Mauritania
February 21 - 26

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Distance  Today: 188km

 PB&J Frisbees, pasta and garlic bread

 21 February 2004

Bush Camp

 21°16.653’N
16°23.210’W

Sunny & 80(F) degrees

We left the campsite this morning at about 8am and drove the 15km back to the gas station we stopped at last night for some coffee, croissants, and orange juice. If the inexpensive fresh squeezed OJ is a Moroccan phenomenon, we will miss it! We drove for about an hour and arrived at the border. First was the exit from the Moroccan side, which was fairly straightforward. The pavement ended at this point and we were now in the 8km section in between countries which is reputed to be mined. We followed the track for a short distance and met a man sent by Artouro to be our guide. We followed him along the dirt track to the Mauritanian border. The contrast between the Moroccan border facilities and those of Mauritania is remarkable. The Moroccans have basic concrete shelters, whereas the Mauritanian facilities might as well be a camel herder’s shack, with low ceilings and tarps for walls. First we stopped at the police checkpoint, where our details were copied onto a piece of paper. We paid 10 Euros as a tax on our vehicles. Next it was on to customs, where we declared the foreign currency we were bringing into the country. The last stop was immigration where our passports were stamped along with our Carnet du Passage. We were again charged 10 Euros, which in retrospect I believe was bogus. In any case, we made it through the border formalities in about 2 hours, far less than what we’d expected. Next it was time to pay our guide and be on our way. According to Artouro, the standard fee was 200 Ouguiya (there are about 267 Ouguiyas to the dollar). The guide first demanded we pay 200 Euros. Graham, who was unfortunate enough to be the one negotiating, told him that we’d pay 200 Ouguiya and negotiated a deal whereby he changed 100 Dirham for 2000 Ougs, resulting in a profit of about 500 Ougs for the guide. He still demanded 30 Euros, so we drove off. They followed us for awhile, trying to get us to stop, but then they finally gave up. We soon crossed the railroad tracks and turned east. The railroad primarily serves the ore mines inland, and the ore trains are reputedly the longest in the world. Our route will take us about 450 km inland, following the railroad tracks all the way. The Japanese are working on building a sealed road, but we’re following a dirt track that meanders along next to the tracks, crossing sections of sand and rock to keep the driving interesting. Jen and Witt got another flat, so we stopped early and found a nice campsite. Graham helped Witt fix the tire, and we made a meal of pasta with a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and garlic bread. There is no moon tonight and stars are amazing. Graham built a fire and we spent a very relaxing evening sitting around the campfire talking and stargazing.

Distance  Today: 162 km

 Frisbee with sardines, cheese and Pork Potjie

 22 February 2004

Bush Camp

 21°07.796’N
 14°05.645’W

Sunny & 80(F) degrees

Waking up in the desert is a great experience. Those of you who have done it will know. Those of you who have not, should. We broke camp and headed out early still following the ore railway towards Choum. The terrain was very varied and we were surprised at the amount of green grass in some areas. Mauritania is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Africa, and this was evident in the few, very small villages that we passed.

The driving was great fun, and Witt did manage to get Rafiki stuck in some soft sand. A quick tug and he was out, though. We stopped fairly early close to a small mountain to prepare a good meal and relax. Connie and Graham cooked a pork potjie, a South African recipe which turned out pretty well. About the time of dinner, Witt discovered that Rafiki’s tire rack was pulling free of the back door, having broken two of the bolts. He and Graham spent a few hours pulling the old parts off and finding new bolts and washers to try to repair the damage and make it stronger. We all had a good time after dinner enjoying the fire and the stars.

Distance  Today: 124 km

 Salami, yogurt, Frisbees and chicken tikka masala

 23 February 2004

Bab Sahara

 20°31.165’N
 13°03.721’W

Sunny & 102(F) degrees

After getting up, we finished fixing the tire carrier on Rafiki. Witt also did a check under the car and made sure everything was tight. We carried on the piste, much as yesterday. When we got close to Choûm, we turned southeast and made our own track towards Atâr hoping to pick up the road. We did reach the road eventually and followed that into Atâr. For the last 15 miles we were privileged enough to use a brand new asphalt road provided by the US government. Of course this meant we had to stop and air up our tires. After getting into Atâr, we made our way to Bab Sahara, a campground run by a Dutch couple. They are smart enough to put their GPS coordinates on their business card, so it is easy to find. Despite being in the middle of Atâr, the campsite is clean and well maintained with showers and some of the nicest toilets we have experienced yet. Graham spent the evening wrestling with a flat tire while Witt cooked dinner that we ate on the verandah at Bab Sahara.

Distance  Today: 124km

 PB & J Frisbees, charred meat and chips

 24 February 2004

Bab Sahara

 20°31.165’N
 13°03.721’W

Sunny & 95(F) degrees

Distance  Today: 99km

 Freshly baked bread, scrambled eggs with veggies

 25 February 2004

Bush Camp

 20°32.717’N
 12°13.232’W

Partly Cloudy & 90(F) degrees

After an unsuccessful attempt this morning to send our website updates, we left for Chinguetti, which is supposed to be the seventh holiest city in Islam, and was once home to Islamic scholars. The piste out of Atar started out corrugated, then we hit a section of new but rapidly crumbling tarmac as we climbed onto the plateau. At the top the road returned to dirt, but it was freshly graded and fast for 40km. After we passed the road crew it became evident why the grading was needed. We arrived in Chinguetti shortly thereafter, and looked for somewhere to have lunch. We didn’t find anything and were rather disappointed with the town, so we headed out into the sand dunes to camp for the evening. We drove down (or up, I don’t know which way the water flows) an oued or river bed along the route to Ouedane. Witt got stuck once again (he forgot to engage the differential lock) and Graham’s winch acquitted itself well in extracting him. Three local women and a couple of kids approached during the recovery. Jen tried to speak to them in French, but the conversations quickly degraded into requests for gifts. We soon stopped and made camp. Graham took off his desert driving hat and put on his pastry chef’s hat and made a loaf of bread to be baked over the fire in the dutch oven. Strangely, the bread came out looking almost identical to a Moroccan Frisbee. We watched few camels and a camel herder on the horizon through binoculars then enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We had Graham’s bread with dinner, and were treated to another night of excellent star gazing. During dinner our fluorescent adventure light attracted a small swarm of grasshoppers (not more locusts!). Graham had the bright idea to move the light near the fire. We enjoyed watching the little buggers leap into the flames. Sweet revenge.

Distance  Today: 297km

 Stir fry with onions, carrots, and eggplant

 26 February 2004

Bush Camp

 19°57.479’N
 13°58.640’W

Sunny & 95(F) degrees

We left Chinguetti this morning after a delicious apricot scone, also baked by Graham. He’s talking about trading his Land Rover in for a bakery in Louisville (not really). We stopped in Atar for fuel, and headed toward a piste described by Chris Scott which ends at a Guelta, or the end of a canyon with palm trees and in this case a swimming hole. Unfortunately we weren’t able to find the correct road and ended out heading down the main road toward Nouakchott, where we will get our visas for Mali. The road is newly surfaced, financed by the Japanese. In some places it is already crumbling at the edges, and one section has been washed out by a storm. We were able to make good time despite a camel sitting in the middle of the road and various animals and people crossing the road in front of us at various times.

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