Trans Africa expedition 10

In Bamako we met a friendly guy called Mamoud, who enthusiastically guided us around the town for a few days. After considering our schedule carefully, we decided to invite him to be our guide for a week or so to visit the more interesting north of Mali. We drew up a little contract with Mamoud so that all parties would know what was included in his fee. We were due to leave for Mopti at 11.00am - the bus finally pulled out at 18.00! Transport in Mali is a real challenge to everyone's patients, especially when it is 40 degrees in the shade! After a long night with numerous prayer stops we finally pulled in to Mopti at 6.00am. Mopti, the 'Venice of Mali', is built on three islands at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers.

 Mamoud immediately led us to the house of his relatives where we would stay. The family lived in a simple adobe house and were warm and friendly to us. Our washing facilities consisted of a kettle of water on the roof! At the evening meal we all sat down together on the floor and ate with our hands out of a communal bowl - I just prayed that my immune system was at 100%! For the night the family gave us a couple of millet mats to bed down on the roof under the stars. The family despite their obvious poverty oozed with generosity and enthusiasm to make our stay pleasant.
(to be continued)

Trans Africa 9 - Mali

On Monday 9th March Paula an I flew from Algiers to Bamako, the capital of Mali. We had arranged to keep in touch with the progress of the overland tour via telex, with the aim  of rejoining the group in Nigeria. We both felt pretty nervous as the plane touched down in Bamako, we were on our own now! Mali is one of the poorest nations in the world. It was dark as we rode a cab into the city center, all we could see were small groups of people huddled around fires lit beside the road. There seemed to be no high rise blocks in this city only shanty type buildings. We managed to find a very basic hotel which was quite obviously a local brothel - but still it was expensive!

The prices in Mali seemed to be a complete anomaly, as the people were exceptionally poor but the prices seemed to be at an international level. The unrealistic prices were the product of the artificial   pegging of the currency to the French Franc, also many people seemed not to be using currency but instead a bartering system! We had now left behind the Arab world of North Africa and were beginning our exploration of Black Africa. The saleswomen of the Grand Marché were a blaze of color with their coordinated body wraps and head scarves, the atmosphere at the market was very different to the souks of Morocco and Algeria. The climate here was also quite a contrast reaching a scorching 40 degrees almost everyday!
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 8

To me the trip seemed to be getting bogged down with the logistics of getting the truck down to Mali, so my plan was to fly. I worked out that flying to Mali would meant that I would be able to complete the trip and only miss the stretch of dessert from Tamanrasset in southern Algeria to Mopti in northern Mali - this loss would be insignificant. I realized that I would have to leave the trip and go it alone, but that seemed all the more exciting. Paula came to the same conclusion which was lucky as I probably wouldn't have left her - things were getting a little more serious between us!

Against the instructions of the trip leader Paula and I headed into the city to try an organize flights down to Mali. There was a definite tension in the air with a significant army presence and tanks on some streets. Paula, however, was intent on photographing the architecture and for this we ended up getting arrested for suspected espionage! Apparently there were army snipers etc. in some of the building that Paula had decided to photograph. We were hauled into a police station and questioned about our motives, luckily they believed us and we even got to keep the role of film!
(to be continued)

Trans Africa 7 - Algeria

The general security situation in Algeria was slowly worsening and the next stretch of desert across the border into Mali was now supposed to be plagued with bandits. After much deliberation the trip leader finally decided it was too dangerous to attempt the crossing and we would have to find another way around! With heavy hearts we began to retrace a footsteps and head north to the Algerian capital of Algiers.

After a couple of days driving we arrived at the town of Ghardaia, which is famous for its Mozabite people who follow an extreme Islamic culture. The Mozabite women are totally veiled in black and are only permitted to show one eye! The town was fairly untouched by tourism and we enjoyed browsing through the authentic medina without the usual persistent 'guides'. The people seemed to take us in their stride which made the whole experience far more rewarding. After another long day on the road we arrived in the capital, Algiers, which was in a "State of Emergency". The political unrest had led to the situation, but overall the city seemed quite calm. Our trip leader forbid the group to enter the city, but I had other plans!
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 6 Tamanrasset

On 22nd February, my birthday, we crossed the border into Algeria and camped on the outskirts of Taghit, an oasis town. The oasis blesses Taghit with green fields and palm trees, but behind the town rise huge 150m high sand dunes which form the edge of the Grand Erg Occidental. The endless, shifting sands of the sand sea were how we all had imagined the Sahara! From Taghit we spent several days driving south through thousands of kilometers of desert to In Salah and onto Tamanrasset.

