12th July. Essaouira, Morocco

 12th July. Arrived in windy Essaouira where we will spend a couple of nights in a hotel for Joan's birthday. A favourite Moroccan city but teeming with tourists. Write again soon

 3^rd July. Parc National de Diawling, Mauritania. (40kms over border)

It's annoying when time is wasted as it was with these insurance papers. It appears they arrived last Tuesday but the notification slip wasn't put into the post box. The PO bloke we spoke to on Friday before we headed south checked after we had gone, found it in the registration bundle, but had no way of contacting us.

Still, we are now in Mauritania a short distance over the border. There are two crossings into this country, at Rosso and the one we took, Diamma. Rosso has a bad reputation of con men, tricksters and hangers on. It is the commercial crossing. Diamma was better but for the first time, we forked out money for the gendarmes to do their job. $10 on the Senegalese side, $13 across the border. At least the Mauritanian bloke had a smile on his face and was very helpful organising the insurance.

We are camped in the middle of a wind swept plain. What looks like salt bush is the only vegetation. The only sign of life are a group of beautiful bee eaters flying over a dried water hole. In the distance stands a 3 storey building completely alone surrounded by a perimeter fence.

W hen we came to leave the ruined hotel this morning, the young caretaker wasn't to be seen. We had parked in soft sand the previous night to get a good sea breeze, but coming to get out this morning I had difficulty. Finally made it then had to take the locked gate off the hinges to get out. He would be puzzled how we got out when he sees the tyre tracks. We did leave some money for him.

4^th July. Hotel Sabah, Nouakchott, Mauritania.

I woke this morning to the booming call of the Abysinnian ground Hornbill. Didn't see them but quite unmistakeable. It was an interesting drive to the asphalt with the reed covered Senegal River bank on one side and waterways then sand dunes on the other. This country is almost all sand and camels are becoming common.

The hotel where we are camped is another person's dream gone. Two years ago some overlanders reported that this hotel was showing signs of wear but you could still get waiters to serve you drinks while lounging on the beach chairs under thatch umbrellas. The umbrellas and some of the chairs are still there but in differing states of disrepair. Most of the chalets have bits missing, A/C units hanging by a thread. The dogs are more prevalent than the guests and the swimming pool is now a rubbish dump. But the situation is great overlooking the Atlantic, there is a good breeze to drop the temperature and they do have hot water which is a godsend after 5 days without a shower.

We hit Nouakchott abot 1pm and thought we might get what we wanted then head towards the oasis at Atar. But things took longer than planned, it was 3pm by the time we were read, and very hot. Hence the stay over.

Joan had a nasty experience today and the first such happening on the trip. I went to get money out of an ATM but had to go to three before I could find one that accepted our cards. Took longer than planned. While away a bloke opened the driver's door (we have become lax in locking it) gabbled some unintelligible to her and showing her something on his phone. She then noticed his right hand was creeping under my seat where I keep my brief case carrying all our important documents and had his hand on the handle. She gave a shout and pushed him out yelling at him to get out you bastard! Some store vendors heard her shout and witnessed the aftermath, their raised thumbs acknowledging the good job she had done. As I said, we have felt so safe on this trip that sometimes your defenses drop. It was a new city in a new country, the people now area mix of black and berber, we should have been more careful. Lesson learnt. Ray & Avril, the Australians we have been corresponding with, spent 11 months in Africa with the theft of a shovel their only theft, they get to Spain and have their backpack broken into and Avril's wallet stolen.

The fiches are finally coming into their own here in Mauritania. In the first 24 hours we have handed out 5 to different gendarmes. If we didn't have them it would mean continuous filling out of forms. We just hand one over and take off. So simple.

5^th July. Hotel El Waha, Atar, Mauritania

The Adrar is the jewel in Mauritania's Crown. An area of barren rocky mountains with little or no vegetation rising from dry wadis with seemingly deserted mud houses on either side of dusty streets. Atar is the main town and with temperatures soaring we have taken to an chambre acclimatise for the night. Looking back this is just the 6^th hotel we have stopped in due to the heat. Not bad in almost 4 months. Mauritania is desert and today was a typical example of the scenery. We drove 440 kms with desert ranging from white and golden dunes, endless billiard-table flat plains and stoney sections. Even so, it wasn't really boring with considerable activity happening all around us.

