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The hotel room I stayed in - Madrid, Spain.

View from the hotel balcony.

An outdoor market I went to in Madrid

 The white building is the hotel. This square is where I walked to for breakfast every morning. The facade of the building in the square had goddesses painted on it. This is the truck we hauled our gear in. We are loading up in Madrid.
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Each person had one big white box for food, and we piled our personal gear on top of that. This is José as we drive out of Madrid. When we set up camp each night everyone had to inflate their mattress, except me - mine self-inflated! More Mattresses requiring air. I was asleep by the time all of them got filled! Then of course in the morning the ritual of deflating them. All I had to do was roll mine up. This is the Mediterranean before crossing the Straight of Gibraltar This was the camp we were at before crossing the Straight of Gibraltar.
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The valve on the tire got damaged by the curb as we waited for the ferry to take us across the Straight to Morocco so we changed the tire. Here is the truck on the ferry. The other two vehicles are on the other side of the ferry. The Rock of Gibraltar is behind me. We are on the ferry. The ship you see here is THE Moroccan Navy! This is entering Morocco. Flags or banners with the Moroccan colors fly everywhere. This is the full group of 11 as we ate in a Moroccan restaurant. Breakfast came in many forms, but it was always a welcome meal for me.
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The trees here are for cork. The bark is stripped and made into cork. It was typical to find people along the road selling farm or seafood goods. A typical small city in Morocco. Congestion, noise and activity. Hand-pulled or donkey-pulled carts are the main mode of transportation for the goods of the common person. One of the first gas stations we stopped at in Morocco. A typical highway sign. This one pointing towards Casablanca Here we are midway through Casablanca and will go in the direction of El Jadida
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Some of the typical "houses" we saw along the roadside as we passed through Casablanca. Notice the satellite dish on the roof at the far right! I thought the irony of the Donkey-pulled water cart with the large semi-truck water tanker. Another small city in Morocco. I thought it interesting how people, donkey carts and vehicles all share the same space! Another of the previous image but the color of the buildings here were more typical of what we saw. Just Moi, on a cliff with one of uncountable beautiful views of the African landscape. In the background are the first dunes we started seeing. I was so excited to take this photo but little did I know we were to see much more. My poor little tent being anchored down with rocks and sand because the ground was too rocky and loose to put stakes in.
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Jose finishing up his installation. A fishing vessel in a town we stopped in for a great fresh seafood dinner. The same village which has an old fortress which has been occupied by several different countries through the centuries. A typical entrance to a home in the same town. I just like the play of colors on this one. On the far left just below the center you can see a micro-climate or oasis. Our three fearless vehicles. I road in the large red truck except for one afternoon when I wasn't feeling too well. The cliffs along the ocean offer some spectacular vistas. Here you can see where the fishermen have made homes in the side of the cliffs.
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As I look just below my feet I noticed I was just above one of the homes "kitchen"! The wind which blows continuously at a brisk pace carves intricate designs in the rock and sand. To stand here in the early morning and take in the view is a feeling of awe. Here is a street of a market area of one of the cities we visited. Notice all of the Moroccan flags and banners. Selling farm goods such as this vendor of nuts and figs is an important way of life for most people. The cart you see here is mint. Used to make the common mint tea of Morocco. No mater how small or large a city might be they all had these grand entrances built as you came into them.
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No mater where we may be at 1:00 it was lunch time and we would stop. Just an interesting tent. We couldn't figure out it's purpose but the decoration was interesting. Another one of the city entrances - but this one is so "Disney" like! The white specks you see are the tents of the Sahara Nomads. If you saw the Nomadic Tents you knew you would see camels and vice versa Ship wrecks were abundant along the Atlantic Coast. This is the "left hand" view of a vista of dunes near the ocean.
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This is the "right hand" view of the previous picture. I secretly took this picture of one of the MANY control checkpoints we had to endure throughout the trip. Sand swept roads were the norm as we entered the Sahara. It was to the delight of all in the group that we were actually entering the sand of the Sahara. This is one of my personal favorites. I LOVE the desert. Men take months to move the amount of sand the wind moves in days. No, it never rained in the desert but these clouds from the ocean reminded us it could.
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Children of Nomadic Tribe people. The smiles tell the whole story. A "bungalow" we stayed at one night. Hello! Typical of camp/hotel areas was a property surrounded by a wall. You would pay to place your tent or take a room. We decide to stop to eat here. The view was incredible... but it was too windy to even think about eating so we had to take refuge in our vehicles... as the whole group protected themselves...
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from the onslaught of being sandblasted! Manolo enjoying a rest. Yours truly self portrait. P.S. It was usually me sleeping- not Manolo.  Our fearless leader Jose. This is a gas station in the middle of the desert. Who is getting filled? A small fishing village along the coast. Jose and I saying hello to our friends.
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The typical view as I saw it on the trip. Those are camels on the horizon. The wind was so fierce this time we had to use the vehicles to block the wind and tie the tents to them so we wouldn't blow away. Notice the jackets and warmer clothes. I took the opportunity of this morning to go down the valley in the background to meditate and chant. It was an incredible time. The blue bag is our garbage. We packed it along as we went until there was an appropriate time to dispose of it. The road gets narrower and the dunes get larger as we go deeper into the Sahara You have to watch out for camels because they will cross the road when they feel like it even though it may be occupied by a vehicle. Here a tribe is refueling their camels. They drink for 15-20 minutes at a constant rate like they have a pump inside to pump in the water.
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The road is ready to disappear. A large dune from about 1km away. Me with our fearless leader trying to hold ourselves against the wind with one of the beautiful dunes behind us. The road is gone. Now it's a matter of following tails and tracks and dodging the soft sand. Here is another check point I secretly took. A pile of rocks - nothing more. This was a few hundred meters later and the walls were made of wood about 5mm thick! The wind almost blew through it. Then a few hundred meters further a tent acts as a customs post.
