Nouadhibou, it turns out, is not next to our dune, but rather 60km down the road! A good half an hour in the super-Patrol. On the way we saw what is apparently the longest train in the world - 1.6km of iron-ore wagons. We kept driving behind dunes and looking back at the tracks to see the train still there! Mad.
The town itself is the second in Mauritania after the capital, and I wouldn't recommend a visit if you can avoid it. Fairly intimidating (even more so given that I was travelling alone with our guide and everyone's passports, E600, and the vehicle registration documents) - lots of people standing around in crowds, crazy driving, exceptionally poor housing, and darkness gathering. A couple of kids threw stones at the car when I refused to give them "cadeaux" - a first for our trip, though probably not the last. However it all turned out well - three hours to get car insurance and change money for the group, pick up supplies and fuel, and get back to the camp. The sand back to the dune was fun in the dark - music blaring, lights on full, jumping over mini-dunes with all four wheels in the air and our guide laughing his head off. Magic!
The stars were stunning as well, since the nearest streetlight was 50km away...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment