Transportation: Border Senegal-Mali

This is a choice you have, passing by foot your actually getting yourself inside the long hours train from Dakar. The train will also pass here, the border city of Kidira. You can get out in this city Kidira and walk to the Senegalese officers get a stamp and head the bridge that separates both countries. The first city on the Mali side is Diboli and just a couple of hundred metres before you have the Mali costumes officers and to get a stamp you have to go to the police station in the city after. You don’t get the stamp on the border exactly but have to go and look for the police station after when you get to the nearby town.

Again if you’re coming with a car, make sure you have a less then 4 years old car or the carnet de passage.

The Carnet de Passages en Douane is an internationally recognised customs document that, if accepted in a country, entitles the holder to temporarily import a vehicle without the need to pay the appropriate customs duties and taxes. A Carnet is required for most transcontinental journeys and you must obtained one in advance of the journey.

Transportation: Carnet de Passages en Douane - Mali - Senegal

The Carnet de Passages en Douane is an internationally recognised customs document that, if accepted in a country, entitles the holder to temporarily import a vehicle without the need to pay the appropriate customs duties and taxes. A Carnet is required for most transcontinental journeys and you must obtained one in advance of the journey.
This is a document that prevent people of selling their older cars in poor countries where after a few years what they only have on their roads are pieces of junk cars making roads even more dangerous. Senegal, since 2001 has a law that   older than 4 years will need this document that even embassies around the world don’t know it actually exists, so make sure you have it if you have a car older than 4 years. unless you want to stay on the border. there’s another solution about this which consists on paying for police escort border to border, like Senegal-Gambia, Senegal-Mali, Senegal-Guinea, for this you have to pay around 450euros for each vehicle to pass and you have 2 days to pass the country with a police on your back the whole way.
I got myself stuck in Diamba border in December 2003 with a Nissan Patrol 4WD and had to come back… I went again with a 4 year old Opel Corsa which already passed without a problem.

Transportation: The world longest train - Mauritania

The train from Nouadhibou to Choum is the longest train in the world. Nouadhibou -Choum -Fderik-Zouerat.
The iron ore train carry thousands of tons of   rock in a chain of wagons up to three kilometres long. Their schedules and frequencies depend partly on the speed of the extraction at the mines, and on unpredictable hold-ups-damaged rails,   and even in the past, attacks by Polisario guerrillas from over the border in Western Sahara-and travellers should realize that ore is the priority, not passengers.
There are 3 trains a day, but only the one at 14.30 takes passengers (maybe if you have to transport your car as well, you can take another train).
It is 460km/12hrs from Nouadhibou to Choum and you can follow the distance on milestones along the track.
Motorists who are heading to Atar can load their car onto open platforms, although this can take days: start waiting at the railway station opposite the “douanes” at 9am to stand the chance of getting it loaded onto the 6pm freight train.
For further information contact SNIM, Nouadhibou BP 42 -tel 745174 ext:1700;fax 745396, the state organization that runs the iron ore mines and the railway.
The train carrying iron from Zouerate to the coast at Nouadhibou, is probably the world’s longest train. Normally its length is as much as 3 kilometres. The whole journey takes around 12 hours, where almost 700 kilometres are covered. If you want to come to, or leave, Nouadhibou, there are no good alternatives to this train. But it should not be avoided anyway.
Nowadays, normal compartments have been put up. Up until a few years ago, sitting on top of the wagons, was all offered. This is still used, but it’s unpleasant. The cost of travelling is just around $5 one way (1 ougiya per kilometre).

Cesme, Turkey

Cesme is located in the southwest part of Turkey, west of Izmir.
It seems this name Cesme comes from the Turkish word that represents water. The name comes from the 18th century and from the numerous water springs existing on the area.There are many beaches near Cesme that will make you like them for sure.

Cesme stands for a great getaway from big cities where you can relax on the beach. Its calm night life can make you enjoy a drink in the town centre. I stayed 2 days enjoying the beach in this town in west Turkey.
“…In the center there is a 14th century Genoese fortress which was restored by the Ottomans in the 16th century. The Caravanserai neighboring the fortress was built by Suleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century which was converted to a hotel during the restoration of Hagios Haralambos Church as the Amir Caka art gallery in the 19th century.
Cesme is also famous for the Song Contests in the summer which is held in the Cesme Castle…”

www.allaboutturkey.com/cesme.htm

The city

The city is great. You have the old fortress and the sea all over the coast of the city. The port area is quite special since you can get a view of the boats that go fishing or take tourists on journeys. Its nightlife resembles the mediterrean night life from spain and italy or even portugal but smaller.

From Cesme you can take a ferry boat to Italy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beaches

All around Cesme Bay of the Aegean Sea you have wonderful beaches. You can choose by the ones near the town or just go a bit far to the South coast to experience less crowed bits of sea coast.

Its just great to be able to enjoy a bit of sea while traveling. It relaxes a lot. I was worried about the security of the rent a car, so i parked it a bit far from the beach, like 10m walking, but near a residential zone, with lots of people on the streets.

 

 

 

Travel sentences…

"The poorest of all men is not the man without a cent, but the man without a dream"

Piroge trip to James Island - The Gambia

This is an amazing experience. you can take the boat by discussing the price in Albreda to the captain. You can get a cheaper guidance package including the albreda guide, the museum ticket and the boat to the james fort on the island and also the guide explaining the island history.

To go to James Island you have to get a boat in Albreda. Before Albreda you have Juffureh which is connected to Albreda. This is a small village that mainly subsists of the guidance to the james island museum and the guidance to the Island itself.

This will the the highlight of you visit. Altough the island is great to enjoy with the ruins and some canon, definately this will be the thing you'll like the most. You have to make a 20 minutes trip up stream the river Gambia with a couple of local people. Oon the way you can see some girafes and lions. hehehe, i'm kidding its a joke, you dont have them here in gambia. you can just enjoy the amazing view of the river. I actually touched the water, but i dont really advise you to put you hand in the mouth after, even with all the vaccines taken.