You know that place that you imagined existed in Africa but had never actually seen? Yep – this is that place and you’ll find it in Mali.

The Africa you haven’t seen – Dogon Country from Amateurs in Africa

Want all the details? Check out the full story of Dogon Country

Legends aren’t born overnight, something only becomes legendary after stories are passed on through the decades over hundreds of years. When it comes to travel destinations they don’t come much more legendary then Timbuktu. Now we know why that legend lives on.

Yes – Timbuktu really does exist and you’ll find it in northern Mali on the edge of the Sahara.

Tired of reading already? See the road to Timbuktu as we filmed it!

What can we say about it? The town itself is far from an oasis, but it’s the lengths you’ll take to get there that tells the real tale.

Wait around in the shade of an old wooden hut hiding away from the searing heat in a car yard as you wait for enough passengers to arrive to overload a 4 x 4 Toyota. Begin the journey north and as the sun saps the life out of the surroundings, kilometre by kilometre the road evaporates into little more then a dusty sand dune trail.

With 140km to go, with the mercury nudging 47 degrees celcius and cars exceeding load capacities you can guarantee you’ll be required to help out others on the way – if you don’t break down yourself. Packed 4 to a row it’s hard work amidst the incumbent sandstorm. If like us you decide to go in the middle of hot season, you’ll experience the hot winds and the anger of the skies as they turn a bright orange like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Sounds too easy? Don’t be fooled, as usual things don’t just go to plan.

Stop to push a broken down bus out of a boggy sand jam and your hopes of reaching Timbuktu begin to fade amongst the haze along with daylight. You can only dream of what it would be like to reach the last ferry which leaves to cross the Niger at 6pm. As a weary driver pushes on into the darkness, the panic in local passengers is obvious as increased speeds on deteriorating roads can lead only to danger. In our case, the driver did almost roll the vehicle on two separate occasions before protests intervened and locals threatened to get out.

Reach the river crossing in pure darkness and wonder what you will do for the night. Most stay and await daybreak to cross into Timbuktu. Naturally, we didn’t want to wait. Find a French speaker, find a local with a boat and find some CFA (local currency). Paddle across the Niger in the middle of the night, share some cigarettes with checkpoint police on the other side and follow into the darkness. Walk through dried up rice paddies, through fish markets, wade through shin deep water and after 5km of darkness rendevous with a van which is usually designated for the transportation of animals.

It’s not an orthedox approach but it’s authentic and although unadvisable given the currently security warnings for the area – in the early hours of the morning – we made it.

That’s right we made it to Timbuktu.

You’re in the town that’s famous for personifying ‘the middle of nowhere’ and it’s the gateway to the Sahara, so there’s plenty to see. Camel rides, mud mosques, markets and museums with the tales of those who’ve gone before and those who weren’t so lucky to survive.

The ride back isn’t particularly easy either, but at least we made the ferry. By not particularly easy we mean – 400km in 43 degrees, you only have one breakdown, one ongoing argument over leg room with an angry individual, one baby pulling you hair, hitting, spewing and urinating on you and the new experience of a warm breast feeding over your arm on the bumpy road back. But don’t worry, that was only for the first 5 hours.

That aside, at least when you make it back like us you can stand loud and proud and say – I’ve been to Timbuktu and back.

If you don’t believe after all these years it’s still that hard? We filmed it and the heat alone destroyed most of our gear, so check out the video.

It’s a place most have probably never heard of and it’s a place with an unforgettable name which is fitting as it’s a place you’ll never forget.

What is it?
Dogon Country – once you make it to Mali, it’s all the hype and deservedly so, it’s incredible. This is a stretch of villages lining a 150km escarpment in southern Mali and it’s something else. It’s a must do in Mali, well let’s be honest, it’s a must do in West Africa and what’s best is you can do it all by foot.

What can you do?
Stand in awe of the traditional villages built into and along the sides of the mountains, mingle with the locals like nowhere else and step back in time to listen to the sounds of the lively villages from amongst the mudhuts scattered across massive cliff faces – it’s a feeling like no other in this special part of the world.

What’s amazing about Dogon?
It’s like that place you imagined existed in your mind but it’s like the place you’ve never actually seen.

The Dogon people have lived in the area for 1200 years, and some of their old villages – mud huts made by hand, are nested under the overhanding cliff face halfway up the rock mountain. What is perhaps even more incredible are the Pygmie villages that remain even higher in the escarpment.

