The African west.
Mauritania January and February 2003
Equipped with two synchro [4x4] VWs in the mountain region of Adrar in the tracks of Theodore Monod. The serious business begins at the Mauritanian border. Our synchros pass through without a problem.
We crossed the park of the Arguin bank without a guide, off-road in GPS. This gave us a chance to drive right out into the desert, with a few episodes of getting stuck in the sand, but without those it would have been no fun!
The journey along the beach is very lovely, but you must find out about the times of the tides . This is particularly important when getting through the 'bar', a place where the cliff has crumbled into the sea so that vehicles have to drive in the water to get round the rocks, which is only possible at low tide. When we reached Nouakchott, we could hardly recognise the little capital city which had only just emerged from the sands 30 years ago. Then there were some tarmac roads, but no slums, no plastic bags for miles along the beaches. That must be what progress means!
To get to Atar you have a stretch of impeccable asphalt. What has happened to the three days of corrugated roads and the effort to climb to the pass just before this town? Tarmac cuts distances, flattens the roughest mountains, but also cuts you off from the desert. You fly over it like an aeroplane, going alongside but never getting right into it. It becomes just part of the décor seen through glass. Luckily for travellers without urgent business as we were, there are adjacent tracks which bring you back into contact with the harsh reality of the desert.
When we reached Atar we didn't recognise much there either. What was once a French garrison town slumbering in its warrior past has now become larger and the Moors have become tourist agents. The town only comes really alive on Sunday mornings when the charters arrive and offload their cargo of merchants. This is where we began our voyage to discover Adrar, far from the roads in the tracks of Monod.
First to the south, with impressive passes, very soft sand and getting stuck in it. But also splendid landscapes, the sensual curves of the dunes , the delicate colours of the Sahel below hostile and chaotic mountains.
The desert shows its worth with a minimum of effort and by stripping body and soul. We were not always worthy of it but we did try to be low-key and not to disturb the sublime landscape we had intruded into, feeling that we were slightly superfluous even if all we left behind us were tyre marks that were soon swept away by the wind.
Thanks to the GPS, after an approach littered with debris and fallen stone, we found some sheltered rock paintings as described by Monod. Chingetti, the forgotten city in the sand, is coming to life again thanks to tourism and the efforts of UNESCO to save some of the libraries. But for every 4 or 5 that have been preserved, countless others are still left untouched. One day we discovered one by chance: a ruined house with a lovely room open to the four winds and in some broken chests there were illuminated manuscripts crumbling at the mercy of wind and insects.
Ouadane tries to milk the tourists with its traces of a splendid past.
Further north, after three days of difficult driving, we reached the geological curiosity of Guelt-El-Richat, three vast concentric circles, narrow passes, back-breaking pebbles and in the centre a small ring which could be the navel of the world. There is an impression of total solitude. More than ever the infinity before us, the hostile and desolate beauty of the place, remind us of the vanity of our existence. Monod loved and wandered over this region for 30 years. All the nomads know him. He shared their lives. They speak of him with respect, even consideration.
Further on, in the region of Al Beyyed, we find some more rock paintings, and near a well a small museum of prehistory set up in a hut by a companion of the professor: hundreds of axes, polished pebbles, arrowheads, grindstones etc gathered together in a not very scientific way. A young Canadian lives in a tent with some families and is teaching French to the children!
We returned to Atar then set off on the track to Tidjika. It took us a whole afternoon to get out of the circle of dunes in which we seemed to be trapped. Hours to cover one kilometre and get back to stones. But what stones they were! More like rocks under our wheels. Luckily the synchros adapted and surprised us yet again with their performance. We reached the crater of Aoulleoul, a huge ring hollowed out by a meteorite millions of years ago. Another place that Monod had been to.
I'll say nothing about the oases. We escaped as fast as we could from the more touristy ones with the swarms of children and guides to search out the more peaceful places.
Return to Choum and the train, which is also an unforgettable experience.
Well, we didn't try to see as much as possible in as short a time as possible. We didn't 'do' Mauritania. We approached the region and allowed it to seep into us slowly. The desert is magical but fragile and Monod is no longer there.
Our good old synchros came to no major harm. We had a few punctures and a broken spring, but that didn't seriously slow us up despite the 260,000km on the clock.
Mali.
Email 6 February, Bamako from Jacques Mahaut.
For the first time we are going to sleep in a garage... Yesterday the VW behaved beautifully, the air conditioning worked. This morning the starter is showing signs of weakness. Return to the garage, take it apart. It is the solenoid..... impossible to find. They hope tomorrow but while we wait nothing.
The mahauteries go on... The swimming pool looked too inviting, I misjudged my dive and bang, the soles of my feet caught on the edge... three stitches but the woman doctor was charming, and you have to add spice to the journey.
