low on fuel (2cv's and Vespa riders) and when we reached the petrol station (228k before camp) we discover they are out of fuel! A couple of people were feeling a little worried and everyone working out how much fuel they have in their tanks and jerry cans and trying to find out how far it is to the next station and whether they have fuel! After half and hour or so we and 3 other cars decided to take on the challenge and were determined to find a way! So we set off, the 2 cars with the least fuel (Erik and Edwin) slip streaming ourselves and Fitz and Stans car. We hear there is a petrol station in 120km and they have 200litres of petrol. One car ran out of fuel so Fitz shared a few litres of his and we continued. We celebrated our efforts when we reached the station (ignoring the strange looks from the locals) and we filled up (10litres) just what we needed to get to the next station so there was still some left for the equally adventurous teams behind. After the final stretch it was again a celebration when we arrived at the hotel first. It was a 'Mauritanian hotel' so no real luxury but the shower was appreciated and we found a nice pizza place to eat while enjoying the sight of a locals Acadiane which was in great condition. A very pleasant evening.

Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) - Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) 0km

Friday 26^th

Just another day in paridise.....

Its really beautiful here. Its just crazy to think that we are only a few km's from the desert where some people, especially Vespa riders were struggling to finish the track. So the rest is a much needed one, and although its lush here I have had been swimming in the sea, eaten, enjoyed a few beers, slept and am very ready to get back on some fun tracks!!

Nouadhibou – Cap Tafarit (Bivouac) 257km

Thursday 25^th

Mileage 68881

Today we ride the desert! Woooo hooooo!

For approx 120km we were in the middle of nowhere, well the middle of the Sahara, Every direction you look is identical.... nothingness! There is 'Camel Grass' (humps of sand with a hay like plant growing through, these are not good for the cars, they are really hard! So you may imagine being able to drive through the desert in one straight line, but no, we must slalom to look after our suspension.

We found a small tree and all 6 of us huddled under the shade of it for a spot of (tuna and bread) lunch and the realisation of where we were was really clear. If you had no GPS and spun around a few times you would have no idea where you came from or where to go! There were mirages everywhere as we travelled and they looked very real until we got closer....its a crazy place out there!

About 15 -20km before our beach camp we drove over a small dune of soft sand, keeping our momentum so we didn't get stuck, as we came over the crest there was a lone vespa in the middle of the track, Dad swerved to avoid hitting it and then at the same time bad luck struck and our tie-rod broke, our springs are open and not in cans so we had to walk back to pick us the pieces of Laura left behind! We moved the vespa off the track to where there were 2 more vespas with there riders beside them, We asked if they were of, one of them (the Father of the other) had fallen and hurt his ribs so they were resting, I saw a vespa rider laying under a tarpaullin a little further back so went to check on him, his eyes were closed and he was almost asleep, I talked complete rubbish to him for a while then get him some of our water which I poured over him and made him drink slowley then continued to blablabla to stop him falling asleep, 5-10 mins later Edwin passed by in his Mehari and helped look after Mark while I went and helped Dad who was fixing Lauras suspension. Mark was put into a fellow teams 2cv replacing the 2cv driver who then squeezed himself into the back of Erik's 2cv (Houdini would be proud) we then helped secure the vespa onto the back of the Mehari. After all of this in 48 degree blazing sun Dad was sick, a few times so I took over the driving, once we began moving and the air began coming into the car dad was feeling better. Laura then stuck to the back of that Mehari like glue to ensure the rest of the journey to camp was trouble free, It was 2 hardcore TT cars and 4 hardcore TT team members saving the day as a team! :)

Camp was paradise! Right on the beach front with some nice african tents for shade and here we will stay for the rest of today and tomorrow,.Rest time, swimming, relaxing oh and working...re-mounting Lauras suspension to make her open cans a little more horizontal and better.