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I was grateful to have this bathroom in a hotel we stopped at after three days in the harsh sand with no means of washing. My bedroom. I did laundry right after this picture and the room was strung with dripping clothes for the duration of my stay here. The view from my balcony of the hotel. It was at this time I wished we were back in the desert. The Peugeot needed some "minor" repairs. Jose told me the mechanics were geniuses, but I thought there was an easier way to change the oil on the Peugeot! Waiting for the car we took advantage of the "National Park". Then the park warden took advantage of us! (read the story) The cliffs were beautiful.
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Ahhhh... A ship wreck grave yard in the port. Passing through a small village. A typical trail in the desert. The soft sand had to be avoided as much as possible. A highway into a Sahara valley. Sometimes I wished we could ride the camels! Another tribe refueling.
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The reason for so many pictures of "nothing" is because that is what we saw for hours at a time... ...more "nothing" Opps! The car needs a little wrench work. Iñaki enjoying driving the big truck... ...I just wish Jose would have taught him how to use the four wheel drive part of the truck! Our guide (sitting) got mad at us for "playing in the sand too much". I didn't feel like we were playing but that was another perspective. Miles of nowhere...
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...continued for hours - it was spectacular! A view of our camp after a few days in the deep desert... ...where we got to enjoy a refreshing bath... ...ahhh the water was warm! The beauty of the clothes against the dull colors of the sand. My nurse... Cristina. (You will have to read the story when I post it!) The vastness is hard to comprehend until you spend several hours through terrain like this.
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What I would give for a good hot meal! Camels on the horizon broke the monotony of the vast emptiness. It rained in the desert the night before this shot! We were fortunate for the rain because it hardened the sand... ...so the truck wouldn't sink too much and we were able to go pretty well. The sand had many colors... ...and textures to it as we wnt across the great dunes.
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Taking a break... ...Jose and I A good perspective of the changing colors and textures of sand. Camel tracks. The white specks are shells from the ocean. Some vegetation was around as we exited the great dunes area. We got down to the coast to use it as a highway. It was bumpy and wet at first.
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We had to be careful not to get into the wet areas in this lowland. We also tried to avoid the wildlife. We came up on this village... ..and saw this "desert taxi". People would pile their possessions and selves onto the back of these vehicle. Once we got to the beach area... It was like a super highway for us. We stayed as close to the water as possible where the sand was hardest.
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Sometimes the Peugeot had to fjord the places... because it wouldn't make it through the soft deep sand like the trucks. The last of the beautiful sand we would see. The shore was a refreshing change from the heart of the Sahara. We were able to travel at a fast pace along the water. More ship wrecks were visible as we went. Here we are coming up to a city called Nouakchott.
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We tried to find a place the big truck could make it off the beach without getting stuck in the soft sand. Typical fishing boats used by the fishermen As you can see we didn't make it off the beach... ...and everyone dug hard to release the truck from the oceans grasp as the tide was ariving... ..we had to change a ruined tire before we could move the truck though! I took this shot in the midst of the ensuing battle to free the truck. It was a moment of beauty amongst the battle. We enjoyed a meal the next night to celebrate all of our victories from the previous day.
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A typical "bus" used by the commuters in the cities. The ferry crossing the Senegal River from Mauritania to Senegal. We were kept here for 2.5 hours going through customs and immigration. We stayed at this "hotel" on the first night in Senegal. It was hot and the electricity didn't work most of the night. A typical village of Senegal. I must say it was my favorite country. The people are incredible! A Senegalese home covered with branches and thorns... ...the entrance is particularly covered with thorn bushes. To find out why read the story.
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The Senegalese people have a distinct beauty as reflected in these children. Shortly after the previous shot the mother of these children came out to see what was going on. She is beautiful. I could not resist this picture and the next. As I took this groups picture notice the stern faces and shyness... ...until I showed them the picture I took with my digital camera, then they knew how to show off for the photo! This is a family on a voyage... everything piled on top of the vehicle including riders! A market area as we entered the first village in Senegal. We found this incredible hotel to have refreshments amongst the market in the previous picture.
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Some more of the marketplace in the Senegal village. Goat herders which stopped to watch us as we ate lunch. We shared our lunch with them. The hotel we stayed at on the second day in Senegal. This was a typical room. This was the kitchen of the people who lived at and managed the hotel... ...their daughter.. ...and son.
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These lizards were everywhere in Senegal, and changed colors frequently. It is hard to see, but these are some blue pheasants found in Senegal. They are iridescent blue with long black tails. The Senegal River - a beautiful water way. Just an "art" shot taken at the rear of the hotel. The family ram! A huge herd of cows coming down the road... ...with a husband and wife herding them along. Those are their dishes to eat with on top of their heads.
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A typical Senegalese Village. The women doing their chores in Senegal. The border between Senegal and Mali. The yellow building is were we had to go to submit our papers. A needed respite from the trip through Senegal and Mali. One of the many famous banyan trees we saw in Mali. A termite nest. I kicked at one of them that was not occupied and they are like rocks! (ask my big toe!)
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Laundry and bath day in the river. The hotel room of my last day on the journey before going to Bamako. The airport were Cristina and I decided to take a plane to Bamako instead of a sixteen hour train ride. Our plane. Bamako Airport. Can you believe Hotel Tennessee? How ironic! Yours truly resting after walking the markets in Bamako. My hotel room of the 3 star hotel we stayed at in Bamako. The lap of luxury after the desert grime.