 Tamanrasset, at a latitude of 22 degrees, is in the extreme south of Algeria in the foothills of the majestic Hoggar Mountains. The well known desert community is frequented by the noble Tuareg nomads. We were now deep in the heart of the Sahara dessert. From Tamanrasset we hired Toyota Land Cruisers for a tour of the Hoggar Mountains National Park. The tour was spectacular and we spent the night in the secluded mountain hermitage of Pere de Foucauld. The morning sunrise against the pinnacles of the Hoggar mountains was quite unforgettable.
Gavin & Co.
foto: Janin
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 5

Crowded with Arabs, Africans and Berbers, the old city of Marrakech had a mystical air to it. At night we congregated in the famous square of Djemaa El Fina with the snake charmers, story tellers, acrobats and street sellers. It was a magical experience to sip mint tea and enjoy people watching at its best! The ancient souks and the Djemaa El Fina square were intense and exhausting, so Paula and I decided to spend the day at the world famous Mamounia Hotel. The hotel is regarded as one of the best in the world and certainly the finest in North Africa. Winston Churchill apparently spent months in this opulent hotel. Paula and I  passed a long, peaceful afternoon around the pool enjoying a sumptuous seafood buffet. The refinement of the Mamounia seemed a universe away from the truck and crew.

 Next we had a very scenic drive over the High Atlas mountains down to the spectacular Todra Gorge. On the journey we passed several picturesque oasis towns built from mud bricks - one such town was Tinerhir. At Todra we camped at the base of the gorge which was about 80m wide and a good 300m high. Paula and I did a demanding 30km day trek up the gorge to the small village of Tamtatouchte. At the village we were invited to drink tea with a friendly local family. On the trek we passed herds of donkeys and camels.
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 4 Forcible kissing

Being blond and female Paula drew allot of intention from the Moroccan men and I soon had to be quite protective. On one occasion while we were in a small store Paula walked into a section where I could no longer see her and then one of the guys tried to forcibly kiss her. In reality I seemed to draw their affection as well - a little more worrying!
From Fez it was a full day's drive south along the north side of the Middle Atlas mountains to the fascinating city of Marrakech. Marrakech seem to have such an exotic reputation and we were all very keen to experience it. The drive took us through some pretty varied countryside, from twisting alpine like roads to baron desert like landscapes. For lunch we pulled off the road in the middle of nowhere and set up a picnic on the sand. The 4 wheel drive truck certainly gave us freedom to stop where ever we chose! Traveling on the truck also gave us a chance to see the countryside away from the normal transport routes that we would have been restricted to had we been traveling on public transport.
Gavin & Co.
foto: Janin
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 3 Fez Morocco

From Rabat we traveled to Fez via the Roman ruins of Volubilis, built in the 1st century BC. For me the ruins were not really that impressive, but they made a pleasant stop on our journey. The city of Fez was quite a highlight of Morocco and it's culture. The old city and medina were built at the beginning of the 9th century and used to be considered as the 3rd holy city of Islam. We stayed for a couple of days and toured the Sultans Palace, Jewish Quarter, Jewish Cemetery, main medina and the El Bali medina. For me the medinas were the real highlight, with the  never ending maze of winding narrow streets and every little cubbyhole containing an "industrial unit".

Despite the harsh Moroccan sun, much of the medina seemed almost dark due to the overhanging houses hiding the sky. The medinas seemed to be a complete onslaught to the senses, with the sights, the colors, the smell of spices, smoke from the charcoal fires, the squalor, the sound of the little workshops and children playing etc.
In Fez we visited a mosaic factory where we watched the men and children painstakingly arrange the minute tiles to build the colorful mosaics. We also toured a pottery and a huge tannery with colorful natural dye pits. The tannery looked as though it must have been the same for hundreds of years and really made us feel that we were looking back in time. It was fascinating to learn about all of the natural dyes that were being used, but after 10 minutes or so the pungent stench of the dye pits drove us away.
(to be continued)

Trans Africa expedition 2

We took the route Paris - Bordeaux - San Sebastian - Madrid - Costa del Sol - Gibraltar.

It took us just over a week to get down to the port of Algeciras, where we took the ferry across to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. Over the week I got pretty friendly with Paula, one of the Canadian girls, and we had quite a bit of fun exploring Madrid and staying out all night in Torre del Mar. For some reason Paula and I had a sprinting race in Torre del Mar where my lead was abruptly ended when I did a half flip across the bonnet of a car - quite dramatic!
 On 2nd February we arrived in Ceuta, Morocco and began our trip proper on the African continent. It felt good to be away from the mid winter European climate and on our way across the world's second largest continent. Our first stop in Morocco was the charming coastal town of Asilah. The fortress like town was riddled with narrow winding streets and  white washed buildings. The people seemed friendly and warm, however there were the typical insistent Moroccan guides who pursued us. I had thought that these types of guys would have been limited to the big tourist destinations. Next stop was the Moroccan capital, Rabat. Paula and I visited the main medina and checked out the hundreds of tiny shops stocked with everything imaginable. The huge variety of spices, grains and nuts caught my attention, as did the little tradesmen shops for leather, carpets and bronze ware. We also had a walk around the Tour Hassan (1195 AD) with its smartly dressed horseback guards.
(to be continued)