Hold it! Sometimes words can only say so much – Check out what we filmed along the way.

Climb through the cliffs and from the summit overlook the picturesque savannah, towards the villages below to experience the sights – the traditional way of life, the sounds of women and children crushing millet, the chaos of animals roaming the narrow walkways and the feel the life of Dogon.

One of the first things that you’ll notice is the elaborate greetings between Dogon people. It’s more than a simple hello, it’s a detailed introduction and story and what might sound like mumbled words are actually acute interactions discussing each others’ families and problems. We won’t even try explain how it works, but simply say it is something to experience and take with you.

The mudhuts, the smiles and the greetings will welcome you in every village and if you stay longer you’ll get the opportunity to sleep on a mudhut rooftop in a small village under the stars which in reality, is one of the coolest things you could ever do. If like us you have all the luck, you’ll even be rained on by the survival rains in the middle of the night – adding further more to an unbelievable experience.

Don’t worry, when its 40 degrees, in baking sun and you’ve just hiked 4km across rock and plain there is a unique feeling of relief in reaching the next village and knowing the hospitality and water that awaits.

Is Dogon country too ‘touristy’?
As a backpacker it has many of the things that you’ll do anything to avoid like having to take a guide and a tour, but for this part of the world we’ll say it again – it’s a must.

First things first, getting a guide for Dogon country is a pretty expensive (around 25,000 CFA per day or about 40 Euro) affair and its never easy forking out a lot of cash in one go. To soften the blow, get a few people together and go for a minimum of 2 days. Initially, you’ll have to suck it up, but you’ll soon see why the guide is a necessity when it comes to gaining an appreciation into the lives of the Dogon people.

If you’re like us and go in low season, you’ll barely see any one else travelling the area – which for us made it a more intimate and memorable experience. You will however battle the temperatures climbing well above 40 degrees every day, so take a towel.

With a guide you can ask whatever questions you want and feel at ease within the Dogon villages. It’s also important for sustainable and responsible travel that you find an authorised guide and as you travel the region – you’ll see the effects of those who have gone before without. We don’t think that is has been overrun by the tourist trail, it’s just one of those places that you should read up on beforehand to ensure you respect the local way of live and negotiate with the guide on what’s included in the price.

What do we say?
If you’re in Africa get there. Leave your big packpack behind, take the essentials, make some new friends to bring along, find a reputable guide and you’re set for Dogon country. It’s one of the only remaining places in the world that we know of where you can get an insight into traditional lifestyles in Africa and see first hand the challenges and opportunties that tourism brings to these fascinating communities.

Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t – check out what we filmed along the way.

The Gambia
The Gambia – Yep that’s right it’s actually called that and it’s the only country in the World that we’re aware of that uses ‘The’ to officially introduce itself. Along with this there are two other reasons we immediately loved The Gambia, one – English is the national language and two – they don’t charge Australians anything for a Visa. Heaven.

What else will you love in The Gambia?
It moves to a slow beat and it’s a fairly chilled out scene, most locals will want you to stop for a chat to welcome you. You’ll also get used to the familiar calls of ‘Toubab’ (the local term for white man) from the local kids as you high five them and they hug you back as you roam the streets. It’s famous for it’s eco-tourism scene and it’s all well organised, it’s easy to get around and it’s refreshingly progressive with loads of worthwhile organisations and programs doing great local work.

After dark it’s a place like no other – we learnt a lot on our first night out. Don’t be fooled, you’re not in a retirement village, in fact it’s anything but – the older women you will find in the bars have found their inner youth and that’s why they’re here. It’s a lesson in the food chain as these predators of the night stalk their younger local prey across all parts of the dance floor.

If you hadn’t guessed sex tourism is booming here, predominately with older Brits, surprisingly mostly women but there’s also a few men floating about in search of, well, (for lack of any other non-offensive term) love.

Back to the city and around Banjul, there is an awkward sprawl of 5 or 6 local areas, each with their own scene. As a whole if it’s nightclubs you’re after you’ll find them centred in one spot, known as ‘the Strip’ – and they pump. The local lads can truly dance so you’re in for a treat, but as we witnessed time after time, if you’re a white guy stay seated – it’s embarrassing for everybody when you dangle your limbs awkwardly around trying to compete. As one of the local ladies said – ‘White guys can’t dance and black guys can’t swim’.

