Rosso vs Diama border crossing

[Newbie]

I spent a day in Nouakchott, Mauritania, mustering the courage to do the border crossing from Mauritania into Senegal. The choices are Rosso or Diama. All reports indicate that Rosso is the worst. From what I could gather you will be engulfed by obnoxious touts as soon as you arrive in Rosso. Then, as you try to clear customs and immigration, and also sort out the ferry thing, you are subjected to petty thievery by kids, while all the time you have to deal with corrupt officials who demand bribes. When you finally make it over to the Senegal side the whole thing is repeated. In addition you now also have to exchange money and buy insurance.
The alternative is to do the 97km piste from Rosso to Diama, but nowhere could I find any reports on the condition of the piste. It’s desert all around and I’m concerned that it’s going to be 97kms of deep sand. My map doesn’t even show a place called Diama. Fortunately I stumbled onto a cyclists blog that had pictures of the piste taken in February, and I also learned that Diama is actually west of Rosso. This was good news because all along I thought I was going to have to go east and hence do a 200km detour just to avoid Rosso.
Anxious about the next days border crossing I packed before going to bed. The plan was to leave early, make it to Rosso as quickly as possible, talk to some people in Rosso to ensure that the piste does not have deep sandy sections, and make it to corruption-free Diama.
My plan started falling apart just outside Nouakchott when I encountered the first police checkpoint. They wanted a ‘fish’ which is a photocopy of my passport. Because I didn’t have ‘fishes’ they had to write down all my passport and bike info. This took a lot of time and happened on average every 40kms (and it was damn hot!). I was about 30kms from Rosso when I got ‘hit’ by the first tout. It was at a checkpoint marked with a customs road sign. It was the tout who stopped me, not the customs officer. He was selling insurance, and the customs officer wouldn’t return my passport until I heard the tout out. After I was quoted a ridiculous amount I demanded my passport back and left. When I entered Rosso I filled up at the new gas station as you enter town. My plan to enquire about the piste never saw the light of day. As soon as I left the gas station it was like a feeding frenzy. A gazillion touts swarmed me, but it’s ok as long as you don’t stop. They were running next to the bike directing me towards the Rosso border post. By now I knew I missed the piste turnoff because the road seemed to end about 30 meters ahead of me. I abruptly made a u-turn, forcing a few touts to jump for safety and sped back in the direction I came from. I spotted the piste and confirmed it with two police officers in a pick-up truck.
The piste was nice and easy and I could feel the stress lifting while averaging about 70kph (It does look like the road could get really muddy when it rains though). There were three more police checkpoints on this 97km stretch. The scenery was nice with a lot of wetland and a variety of birds, monkeys and warthogs. There are so many warthogs that they actually cause a risk because they dash over the road when they hear the bike coming. It was at the last police checkpoint (2kms from Diama) that the first corruption surfaced. For the first time while in Mauri the policeman asked to see my temporary import permit. Surprise, surprise, he found something wrong on it. Wouldn’t you know it, the motorbike’s temporary import document was for a different vehicle! My plate had the numbers 967 on it and according to him the document shows 961 (Because in this part of the world they write a 1 like a 7). After arguing with him for about 20 minutes I got pissed off and grabbed my documents out of his hand and announced that I was leaving. There were two cops and one guy who wanted money because the piste runs through the national park…..everybody was pissed off now and tempers were running hot, almost getting out of control. They aggressively blocked my way and I had no choice but to pay them 1,000 Ouguiya for a ‘park entry fee’. As I was covering the last 2kms to Diama I decided that I played that one wrong….the worst thing one can do is lose your temper. Five minutes later I rolled into the Diama border post with a new gameplan.
Mauri Customs: I strolled into the customs office with all my papers. One of the four guys lying on the mattresses got up and beckoned me into his office. He did all his recording and stamping and then demanded 10Euro. My first reaction was to ask him why……because it’s a Friday and it’s a religious day! Well, I don’t have money…….why not! Because I’m poor. That’s when I decided to play my I’ll-have-to-camp-at-the-border-until-tomorrow-when-it’s-not-a-religious-day card. He didn’t budge and we both just sat there staring off into space for an uncomfortable few minutes. I decided to pull out my camera and take some pictures of the little desk flag while talking flag-nonsense with him now. It ended with him posing behind his desk (all puffed up) while I was taking photos of him and the Mauri flag. He liked this and told me to go…..but next time its 10Euro he still threatened! I shook his hand but mumbled and insult when I left the building.
