So, you want a tourist visa, huh?

[Q.]

You know you’re a bit off the beaten track when you start having to fill in applications and hand over wads of cash to cross a border. Yep, you’re not in Europe anymore, white boy.

It had only been a week or two earlier that shit hit the fan for travellers crossing the Sahara through Mauritania and onward to Senegal and Mali. Mauritania was no longer issuing visas on the Moroccan border. They had been doing it for years. Corrupt border officials had also been lining their own pockets for years too – anyone could get through at the right price. Not anymore. I guess the Mauritanian Government was looking to have some control over who was entering the country.

Travellers making the very long, dusty and usually uncomfortable journey through the Western Sahara to the Moroccan/Mauritanian border were turning up without visas and were promptly being turned away. The first thought for a seasoned traveller was that it was an extortion attempt, but a steely gaze turned to one of hopelessness when it dawned on them that no amount of bribery was going to prevent them from having to turn around and travel several hundred kilometres back in the direction they had just come from.

Dakhla, the final pocket of civilisation before the 300km journey to the border, had turned into ‘little Europe’ as countless backpackers and 4WD junkies found themselves stranded. It was a further 1500km back toward Morocco’s capital, Rabat, where the Mauritanian Embassy were now issuing visas. Believe me when I say that the 1500km journey is not one that you want to repeat once, let alone twice, in the space of a couple of weeks. ‘Little Europe’ devised plans. One group pooled some money together and flew a fiery Frenchman named Pierrick (who I would later meet at a Ghanaian Embassy, but that’s a whole other debacle) to the embassy in the Canary Islands. He was entrusted with a stash of passports, wads of cash and the hopes of several dusty and drained trekkers. Another few had placed the same level of trust in three Pom lads who had decided to take their 4WD back to Rabat.

Luckily word travels fast, especially on the internet, and I had found out the news only days before heading to Rabat from the north of Morocco. It was at the Mauritanian embassy I met the Poms, who were surprisingly upbeat after the long journey and at being faced with about a hundred other people waving application forms at a bloody hole in the wall. It was madness. Coupled with the madness was that it was my first mid-transit visa application, the forms were in French, and I had no bloody idea what I was doing. Furthermore, time was running out – the embassy would shut for a three-hour lunch break at 11am and they only take visa applications in the morning. I didn’t want to come back tomorrow.

A dreadlocked French fella helped me with some of the translation, but he soon admitted to me that he left half the forms blank because he thought the questions were stupid. And so, I gave up and did the same – I just wanted to hand the forms over. Fighting through a sea of people - I used my size and my partner used her innocence - we edged near the front. Finally at the window faced with a little man perched on a seat, we, funnily enough, felt a great sense of relief at handing over our passports, photos, forms, and wads of money. The relief was quickly knocked from my lungs when he told me to come back in a couple of days to collect my things.

So for two days I had a lump in my throat and a knot in the stomach. I worried incessantly to my partner that they would reject our applications. She remained calm until I remembered that I had ticked the ‘Male’ box on her form – she wasn’t so calm after that. Our journey had hit a road block. I looked at flights to Senegal and Mali. I buried my sorrows in cheap Moroccan sweets and pastries.

Two days passed and I took a taxi to the embassy alone. I was up. I was down. I was ready to beg and plead in broken French. The embassy was quiet that afternoon – a far cry from the chaos of the other morning. Two Australian passports please, I said. Ahh, Australian - long way, he replied with a smile. He handed over the two passports. Bon Voyage!

I could barely contain my excitement. Or was it relief? Amid the clamour of my heartbeat and the rush of adrenaline I wondered how it was possible to get a visa after completely fudging the application forms. Maybe they like Australians.

Back at the hotel we saw cause for celebration. Only problem is I hadn’t seen anywhere that sells alcohol for two weeks. We stuffed our smiles with cheap Moroccan sweets and pastries instead.

[Dogwatcher]

You write that yourself Quichey?

[Q.]

Yep. I'm bored today.

[AFLflyer]

nice one Q. you would have been sh##tng yourselves.
the joys of third world travel.
Boder crossings can be so dodgey. Crossing from Lao into Vietnam, boder staff demanded we pay them $5USD to get our passports back, that was an easy decision. Crossing from Chile into Argentina on a small crossing, the staff demanded a game of table tennis! They are all different.

[Dogwatcher]

That's a really good piece of writing mate.
I don't usually read ultralengthy pieces on forums and that had me right the way through.
I'd be trying to sell that somewhere - especially if you have pics.