From Atar, to get back onto the main road at the Moroccan border crossing, the usual route is to follow the railway line on a track as it heads west some 400kms. Problem has arisen in as much as the local people say that that track is not in good condition and advise not to take it. The two options are to drive all the way back to Nouakchott then up to the border. A trip of some 900kms. The alternative is to put the bakkie on the daily train that passes through a town some 120kms from where we are and go on that. It takes some 12 hours but the cost we think is not bad. We are to make enquiries tomorrow at the gendarmerie in town.

The train starts its journey at the mining town of Zouerat, some 200kms further north. It is the longest train in the world stretching some 2.5kms in length. They have attached the passenger cars on the end as an easy way for people to get to the coast.

7^th July. Near Rail Line Northern Mauritania.

Things didn't work out as planned. We drove north to where the train passes through on a badly corrugated roas only to find it would take at least three days to get things organized. On the other hand, everybody we spoke to including three separate gendarmes, reckoned the track that runs parallel with the rail line was good. So we filled up with petrol and headed off at 5.30pm. Thought we would at least make a start and camp out on the edge of the piste. The track was good at the start but soon turned into sand dunes. I was caught unawares at the first one but after reversing out of it, dropping the tyre pressure to half and sorting out the correct gear was soon on our way. That night we camped near the rail line, as we were sitting down in the dusk after eating, the west bound train hauled into sight. It wasn't as long as we expected but in the early hours of the morning another one appeared, much longer than the first. It was very hot and we had left the flap over the bed up meaning I was lying under the stars watching it pass by.

The sand continued this morning for a further 120kms. Three fingers of dunes from the Sahara run southwards well into Mauritania and these were what we had to drive over. Driving in sand has never been my forte but managed the day without getting stuck once. It was a very full on day as the rest of the 380km drive was over either further sand or corrugated firmer surface. Often sand hillocks would come upon us unexpectedly testing the springs of the bakkie and causing some of the crockery to be smashed when the cupboard latch gave way. Also a mixture of olive oil, chilli sauce and paprika spreading in the cupboard was not a pretty sight. Joan was not happy.

I have spoken before about the fiches and how we think they more than likely are thrown into the bottom drawer, but not the case. Even along this track there are a few small settlements with a gendarmerie who we were obliged to give a fiche to. At one of them the bloke knew where we had been since entering the country. It seems they report to HQ our movements. Sounds a little 'Big Brother' but going on the route we did today where we met one car over 380kms it could be quite on the cards for the car to break down or get horrible bogged in sand. If that happened they would know where we had reported in last and therefore where to look for us. At our lunch stop we had just passed a small settlement and as there were no gendarme signs didn't even think about going in to find them. Next thing we knew a police landcruiser had pulled up with an irate officer wanting to know why we didn't report in. We were all apologetic shook hands then off they raced with their fiche.

We were interested to see one aspect of modern technology making the lives of these isolated people easier are the big water bladders that are seen near the setlements. Some would measure a good 10 metres by four and just lie on the ground fenced off from the goats. A truck or rail wagon comes along and fills them from time to time. In some places the animals utilize them as well. Saves a lot of fetch and carry for the women.

Joan has been carrying a few old spectacles with us to hand out to needy people. I noticed when we filled up with diesel before heading along the track the old bloke had difficulty looking at the figures on the calculator. We offered him a pair, he tried them on and was so delighted gave us a further 10 litres of diesel.

We are camped tonight some 20kms from the end of the track and will pass into Western Sahara, now part of Morocco, tomorrow.

8^th July. On Sea Cliffs Overlooking Atlantic 30kms south of Dakhla, Morocco.

The sand had to have a few final grabs at us before hitting the asphalt this morning. But we made it, pumped the tyres up once more, then headed west on a good surface. It wasn't far to the border, the Mauritanian side was very efficient as was the Moroccan authorities. A little bit more involved there as they don't accept the carnet and the paperwork for the bakkie was more time consuming. It was the 3 kms that separate the two border posts that took the time, taking us at least twenty minutes to negotiate the distance. Trucks were hardly moving it was so rough. Would have to be the worst short stretch we have travelled on the trip. Even overshadows Angola.