Even so, was going with Mahaut such a good idea?
The moral is the same... Will be in touch again soon.
Why would motorcaravanners scatter to the four corners of the five continents if it weren't to have adventures? Paul Gouwy.
Burkina-Faso.
Email 19 February, Ouagadougou, from Jacques Mahaut.
Everything is fine! We're at Ouga for a little rest. Letter follows as internet really too slow. Next to Niger or Benin, we don't yet know which.
23/02/03, Ouagadougou, from Gerard and Francoise.
Found your messages at the Pavilion Vert and sorry that we didn't manage to meet. We've been travelling alone since Agadez, as crossing the desert in Algeria and Niger was tough. We were constantly having to wait for the second vehicle even in sensitive areas which wasn't very sensible. We're carrying on with our planned route: Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Mauriatania. Happy travels to all.
Gerard and Francoise Charlin originally left via Algeria with Pierre and Lucette Michel. As they had different ideas about the journey they separated, which meant we were surprised to find a poor isolated and ownerless Iveco at Saint-Louis in Senegal. One or two days later we could have travelled together, in particular across Mauritania, but Pierre and Lucette had arranged to meet their daughter in Nouakchott and couldn't wait for us. In fact almost all of us went to the Pavilion Vert at Ouagadougou. Unfortunately we missed one another by a few days.
Togo.
Email 27 February, Dapang, from Michel Barbaudy and Daniel, to Jacques and Lucette Mahaut, Roger, Maguy Demontes
We've been here in Togo since Wednesday evening. No problems reaching Fada n'Gourma, and then Arly park. We went along the cliff of Gobnangou but didn't find it interesting or up to the cliff in Dogon. We have done two trips in Arly park and saw many wild animals, including elephants, hippopotamuses, buffaloes, baboons, monkeys, various antelopes, birds, lots of wild guinea-fowl. In short a very interesting visit, and we reached Togo by a path. We crossed the border without any difficulty. We are going to leave Dapang for the south. I'd like to have some news occasionally. Have you carried on with Lucette? I hope her wrist isn't too painful. All good wishes.
Burkina-Faso.
Email 11 March, Ougadougou, from the same to the same
Hello friends. It is 15 days since we went our own ways. I'm surprised to have had no news from you. Where are you? Have you gone to Guinea as Jacques said he intended to. Have you had our mail of 12 days ago? I hope to have a mail from you very soon. We have spent 6 days in Togo and seen several beautiful spots and some friendly people. We wanted to cross into Ghana at Aflao, but the customs wouldn't let us into the country as we didn't have the documents they demanded. Even talking to the local customs chief wouldn't budge them. Returned to Togo with a 24-hour transit visa. Then we went to Benin where we spent 6 days: Cotonou, a dull town, and country much less interesting than those we've already visited. However, the lake city of Gavie and Pendjari park are worth visiting. Since yesterday we've been in Burkina Faso and beginning our journey home. Everything has been going well apart from a burst rear tyre on the van 100km before Ouagadougou.
Mali.
Email 17 March, Bamako, from the same to the same
I'm perplexed by your silence following my last two mails. I hope all four of you are well and that Lucette's wrist is beginning to heal. We are at Bamako, slightly ahead of schedule and tomorrow we're leaving for Kayes and Senegal. All our good wishes.
Senegal.
Postcard 19 March, Saint Louis, Jacques Mahaut
Sorry to have been so stingy with our news but for a start, communication is difficult. Twice I wrote a long message on the internet only to have the message disappear before I could send it. And it was very long! I'm sorry also to have had no news from the 'Africans', apart from the bad news from Malou and Henri Denis whom we met at Mapti. And another thing: we've hardly time to breathe, visiting EVERY African garage with the VW. It is dark at 7.30. After the 47/42 degrees in Mali, we're feeling cold in the 18/24 at Saint-Louis, but we're sleeping better.
North Africa.
Morocco. Postcard 7 April, Al Ouatia, from Daniel and Daniele Meunier
After meeting the 'presidential group' on their way back at Tiznit, we carried on towards the south. Tantan beach will be our last port of call before we head home. We are by the beach and tonight the noise of the waves will rock us to sleep.
South and East Africa.
Kenya. Postcard 3 March, Mombasa, from Leon and Elisabeth Humm
Greetings from the Africans to the other Africans.
Namibia Postcard 1 April, the Dunes of Sossusulei, from Hubert and Madeleine Athenion
We are spending three weeks exploring this wonderful country in an air-conditioned car. 4500km, of which 3000 are tracks which do not require a 4x4. A clean and welcoming country, with all kinds of landscape, deserts of red dunes, yellow dunes, canyons, including the Fish River 135km long by 25 along the banks. We also enjoyed the national park of Etosha, an animal reserve in which we drove at least 200 km in our car (elephants, rhino, gnus, impala, jackals, zebra, giraffe, onyx and even three lions). A trip that can be done in a motorcaravan: we met several, some hired, some privately owned.