[OnSong]

That's a really good piece of writing mate.
I don't usually read ultralengthy pieces on forums and that had me right the way through.
I'd be trying to sell that somewhere - especially if you have pics.

Hey! That's my idea!

[Dogwatcher]

Good to know you've got an idea

[OnSong]

Finally! Now, send some pics Q man so I can submit this story to TIME or something.

[Dogwatcher]

National Geographic - found in all good dentist foyers.

[Q.]

That's a really good piece of writing mate.
I don't usually read ultralengthy pieces on forums and that had me right the way through.
I'd be trying to sell that somewhere - especially if you have pics.

It's funny you say that. I wrote it and then later that day I read about Globizzle. I'll probably join up once I sort out issues with my paypal account.

I have no idea what this and others might be worth though???

[Q.]

nice one Q. you would have been sh##tng yourselves.
the joys of third world travel.
Boder crossings can be so dodgey. Crossing from Lao into Vietnam, boder staff demanded we pay them $5USD to get our passports back, that was an easy decision. Crossing from Chile into Argentina on a small crossing, the staff demanded a game of table tennis! They are all different.

So many emotions run through ya. Leaving control of your journey in someone else's hands can get under your skin a bit.

At the Togolese border, the official asked us to fill in the usual paperwork, but...to use his pen we would have to buy it from him at a hefty price! Smug bastard.

[AFLflyer]

nice one Q. you would have been sh##tng yourselves.
the joys of third world travel.
Boder crossings can be so dodgey. Crossing from Lao into Vietnam, boder staff demanded we pay them $5USD to get our passports back, that was an easy decision. Crossing from Chile into Argentina on a small crossing, the staff demanded a game of table tennis! They are all different.

So many emotions run through ya. Leaving control of your journey in someone else's hands can get under your skin a bit.

At the Togolese border, the official asked us to fill in the usual paperwork, but...to use his pen we would have to buy it from him at a hefty price! Smug bastard.

that's awesome - great trick.
Yeah, you don't want to loose your passport at anytime, especially in the middle of Africa. corruption is a word that springs to mind.

[devilsadvocate]

Cracking write-up Quichey!

Any chance you'd be generous enough to upload more pics of your obviously adventure packed travels through Africa? The shots you posted in the photography thread were wicked.

On the question of selling stories etc, I think you'd fetch a reasonable price if you could pull a few together for your more off the beaten track travels. If you'd written that about London or Paris, it's be a dime a dozen, but despite having travels pretty extensively myself and shared travel stories with probably over 500 others, I'm yet to meet anyone that's ventured as far off the track as you. Nat Geo might be worth a shout. My thoughts about Lonely Planet aren't suitable for this forum.

[Q.]

Cracking write-up Quichey!

Any chance you'd be generous enough to upload more pics of your obviously adventure packed travels through Africa? The shots you posted in the photography thread were wicked.

On the question of selling stories etc, I think you'd fetch a reasonable price if you could pull a few together for your more off the beaten track travels. If you'd written that about London or Paris, it's be a dime a dozen, but despite having travels pretty extensively myself and shared travel stories with probably over 500 others, I'm yet to meet anyone that's ventured as far off the track as you. Nat Geo might be worth a shout. My thoughts about Lonely Planet aren't suitable for this forum.

Honestly, it's a pretty accessible region and no matter how poor the transport infrastructure might get, you can always get from point A to point B with a willing patience because there will always be someone going that way eventually. West Africa gets more popular as a tourist destination every year, especially with events like the Festival au Desert drawing people to the region.

I'd go back in a heartbeat given the time and money, but I think somewhere closer and cheaper is on the cards next time.

[Q.]

You wanted a photo, don't think I posted this one in the photo thread, but is one of my favourites:



There's probably a pretty neat story around this one too

[devilsadvocate]

Awesome hair!!!

I bet each of them have a sacinating story, Their lives would be a billion miles away from ours. And that's the beauty of travel - finding out!

[redandblack]

Great photo, mate.

I agree with da, that's what travel's about.

[Dogwatcher]

Quichey - fantastic pic!

Sell your work!

[fisho mcspaz]

Fantastic piece of work, Quichey! I'd definitely try and get it published if I were you. This website might be of some use: http://www.writtenroad.com/

[Q.]

Hmmm, better get cracking on some more writing. Thanks for the kind words folks