29.04 to 4.05.07, 5 days, currency rate 1 € = 660 F (CFA, Central African Franc)

highlights – I am full of respect for the Toyota and Mazda personal cars. I had the pleasure to cross the desert with them. After long time uncertainties waiting in Nigerien village of Nguigmi, we decided to enter the small personal cars (2 wheel drive). From the guidebooks and friends I knew then the route is a very difficult, requiring a 4x4 truck. Locals assured, however, that these small cars are passing this route once a week. Fact is that these cars (could be the stolen one) are transported by container from Europe to Benin, from where the hired drivers bring them to N’djamena for sell. My question was - why not via Nigeria? There are safer paved roads. Police corruption and bribes - I got the answer. That explains everything, and moreover, if they arrived until here (the road described in the "Niger"), that means they can do a lot.

Drivers were going fast, sure, just passed the sand dunes which I have no idea how they have known the way. From time to time one of the great five (there was five cars in our convoy), stuck in the sand - then the shovel got in use and all convoy members helped to push the car out. After crossing the Niger-Chad border, sometimes we drove on the dry Lake Chad bottom, after fought again with the dunes from time to time loosing the wheels traces on the sand, again we found something that reminds the track, passed the ghost villages, met interesting people, etc. The third day of a comfortable ride I saw a beautifully bright light on the road with dark sky in the background - a good composition for a photograph. Fortunately, I didn’t have to ask the driver to stop extra for me, just because we stuck in the sand again. I came to take a picture, and less than a minute later a great, wonderful sandstorm started. We waited to end of blizzard inside the car and it wasn’t possible to drive under such conditions.

Our goal here was Lake Chad, whose surface varies dramatically depending on the dry or rainy seasons, usually from 10,000 to 25,000 square kilometers. Once it was the world largest freshwater lake, but during the great drought that hit Sahel in 1984 it dried completely and never returned to the previous sizes. Now, from year to year becomes smaller. In nice Bol village we rented cheap boat for relaxing ride. Unfortunately we had to stop, because our paddlers bought too much glue and weren’t able to sail anymore, boat began to take water inside and the wind lifted us into the reeds. Fortunately, the lake is shallow. Our intoxicated captain jumped into the water and tried to push the boat to shore (what took 2 hours). The agreement between us was that we will reach the village on the other side and then go back, but when I saw it his amateurish I gave up. After returning to shore group of idiots surrounded us requesting payment for using their boat – I sent them to claim their rights to our glue addicted captain.

We had to be careful because we didn’t have photographic permit (you can get it in capital within 2 weeks, but we still didn’t arrived there yet), and some of locals tried to pull out some cash from us - but were taking mostly hidden photos. Once in the evening in the house of a rich businessman, a quarter of the village watched Champions League semifinal, and, as sometimes happens (in Africa more frequent than occasionally), during the penalty shooting, in Bol electricity has cut off. The result I find out 3 days later.

In Chad tourists must register in the police or in the immigration office in each town where they stop for the night (fill the registration book and attached 2 photos). To our surprise formalities turned out to be even interesting, because the officers proved to be the men with sense of humor. Corruption rumors in Chad, like in almost every international ranking are regarded as world leaders. However, from us they did not want anything (except when attempting to take pictures), but that could happened because in one of our cars traveled one Ghanaian who had no visa at all, and I was often used as translator (English to French and vice versa). He had to pay bribes everywhere (police, immigration, military) and officials released him, but in next check point the story started again, he had a choice – deport or payment... they asked for specific amount, which we usually bargained down to 5000 CFA.

In N’djamena people often asked us in disbelief and eloquent gesticulation, what was quite funny: "Vous etes touristes ou quoi?" (You are tourists or what?). Well, turbulent country in the North and East, so tourists are rarely showing up. Once, a small demonstration in the N’djamena center frightened us when one Muslim spoke vigorously to the crowd, and behind him transparent was displayed where white man is killing the black man - just in case we run away without asking for more details. Positive side, Chad was the first country since Morocco, where on the streets you could buy healthy natural fruit juices.

accommodation – in N’djamena I quarreled already in the first Hirondelle hotel when the owner changed the price per room to the price per person. We had to go a little further to Ma Carriere hotel. Here we bargained even a low price as for the capital, but our room was extremely stuffy, damp, small, dark and has no electricity. In addition there was awfully loud, as behind the wall functioned disco bar (noisy speakers powered by the generator), a rooms weren’t for rent to sleep, only to have fun with ladies. We couldn’t sleep, but may be because that was a weekend.

transport – there is no regular connection to the Niger, you must waiting, and it’s look like is easier to get from Niger to Chad rather than opposite direction, thanks to the previously described smuggling cars from Benin to Chad. During that travel I had my own comfortable seat in Toyota Corolla. We were passing extremely overloaded trucks where driver had to watch the road between the passenger legs hanging from the truck roof, because the trailer has already been loaded to the limit with luggage and people.

visa – we received our visas in Niamey after a interview with the consul, who asked a few questions, took a photograph, 15,000 CFA (24 €), filled a form and in a box asking for accommodation he choose one hotel from the tourist brochure. After one hour we got in hand a monthly visa.

Chad also has embassies in Cameroon (in Yaounde and Garou), Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan and Central African Republic.