Taxi to Bamako

Hi all

We have just left Merzouga and the taxi is still going strong. People stand around at the overnight camps comparing breakdowns with various bits of their huge 4x4's like the scene in Jaws where they compare scars. We had a problem with our windscreen wipers and I had to change a fuse too.
The taxi doesn't like the desert pistes. It's like driving over corrugated concrete. We lost so much rust yesterday I don't know what's keeping it together now.

A Berber I was talking to today was very impressed with the taxi and said it must be very valuable. He said there would be no change from 5 camels. That has to be the quote of the whole trip.

Still not decided definately what to do about continuing to Bamako. We were given a copy of a letter yesterday which said that the Hungarian goverment on the advice of the British and French intelligence agencies had stopped the rally continuing. Apparently there is a bounty of $20,000 for any european tourists turned over to the terrorists plus a bonus to any village that reports westerner's movements. For $20,000 dollars I might sell Trish.
Watch this space ......

T & G