19 September - Boujdour to Dakhla

We woke from another night of distracted sleeping to pack our things. I actually slept pretty good, but Mark and Ranee apparently experienced a lot of outside sounds that were quite distracting through the night. We were eager to leave, as it was one of the dirtiest places we’ve stayed up to this point.

We found a cafe around the corner serving coffee and juice, so that was enough to get us going. We would eat some snacks from our stash on the bike for breakfast.

The bikes were stored indoors, so we got them loaded up first and then opened the large metal door and rolled them out on the street. We were ready to depart around 9:30, but not before a couple young guys on a scooter stopped to gawk over the big BMW. They posed for selfies and Mark invited them to sit on the bike for a photo. It was fun.

Finally on the road, it was a fairly uneventful day, just a few police stops and nice views of the ocean. Temperatures were comfortable, but it was very windy which made the ride quite tiring.

Dakhla is located on a peninsula, so we veered off the coastal highway to go down to the city. There is a vast lowland area that joins the peninsula with the mainland. The terrain is mixed with some flats and some dunes. We passed by several tourist hotels that offered kite surfing (for out on the water) and also quad rentals for off-road riding in the dunes.

As we entered Dakhla we observed several nice restaurants and hotels, but most notably the sprawl of empty city blocks pre-planned out in the desert. There were city streets, lamp posts and curbs already laid nearly 2 miles out from the developed areas. Additionally, in the developed city blocks there were many unfinished projects which were a bit unsightly.

We pulled up to the address of our hotel and the block was quite rough looking. The streets were potholed and there was trash and construction debris everywhere. At first glance, you would think that you should keep driving. Believe me, it crossed my mind. But we pulled up to the curb on the busy street and climbed off our bikes. There was a school across the street, so that’s a good thing. When you really take a look around you understand that there’s no danger, it’s just people living their lives and parents picking their kids up from school. I have learned this so far in our travels that just because a place looks rough doesn’t mean the people are dangerous. They’re just like you and me going about their day.

I mentioned that the school is across the street, because shortly after we checked into the hotel, Mark was at his bike surrounded by the kids. Ranee and I were inside when it happened but he said it was quite a crowd. 

The hotel had a cafe/restaurant on the ground level and modern rooms upstairs. We were pleasantly surprised. We had a restful afternoon and night.

20 September - Dakhla to Bir Gandouz

We rode back up the peninsula that morning and then back to the main highway to head south. We had a tailwind which was nice. The scene was much the same as the last couple days as we followed the coastline south through the desert. Today we had to plan carefully for gas because there was nearly 160 miles between gas stops. Not a problem, just a little close.

We stopped half way on the coast to take a break and another biker pulled in. It was a Moroccan guy from Marrakesh riding his dual sport Kawasaki 230. He left his luggage back in Dakhla and he was doing a day ride to the Mauritanian border then back. We chatted for little bit and it turned out that he was an engineer as well, who develops systems for autonomous haul trucks. Very interesting. He was envious of my bike, because he’s dreaming of getting one some day too. We discussed the bike and he was also curious about my tool kit so I took it out to show him. He accidentally left his bike key on during our break so he had to roll start his bike to get it going. Pretty easy on a 230cc bike.

We landed at the only hotel in Bir Gandouz by recommendation on the iOverlander app. We weren’t expecting much, but we were pleasantly surprised. The rooms are clean and they had a shaded outdoor courtyard with a restaurant. They even let us park our bikes insdide the courtyard. We arrived in early afternoon, so we had time to unwind all afternoon and evening. We’re preparing to enter Mauritania tomorrow so we need to get our documents in order.

21 September - Bir Gandouz to Nouadhibou (Mauritania)

We had a restful evening at the roadside hotel in Bir Gandouz. We got coffee, omelets and bread for breakfast in the hotel lobby and then we were on the road by 9:30am.

The total ride for the day to the next hotel was only 90 miles, but there was the unknown time for getting through border. The tension built in my stomach as we made the 50 mile ride to the border. How would it go? Would it be easy?

Even the landscape appeared more ominous as the rocky outcroppings had many holes in them like sponges and had eroded from the wind, appearing like bones and skeletons. It was quite different from anything we’d seen up to that point (and didn’t help my anxiety).

We rolled into the border outpost Guerguerat for the first stop which is Moroccan immigration and customs so we can exit Morocco. Immigration stamped our passports out, and customs registered the bikes out of the country. There was a little bit of back-and-forth between the two offices, but the officers were nice and there were no issues. They did question me about my video camera. In Morocco, drones are prohibited and they are very sensitive to “sophisticated” cameras. Our little cameras were no problem.

