Hopefully, I have
written this report so that you as readers have plenty
of Muse, read this report. I
hope you can put in a bit of the journey inside. Have
fun reading.
..... Well, in April, 18 Then
again, it was really as far as we left the Gambia, this
time as a trio. The
small Adama, the old Dave and of course I and all this
with a VW Double Cab in NATO, with olive green tarpaulin
and hoop. A
great adventure should begin, because 2 old men, an old
car and a toddler of 2 1 / 2 years did this stretch of
almost 7000 miles and did not even know if the old car
part in this too. It
has been through as much as anticipated.
So we went getuckert h with 70 km / on the streets and
have prepared us slowly but surely to Algeciras in
Spain, always with the thought in mind whether we were
Moroccans probably leave the country with our car
because we have already heard that them in the color of
our cars more often simply say no and it was then
actually, but I would not anticipate, because first we
have to still travel by ferry from Algeciras to Ceuta, a
Spanish enclave in Africa. After
we inquired as to the relevant agencies to ferry fares,
which had offered us tickets between 218 € and 109 €, we
are the night before, at times driven to the beach
there, which is actually forbidden in Spain on penalties
up to € 600, but I knew from my first trip for a nice
place where the Civil Guard is not particularly
interested, because there always stick to a few people
who actually live there or wait for something.
And indeed, we met an old friend, Marion, who has lived
for over 5 years there with her 5 dogs.We decided to us
a day to rest on the beach and enjoy the nice weather. Adama
made her first experiences with the big waves of the
Mediterranean and was very brave. I
had marched on the arm and together we are brave in the
large waves, but so was her little uneasy because it not
known what she was doing with a mighty cry. Nevertheless,
despite I had with her the next day yet again for the
GREAT BATH go, so they could verify everything but not
as bad as she thought.We then made our daily morning
coffee with our new gas stove, which we had named
Vladimir, as a Russian make and then we went then to
Algeciras to our ticket for the ferry to Ceuta to
buy.Some of us suggested that we should immediately go
to Tangier, for there they (the Moroccan customs
officials) not be so strict, but the downside would be
if the customs officials had bad after all and we had
breakfast in the country did not, we again the ferry
would have to return to Algeciras.
So do not pay any great experiments and a ticket for the
car including the driver a ticket for 30 € and 32 € for
Dave, Adama, and had almost 2 hours later we were in
Ceuta. There,
we drove the same time to the service station and have
filled our gas tank filled to the brim and then off by
the Spanish customs no problem with the Moroccans. there
was not really much going on so we could then quickly
doing the immigration formalities of the police, but
when it went off duty then.First, there was little
difficulty because of motor vehicle documents are indeed
issued to the club, but after I had explained that I am
entitled to drive this car, it was also clarified, and
also our good DOKA is actually a truck, was not problem,
but a high customs officer had to give us then but still
understand that he has the boss is here and he was not
willing to leave our beautiful green DOKA into the
country, because it was a military-nothing to be done.
So we returned, the same evening in Ceuta in the
supermarket big as in America-color three pots and
bought a quiet place to sleep looking for. The
next morning we will join forces to our DOKA deleted. Actually,
we would have the car can be deleted in one color, but
the effort was much too boring. Here it comes to the
latest photos and you can evaluate our work of art. When
we are satisfied after a day in the sun-well-it is not
raining with our painting, and had my arms and my head a
moderate sunburn, we lay down in the late evening after
a good dinner in our blankets and slept through until
the next morning. after
a good strong coffee, which has given us our faithful
Vladimir as every morning, we drove a very good feeling
back to the border.
The DOKA now looked very different, and all who had seen
us holding the thumb in the air to indicate to us that
they were satisfied with the results of our painting. So
back to the police and then the game began again,
because when we were previously sent back from the
customs, of course, no one thought that we were loud fun
already entered in Morocco, but we had no exit stamp in
our passports. But
as is so in African countries is now time was simply
written on the labels of a previous note, and the
problem was solved. And
then to Customs. There
we were just asked why we were here and come back now. I
explained that their predecessors were not satisfied
with the color of our car and they wanted to see the
previous color, and then everything went pretty fast and
before we knew it we were in AFRICA ... From the border
we went with the fastest way went to Chefchauen. There
we stayed, and Adama has forged its first
Unterwegsbekanntschaft to a Swiss girl, Olivia. Adama
then has played with it and with their Lego blocks built
in the sand, but Olivia was pretty pissed after a short
time on Adama, because they always just destroyed
everything Olivia laboriously built up. yet
understood in spite of everything, the two well-Olivia
was already high, 7 years old and already had a certain
sympathy for the small Adama. and
then we drove and drove and drove, every day in the
morning were driving Adama's first words: Dad.
