After a 4 hour delay we set set off from the Senegalise border. This time though Jo's bike would not start - a new plug fixed that. By now it was getting dark and we had over 1 hour to go to Zebrabar. After 5 minutes there was yet another stoppage.... The trailer had had a blowout shredding the tyre. More delays...
And yet more.... We were stopped twice by the police at road stops and asked for documentation (and 20E). Paul did his "I am a Police Inspector in the Metropolitan Police force" bit yet again and we were on our way. The Zebrabar is 16 km out of town down - impossible to find in the dark, without Dennis, his GPS and chuck's bike. At this stage Denis' bike dis not have enough juice to power the headlight and the GPS unit. Animals all over the place - obviously unlit.
Mon 14th Jan
R&R @Zebrabar, maintenance on bikes. Water supply broken so showers, toilets, etc not working!! Lots of other travellers to talk to: mainly German & British plus NL, Swiss + 1 (solo) French-Canadian cyclist (Delphine) on her first trip to Africa. Delphine ran out of money in Mauritania, only to be offered a lift on the back of Mika's bike to a Bank in Senegal. Both she and Mika (Yamaha Tenere) tell me of their experiences when they caught Malaria. The Plymouth-Banjul guys are doing everything they can to keep their cars running (2 x BMWs, VW Golf, Fiesta, VW Polo, Renault 5).
Unfortunately Dennis has had to return home today due to a family bereavement. This is a great shame since Dennis has been absolutely integral to this trip. He has done a marvellous job of leading the was using his GPS each day. Also he did a great job is getting the bikes through the difficult days in the desert. Least of all we'll all miss his moaning first thing in the morning that we're too slow to pack-up. We all know he's right really....
Tue 15th Jan M@S 21105
ZebraBar to Rhombole
You can see Jo's blog here:
Mytripjournal.com/joandthescooters
PaulS bike won't start at all and so it's consigned to the trailer. Still - we've Dennis' bike spare now and so that's used instead.
[Gnocchi - one of Paul's secret ingredients.]
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