The next stop is Mauritania border entry. On the way, we crossed the ‘no man’s land’ between Morocco and Mauritania. There is a stretch of road only about a half mile long that is unpaved and in poor condition where allegedly no laws apply. Maybe it’s a dangerous place at night, but during the day it was no issue except for the road itself. There were two large potholes nearly 4 feet long full of sand. I got through okay, but Mark and Ranee didn’t. Just as I went through the sand I called Mark on the intercom to tell him the road was hazardous, but he was entering the obstacle at that moment and down they went. Ranee’s foot was caught under the bike and they were down. Before I could get back to them, a trucker going the opposite direction had already stopped to assist. All were okay and we moved on.

The next stop is Mauritania immigration and customs. We pulled in, and the fixer guys smoothly swooped in. They directed us where to park and requested our paperwork. They were even wearing similar colors to the uniformed officers. However I quickly realized that they are not government officials, and I promptly took my papers out of their hands to proceed to the office myself. They hovered along with us as we worked our way through the multi-step process despite my attempts to "shoo" them away. First immigration, then customs, then back to immigration, then verification, then insurance. It’s a slightly confusing process, and you hope you’re handing your papers to the right people and not paying any more than necessary.

We made it out relatively smooth, paid $12 for our vehicle insurance, and changed some Moroccan dirhams for Mauritania ouguiya.

The last 30 miles to the hotel were relaxing minus two more place stops. We made it to Nouadhibou and zigzagged our way into town to find our hotel. From what we saw, it is a big city but very dirty and rough, with many donkeys pulling wagons and trash on the street.

We made it to our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. It was a high rise marble-clad building among the chaotic streets. The security guard at the door greeted us and we left the bikes out front to check in.

We were both amazed by the size of the rooms we had. Each had separate rooms, kitchen, and my room had a ‘theater’ room with big screen TV and multiple couches. The whole place was squeaky clean and the air conditioning and plumbing worked great! All this for the hefty price of $65!! What a steal— we wished we could stay longer. The hotel had an underground parking area, so Mark and I moved the bikes down that evening.

We had an early dinner around 4:30 and then got some dessert later in the evening. It was my birthday, and everything we did that day certainly made it one of the most memorable.

22 September - Nouadhibou to Nouakchott

We got up one hour sooner than usual because we had a 300 mile day planned. We got some breakfast at the hotel and then packed up. Google maps was showing a couple gas stations in the middle of our 300 mile journey but I couldn’t count on it, so on our way out of town we fueled up the bikes and I filled up my 2 gallon reservoir.

The landscape was beautiful with more desert and some rocks, but then mid day we had a rain storm that soaked us. It was not so bad at first, but behind the rain was high humidity, and then dry heat.

There were actually a couple gas stations open mid-journey, so we stopped to fill up even though we didn’t need it. The gas station lot was covered in sand and it was a challenge just to get to the pump with thick sand everywhere.

The rain had caused some low spots in the road to fill the water, so there were a few “water crossings” we had to cut through. Later in the day, the road deteriorated with some heavily pot-holed sections and poor quality pavement that was all cracked up, requiring us to reduce speed quite a bit. Some of the potholes could easily cause a flat tire if taken at high speed. 

We made it to Nouakchott around 3:30pm, and as we rolled into town we went through 5 checkpoints within 1 mile. It was becoming a bit ridiculous. Don’t these guys talk to each other!! Maybe they were different branches of armed services. Each time they were always courteous, and gave us more respect and waved us on when we showed them our U.S. passports. It was a bit unusual, but I’m happy to skate through without questions. Since we’ve been in Mauritania, many checkpoints have asked for a “fiche”, which is a document that's a summary of your personal information and your general travel itinerary. We prepared multiple copies, anticipating we may need to hand them out.

We chose an auberge (guest house) on the north side of the city because it was a good price and highly rated both on Booking.com and iOverlander. Turns out it's a small place run by a French guy. It’s walled, with motorcycle parking inside the courtyard. There are common areas inside, and outdoor seating in the courtyard. We each got a room with air conditioning and it’s quite nice, especially for the price.

We took a walk around the block in the evening to find an ATM (which we did), then we got some dinner. Nothing special here, just another fast food joint. I got yet another African variation on the Margherita pizza. It has become my go to vegetarian meal when I want to avoid fried food or meat. We didn't feel unsecure walking the streets in the short walk we took. 

Tomorrow is a big day. We cross into Senegal through the infamous Rosso border crossing. It’s well known by travelers for difficulty with the officials here, so we’re doing our research to be prepared for the requirements.