And we drove. Until
then we had some point reached by the Western Sahara to
the Mauritanian border. At
the boundaries it was thanks to equip a smooth
transition from Adama, because whenever I showed her
passport to the conversation turned immediately
afterwards where is her mother was and if I then told
her mother in Germany is and has to work, there were no
more questions, and our documents were handled very
quickly. So
we went without any major problems with Mauritania drove
until we stop at the first police in Nouakchott and had
had to show our registration papers. Mauritania
is now a compulsory car insurance, which is issued at
the border without any problem, €, of course, for hard
currency. in
the said police officials did not proceed any further
let us then, because our insurance only from 1 May
was valid and we had only 30 April. he
would even let us go to the police station and show us
with an expensive fine, whereupon I told him that I will
go anywhere now and we parked our loyal DOKA the
roadside and began to boil a cup of coffee, but just
when we were ready to Water set up, the officer came and
told us to hurry as he handed back our papers, we should
proceed. He
did not, of course, we spoil him the business with
another car. So we took that away we went. Then,
when our insurance was valid, we held on to sleep and
next morning we started of course, not without our good
Wladimir use this to prepare us our morning coffee. After
our morning coffee we had it then also not far to the
Senegalese border, we thought we were over the dam, it
means one of two routes leading to the border. This
time I did not translate with the ferry, since there is
also always very stressful going on with the customs
authorities.
But the route across the causeway to Dijama was very,
very long, because it was a rutted, and by the rainy
season in many places rinsed sand road on the only slow
progress was the end, but we managed it and were finally
almost home arrived, from the Senegalese border to the
Gambian border, it was now only a stone's throw away, we
managed comfortably in 1 1 / 2 weeks. at the Gambian
border, we arrived at the prayer time and so I had the
opportunity to me with the Veterinary talk, which I was
then immediately help make a photocopy of the vehicle
registration was required to at once.
Of course, there was a copier, but no electricity and so
the veterinary took me back just simply to Senegal and
after some searching we found also a store of us could
make a copy, but we had to wait a bit because the copier
was of course not at first and had to warm up. but
eventually we got for 200 CFA = about 30 € cents, and we
went back to Gambia. There
was now the hour of prayer is over and the officer shall
produce from us again rather quickly, so we could go on
the worst piece of our road trip but we finally arrived
in Essau but Florian was with his brother and a friend
to a boat tour on the Gambia River on the road. We
talked a little with Abass and many then go to bed,
mosquito net, of course, without me then what has
probably bestowed also the next malaria, because after 3
weeks then I lay sick. The next 3 weeks were filled by
the authorities and eternal round and forth, visiting
friends and acquaintances.
But once again we did not get past it again and again
trying to go ask the many different computer parts to
replenish our travel fund. Apple
computers is available in Gambia at all, while we had a
fully functioning G3 with it. It
has also convinced me that I will not transport
materials over to the Gambia in order to sell them there,
because it brings nothing but annoying and a waste of
time, and extremely high fuel costs and at the end,
you'll pay on it yet, either because the parts too
expensive brings, or is the locals are blessed with
ideas that I can not understand. The only thing that
would probably try even to their own shop filled with
things which you and wait for someone of something is
what is needed in the Shop is located.
But it will take some time, because even the profitable
only if the shop is located on the property.In
connection with the sale of the usual food makes even
more sense, but until that happens, much more needs to
be done other. All in all it went pretty well until we
got sick, I am, right after the first rain in This year
has set up very early and thus makes itself also in West
Africa, climate change is noticeable. Already
on 2 Day
after the rain has sparked strong my wound to the leg
and has migrated down the leg. I
also did not known what it might be, she has never seen
before, and therefore advised me to fly back immediately. They
got me a ticket for the next direct flight to Frankfurt
on the same evening went so I had my last two pills
against malaria in Germany and now to take me. It's
a pretty tough because I had while Adama and could not
carry so much baggage, so we had too many things in the
Gambia can we really needed it.
But the next trip is already being prepared, because I
will probably not be able to leave again to go to
gambia. I
want to fly any more, because the trip by car I always
have fun, even if it is a tough-riding.'s Conclusion of
this trip: Even if I decide in the Gambia is no longer
the way to go when I ...... 'm back in Germany, I was
seized with the longing for home. Anyone who has twice
traveled to Africa, will go there again, or to stay
there sometime. I
have over 15 years ago by someone in Harare / Zimbabwe
and heard he was right. Many
I've met in my travels will travel again to Africa, and
some have now been there already. When
I ask these people why they will not return to Europe,
then I'll just looked blankly and get the answer:
because I seek nothing more.