I’m not sure I believed mirages actually existed until today.

We had planned to ride from La Sonome (where we’d been staying with Caroline, a school friend of David’s, and her lovely family) across the Senegal/Gambia border and to Banjul. That was until we got half way and the tarmac decided to disappear!

We hadn’t managed to find anyone who could tell us what the road was going to be like and anyway, a road suitable for motorbikes and cars can be different.

The strange thing about the road from Kaolack heading south west is that you have about 200m of potholed tarmac then 1km of piste etc. not great in 30+degree heat.

The tarmac ahead was always a welcomed sight after seeing a mirage in the distance.

We’re staying 20km north of the border instead of tackling Banjul in the dark!