Mauri Immigration/Police: Same thing. He stamped my passport and demanded 10Euro. I’m sorry but I cannot pay you because I don’t have money……yes you do! No, I don’t, I’ll just have to camp next to the building……did you pay customs? No, I don’t have money……a very long silence, then: ok, next time it’s 10Euro! I thanked him and shook his hand with a smile but mumbled my insult as I left the building. Ok, that’s Mauri done, now for Senegal…….
The bridge: I crossed over the short bridge and noticed a boom at the other side with a guy waiting there (for money off course!). I stopped right against the boom and waited for him. Yes, he wants 3,000 Ouguiya. I decided to play my I-don’t-have-money card and showed him the 500 Ouguiya in my wallet. He shook his head so I offered him 2,000 Ouguiya which he accepted and lifted the boom. Some you win and some you lose……..
Senegal Immigration/Police: Another friendly guy who stamped my passport and demanded 10Euro. Why I asked, they told me at the Senegal embassy in Rabat that it was ‘Gratis’ (Now I’m just praying that Senegal has an embassy in Rabat)…….you must still pay 10Euro! No, the guy at the embassy said it’s ‘gratis’ (I emphasize the ‘gratis’), why don’t you call him? You have to pay the Euro10. But I don’t have money, I’m from Africa like you, you know those Europeans have money but us Africans are poor……you’re not poor! Yes I am. He doesn’t budge and we both start staring at the Africa football scores that start showing on the television. Since I’m from South Africa and he knows it I decide to play my Bafana-Bafana card. Where’s the Bafana-Bafana score I ask…….he mumbles something about Senegal and Bafana-Bafana and I knew I got through to him. Ok he says, I’ll not charge you the 10Euro but you’ll have to pay customs for the bike. I thanked him profusely, shook his hand and walked out while mumbling my now well rehearsed insult.
Senegal Customs: The border crossing gods must have noticed that corruption fatigue was setting in now and took pity on me with this one. My middle name is Charles and while writing the stuff from my passport the customs guy tells me his name is also Charles. Naturally I capitalized on this with the main theme being that we must be the only two Charles’s in Africa. We both know it’s bulls**t but we play along. He finally gets up, shakes my hand and informs me that usually the fee is CFA2,500 but it’s free for me……all these years I knew that name was going to come in handy one day…….
Senegal Insurance: The woman who sells insurance is also the only money changer. She gives me a really crappy rate which I reject. She stubbornly sticks to her rate and I only change enough to buy a Coke (which she also sells in her little shop). Now for the insurance negotiation! I have a rough idea what others have paid and keep it in mind. Her rates are higher and I want her to lower it…..she stubbornly refuses and I foolishly decide to do the then-I’m-afraid-we-cannot-do-business-today routine and leave. She doesn’t care because nobody else sells insurance and she knows I need it, so she lies down on her bed again. Two minutes later I walk back in with my tail between my legs and want to buy her insurance. I put on my best smile and ask if there is not a way we can lower the price…..that’s when she offered me West-Africa insurance from Compagnie Generale D’Assurances for about half the price (CFA22,500 for two months) of the ECOWAS insurance. It covers the same countries (printed on the document) and she assured me it’s good…..I guess we’ll have to wait and see. And yes, I had to change money at her crappy rate to buy the insurance…….some you win and some you lose…….
The Diama crossing is every bit as corrupt as they say the Rosso crossing is. The advantage in Diama is that you can question the bribes without worrying about your unattended bike and luggage. There are also no touts at the Diama border and you don’t have to ‘employ’ a ‘facilitator’. Excluding the insurance and the bad exchange rate, my crossing at Diama cost me approx Euro8.50
This was my 14th Africa border crossing on my bike and the Diama border post is by far the most corrupt one. I’m glad I’m through and hope I don’t have to deal with such blatant corruption again. The touts are harmless but you have to be decisive when you’re dealing with them…..they’re just part of the African way.
Now I’ll have to see if the Senegal police are as corrupt as they say.