What seals the deal?
The Gambia is supremely cheap if you stick with the locals. The ‘street meat’ here is well above board and on any given night you can find anything from Nigerian cuisine to loaded long baguettes to fruits to the insides of a goat. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to wash that down with one of no doubt Africa’s best beers, Jul Brew and yes, it’s pretty special.

If The Gambia sounds like your sort of place, we’ve given it an in depth review with all the information you’d need to visit it yourself and we’ve got a video to show you bits and pieces as well.

The Amateur Overview
Probably the most up to date info on The Gambia in the World right now. Seriously, we just left 2 days ago.

The Gambia
Capital: Banjul
Population: 1.7 mill
Economy: GDP (PPP)- $2.6 billion (161st), Per Capita (PPP)- $1 430 (155th)
Exchange Rate: 1 Euro: 36 Dalasi’s
Human Development Index: .456 – 168th
Sporting Trivia: The Gambia is yet to win an Olympic medal. The national Football league has one team named after the national phone carrier GamTel and also a team from the Armed Forces.

>>> Travel Info: Refreshingly English Speaking. It’s Africa’s smallest country but what it lacks in size it makes up for with charm. The entire coastal area is easy to navigate with shared taxi at a low price. Up country is a different affair with terrible roads being the order of the day, but you pass through lively small villages. Also, we are just impressed that it has ‘The’ in its title ‘The Gambia’, it’s unique and quirky much like the coastal sprawls. The people are super friendly across the country and you’ll find their smiles more than contagious.

Visa Requirements: For members of Commonwealth nations a visa isn’t required, so entry is free. There were a few people having some issues at the border when we came through, so make sure you get the correct stamps in and out of Senegal.

Parlez-vous Anglais? 85%. Yes, its English speaking but it’s still not 100%. Gambians converse in their local tongues and sometimes the Australian accent meant we often struggled to get our point across in the first instance.

@ Banjul & around the Atlantic Coast
Where did we stay? In Banjul we stayed at Princess Diana Hotel right near the July 22 Arch for 250 Dalasi’s (7 Euro) which had decent rooms and friendly staff. We spent a couple of nights staying @Kanifeng YMCA Hostel, basic rooms, with sketchy shared bathrooms for 180 Dalasi’s (5 euro). They are doing some good work with the local community with various development projects and a school run out of the building.

In Eastern Gambia – @Bassa Bante Su where electricity is the feature you’ll need to search for. We found probably the most basic place we’ve ever stayed for 100 Dalasis (2.80 Euro), probably the cheapest place we’ve ever stayed, but the power outage early morning was like a bad nightmare – it’s steaming hot in April and with no fan you can expect an extremely long night.

How did we get there? From Dakar we jumped in a sept place (9 – Seater shared taxi) to the border at around 7am.

This is a look at our actual ride to The Gambia and beyond with a few bits and pieces in between.

Difficulties: A fair few people around who want to help and chat. Using lines like ‘we’re all one blood’ etc to get you to see a shop etc. Still it’s nothing if you keep calm, the worst we had was being told we weren’t friendly as we didn’t buy a coffee for a bloke who had tried to get us to an Irish bar. A few locals tried to lead us there – our advice would be don’t go, it’s obviously a haunt for the local ‘bumsters’ looking for foreigners to make a quick buck.

Learn from us: Due to the heat, most of the street food stands close down around 12pm. Make sure you get in before 11am to get the freshest foods otherwise you’ll have to wait until dusk before the locals bring their best meals back out to the street.

If you’ve been travelling about Northern or West Africa in the Francophone countries, you’ll find this is a great place to rest up before continuing the journey on. If you’re looking for Internet, most of the connections in Banjul are sketchy, but you will one that is very reliable in the park next to the Arch.

The traveller scene: First of all, we fdid find it slightly amusing. You can read the gist of it here. The Gambia is home to a thriving sex tourism scene, mostly in the form of Western women visiting The Gambia to meet young local guys. At any bar you head to you’ll find the dance floor filled with +50yo ladies dancing to a reggae groove with their new companions.

Getting a feed: We stumbled across our cheapest feed so far in Bakau. Fish balls, delicious beans on a bread roll at a small street stall for 9 Dalasis (20 Euro cents). It’s amazing and around other places you’ll find grilled meat & onion on a baguettes for between 15-50 Dalasis, although its hard to find after lunchtime. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the soup dish FuFu, a Nigerian dish along Independence drive in Banjul. It’s pretty special and dirt cheap.

