The Next Phase

We‘re back in Dakar and looking to head north. We have mixed feelings about trying to head out of Africa but Dakar is doing a pretty good job of reminding us of some of the chaos we won’t miss so much.

Unlike our time on the Bijagos islands, this pause is less of a chilled break and more an admin and organisation time to try and get some stuff in order. We ran around Dakar yesterday doing various chores and that will be the theme over the coming days. We will make sure we get some downtime too though, as my stress levels are already running a tiny bit high about stuff. Not least because I am having to write this on my phone because our laptop (iPad with keyboard) has ceased to be. It’s with someone who might be able to sort it but I’m not hopeful. I can’t help but get frustrated about stuff that’s so hard to fix…

Then there’s the bikes. Much easier to fix than an iPad but definitely in need of some TLC. I need to swap out my rear brake lever as it seems to be leaking (again, no formal route to fixing these and impossible to get the proprietary kit here) and the bikes are at ‘that stage’ on a few fronts at the moment. We might swap my rear tyre—Beck having carried it as a spare all the way from Morocco—or we might wait until we can get four and do the lot. The inside layer is gently starting to show on mine. Not bad though, ~10000km ridden on them.

Then there’s the Big Idea. We really want to try and get back north on a freight ship. I’m sad that freight ship travel took such a hit due to Covid but we’re going to see what we can muster. There’s a line that runs Dakar to Agadir that is, in principle, a RoPax (Roll-on/Roll-off Passenger) ship. We have it on good authority that it’ll probably only be possible for our bikes to be shipped, which we wouldn’t do, but we’ll see. One idea that might have legs is finding a lorry that’s returning empty and tag along with that.

Failing all this, some mixture of riding bits and getting coaches is likely. Unless we find someone with a big overlanding vehicle travelling north soon. Anyway, lots to sort but it’s good that we are able to use a nice relaxing place as a base. Where we are staying is somehow close to and yet totally insulated from the manic Dakar-ness outside. Win!