Good on ya John but wheres the pics
Phil

This is very interesting and encourages me to try the Diama crossing when I go down in October. I fancy riding along that little road to Diama particularly as you say it is a solid piste. As be on a G650x so should be fine, what can go wrong! Zebrabar seems a good place to stay for my first night and maybe 2nd! Thanks for the information.

I only plan to go to Senegal and then return to UK I will not have a Carnet so this will be different. I know you arrived late at Diama, do you believe it is possible to get insurance at Diama if you arrive when things are not so quiet, or is it always necessary to go in to town for insurance?

Time for some more ramblings.

I am still in Dakar, just chilling out deciding my next move. I believe there is a Mali Embassy here and also maybe a Cameroon one. So I think I will check that out on Monday.

I have had some fun here. Strangely I spent a couple of days rebuilding a broken 950, not mine I must add. But now I must sort out a plan.

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Hey Big John,

Great to see more details of your epic trip here - I'll be following you here from now on

Regs

Simon

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nice to read this as being usefull information....
leaving in october for Africa from Europe and final destination is cape town

Hello everyone, back again.

I am learning that having no plan is a good way to travel. When I was leaving Dakar I was asked where I was going, I said I didn't know. The young lady told me I must go to Kedougou and offered me a phone number. So that was that, decision made.

Three days staying with a chap setting up a gold mine! I learned more in those three days from Ibou than I have in the trip so far. Some of the history and social fabric of Senegal. I sort of, in a very small way now understand why the people are so relaxed with each other. To me it is a very healthy approach to your fellow man that a whole lot of other places could learn by.

The next step was to head over the border into Mali and aim for Bamako. I looked at the sat nav and sorted a route that went into the forest. The road is on the Michelin map but is not a main route. Three days of no tarmac with everything from graded dirt road to single track through the forest. Just spectacular in everyway. I ended up at a place called Cool Camp in Manantali How to get there | Cool Camp Mali . As usual I thought I would be there a couple of nights to sort the gear but stayed a week. A small village with a lifestyle I seem to drop into too easily. Casper the owner spent 10 years travelling the world, a huge mountain of knowledge!

Now I have finally made it to The Sleepy Camel at Bamako. I need to work out what to do next, but hey no rush..................

Hahaha, sorry for the first picture. My lack of computer skills!

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Way to go. Go with the flow:-))

Thank you for the update and the pictures

Sound like a wonderful experience! Let us follow your further progress!

Surfy

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Trans-Africa over the west coast

Way to go John
was strange not having you missing all the bends on the HISS this year

keep your posts coming
shan

Hahaha. Hey no worries, I have missed a few out here too. The landing was a lot softer, but also a lot wetter!

If I ever get back to Europe I will be doing another HISS. Definitely my kind of event. Relaxed, well set up, amazing trails and above all good company.

Good on ya John

Hello everyone. So how you all doing?

I think I am getting too chilled out for my own good. All that hustle and bustle I used to have back in the real world, maybe I miss it............................................. Yeah right!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have made it to Ouagadougou, a place full of hustle and bustle. A couple of cracking nights wild camping, and now I am being all posh with a backpackers hotel and a real bed! Soon be back out in the rough though no worries.
It seems that try as I am really the only sensible way out of West Africa is to ship the bike past the Ebola and political problems. Now I must stress I am one man on my own so maybe other travellers will do it differently and fair play to them but for me Ghana and the port of Tema is calling. I am not exactly sure what I am going to do when I get there but......... Well something will fall into place I am sure.

So a few nice pics to keep everyone smiling.

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Good to hear from you mate and i reckon the boats a good call , hell it's all part of the adventure and sea sickness has to be better than a dose of Ebola !!

Phil

Really good thread and very relevant for us, we are just crossing into Mauritania tomorrow.

Please keep us updated with regards to Tema, we may well have to do something similar!

And what a small world, I'm just down the road from Alton, normally.

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Still with us mate ?