Out on the town: There’s lots going on around the coast – bars, clubs, prostitutes and European ladies with young local guys. You can do anything here but make sure you get involved with the very cool local music scene loaded with reggae. You can do anything here and party pretty hard if you’re that way inclined. We hit up a few bars around Sinatra’s on the main strip in Bakau, a cool local bar and here you’ll also find young men who’ll want you to buy them a beer in exchange for drugs. You can grab beers at bars for 25 Dalasi’s (80 euro cents) and i’ts nearly always ‘happy hour’ at any of the bars on the Senegambia strip. The Senegambia strip is full of touts, all friendly enough and you’ll soon become a pro at working out how best to fend them off. If you need a club Wednesday night is ladies night at Wow nightclub and it brings in a pretty diverse crowd which makes for a fun night out.

Banjul itself doesn’t have a great deal to offer however there is an Australian opening up a new bar on the main street just down from the Arch in town.

>>> The Amateur Low Down

Highlight: After our Senegalese Visa debacle we decided to try secure our Malian visa before travelling the 1000km to the border. We searched in vain for the Consulute to no avail until we asked a young Gambian Navy officer. We were led to a small shopfront and told the consulate no longer exists, however, here an old Malian businessperson calls a guy who calls another guy who calls back to organise an official approval for a Visa for when you reach the border. It’s an experience and lesson #47 in unorthodox ways to obtain a Visa. Via this way, your only expense is the 50 Dalasi’s to top up the old Malian’s phone credit.

Biggest Surprise: It might be the smallest country in Africa but it punches above its weight in breweries. The local beer Julbrew was by far the best we’ve come across to this point. It’s definitely worth knocking back a few to get amongst the Gambian beer of choice. You’ll hear about the sex tourism scene here, but seeing is believing.

One thing you can do to break down a barrier: The signs on the sides of the streets here are remarkably progressive, with information about littering, AIDS and many other development issues. Our impressions were that Gambia has better infrastructure (along the coastal strip anyway) than the other African nations we’d come across so far.

You can support the positive steps taken here in The Gambia, and help locals build upon this by following responsible and sustainable tourism projects, like those listed here.

The Questions we’ve taken along the way and anything else you might ever have wondered about the Amateurs taking on Africa.

What can we expect from a couple of Amateurs?
We are backpackers and we can backpack we’re not writers and we’ve never written before – but we’ll try and we have to start somewhere.

What we can promise you is that we won’t be boring and we’ll show you things you’ve never seen before. We’ll also promise to try to keep lame jokes to a minimum and if not you can have your money back.

How did this all come about?
We wanted to go to the World Cup – Let’s be honest who wouldn’t? We happened to be living in Berlin, the home of the last World Cup and the next happened to be in South Africa. Coincidence?

We thought if we were going to go all that way from Cup to Cup we would see more if we travelled overland. It seemed like everybody travelled overland through the East so we throught we’d try the West. We thought if we’re going to try the West let’s make it interesting and since there’s nothing written about backpacking it, we’ll write it. Then we thought if it’s going to be interesting, and we’re going to write, let’s try to make a difference.

Have you guys been preparing for long?
Not really. You can read all about here in our pre-game.

What do you mean by backpacking down barriers?
We’re backpacking in the hope we can break down barriers that exist between cultures through interacting with locals, getting active in communities and showing you what Africa is all about. Barriers to travel, barriers to acceptance and tolerance – we want to break down the misconceptions that exist about Africa and its peoples.

How are you guys travelling around?
Using advice from our online friends and anyone else who’ll talk to us with advice from locals along the way, we’ll get to South Africa however we can. We’ll be stopping in as many countries, using as many forms of transport as possible and we’ll sleep anywhere and everywhere just to keep things interesting. We’ll also help out pretty much any and as many charities as we can and we’ll let you know how you can get involved too.

Why are you guys doing this?
We want to show that Africa is not just for old people on a Safari and that you can backpack it bigtime. More importantly we’ll give you reasons why you should go and show you how epic it really is and what a difference to local communities you can make.

How are you paying for it?
Once upon a time we worked, slightly hard but we saved harder whilst living almost exclusively on homebrand basics and two minute noodles. Hey, it worked and you’d be amazed what meals we can turn a packet of noodles into.