South Africa. Postcard 20 March from Jean and Bernadette Laurent, Claude and Arlette Peltier
We hope your African journey is going as well as ours. Unfortunately we've not come across Jean and Michele Sommer, although they're in these parts. Here too it's Motorcaravanners on the Silk Roads - in the town of Graskop we found a silk factory. Otherwise the Mitsubishi has performed perfectly for the 13,000km we've already covered, but it does need 16 litres of super to go 100km. South Africa is a country to be recommended.
Mail 5 April, Durban, from Jean and Michele Sommer
Here we are 1600km from Cape Town on the shores of the Indian Ocean... After Aguilas Cape, the southernmost point in Africa, the little Karoo, a semi-desert region of ostrich breeding, 1 April a few metres from a herd of elephants in Addo park. In Cape Town we saw the dirtiest townships. Then, after East London, a small airy and welcoming town, we left the scrubland for the green fields of Transkei. Between the mists and the drizzle we were able to see the small low square or round houses surrounded by their plots of maize, scattered around the valleys. The road is generally very good. The Toyota Corolla is comfortable enough for long distances. The black population is always smiling. We are carrying on towards Saint Lucia [wetlands nature reserve] and its hippopotamuses.
Mauritania
I am leaving in mid September for 2-3 months. Can you tell me if you have done the trail with water holes between Atar and Timbuktu, as I have travelled in that area several times but never along that route and I'd like to do so, either on the way out or on the way back. At the moment my plan is to go alone, as I have done for most of my journeys (I have a toy [Toyota??] KZJ95VX 125 CV), but I have nothing against one or two other vehicles. In fact since our last email I've become a caravan owner with a three-year-old Hobby 495uf. With all good wishes and hoping to meet up one day somewhere.
New Zealand.
Robert and Jacqueline Coulon are looking for fellow travellers for the fourth quarter of 2003. Ring 05 56 972 110.
Libya.
For a trip end December/beginning January 2004, with our Land Rover 110, equipped, we are looking for travelling companions and all the administrative information we shall need to know. Joelle and Denis Maumier, 03 84 360 779.
Latin America
16 February 2003: information required by new member
We are preparing for a one-year trip. Our plan is to visit South America, apart from Colombia. We will be carrying on later through Central America, Mexico, the USA and Canada, and, unless anything unexpected occurs, we would like to leave the Americas for Australia or Africa. We are trying to gather together as much information as possible, and we thought that, as many groups of members have already been travelling in South America, they must have put together a list of addresses about insurance, health, repatriation, public liability, and vehicle insurance for the whole world. These addresses would help us make a choice. Indeed, any advice members can give will be welcome. Look forward to hearing from you, and thanking you in advance. Best wishes, Jo and Robert Valgalier.
Gas Detector No 2.
(Continued. from bulletin 100) Top Accessoires, caravan and camping-car equipment, 22 shops in France. In a leaflet sent with their catalogue for 2003, they offer a detector which enables you to detect the emission of soporific gases. Launch price €134. Only the addresses of the regional concessionaires are included. This is the one nearest my home: Ypo Camp, route de Rennes-Ragon 44119 Treillieres, tel 02 40 72 91 72, fax 02 40 72 881 40. Hoping this equipment works. If anyone already has one, please let us know what you think. Thanks. With all good wishes, Michel and Marie-Claude Daviaud.
I have just received the 2003 catalogue of Loisirs Berger, 5, rue du Chateau d'Angleterre, 67300 Schilitigheim, tel 03 88 81 77 90, fax 03 88 81 77 99, www.loisirs-berger.fr On page 122 there are four detectors of narcotic paralysing gases and two propane detectors. This makes the info I gave you on 10 March obsolete. Sadly these pieces of equipment will soon be standard for a number of motorcaravans. Michel and Marie-Claude Daviaud.
Diesel filters (Continued.)
(Follow up to article in bulletin 102). At the date of writing Renault does not equip its diesel vehicles à rampe commune [translator's note: sorry I don't know what this technical jargon means, but it has something to do with the engine or chassis, I suspect.... editor's note: could it mean 'common rail'?] with water-separating filters with warnings. Their response is that the filters in their vehicles are 'good enough for France and Europe. If you want a filter with an alarm, fit a Peugeot on it!'.
This is what I asked my Renault garage to do. There remained a fitting problem depending on whether the alarm is activated by weight or by an electronic circuit. That kind of thing leaves me behind, but they are going to look at the feasibility.
It's America!