Once into Western Sahara the road was good, with no traffic. We made good time to where we are bush camped tonight. There are cliffs all along this stretch of coastline, it is very windy and quite cool. A pleasant change to what we have been experiencing the last few weeks. We will head up towards Morocco proper the next couple of days and maybe make it to Essaouira for the 13^th.

9^th July. Camp

A trying long drive today. Over 600kms into a strong, gale force at times, wind. Sand was blowing constantly. The desert we have experienced so far in Western Sahara is a scrappy, boring type with none of the grand sand dunes we have experienced in Mauritania. There are a few of the type of dune, isolated but moving forward smothering everything in its path, but generally not very interesting. The road follows the coastline for much of the drive and that is quite spectacular when viewed from a safe distance. Last night was a beautiful spot on the cliff only spoilt by the gusting wind. Tonight it is even stronger causing us to lower the roof at night for the first time on the trip. Towns are few and far between and have been built in the Arabic-modern design with high columns and arches in front of grand government buildings. One of the towns had 6 lanes going through the centre with hardly a car on them, that was at lunchtime.

We are camped at Camp le Roi Bedouin . A beautiful place overlooking a scenic plain. Tomorrow we hope to almost get to Morocco proper. Another long drive but will be more interesting after that.

10^th July. Camp el Bacore, Ifni Morocco.

Todays drive was much more interesting. The scenery was more varied, still with the cliff coastline to our left but the desert changed to once more classical sand dunes, expansive wadis and a few estuaries where greater flamingos were feeding. During the morning the wind kept up its gale force intensity making it hard to keep the bakkie on the asphalt. In places backhoes were working transferring the encroaching sand from one side of the road to the other. The road would have been covered completely in a very short time if not for their effort. Even with that work there were stretches of road down to one lane.

Passing through a small town I noticed a shop selling eggs, something we needed. I went in, the bloke sold me half a dozen then pointed to the 30 or so pullets in a fenced area, no, I didn't want a chook thank you. I had forgotten that in Morocco you pick your live pullet out, they kill it, pluck and gut it and you have a fresh bird ready for the pot in 5 minutes. Makes you want to become a vegetarian almost.

We made it to Guelmin today which is really the en ofd Western Sahara for us. Unfortunately Camping International had closed down. The nearest camp was here at Ifni, on the coast. A pleasant site with us being the only non-Moroccans in the park. We are once more enjoying the odd glass of wine after suffering our way through Mauritania. Reminds us a bit on Iran where the ladies where coats to the beach and bathe in them if they feel like cooling off. At that time we were the only non-Iranians in a park with people so sandwiched together when we opened the slider in the morning we had a family sleeping on the ground where we would have stepped out. We got to know each other very quickly and enjoyed breakfast together.

So finally into Morocco. I will keep this blog going until we cross into Spain. The speedo clicked over 20,000kms today. That's since leaving Pretoria. It will be nearing 25,000 by the time we get to England. So often we have told people along the way that we are heading to Morocco, then on to Europe. Well here we are. It has been hard at times, at Libreville I seriously thought I had taken on too much, that was the low point of the trip. 

We were not eating well, it was humid and hot and the roads weren't the best. But after Nigeria when we could ease up a bit, it improved, we put a bit of weight on, felt better in ourselves and we knew the worst was over. It was a long drive and at our age, perhaps our last adventure. Many people have said west Africa was the hardest overland experience, if you can do that you can manage any trip. I don't think we will be selling the van in the UK, just in case the urge takes us somewhere else next year.

11^th July. Agadir Camping, Agadir, Morocco.

Not the best of camps with a disgusting shower block that even had the Ukrainians next to us washing under the tap.

A short pleasant drive today through built up areas where floral gardens started to make an appearance. The country reminds us of Spain a lot; barren hills, donkeys and little farmers' cars.

Morocco would have to have some of the best signage on the road of any country. Puts Australia to shame. Every kilometre the post shows the distance to one of 3-4 towns ahead. The road signs are in Arabic and English and the warning signs are profuse. Drivers are good apart from the usual erratic taxi drivers. And the roads are generally very good with nary a pot hole. Even their back roads are sealed or good piste.

I discovered the gale force winds and blowing sand the last couple of days have etched the windscreen of the bakkie. Can still see through it ok but may have to be replaced some time in the future.