Senegalese Xmas Greetings from Dakar

Wishing everyone a super chilled & fun Xmas Holidays.
Ollie & Brendan

Ollie pre Xmas Dinner snoozing after 6000 km

Local Hotspot 5 Star Xmas Dinner Location

My 76 cents Xmas Dinner - rice and chunky stuff!

Post Xmas Dinner Cultural Outing to African Renaisance Monument

Sahara Fortnight

So if your looking for a place to go through cold turkey, perfect your loner or recluse skills, catch up on meditation or simply enjoy your movie library, Western Sahara is the place to go to!

1000+ kms of the same rocky desert background with 4 towns and a few villages  …. with village often meaning a petrol station and a military hut some  130km apart …. and of course a few camels!

Daily Background Picture

Sahara Lunchtime

Morocco is on a mission to populate the Western Sahara - came across some newly built empty villages – build it and they will come – or maybe not!

Newly Built Empty Village we camped in

Huge military presence here with lots of checkpoints. The locals refer to themselves as Sahrawi and not Moroccan but apparently they receive a nice monthly cheque for peaceful acceptance. There’s a UN presence here also but apart from occupying the most expensive hotels in Laayoune,  not sure what else they do!

We hit Tarfaya, a dusty old forgotten town,  Layoune, the capital had a strange artificial atmosphere and was ridiculously over policed, Bojador was a really nice small authentic beach town while Dakhla was the coolest of all the towns with a strong surf vibe and even a Catholic church!

Measuring the amount of food and water needed between stops was a fine art and Ollie got a good old chase off some hungry wild dogs at one point.

Hand of Allah says no to speeding

Rooftop Animal Carriage

Ollie outside Bojador

Road to Dakhla

100's km of untouched beaches

Sahara coastline fishermen huts

Mauritania on the other hand redefined the word primitive but with a special charm. Food can be tricky to find never mind internet! Apart from fishing and an iron ore mine, there’s tent / hut settlements and 2 main towns … and be careful to bring your waterproof gear – it rains 1 day a year!

Village Accommodation

Village Restaurant

The landscapes changes from rocky desert to proper sand dunes  … and a lot more camels to chat to!

Video of cycling past camels here: http://youtu.be/VUmEqpqeX7c

Camel Family

simple directions

Scaring the camels

Camel Crossing

Poser Camel

Camel Transport

We cycled through the first village without realizing that the roadside huts were the shops (Boutiques). Everything is imported so its more expensive – still haven’t figured out what the locals eat – fruit and vegetables are a rare sight outside the 2 main towns.

Guess what - a shop!

Have joined cycling forces with Tim from Germany – a master in outdoor living!

Also bumped into a crazy French couple who are walking from France to Ghana!

Next stop is southern Mauritania to the Senegalese border and then onto Dakar for Xmas. Trip total 5588km – all going well – enjoying the ever increasing relaxed nomadic existence.

North African Irish Border

Bringing in the fish

Camping Sunset

Block Drying Nouakchott

Mauritanian Sahara bird - Greg?

A border note for other intrepid travelers … Western Sahara  Mauritanian border closes at 6 sharp. There’s a crazy Mad Max like no man’s land in between the borders with a very rocky road and no sign posts. Dirham and Euro Exchange and large tent accommodation the far side. No mention of needing the yellow fever vaccine. Funny to see the army using a mobile phone as a lamp in their office to read the passports in the evening light.

No Mans Land Western Sahara Mauritanian Border

Morocco Part 2: Rabat to Tan Tan

And so our collection of Moroccan urban and rural sights continued.

Moroccan Car Insurance?

Roadside Tagine for Ollie

Roadside Fish Sales

Why pay a Franchise Fee when you have a Billboard

Old Medina Rabat

The rural pastime - roadside herding

Outside the butcher shop - some goat feet for teatime!

Peugeot 205 Taxi Rank

From Rabat we hit the big industrial city of Casablanca – smog and crazy traffic with a plush D4 quarter and an Irish bar that charged 6 euros a drink – same price as the hostel accommodation!

Then onto Marrakech, with a sleepover in a local school on the way. Abdraheem, the school caretaker insisted I join him in his hide away from family duties, for an evening of satellite TV.

Abdraheem - school caretaker

Marrakech lived up to its rep as a most intriguing city with miles and miles of souq alleyways and deep cultural vibe. However Arthur Daly himself wouldn’t escape from being fleeced at every turn.

And then onto the Atlas for some amazing scenery, more roadside tagines (causing a few Olympic toilet trips) and lots of donkey scenery.

Atlas Mts from Marrakech

Summit Tagines

Donkey Snacking

Some Rain Cover

Well Duties

Agadir, as expected seems the most Western of Moroccan cities. Impressive beachfront and bar strip with lots of fellow pasty people around and Derek departed from us again at this point.

Waka Waka Hostel Marrakech

Getting used of the mosque prayer sirens – kinda like the Angelus Bells – a portion of people take notice and hit the mat and a portion seem to take no heed.  Impressed by how safe Morocco is – thievery just not part of the culture – also impressed by the developing economy – ecommerce doesn’t seem to have fully hit yet but with such a young educating population, all seemingly happy with the new King (Monarchy TV pretty funny) – seems like an economy to watch.

Trip total 3,903km – nearly 8 weeks on the road - Ollie holding the daily record of 185km!

Lost and Found – 1 passport, 2 laptops and 1 kindle – lets hope our luck continues!

Daily expenditure decreasing nicely to 15-20 euro levels (3 euro accommodation is current record)

Wind is new enemy now (4 hour struggle for 40k 2 days ago) and its starting to get sizzly too. On the edge of the dessert now – barren and dusty camel country – head turbans will soon in be use!

Entrance Guelmim

Roundabout Tan Tan

Other random photos:

Majorelle Gardens Marrakech

 Miloud, a friendly tour guide in Taroudant, explained that to pick up a traditional girl - you watch out in the street and then when you spot one- you follow her home to see where she lives and then go talk to the father or the brothers - no chatting to the girl beforehand never mind a trial run!

Meaty Tagine

Twin Mosque Casablanca

Rooftop Satellite Dishes for everyone

Barmaid English Pub Agadir - head scarf separated her from all the hookers!

40 cents fresh orange juice Marrakech

Cats are Kings in Morocco - they are treated so well everywhere - on the counter in the train station

Helping a local with a puncture

Irrigation System North Morocco

Pic from Spain- no horses or carts on the motorway

 Young Plasterer - Hostel Rabat