To answer – at the moment we are funding the entire trip out of our own pockets and yes – we are pretty sure we will run out of money, we’re guessing sometime around mid June during the World Cup.

Can we do anything?
Yes – you can help! Follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Spread to the word about us far and wide to any friends, family, business or media and let us know about any contacts in Africa, we’ll chase them up.

We’re also open to people helping us along with equipment and anything else – seriously, if you’ve seen our videos you’ll know we need a new camera with sound.

You can also check out great projects and organisations that we’ve come across who are always looking for help and hopefully you’ll find something to get involved with yourself.

We’re always happy to answer any questions you have so please leave a question below and we’ll get to it when we get a chance.

Senegal
500 additional kilometres, 50 additional Euros, 5 minutes in a country, 2 frustrated travelers and 4 days later on the second attempt – we made it into Senegal.

It turns out you can’t get a Visa at the border these days, but that’s a different story.

What made it all worth it?
Aside from that, however long it takes and what ever you have to do to get there – St Louis, Senegal is something special. A side of Africa we hadn’t seen and the side where each street is running along to it’s own beat.

There’s an unmissable colonial charm in St Louis and everywhere you look there is plenty of character in the stores, over the buildings and amongst the people. It’s set on an island and along with fishing it’s football, it’s weaved between every dusty alley way and no matter how bad you might be, you’ll find yourself kicking around with the kids at some point.

There is live music everywhere and unexpectedly a buzzing artistic scene. Everything is pretty much to love about this place and we don’t think we’re biased, but in the name of transparency we will admit, St Louis is also the first place in Africa that we’ve really found a bar, beers and beats. That’s a trifecta in anyone’s book.

Sound like your kind of place? Check out the full details here.

What about the big smoke – Dakar?
We never saw the rally that makes this place famous, but we imagine it couldn’t be much more chaotic then the car ride that delivered us. Six Senegalese and us wedged in a wagon tearing down some of Africa’s best highways, traffic aversion via footpaths, dodging street sellers and sitting in some of the worst traffic West Africa could possibly produce – it was another rally experience all together.

A ride like that does however, set the scene for Dakar. Power coffees, street scammers, a mix of music and more, downtown Dakar sets a hectic pace. It’s as developed as we imagine any African city would be and from the skyscrapers to the markets this place has got a vibe of it’s own.

One minute you’ll enjoy some high class Senegalese food and the next you’ll be palming off pickpockets before haggling down for whatever you want on a street side. Everybody wants to help you and you’ll enjoy or maybe not so, the game of trying to filter the genuine help from those who want to help themselves to your CFA (Central African Francs). Non merci.

Come night, you better be ready to dance – and even if you are like we were – you can expect to be schooled in rhythmic moves as the locals can and do dance until the early hours anywhere and everywhere.

We’d trekked to Dakar early and we were pumped to be in town for Senegal’s Independence day. We were particularly pumped to be in town as it was the 50th Anniversary. We know right – Epic celebrations surely.

Surely not. The streets were desolate, the shops were shut, the beats were gone and we were in disbelief. The best we could manage was a bar with westerners watching the national wrestling and seeing Akon set the stadium alight.and just to set the record straight – the wrestling is worlds apart from the WWE. Thankfully.

For everything else we discovered and the stuff that might be useful to know about Senegal, click here for the full analysis and to see bits and pieces of our journey to The Gambia through Senegal.

The Amateur Overview
Everything you’ll need to know from the street side of things, Senegalese style.

Senegal
Capital: Dakar
Population: 14 mill.
Economy: GDP (PPP) $22 Billion (111th)- Per capita- $1752 (147th)
Exchange rate: 1 Euro: 656 CFA
Human Development Index: .464 (166th)
Sporting Trivia: Traditional wrestling is once again the national obsession with big name fights on. There was even a 2 hour special we saw examining the controversial finish of a major bout a few weeks earlier.

>>> Travel Info
One of the giants of West Africa, this Francophone country serves up some great beats, brought us the sept-place (7 seater local taxis) and got us back on the nightlife bandwagon. It is much more touristy than the countries we’d come across to this point, which brings the inevitable positives and negatives.

