Taxi to Bamako

Well that's it then - finished! Almost 8000 miles in 24 days since leaving home.
The 2010 Budapest to Bamako Rally ended yesterday in Agadir (4 days early).
We are pretty exhausted but glad we stayed with it to the end, despite the disappointment of not going to Bamako.
At last night's closing ceremony we were presented with an engraved silver plate for endeavour and endurance (Best in vehicle in our category). It seems we completed the hardest day of the rally over a 7500 ft mountain which defeated several 4x4's. We actually went that way by mistake but don't tell anyone.
We left the rally for a few days and drove alone through Western Sahara (over 1000 kms round trip) to to near the Mauritanian border for a meeting with other dissidents who wanted to continue to Bamako. The majority however were going to fly back from Bamako. The few who wanted to drive back could not agree on a route or date for return. The promised armed escort consisted of soldiers stationed at strategic points along the route.
Also there were three sections where a 2 wheel drive could not go. One meant a 500 km detour which we would probably have to do alone. We very reluctantly decided that it would be foolish to go on without guarentees about the return journey.
We haven't altogether given up on Bamako and are trying to see if it's possible to fly there from Casablanca. Problem is that by Moroccan law we can't leave the country without the taxi which is stamped into our passports. We have to wait until Monday when the Customs office opens to find out if there's a way round it.
Most people have either left or are going soon so it's all a bit sad. We've met some fantastic people and shared ups and downs for nearly a month. There have been several accidents and injuries and countless near misses but I don't think anyone regrets coming.