25 April 2003-05-27 Still immersed in North America, and in Puebla (Mexico) the 'courriel', as our Quebec friends call it, told us that the African team have returned and it reminds us that it's a long time since we told you our news... September 2002 perhaps?
Apart from our usual chat it seems interesting to look forward to a little bag of money in case!
We hope that the Auffrays, who were to be part of the journey, have not reissued their exploits which were already so successful during their previous trip to India.
Since February 2003, we have been coming down to Mexico from San Diego (USA) along the Baja de California. We visited the west coast, with a trip in to Chiapas, a refreshing region after temperatures already higher than those we found in Acapulco at the end of March.
Again to avoid the heat, we climbed into the interior where we can be sure of eights. Entered the USA as intended at El Paso.
Aiming for Winnipeg at the end of June, travelling through Santa Fe and Denver.
We are not yet tired of discovering Mexico, a country whose riches are only equalled by the friendliness of the people.
Unlike the president, we are growing fatter during this journey, but that's because of the many restaurants to be found in all the zocalos worthy of the name.
Good wishes to all, known and unknown.
About the Spain/Morocco crossing.
Juan Carlos Gutierrez (who sent me some publicity, which you can apply to me for, I didn't have enough for everybody) is a clever businessman. He really does put himself out to help motorcaravanners, going so far as to act as a pilot to convoys looking for a quieter parking place than the hypermarket when they are awaiting embarkation. And he advises them. Yes, the attractive (?) price suggested for the Algeciras/Tangiers crossing (Andre Helmbacher said 1200 Francs or 190 euros for my VW = two people: 159 euros 76, that is 1048 Francs) is only valid for the IMTC company, and the two boats in service on that crossing, the Atlas and the Rif, are real dustbins.
You soon see why they are cheaper: the timetable is imaginary (at least 1 hour late for every departure, with no announcement), non-existent or unfriendly staff, no comfort (the Atlas seemed cleaner than the Rif, but unlike the latter has no salon or armchairs where you can relax, only art deco chairs fit for a torture chamber), no security (you can get to the hold whenever you like, without any surveillance), a labyrinth to get from one point to another because of so many blocked doors (why? What would happen in the event of fire?). In short, I don't know if it's worth the 70km of road you supposedly 'save'. The formalities now take as short (or as long, if you're the pessimistic sort) a time on both sides.
And the tax-free situation in Ceuta doesn't seem to be so interesting any more (there are only a few pennies worth of difference on fuel), so, it's up to you to choose, remembering that the crossing on one of the boats described above can take up to 3.5 hours depending on the wind, sea conditions etc. To bring this subject to a close, Georges Veillet tells me that the new connection from Sete to Tangiers with the Comarit company is very good. A brand new impeccable boat, the Biladi, price including 2 breakfasts, two evening meals and one at midday refined French cuisine. Only restriction: domestic animals travel in cages. It would appear that it is possible at the ticket offices at the Larache welcome centre to exchange a Tangiers/Algeciras ticket for a Tangiers/Sete ticket by paying a supplement. However, we were at Larache on 8 April, and the only person on duty (who was not at all friendly) did not tell us of this possibility.
Postcards from...
Francis Montmart, Uluru, [Australia] 3 February. The journey is ending. For the car this is the 10th, for me the 13th. 22500km. This great country has been well worth it.
Maurice and Angele Vuillaume, Port de Mao, Minorca, 1 April. There is no getting away from it. Turkey has been replaced by the Balearics, because of a femur fracture. I had to go carefully with my knees. On Minorca, archaeology, megaliths, well-preserved ancient buildings. Gentle weather, beautiful natural landscape, the beaches less so. Off to Alsace soon.
Rony and Gislaine Loeschigg, Bangkok, 1 March, A fortnight of organised travel during which we didn't see the shadow of a motorcaravan. Alas! Over 35 degrees. We're surprised by the luxuriant vegetation. A contrast to the Sahara.
Roger and Andree Arend-Villiez, Algarve, February. Hello from Portugal where the cicadas are with us in the sunshine.
Raymonde Gomez, Lyon, 4 April. I have enjoyed the account of your journeys in Mauritania, my favourite country because I've crossed it four times. This year we went along the Atar/Tidjika trail, wonderful with fairytale landscapes. Then Senegal, Guinea, Burkina-Faso, Togo, Benin and Mali.
In the next issue.
Northern balade: Somme and Pas de Calais
Find out what Paul Gouwy is planning for us... Remember that this excursion will be taking place after the AGM on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September 2003, at the Espace Culturel at Doullens.
As usual, you can take part in the AGM and/or the excursion. You can also do a section of the balade, come and go, come by train. If necessary overnights can be arranged. Don't hesitate to ask for additional information.