Slideshow

We've finally got the slideshow working with Picasa, and you should be able to click through for bigger versions of the images. It kicked both Flickr and Photoshop Album Starter Edition right out of the way. You can link to the album, and we'll start geotagging them in Google Earth soon. We've got loads of video, but for now it's mostly upside down, because it was filmed using our window mount. Didn't quite think that one through...

Day 19: Bamako

We made it to Bamako yesterday afternoon, where we've holed up in the very decent Sofitel, overlooking the River Niger, with the incredible West African Central Bank building to our west, and a delightful rubbish dump to the east. Getting into Bamako was the most insane driving experience so far, particularly after the quiet and mostly smooth road down through Mali from the bush camp (you'll be pleased to know we were undisturbed by jackals or angry tribesmen).
Today we're going to take some things with a couple of other teams, to a school for disabled (or possibly orphaned) children, and then catch up with all of our photos and video clips. We fly back on the 5th, so there should be time for more adventures with Titch Extreme before she's handed over to the organisers herein Bamako.

Day Seventeen: We've made it to Mali

This afternoon we crossed out of the hellhole that is Mauritania into Mali, which is still hot, but somehow a lot more pleasant and laid back. Evening brought us to Nioro du Sahel, a small town with only one hotel that looked frankly awful, so we've decided to bush camp. With six cars we should be safe, but just in case, our coordinates are N 15deg 9'18.3" W 9deg 29'10.2", elevation 304m.

We've had a busy couple of days, but the sat-link didn't work on the beach or in Nouakchott. When I finally got through to Inmarsat technical help from Eastern Mauritania, in true Tomorrow's World style it was working perfectly again!

Tomorrow we should make it all the way down to Bamako, via the Valley of the Serpents. Shan't be opening the doors there. We've made excellent time, so there should be a chance to get to Timbuktu for a day, and maybe the Festival au Segou. But first: beer, a bath and a long lie-in.

Day Thirteen: Off road and loving it

The Mauritanian border turned out to be quite easy; it was getting out of Morrocco which turned out to be a terrible chore. The sandstorm wasn't a good start, but the border must be a punishment posting for the police, army and customs officers who staff it, so they're mostly bad-tempered, corrupt, or both. It took over an hour to officially leave Morrocco, and the struggle started with a policeman demanding as a 'petit cadeaux' our game of travel Monopoly, which we'd only just started playing while we waited in line. I must remember to write to the king of Morrocco when I get back! By contrast, the Mauritanian border people worked from a set of ramshackle huts and old caravans, and if not friendly, were quite efficient and didn't rip us off.

We got our first off-road experience crossing No Man's Land, a 4km stretch of wasteland between Morrocco and Mauritania, with sand, rough rock and broken road conditions. Our guide, Sheikh (no, it's really on his passport), took us through, but we still managed to ding Titich's sump, so in Nouabidhou we found a mechanic to perform a little meatball surgery. He managed to jack up the front wheels by a few inches in exchange for 50 Euros and a set of overalls. Money well spent: meet Titch Extreme.

So at last we got to the off-roading. Sheikh took us around the Nouabidhou peninsula to the mainland, and into the desert for an exhilarating, exhausting day on all kinds of sandy and rocky terrain. Titch Extreme has variously bounced, danced, skipped and even flown through, getting stuck just the once while I got the hang of a very different driving style. I could hardly wipe the grin off my face for the first few hours! Tomorrow it's Sylvia's turn, so I hope I haven't whacked it too many times today.

Camp tonight is is in the desert under almost clear skies, with a barbecue of freshly-killed goat. Tasty!

Day Twelve: Beyond the law!

We're now in Nouackchott, the northern frontier town of Mauritania, in a secure compound. Apparently the nearest police are the ones we paid 'extra' at the border, but it seems like a friendly place. We've had Titch raised a few inches at the front by a meatball mechanic for 50Euros and a set of garage overalls. We've also had to say goodbye to some luggage after taking on 40L of petrol in jerry cans and enough water for a couple of nights in the desert. Still managed to find a decent Chinese restaurant, though.

More news from the desert tomorrow!

Day Eleven: Over the water

Monday, as I'm reliably informed the next day is called, will be a rest day for those of us who arrived in Dakhla today. We'll be giving our vehicles some TLC and off-road upgrades, then moving to a new camp on the mainland, shaving 80km from our hack down to Nouabidhou and the Mali border on Tuesday morning.

