Secret Senegal: Dean Court to Dakar – Goodbye the Portman, Up the Cherries #MSMLostLuggage

“Number 8 number 8 Harry Arter.” – North Stand lads, Dean Court.

Secret Senegal: Dean Court to Daka - Goodbye the Portman, Up the Cherries

Secret Senegal: Dean Court to Dakar – Goodbye the Portman, Up the Cherries

So the crazy journey to Senegal started at Dean Court, it was a simple Dean Court to Dakar adventure and what better way to kickstart my no luggage journey with Money Supermarket.com than a visit to Dean Court. Dean Court in Boscombe, England is the home of AFC Bournemouth, the Cherries, my football team of choice and one of my loves away from travelling and this website. But what? We’re Premier League? You’re kidding me aren’t you? No, we are heading into our second Premier League season, we were safe with a brace of weeks to spare. Now what has this got to do with Secret Senegal? OK, quick intro and a first blog post in order for this trip. I’m the busiest person ever though, so there are 20 more articles to come. Give me time, please.

Surprise surprise down the Portman

Surprise surprise down the Portman

After watching Everton v. AFC Bournemouth in Liverpool, I headed in secret to Bournemouth. I was based at my friend Austin’s place in Westbourne yet again and was here as a surprise for the Cherries lads for the final home match of the season against West Brom. Everybody assumed I was already in Africa. I wasn’t. I had a reunion with my travel buddy from India, Ilona, also a professional artist and designer and it was now match day, Saturday. This was also Day 1 of the lost luggage challenge. After the match, I’d be straight off to Gatwick Airport in London for the adventure.

Gatwick Airport, London

Gatwick Airport, London

It’s 7 a.m. and only Shep and Austin know I’m going to the match. I get my final bit of online work finished early morning, I Skype my parents and Patrick comes to pick Austin up to drive to Boscombe for breakfast. Except, I surprise him and it’s me that gets in the car first, followed by Austin! Dan Darch was meant to be there for breakfast but instead he decided to sell golf clubs and skip the surprise breakfast. We choose to eat at the Garden Cafe and I order a full English breakfast and we meet Helen and Dawn in here. There are six of us for breakfast.

The Portman Hotel, Boscombe

The Portman Hotel, Boscombe

Then we walk to the Portman Hotel in Boscombe. Since around 2007, the Portman has been our pre match pub for Cherries home matches (before that it was the now defunct Dolphin Pub). But today is not only our last Premier League home match of the season, but it’s the last home match with the Portman as we know it. The pub is changing hands and nobody knows the future.

Last time in the Portman as it was

Last time in the Portman as it was

Dan walks into the pub and doesn’t notice me and I pop out and surprise him. Pre-match banter in the outer beer garden is as good as ever and we leave ready for kick off at 3 pm. With two matches to spare, the Cherries have 41 points in the Premier League. This is all a dream. We have now played in the top 4 divisions of English football in the space of 7 seasons, 1 of those seasons we started off with -17 points. It’s a huge achievement and we are already safely secured in the Premier League for another season at the start of play.

Teams come out at Dean Court

Teams come out at Dean Court

AFC Bournemouth 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

AFC Bournemouth 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

The match itself is ridiculous. West Brom go 1-0 up thanks to a textbook Artur Boruc blooper. Then Boruc manages to redeem himself by saving a penalty. In the second half, sub Matt Ritchie scores a close range header and the match finishes a 1-1 draw. After the match we have a huge standing ovation for the team and the management duo of Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall.

Injury time

Injury time

Dan outside Dean Court

Dan outside Dean Court

Post match parade and players lap of honour

Post match parade and players lap of honour

I quickly head back to Austin’s to change clothes but not to pack as this time I am going “backpacking” without a backpack! Austin takes a photo of me leaving his flat. This flimsy with my documents in it is all I carry and even that fits into my coat pocket. What’s funny about this photo is that the coat I am wearing in it, I didn’t actually even use when I was in Africa. Though England was colder so I needed to wear it to and from the airport in Gatwick.

All I took with me for 12 days away to Africa!!

All I took with me for 12 days away to Africa!!

I’m all set. I get a local 1c bus from Westbourne to Lansdowne. I find time for a quick beer in the Christopher Creeke Wetherspoons so I can sleep on my bus to Gatwick Airport, which I do.

Bus to Lansdowne in Bournemouth

Bus to Lansdowne in Bournemouth

Bus to Gatwick Airport, South London

Bus to Gatwick Airport, South London

Bus to Gatwick Airport, South London

Bus to Gatwick Airport, South London

I check into my flight at Gatwick and I watch the sunrise from the Beehive bar with a cup of coffee.

Sunrise at Gatwick Airport, London

Sunrise at Gatwick Airport, London

Sunrise at Gatwick Airport, London

Sunrise at Gatwick Airport, London

Check in at Gatwick

Check in at Gatwick

I’m on a double flight and it’s now past midnight and into Day 2 – I fly from Gatwick London (England) to Ataturk Istanbul (Turkey) and then on Nouakchott in Mauritania for a quick stop over and finally I arrive in Dakar in Senegal.

