Bridging The Continents

Location: St. Louis, Senegal Episode Notes: In today’s episode, I share my first full day exploring St. Louis, Senegal — a place full of color, noise, and warmth. The day began with a small but heartwarming encounter back at Rosso: someone had washed our car without asking, and with just $2, we managed to leave a positive impression on both sides. Once settled in St. Louis, we decided to explore t...

Location : Mauritania to Senegal (via Rosso Border Crossing) Episode Notes : In today’s episode, I take you through the challenges and triumphs of crossing the Mauritania-Senegal border, a journey that tested patience, trust, and a fair bit of luck. The day began with a visit to a local fish market—an intense, bustling place full of sights and sounds. We also had the chance to try some incredible...

📍 Location: Nouakchott, Mauritania 📝 Episode Notes: Good day! October 13th brought a mix of everyday challenges and new discoveries in Nouakchott. Signing up for a hotel turned out to be an adventure in itself. Johan usually finds something on the way and books it for a night, only to find out the actual cost on site. Today, at the Aloe Amirah Hotel, they quoted €110 at the front desk, while Joh...

📍 Location: Nouakchott, Mauritania 📝 Episode Notes: October 12, 2025 — Today I set out from Nouadhibou on my way to Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. The distance between the two cities is close to 500 kilometers, and I wasn’t sure what to expect along the way. The road turned out to be surprisingly good for the most part—some rough patches, but mostly paved and smooth enough to cruise comf...

📍 Location: Nouadhibou, Mauritania 🗓️ Date: October 11 📝 Episode Notes: It was Johan’s 73rd birthday, and what started as a simple mission to find coffee turned into a day of discovery in Nouadhibou — a gritty, bustling port city on the edge of Mauritania. I talk about how difficult it was to find even basic services, the serendipitous meeting with two young German travelers on motorbikes, and t...

📍 Location: From Dakhla, Western Sahara to Nouadhibou, Mauritania 🗓️ Date: October 10, 2025 🎧 Episode Notes: October 10th was a really big day — one of the longest and most complicated travel days so far. We needed to be out of Dakhla by today because our export license plates were expiring , and without valid insurance, we couldn’t legally drive in Western Sahara anymore. After fueling up on ch...

📍 Location: Dakhla, Western Sahara 🗓️ Date: October 9, 2025 🎧 Episode Notes: I decided to stay another day in Dakhla — a simple, almost rugged place that drew me in with its quiet energy and fascinating rhythms of life. Today, I drove to the very tip of the peninsula where over 1,300 fishing boats rest on the sand, each one waiting to be dragged into the ocean by tractors. It’s an incredible sig...

📍 Location: Laayun → Boujdour → Dakhla, Western Sahara 🎧 Episode Notes: Good day, October 8th, 2025. Today was a long-distance drive across Western Sahara, leaving from Laayun with a goal of reaching Dakhla. The region is sparsely populated, so you need to be prepared with supplies in case of a breakdown. Border checks are friendly: police stops appear at most larger towns to check passports, bu...

📍 Location: Laayun → Boujdour → Dakhla, Western Sahara 🎧 Episode Notes: Good day, October 8th, 2025. Today was a long-distance drive across Western Sahara, leaving from Laayun with a goal of reaching Dakhla. The region is sparsely populated, so you need to be prepared with supplies in case of a breakdown. Border checks are friendly: police stops appear at most larger towns to check passports, bu...

📍 Location: Tin-Tin Beach → Tarfaya → Laayun, Western Sahara 🎧 Episode Notes (1st person) Good day, October 7, 2025. We started our morning at Tin-Tin Beach with a nice breakfast at the hotel, getting ready for a day full of unknowns. I never knew if we’d see just one town, maybe two, or none — the options along this stretch are slim, and you need to be prepared for anything, including a potenti...

📍 Location: Agadir → Tiznit → Tan-Tan Plage, Morocco 🎧 Episode Notes (written in 1st person): Good day for October 6, 2025. We started our morning in Agadir with a rare find — a beautiful bakery that actually served both pastries and coffee. In Morocco, most cafés either serve drinks without food or the other way around, so this was a perfect start to the day. After breakfast, we hit the road he...

📍 Location: Agadir → Tiznit → Tan-Tan Plage, Morocco 🎧 Episode Notes (written in 1st person): Good day for October 6, 2025. We started our morning in Agadir with a rare find — a beautiful bakery that actually served both pastries and coffee. In Morocco, most cafés either serve drinks without food or the other way around, so this was a perfect start to the day. After breakfast, we hit the road he...