>>>Visa Requirements
We are now experts in this field. A number of countries have a visa waiver for Senegal. Australia is not one of them, but we were under the impression you could grab one at the border. As we now know it isn’t possible, despite our “c’est possible’ protests and we lost 3 days, a lot of time and money. Picking up a visa in Nouakchott is a pretty simple affair, just bring along a few passport pictures, an address in Senegal and 1700UM (5 Euro) and you should be on your way within 48 hours. It took us slightly longer as we were after a double entry visa as we were going through The Gambia also. Check out the full story of our Visa troubles.

Parlez-Vous Anglais? 35% – French is definitely more than helpful here. We hit the tourist hotspots of St Louis and Dakar so there a plenty of English speakers around. Between these places French would be more of a requirement along with a few basic lines in Wolof. The problem being that often it is the people who come up and speak English who are trying to scam you or get you along to their bar.

@ Saint Louis
Where did we stay: L’Antantide Auberge De Jeunesse- twin room 6500CFA (10 Euro) per person/night. Basic breakfast included, mosquito nets, nice courtyard and friendly staff.

How did we get there: From Rosso in a sept-place the 2 hour journey cost us 2000CFA (3 Euro) each. This was a super cramped ride in the back row. Try to stay firm on minimising/avoiding baggage costs. The garage is back on the mainland about 5km from the island so a taxi into town set us back 1000CFA (1.5 Euro)

Difficulties: A fair few people are around the place trying to get you into their shop. St Louis is a beautiful city, with great old buildings and is really a top place for some photos.

Learn from us:
Get you Visa before getting to the border.

The traveller scene: After coming from Mauritania, it seemed that their were tourists everywhere here. Their are plenty of bars around with expats and it seems a lot of French still here in this former colonial West African capital.

Getting a feed: At local restaurants we scored some Mafe for 1000CFA (1.5 Euro). The real highlight for us though was a late night spot we came across selling great mince and onion baguettes for 500CFA (70 Euro cents).

Out on the town: This is where we jumped back on the booze bandwagon and St Louis has a fair few options for getting out on the tiles. There are a number of bars with live music to get you started. We also hit up Laser club with some Peacecorp volunteers for the salsa – 2000CFA entry. The Iguana Bar is a good place to finish up the night for some western style music, and you’ll find it slightly amusing seeing everybody dancing in front of the mirror wall. You won’t laugh at the beers here though, expensive at 2000CFA (3 Euro) a pop. There is no cover charge here, but if you head in and don’t buy a drink straight up you might get a few hassles. Gazelle, Flag and Castel you can get at most places for 1000 – 1200CFA (under 2 Euro). Gazelle is the biggest, cheapest, and probably the nastiest option.

@ Dakar
Where did we stay: Chez Nizar- room 5000CFA (7.60 Euro) per person/night. Very basic, right in the heart of Dakar, cool view from the roof, the shower water only just squirts out, you get what you pay for here.

How we got here: Coming in from St Louis took us around 5 hrs. It really isn’t that far, only around 250km, but the last 50km or so into Dakar was an absolute crawl for us in the traffic. Cost per person 5000CFA (7.50 Euro). The taxi from the Gare Routiere Pompier was 2000CFA, although we reckon it’s possible to get for a bit less – it’s not that far into the centre.

If you want to check out some of the roads around Senegal and in and out of The Gambia, we filmed bits and pieces on the road.

Difficulties: Dakar was by far the craziest city we’d been to so far, our first big African metropolis. It was alive with street markets, awash with expats and annoying over eager touts. Pickpockets are operating all the time everywhere and we narrowly avoided an attempted effort early one afternoon. We can’t say this place isn’t dangerous as we’ve also met fellow travellers with much worse stories and injuries.

Learn from us: Do a bit more research about what is going on, it’s not the easiest city to get around and it’s hard to find information locally without people trying to sell you something.

The traveller scene: Travellers from all around are here, particularly in the centre of the town and along the coast.

Getting a feed: We indulged in the Senegalese dish Yassa here at a restaurant for 2500CFA (4 Euro). Again, the best bit was a street food vendor selling baguettes with meat and onion for 500CFA (70 Euro cents)

Out on the town: On the main stretch Le Viking has 350ml Flag beers for 1000CFA (1.5 Euro) which is full of expats listening to live music, whilst upstairs has a different clientele. Later on across town you’ll find Koulgroul a packed nightclub with a lively atmosphere and great value beers 500ml Flags for 1000CFA. Just quietly, people at this place can dance.

