Photo dump

 Because internet is so slow I can’t do videos, I’m just going to do a photo dump here of a bunch of photos I’ve taken. Not too many because, again as I mentioned, slow internet.

Phones and Power

So how does it work for charging our phones and batteries? The short answer is some of the campgrounds do have power points we can plug into, but unsurprisingly none of the bush camps do. So how do we do it?

The truck has half a dozen 12V old school cigarette lighter sockets, and people plug into their USB chargers into there, but that too is only half the story. What happens is a few people, like myself, plug in multi USB port chargers for community use (I have multiport chargers and provide 8 USB ports). 

Every morning everyone tries to find a free port to charge their device. Most people charge a USB power bank and use that to charge their individual devices like phones and laptops. Some people plug their phones in directly and just run off that.

Myself I have two usb battery banks and keep them both topped off. Given I provide 8 plugs for the community, I also have priority to always have a plug for myself if I want it. That seems to be the unofficial rule — if you share your power, you get priority. 

Lac Rose

 We spent 3 nights at Lac Rose, near Dakar. We had to try and sort visas for everyone for the Ivory Coast. There was a chance they’d sort them in Dakar, or the embassy there would tell us to go to another country and try there. Unfortunately that’s what they did.

This does however mean we’ve had a full free day at this campsite. It’s been hot, but generally good weather. I cleaned my sleeping bag and sleep pad (wipe down with soap) and emptied out various bags that had accumulated sand and air them out.

I managed to get *all* of my clothes washed and dried. In fact as I write this I’m sitting by the pool in my swim shorts, waiting for me to dry by the African sun so I can later put on a clean t-shirt.

This is all in preparation for the next part of the trip where we will apparently be unlikely to get anything clean and will be perpetually dirty.

I’m also busy considering what items I want in a care package being sent to Accra. I’ve organised someone to send me a package to a campsite we will be using. It’s taken a lot of effort and will require some luck, but I’ve spent the last few days going through what I want — another quick dry t shirt and shorts, another usb fan (omg they are amazing!), etc. Hopefully it’ll all work out.

Hello Africa

As I leaned out the side today watching the beautiful landscape, it finally dawned on me. I’m in Africa. I think these first 3 weeks have been so much a mission, getting everything sorted, getting pack down done quickly, getting over my cold, I just hadn’t stopped to think where I am.

Hello from Africa.

Senegal

 Yesterday after finally managing to get visas for Senegal we went for the border crossing, regrettably arriving around 1pm. The border is known as the most hectic and/or corrupt border in the world.

Fortunately our crew took care of us entirely and we barely interacted with any police or fixers at all. We even got a good rate on currency exchange from the Mauritanian oogle-woogle to West African Franc (CFA).

However after all the scams and bribes and “fees” it was 7pm and dark before we left the border, and around 30mins before we could get to a bush camp. Given how late and dark it was it was quite a good camp. 

One of our members celebrated their birthday last night, and another member celebrated their 100th country, and Senegal allows alcohol, unlike Mauritania, so the vodka was flowing and more than a couple of hangovers this morning.

My chest cold is almost done, and hearing has almost fully returned in my right ear (from the cold). I’m starting to feel I’m getting into the swing of things. My tent gear bag (eg sleeping bag, mattress, and other things I need) is down to quite a small bag.

Maybe border crossing

 We’ve spent the last 4 days in Nouakchott waiting for visas for our Aussies and Kiwis for Senegal. The first day we were delayed because there were elections in Senegal (the incumbent won, this is good for us), we tried to get visas faster than normal but reading between the lines the Ambassador was pretty hung over for the last two days and didn’t get to them.

Today we, the whole bus, is heading to the embassy in hopes that our numbers might convince them to do the visas today. 

Hopefully by the end of the day we will have crossed into Senegal at the infamous Rosso border. We’ve been warned it is extremely hectic and we should stay together as an entire group the whole time, and many many people will try stealing stuff.

Speaking of border crossings, we are giving a lift to the market to two Madaventures people who got left here to sort out their own visas.

We have found that, unlike Oasis, Madaventures will leave you behind if you have visa issues, including if you can’t get a visa before you start (30 day visa) or have to apply in person. They don’t wait.

Oasis coordinates everyone’s visas as best they can. 

Our Oasis crew are shocked, and so are we. These two Madaventures people, if they continue to struggle to get visas (because they don’t have experienced people helping them), then they’ll have to work out how to catch up with the truck.

It makes it very clear that we all made the right choice going with Oasis.

This is Africa