📍 Location: Sidi Kaouki & Agadir, Morocco 🎧 Episode Notes (written in 1st person): October 5th was a day of transitions and surprises. We left Azure behind and hit the road for Agadir, following a route that took us through the surf village of Sidi Kaouki — a place Morris had checked out the day before. Not long after setting out, we were stopped — not by traffic, but by Morris himself, who...

📍 Location: Essaouira, Morocco 🗒️ Episode Notes: Good day! Waking up in Essaouira in our very Moroccan hotel set the tone for another adventurous day. Johan and I decided to explore the town in the morning before meeting up with Morris later. We first wandered along the outside of the medina, where one side opens to the beach. Nearby, we discovered another walled area that included a cemetery — a...

📍 Location: Essaouira, Morocco 🗒️ Episode Notes: Good day! Waking up in Essaouira in our very Moroccan hotel set the tone for another adventurous day. Johan and I decided to explore the town in the morning before meeting up with Morris later. We first wandered along the outside of the medina, where one side opens to the beach. Nearby, we discovered another walled area that included a cemetery — a...

📍 Location: Essaouira, Morocco 🗒️ Episode Notes: Good day! October 3rd marks our second day in Morocco. We started the day with a walk to pick up some engine oil for the vehicle — it’s always good to check that everything is running smoothly, and so far, our journey from the Netherlands has been going well. While walking, I noticed there’s still a lot of cleanup needed around Morocco, especially...

📍 Location: Morocco — from the ferry port to Mohammedia 🗒️ Episode Notes: Good day! Today was the long-awaited day — making it to Africa. Since we were close to the ferry departure point, we quickly realized that the entry wasn’t where we first thought. After a few twists and turns, some paperwork, and a couple of return trips, we finally got the confirmation needed for our journey. Our ferry was...

📍 Location: Algeciras, Southern Spain 🗒️ Episode Notes: October 1, 2025 — today we set our sights on reaching Algeciras. The goal was clear, but as always, the journey has its uncertainties. We discovered there are several ways to cross the Mediterranean, each with multiple ferry companies. The actual sailing only takes about an hour to an hour and a half, but most of the time is spent waiting an...

📍 Location: Alfas del Pi, Spain 🗒️ Episode Notes: Today I decided to slow things down and stay put in Alfas del Pi. It was a practical kind of day — refueling, restocking, and soaking in the small-town charm. I got lucky and found diesel at €1.30 a liter when most stations were charging €1.50 or more. Those small wins always add up when you’re on the road. We also stopped by one of those Chinese...

📍 Location: Valencia → Alfas del Pi, Spain 🗒️ Episode Notes: Good day — it’s Monday, September 29th. I started the morning just outside Valencia in a little town called Real, where the narrow countryside roads made for some beautiful, careful driving. From there, I made my way into the city to meet up with my longtime friend Scott Perry and his family. I’ve known Scott for over 15 years — we met...

📍 Location: La Jonquera → Barcelona → Valencia, Spain 🎧 Episode Notes (First Person) Good day — September 28th. What a day it turned out to be. The morning started at the hotel where Adriana, originally from Colombia 26 years ago, helped me out. My Spanish is rusty, but somehow we made conversation work — that in itself was a great start to the day. After a quick coffee, I hit the road with one...

📍 Location: Toul, France → La Jonquera, Spain 🗓️ Episode Date: September 27th 📝 Episode Notes: September 27th was a long day on the road, waking up in a small but cozy hotel in Toul, France. Breakfast was basic but sufficient to start the journey south. I relied heavily on my Garmin GPS navigation, which I find fun—it gives me directions, but if I want to take a different route, it adapts immedi...

📍 Location: Neumannsdorp & Oud-Beijerland, The Netherlands 🗓️ Episode Date: September 26th 📝 Episode Notes: September 26th marked the first true day of departure from the Netherlands. I started the day at a campsite in Neumannsdorp, filling up on relatively cheap diesel before heading to GlobalCar NL in Oud-Beijerland to apply for my export license plates. Things moved smoothly: the team con...

📍 Location: Winsum, The Netherlands 🗓️ Episode Date: September 24th 📝 Episode Notes: September 24th came around, and I woke up at the beautiful Wolfskuil, ready to move north toward Winsum—just above Groningen—so I’d be close when the long-awaited registration card finally arrived. That was the plan, at least. Along the way, I stopped in Steenwijk to pick up some supplies, then took the small ba...

📍 Location: Oud Beijerland, The Netherlands 🗓️ Episode Date: September 23rd 📝 Episode Notes: It’s September 23rd, and I’m still here in the Netherlands. What started as an unintended stay turned into a really worthwhile day. I was able to catch up on a few things, including some construction happening back in Seattle, but the highlight was definitely coffee time with the volunteers at the Wolfsk...