>>> The Amateur Low down

See it all for yourself – The Senegalese sensations in pictures.

The Highlight – It has to be Saint Louis’s colonial era buildings, musical vibe and kids playing soccer everywhere on the street. Even with dodgy cameras you can grab a top quality snap here with the colourful buildings in the background. Whether they are decrepit or recently renovated the reds, yellow and blues bring the buildings to life.

No matter what part of the island you’re on you’ll come across some intense games of street soccer through the sandy streets which spontaneously turn into wrestling matches. The city is alive and it’s great to be part of people going about their daily routines here.

Biggest Surprise: We were joined in town by Jesse Jackson, Robert Mugabe and Akon. for the 4th of April celebrations for Senegal’s 50 years of independence. The lack of festivities going on around the streets was staggering as we had some strong images of what a celebration of this magnitute might look like Senegalese style.

The day before the controversial ‘Monument to the African Renaissance’ the brainchild of the current President Wade was unveiled. Other than a few speeches we caught on TV and a small military parade it seemed around Dakar that it really was a celebration that was kept away from most people. The streets in the town were eerily empty, on the Place D’Indenpendence, at the Presidential Palace and everywhere their was silence.

The streets did come to life for 5 minutes when the day’s wrestling main event had come to an end, with people who were glued to any radio, TV suddenly rushing out to celebrate their man’s victory.

One thing you can do to break down a barrier: Street kids are all around in Senegal and the most helpful Senegalese guy we met just happens to be doing something about it. To help break down barriers to education, check out Education without borders and support the work they are doing in Senegal.

There’s nothing quite like crossing an African border.

Firstly, you’ll spend 30minutes at a local garage negotiating in a foreign language for a bush taxi at a fair price, you’ll be up early trying to beat the heat and then you’ll find yourself in a sardine tin arrangement amongst luggage and 7 others in an old wagon.

After a few hours on the road, the relief upon arrival is like no other. Push through the hawkers and try to get to your bags before someone else does and follow the dusty tracks to the entrance gates. Battle with border guards and fork out an imaginary ‘exit tax’ and you’ll make your way onto the ferry to Senegal. At least that’s how things go at Rosso, Mauritania.

The border crossing here is renowned for its hassles but we weren’t anticipating the issues we would have over the next few hours. There’s a first time for everything and this was the first time we had been refused entry into a country within an hour.

We’d met a Senegalese guy in the taxi with working with a local NGO, Education Without Borders. Jackpot. It’s always a dream crossing with a local, they’ll help you through the craziness, fend off ‘helpers’ and minimise any ‘taxes’ at ferry gates and immigration. We thought we’d run the perfect race as we boarded a ferry to leave the desert behind.

But we’re Amateurs so you know it would be too good to be true and our optimism soon turned into despair an hour later when we were informed that you couldn’t purchase a tourist visa at the border. We were aware that Australians didn’t have access to the visa waiver that some nationalities have but our research had outlined – it was definately possible. Despite continual protests and “c’est possible” pleas we were shown the exit of Senegal and sent back across the river to Mauritania.

Our Senegalese fixer not only tried to help us with the border police, he also accompanied us back to Mauritania and through immigration. Needless to say, the 5 hour car trip back to Nouakchoutt in 42 degree heat capped off a perfect day’s travel.

We’d later also realised we didn’t get an entry stamp back in to Mauritania, effectively rendering us illegal aliens in Mauritania for however long it took to get the Senegalese Visa.

They said next day for the Visa, no worries.

75 Euro, 4 days later and after a lot of frustration we had our visa from the Senegalese Embassy. Probably the most precious ink we’ve ever seen on paper in the end. We may have even gotten our visa quicker if we were more help to the visa officer who was searching for a VW Golf from Germany and wanted some advice. Our lack of car knowledge had come back to haunt us.

Luck favoured us on the return journey. No one checked our passports properly, pressumably as we were by now locals on the highway and the police had already had their laughs at our expense 4 days earlier, hence we weren’t fined/arrested for overstaying a Visa. This would not have been ideal and we were preparing to pay a hefty sum.

What can you learn from us? – Read widely, don’t rely on the book and a few sources and you’ll be sweet to hit the road. We found out the hard way that in Africa you’re not all sweet. Do whatever you can to make sure you get a stamp in and out of every country. It cost us plenty of time and money.