Aaaaaaaand…. I crossed over into Senegal today..!
I left Nouakachott early this morning with an easy 150 miles to ride. I was heading for a hotel in the National Park just before the Senegal border where I was hoping to camp for one or two nights to enjoy the peace, tranquillity and the wildlife – or so I thought…. I could not find the hotel and where I expected it to be. I did see some deep sandy tracks leading off to into the bush at one point but sand and V-strom’s don’t mix so I stopped and had a quick think. Well, it was about 2pm, I didn’t fancy wild camping because there were some massive lizards and lots of warthogs around and I certainly didn’t fancy backtracking along the road from hell – so I decided to press-on and cross the border. Decision made.
But before that… it was one of the toughest and hardest biking experiences of my life. Now as a bike rider and having a bike that can go over ‘some’ bumpy bits, I do relish a bit of cross country, but the road that heads south to the Diama border to Senegal is not for the faint of heart. It was horrendous. I had read all the travel blogs and knew that the road was in poor state, and as you veer right off the main road leading to Rosso the road was not bad at first: some tarmac and some compacted dirt. Not bad, I thought… but it was just lulling me into a false sense of security because suddenly I was on the dirt and fighting for survival…
There is no tarmac for the 30 miles. It’s just compacted dirt, with sand, huge ruts, massive holes and undulations, and the worst part was the corrugation, which happens much of the way. The corrugation is horrible as all you can do is go slow. If you try to speed up it’s like you are floating and have no control. It feels like every bolt on the bike is going to shake itself loose. I only dropped the bike once. A man waved at me and I waved back and when I looked to the road again, I had ridden into a long and very deep rut. At the end of it I tried to power out of it but I failed and the bike toppled to the right and I managed to jump off. The bike was at about 45 degrees so easy to put her upright again, start her up and creep out of the rut. One bent rear brake lever, which I will ‘un-bend’ tomorrow.
The thing is though, because the road is so rough you have to stand on the pedals for much of the way. For the first 20 mins it’s okay but then it starts to wear you down. Standing up, plus a big heavy bike, luggage, 35 degree heat certainly takes its toll. Also, you cannot take your mind off the road for a moment as you are constantly having to look ahead to judge your path ahead, which also takes its toll on your mind.
I stopped for a small break after my little mishap and then a while after making headway again I saw another bike coming towards me. His name was Raphael from Italy and he was on an old Honda 750 Transalp – old school. We stopped, had a chat and then went our separate ways: him north and me south. The road was utterly relentless and you had to stay focussed every step of the way. The 30 miles took me about two hours, maybe be a bit more, and by the time I got to the border I was utterly exhausted, hot, sweaty, tired, niggly and all I wanted to do was find some shade, cool down and have some water. But you know what…? Deep down I enjoyed every mile. It was challenging, hard work, something I haven’t done before, and most of all – an experience and a half…
The border experience wasn’t too bad. The worse part was that there was no shade whatsoever, so being hot, sweaty, tired and niggly, this hadn’t helped my mood much. I had intended to try to get through the border on my own but because I was so tired I relented and said yes to a ‘fixer’. It cost me 10 eu but it was well worth it as it saved my sanity…
Getting into Senegal they gave me a 5-day Passavant for the bike so I need to get to St Louis or Dakar by Monday to extend it at the Douane. If you have a Carte de Passage for your vehicle it’s not a problem, but without a CDP you get a temporary vehicle import (Passavant) which gives you three or five days to get it extended. The time allowed depends on the mood of the border guard, some people get three, some five days. He must have felt sorry for me as he gave me five days.
The only hassle on the Senegal side was the vendors who were trying to sell you things or change money. I even got offered a Chelsea football shirt, as well as SIM cards, African clothing, ornaments and furniture. I really didn’t know where I could have put the African drums on my bike.
After that crazy road it was such a relief to ride on proper roads again, and the roads leading to St Louis we’re great – except for the worlds’ biggest speed bumps. There were some absolute monsters. The whole border process took around two hours, and with the slow ride over the Diama road it was mid-afternoon so instead of heading for St Louis I decided to head for the Zebrabar – which is around 15 miles south of St Louis.
Coming off the main N2 highway I headed for the coast and the town of Ndiedne and then the village of Mouit. As you arrive at Mouit there is a signpost for the Zebrabar but the secret here is head into the village itself and THEN turn off at another signpost. Coming off at the first signpost means a very sandy track and the second turn off is less sandy.
The Zebrabar is a campsite next to the sea and is certainly a touch of paradise. With many trees and masses of shade, it’s a prefect place for camper vans and tents to rest-up after a long day on the road. There are hot showers, toilets, a wonderful beach, running water, wi-fi and a bar for fresh food and cold drinks. There is also a large observation tower which you can climb to have a wonderful view along the coast. The cost was around £5 per night. Perfect.
The Zebrabar is a major stopping-off point for overlanders heading north, south or east, but I also get the impression that there are some Europeans who are maybe staying for a bit longer than a few nights. It’s also very peaceful so I’m going to be staying here for two or three nights. I don’t have to be in Dakar until Monday to extend the Passavant for my bike, so it’s definitely time for a little bit of R&R.
This evening another motorbike turned up. A chap called Victor, who is from China. He had shipped his scooter from China to Tangier and was hoping to ride it to South Africa…! Wow. He was an incredibly nice chap and spoke excellent English and we had a really good chat in the evening. H’s even had a cat with him, which he’d found in Tangier and decided to adopt. What a guy…!
That was an amazing, tiring, hot, sweaty, bumpy and an experience of a day. I don’t relish the thought of the return journey, maybe in February or March, but by then I will be over it and ready for the road again. I’ve just got to make sure I do it before the rainy season comes because the road then becomes almost impassable, especially for two-wheels.
And one final thing… the V-Strom did it all today. She never complained, did everything asked of her and nothing broke or fell off. She was a star and I love this bike….
