Chinguetti to Nouakchott: where sand eats your soul

Noaukchott is full of sand. Chinguetti in the desert was obviously full of sand. The train to Choum was full of sand. The road from Atar to Nouakchott was full of sand, at times I was wondering what the driver can see in front of us, there was only a milky creamy nothingness ahead. A […]

The Long Train from Nouadhibou

Interestingly, it wasn’t cold at night in Nouadhibou. I mean, out there on the street, the moment the sun set, chill set in and I began to wish I had long sleeve on me. But there in the room on a mattress that served as bed it was alright. I only used a single linen […]

Visa no. 2: Mauritania on the border

Nah, this one was easy. On the border, €55, quite a queue but I think my bus driver skipped the hassle. It still took over 2 hours. I took a 8/8:30/9am Supratours bus from Dakhla. It costs 260Dh to Nouadhibou. There is change of bus to minibus at he border. You can also take it […]

Laayoune to Dakhla: South South

My Rough Guide to Morocco mentions 4 places to see in Western Sahara: Tarfaya, Laayoune, Smara and Dakhla. There isn’t much to see in either of towns yet the splendid desolation is tempting. I was thinking to go to each town but the transport options are poor: Laayoune to Tarfaya looks like there are only […]

Sahara begins

I noticed it around 6am, where we stopped for morning tea. Silver ocean under full moon. Sand. A truck on the side of the road. The plants were gone. We were moving among nothingness, sand, gravel, all gray and silent. Then at 8am a police checkpoint. Sir, what’s your nationality? What’s your profession? Where are […]