My boarding passes

My boarding passes

At Gatwick Airport I buy a Daily Telegraph newspaper for £2 and it comes with a free bottle of water. I now have something to carry but I decide to ditch it in the departure lounge and take just the sports section onto the plane to read. I have 3 hours in Gatwick and already I miss my laptop. This is all part of the challenge.

Newspaper and water

Newspaper and water

Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport

On the flight, I get good food and I meet a Turkish lady called Hande Guler at the Eat and Go Bar in Ataturk Airport.

My plane to Turkey

My plane to Turkey

Food on board

Food on board

Arrival in Turkey

Arrival in Turkey

Eat and Go Bar

Eat and Go Bar

Wi-Fi works here in Istanbul Airport but it is slow. My next flight is the longer one and on board I get a blanket, spare socks, a toiletry bag and good food. I have accumulated a few things already. The spare socks will come in handy as my feet probably already smell!

I have a few things on me now!

I have a few things on me now!

Turkish coffee in Ataturk Airport

Turkish coffee in Ataturk Airport

Leaving Turkey

Leaving Turkey

Istanbul to Dakar via Nouakchott

Istanbul to Dakar via Nouakchott

My flight stops at Nouakchott in Mauritania early morning – it’s still day 2 but we are now 1 hour behind London time. Mauritania looks amazing from the air, here are some photos from my window seat on route to Dakar.

Food between Istanbul and Nouakchott

Food between Istanbul and Nouakchott

Nouakchott, Mauritania

Nouakchott, Mauritania

In Nouakchott, Mauritania

In Nouakchott, Mauritania

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Mauritania to Dakar

Arrival in Dakar

Arrival in Dakar

Arrival in Dakar

Arrival in Dakar

West African Francs in Senegal

West African Francs in Senegal

Arrival in Dakar, Senegal

Arrival in Dakar, Senegal

Arrival in Dakar, Senegal - shared taxi to my Maison Abaka

Arrival in Dakar, Senegal – shared taxi to my Maison Abaka

On arrival in Senegal, I get a shared taxi from the airport to drop me off at my first base on this trip – the excellent Maison Abaka, you can read about my stay there here, and my visit to the Pink Lake! While in Senegal I also tried the local fish on the beach, stayed downtown at Hotel Baraka and watched bellydancing!

Maison Abaka, N'Gor Beach, Dakar, Senegal

Maison Abaka, N’Gor Beach, Dakar, Senegal

Maison Abaka, N'Gor Beach, Dakar, Senegal

Maison Abaka, N’Gor Beach, Dakar, Senegal

I will write more soon, and upload when I can, without a laptop, these are being written on pen and paper and some of them are being typed on my Clever Phone! Here are some videos:

10 thoughts on “Secret Senegal: Dean Court to Dakar – Goodbye the Portman, Up the Cherries #MSMLostLuggage

  • Ah, back to the old school way of blogging when you detail every single moment of your journey. Love it! BTW, congratulations on the Cherries maintaining a position in Premiere League for next season. Hope you get to see a few more Home games next year.

  • Hi Ray, I missed my laptop so much, I ended up writing so many posts like this and some will sadly never see the light of day as I felt the moment was gone, they had to be posted there and then or not at all. Yes it was some achievement to stay up with a 11,700 seater stadium while teams like Sunderland (50,000), Newcastle United (50,000), Aston Villa (45,000) and Norwich City (25,000) all finished below us, 3 of them going down to the second tier! Safe travels. Jonny

  • Hi R Dub, yes it was Turkish Airlines. If you have visas in advance you could overland it but it’s also tough. Though I didn’t visit Mauritania, was a 70 minute stop over at airport only. I only count places I’ve actually been on my journey, hence Kenya and Mauritania don’t actually count for me sadly. Turkish Airlines were the cheapest when I booked but you have to go via Istanbul, you should be able to find it. Good luck on your CRAZY missions, hope we can meet someday or even be on radio together. Safe travels. Jonny

  • Do you mind telling me if people got on/off in Mauritania? This is the weirdest thing: Turkish Airlines website shows the “stopover,” but won’t let me book NKC-DKR. I even called them just now and the lady had no idea how to help me…she didn’t show ANY option to do JUST NKC to DKR. Help! I’m going out of my mind…did anyone board or exit during the NKC stopover???
    R Dub! recently posted…Ramblin’ Randy Visits 40 Countries in One Day!My Profile

  • Hi R Dub, By NKC do I assume you mean the capital city, Nouakchott? In which case, yes loads of people get on and off – one even had the same seat as me and we had to swap seats at that airport. It’s the only Turkish airlines flight that does that route. Turkish airlines you have to book them direct I think, but it shouldn’t be a problem. I’d suggest booking it as 3/4 stopover flights to save money. Hope it all works out, if not there are other airlines that do the same route for sure. Safe travels. Jonny

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