On the menu for us is an examination of Titch's undercarriage, and probably a visit to the local chop-shop to boost our ground clearance and weld something protective onto the sump. Dakhla has a whole row of mechanics who specialise in fixing cars destroyed by the desert or adapting them for the local conditions!

We'll also hire a guide to take ourselves and several other teams through Mauritania to Nouakchott, and smooth matters at the Mauritanian border – rumoured to be a real struggle.

Day Ten: South to Dakhla

As you can see, we've now chalked up 3,250 miles, which is allegedly more than halfway to Bamako, but doesn't feel like it.

After a Friday night in the very chilled-out little beach town of Mirleft, where the sat-link power ran out before I had time to add much, we headed down to Layounne, 'capital' of the disputed Western Sahara. It's allegedly the safest town in Morrocco because there are so many police, soldiers and UN peacekeepers. It still felt dodgy, even by Morroccan standards, and the 2* Lakourra hotel was pretty overpriced. On the other hand, it's tax-free, so petrol is about 60p/litre.

Today took us on a long desert odyssey, from the stony desert outside Layounne into real Saharan sand dunes, and a fairly scary dust storm with visibility down to about 10m and lights no help. Morroccan coach drivers are the only ones who don't slow down, and nearly took out a couple of fellow teams overtaking on the narrow 2-lane highway.

A fellow team also rescued the Monkeys from an empty fuel tank. Remember I said it was 60p a litre? That was fine until the unleaded ran out, and then the petrol stations ran out when we decided to just stick leaded in and damn the consequences. Team Subaru stopped by with a spare 10L, which was just enough for the haul to Dakhla, deep in Western Sahara and just north of the Tropic of Cancer. It's an awful lot warmer. Pouring petrol into a funnel with only the car to break the sand-laden Sahara wind isn't an experience I'd recommend, and we've now got 40L of spare fuel – leaded, unfortunately.

Titch has escaped any serious problems so far, although I managed to break the glovebox, and the boot lock can only be released by jemmying it with a screwdriver from the inside. Might be able to take it apart tomorrow, but for now it's a new security feature. I'm sure the sand and bumpy roads will soon have something to say, but so far we're one of the smoothest-runners.

We've also paid our first bribes, or 'petit cadeaux' as the rare dodgy copper calls it. I lost us 200 Dirham (about 13 quid) after making an illegal U turn. It was 400Dh until I asked for a receipt! A couple of packs of fags were handed over at a checkpoint in Tan Tan (Camels bought for the purpose en route) and a packet of lollipops somewhere south of Layounne (“pour les enfants, mon ami”!). Checkpoints occur at almoist every town in Morrocco. In Morrocco we were waved through almost every stop, but down here you have to hand over a 'fiche' – a pre-prepared document with all your passport and vehicle details to make everyone's life easy. If Morroccan police had a computer filing system instead of handwritten logbooks, woulden't be any chance for criminals around here.

Dakhla itself feels like a town at the end of the world, so what our next stop will be like is anyone's guess. It's an almost pointless town, a port for the Western Sahara phosphate mines, and an over-wintering spot for Germans in motor homes. You see odd collections of these, all with satellite dish, along the coast all the way down. Tonight a group of teenage German girls, presumably dragged down here by hippy parents and bored as hell, toured the new arrivals at their campsite with a basket of surplus food, trying to drum up a few Euros and a new conversation.

On top of the world!

Here we are, live from the Tizi-n-Test pass. It's all downhill to the Sahara now...

Day Eight: The Tizi-n-Test Pass

After a day of rest and sightseeing in mad Marrakech, we're off to Agadir for the coastal section of our odyssey - but with a twist.
We'll be travelling via the scenic and very twisty Tizi-n-Test Pass through the Atlas Mts, topping out at just over 2,000ft. At least three other teams will be in the convoy, and while it's a mere 200km or so, today should be quite a day.
If you're confused by the routes, we're heading south but I prepared both easy and hard routes. Today's is definitely the hard route, down the Eastern side!

Day Six: Fes to Marrakech?

The routes have already changed a bit, so you'll have to use your imagination as they're a bugger to redraw! Today should be a nice walk around the medina in Fes, followed by a long slog to Marrakech. Might be staying somewhere else tonight as night-driving in Morrocco is interesting to say the least!

Sunrise over Fes is very pretty but my hands aren't half cold! Fingerless gloves go on the shopping list

Day Five: Tarifa to Fes

7am leave Sotogrande for Tarifa to catch the 9am catamaran for Tangier. Others head for Algecira to Ceuta: similar crossing time but 70 Euro cheaper and 2 hours longer getting through customs!

