hi guys. i was wondering if some of you battle-hardened travelers would help me sort out a few issues concerning the trip that i will take in June.
I will be taking the atalntic route from tangier to dakar and back. trip will last a month. im riding a 2004 Suzuki V-strom 650, 2up, full luggage and camping equipment.
ive now spent months reading the pages of this forum, as well as other sites (this beats any other hands down) and any book i could get my hands on. Still some doubts remain over the itinerary that maybe some of you could help me solve.
Many concern the border crossing between western sahara and RIM. For a newbie who has never set foot on african soil, its a bit of a scary prospect!
1: there seems to be some confusion over which road to take across noman's land. Ive heard some say that you have to keep right at eeach fork on the road to reach the mauritanian checkpoint. easy enough, i thought, until a few days later when i read the trip notes of three italian guys who rode the stretch on harleys (threepercenters.it but only in italian) who stated that at each fork they kept left. Sahara overland only states that at the first fork you have to keep right, and that if you keep left you end up taking a smugglers' route which goes around the mauritanian checkpoint.
Could those of you who have taken the route tell me which way i should go?
2: SECURITY CONCERNS: what should i expect when riding across nomans land? what happens if i get bogged down in the sand and get stuck there for a considerable amount of time? From reading the pages of this forum everything sounds so damn easy. probably because those who are writing have done stuff like that a trillion times, but again, im a newbie... and a scared one, i have to admit.
a week ago i managed to speak to the friend of a relative of mine. he's told me one of those horror stories who make you think twice about what you're doing.
in 2003 they drove across the border in a camper. 3 men with their partners, all italians. 1 of these guys had ridden the paris-dakar twice, and all had been to africa before. well... they got stopped between the 2 checkpoints by armed bandits. they robbed them (fair enough) and then raped the 3 men in the group (at least the women were not harmed).
Christ!!! and i thought the mines were enough of a worry!! what is the situation on that damn stretch of road, guys? will it be reasonably safe or should i at least add to my equipment some lubricant? (excuse my arrogance, but im not talking about the one for chains)
3: how tough is the terrain? remember that we're traveliing 2up with luggage, and that the dl650 aint exactly a feather. add to that the fact that i have little experience in off-road riding. will it take me a whole day of digging the bike out of the sand or is it pretty easy stuff to ride through?
4: the strecth NDB-NKT. 450 kms with no fuel, when i last 330. Jerry cans, ok, but the question is: am i certain to find fuel in NDB or do i have to carry jerry cans preventively across noman's land? certainly im not gonna enjoy the extra weight.
5: The Rosso/Diama dilemma. i am determined to make the diama barrage into senegal. first because im trying to avoid rosso, and then beacuase i really woud like to ride through the park and enjoy the scenery. but again i am concerned over the conditions of the piste. how hard is it to ride with my sort of set up? and in case i cant make it and have to go through rosso, what exactly shuold i expect?
6: Declaration of currency at borders. as you know i have to declare the amount of money im taking into the country. some say you have to declare exactly what you have, others that its best to declare as little as possible. can somebody tell me what i should do and why?
7: and now an old favourite of yours: the carnet de passage! will i need one into senegal considering that im riding a 2004 bike? some say i need it, some say i can do a laissez-passaire, others that i dont need it but that its best to have it. Could you guys put the final word on this issue?
8: im traveling in june. unfortunately its the only time of the year that i can take that much time off. what sort of heat should i exxpect along the route?
those are the things that worry me the most. many of you will probably be thinking that im a paranoid f^**, but im trying to be as prepared as possible. im sure youll be understanding with me
thanks in advance for any time you might take for your replies, and let me say that this fourm is simply unbeatable for content but above all for the quality of the participants. thanks guys!!!!