February 7:: Nouakchott, Mauritania
February 7:: Nouakchott, Mauritania :: 0km / 2284km total
Another rest day here in Nouakchott. My legs are back to normal and ready to go, but my lower lip is still healing from sunburn/windburn from the past 10 days. Also my butt is sore, from the big mileage of crossing most of the Sahara with no rest days. I'd like to get back on the road tomorrow, but I may need 1 more day here. Nouackchott itself is uninspring but there are great food and drinks, and I'm well settled into my hotel and comfy room.
Its about 550km (4 days) to Dakar, Senegal. The border with Senegal is about 200km away, and the border pretty much signals the end of the Sahara. During my ride out of here I'll be witnessing the transition from Sahara to Sahel, the dry savannah grasslands that are typical of much of West Africa, or Africa as a whole. I'm looking forward to this aspect of the ride, and getting the desert over and done with!
I went to the market today and it was pretty shocking. I had heard from other travellers that Africa can be even dirtier and poorer than India, and pre-trip I had a hard time believing that. Well, I'm a believer now. I didn't take pics - you have to be careful, sometimes, taking pics in crowds, and pulling out a camera that's worth what some locals make in 2 or 3 years is not always a good idea. Anyways, the filth, the smell, the dead animal parts strewn around, the despair... yep. I stopped speaking French and Arabic so as to not get hassled as much, but I can't blame the vendors for trying to get a sale from me, and I try to be polite, which isn't always easy. The people here are great, really, and its very very safe... but not a city or country that I would recommend to most people for a vacation.
Another rest day here in Nouakchott. My legs are back to normal and ready to go, but my lower lip is still healing from sunburn/windburn from the past 10 days. Also my butt is sore, from the big mileage of crossing most of the Sahara with no rest days. I'd like to get back on the road tomorrow, but I may need 1 more day here. Nouackchott itself is uninspring but there are great food and drinks, and I'm well settled into my hotel and comfy room.
Its about 550km (4 days) to Dakar, Senegal. The border with Senegal is about 200km away, and the border pretty much signals the end of the Sahara. During my ride out of here I'll be witnessing the transition from Sahara to Sahel, the dry savannah grasslands that are typical of much of West Africa, or Africa as a whole. I'm looking forward to this aspect of the ride, and getting the desert over and done with!
I went to the market today and it was pretty shocking. I had heard from other travellers that Africa can be even dirtier and poorer than India, and pre-trip I had a hard time believing that. Well, I'm a believer now. I didn't take pics - you have to be careful, sometimes, taking pics in crowds, and pulling out a camera that's worth what some locals make in 2 or 3 years is not always a good idea. Anyways, the filth, the smell, the dead animal parts strewn around, the despair... yep. I stopped speaking French and Arabic so as to not get hassled as much, but I can't blame the vendors for trying to get a sale from me, and I try to be polite, which isn't always easy. The people here are great, really, and its very very safe... but not a city or country that I would recommend to most people for a vacation.
posted by Graham Durrant at 9:45 AM
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