Decide to change route and go from the scenic roads through the mountains to Fes. Harassed by Hashish dealers throwing drugs at the car on the road to Chefchaouen, where we stopped for lunch and met up with some of the teams from the other ferry crossing. So far the Corsa is proving pretty nippy by comparison with some of the other cars.

Decide not to slum it and find a hotel, where I'm blogging from a very cold balcony at 6am after passing out at 11pm.

Day Four: a rest near Gibraltar

Time to collect our thoughts and perform some much-needed maintenance, plus catching up with the other teams. Visited the local Lidl to pick up some food supplies for the run over to Africa. And Carrefour retail park for the last petrol jerry can (singular 20ltr). Fitted new spark plugs, air and oil filter, changed oil. Last supper in Sotogrande marina. 1653 miles on the clock

Day Three: Valencia to Sotogrande

Left Valencia after a well-needed sleep. Gave titch (the car) a wash and added the stickers, which had arrived just in time before we left! Titch is now ready for the ball. Spanish driving considerably poor compared to the French!

Fabulous traverse across the Skerra to the south east of Spain. Troubled the clutch for some swervy turns.

Arrived at Sottogrande at 10.45pm, in time for our free dinner and beer, minus the beer. Bar closes at 1am despite protests from the only guests in what would otherwise be an empty hotel (single star!!!) in bed at 3ish with a visit from the dehydration pixies during the night. 1622 miles on the clock.

Day Two: Limoges to Valencia

Left on the hunt for power! Alex hadn't been able to fix up a cigarette socket, so we're using various portable batteries that get recharged in every hotel.

Took a detour to Millau for the Norman Foster bridge everyone talks about, stopped for a snowball fight and had our first security check by the gendarmes on the way! Don't get off the motorway at junction 45 because the viewing area is rubbish! You're better off stopping at the services before the bridge (if you're heading south). Although, honestly, Foster's no Isambard Kingdom Brunel!

Final stop Valencia at 1.45am. 1176 miles on the clock

Day One: Monkey HQ to Limoges

Start 7.45 am. Chucked it down all the way to the Channel crossing. Glad we changed the wipers before we left!! We of course missed the intended train, fortunately there was no extra charge for catching the next train. Unfortunately we hit Paris during rush hour, trusting the Garmin to find a suitable detour around the traffic was a big mistake. Final stop in Limoges Campanile south (not north as the Garmin was suggesting) arrived at 10.45, 586 miles on the clock. Not that we dislike our little mobile navigator, but it definitely isn't an excuse to ignore your own instincts.

Still going strong

Don't worry, we haven't broken down, but the punishing schedule has kept us from blogging until now, as you'll see. Ooops, there goes the call to prayer!

Day One route map

A 7am start, the first of many too likely. It's down to the Eurotunnel, off around Paris and hopefully into Limoges for a night's kip. This will be a shakedown for the Monkey Corsa, which probably hasn't been close top 70mph many times in it's life. How will it hold with a boot full of parts, tents, and other bits and bobs? We'll let you know tomorrow!

Also arrived today, a box of stickers from Barry at Identisys, only so far it's been too wet to put them on. Another job for our Spanish stopover (along with an oil, filters and plug change).

Online anywhere

This afternoon I collected the satellite internet system from Inmarsat. BGAN is a combined satellite phone and internet terminal, about the size of a hardback book. Now we can upload pics, videos and blogs from anywhere on our trip, provided there's a view to the satellite. We can even stream video, if we were halfway competent at that sort of thing.

Look, there's me on the right, looking all manly and unruffled with my go-anywhere internet and phone. Now, where's the butler with my G&T?

But it should be handy when we're beyond the comfortable world of hotel lobby WiFi and mobile broadband. Plus we can call for help when the car falls apart!

Now back to the packing...

Monkey Runners in vision...with Hitachi

We've forgotten to say a big "thankyou" to Hitachi's excellent UK PR, David Hobbs, for arranging the loan of a camcorder. The DZ-HS500E is a hybrid DVD and hard disc camcorder, so we can
record hours of video without changing tapes, and quickly upload it to the Toughbook for editing. There should be live video on the blog within a few days of the start.

Stickers and more...

With four days to go we've got the Corsa back and superfriend Rob Brown has found someone to print Monkey Runner car stickers by the end of the week. Our thanks go to Identisys for really pulling one out of the bag, there!

Simon the mechanic has given the Monkey motor a clean bill of health, apart from the crappy exhaust Kwik Fit bodged on before Xmas, so I've got to get that replaced tomorrow morning! You can't get shitter than a Kwik Fit fitter!