19.03.2021
The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks,
is a departure into unknown lands.
Sir Richard Burton
Sneaking away to Uganda had surely been magnificent and it had awakened my spirits again! And on top of that – only a week after I had returned from Africa, an opportunity had opened up for getting COVID-vaccinated! Because I was living with my elderly Mom, I had fallen into the category of closest contact person to high risk persons and had gotten an appointment for the first dose immediately after Saxony had released the vaccine for citizens under 65 years of age. Since my sister was well-informed about all things related to vaccines, I had received the message that appointments were being released through the official online portal and had registered immediately. I was ready for another adventure … sitting at home was just getting on my nerves …
Is travelling possible in the new normality? Yes, it is! – Just not within Germany … and the difference is – the question is not anymore – Where do I want to travel to? – But rather – Which country is open and what is there to see? … Mauritania was open for tourists without having to quarantine upon arrival – only upon returning home …
Mauritania – officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania – is a country in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast and Senegal to the southwest. The country’s name derives from the name of the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, located in present-day Morocco and Algeria. Berbers occupied the area that today is Mauritania beginning in the 3rd century CE – until Arabs invaded and conquered it in the 8th century, bringing Islam and Islamic culture with them. In the late 19th century – during the European Scramble for Africa – Mauritania became a French colony. Independency from French West Africa was reached in 1960. Since then, it has experienced recurrent coups and periods of authoritarian military rule. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani’s victory in the 2019 Mauritanian presidential election was presented as having been the country’s first peaceful transition of power since independence. Approx 90% of Mauritania’s land is in the Sahara desert. As a result, most of its inhabitants live in the south of the country, where precipitation is slightly higher. The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast. It is home to approx 1/3 of the country’s 4.4 mio people. Arabic is the official language. French is also widely spoken, due to Mauritania’s history as a colony of France. Despite an abundance of natural resources, Mauritania remains poor. The country’s economy is based on agriculture and livestock. Its major industries include mining – particularly iron ore – petroleum production and fishing.
I had been fascinatedly looking at the iron ore train of Mauritania for a while now … I am a train buff! You know it! … The iron ore train is said to be the longest train in the world … and it is possible to ride it … it is a challenge, though … Nevertheless it had been in the back of my head for more than a year now … when the opportunity arose, I would have to do it … but it had been far down the list … there had been always someplace else more alluring … Mauritania was maybe a bit too far off the beaten track …
However, when researching for my tour to Uganda in February, I had also noticed that the same German touragency offers tours to Mauritania. Then I had seen, one of the crazy traveller people I follow online had been there in February … maybe now was the time for me too … About 2 weeks ago I enquired with that tour agency diamir, but they were booked out for the dates I had in mind and the next tour seemed too late for me … I was still hoping to start work in the beginning of April finally again … and had to calculate the required 2 weeks quarantine in upon returning to Germany … and most importantly, they had not included riding the iron ore train … they would look at it during the tour … but I wanted to ride it … With Mauritania being a very Muslim country, I was not sure, if I could just get off the tour for 2 days and ride the train and then join the tour again … as a woman solo traveller. I might be crazy and a well-seasoned traveller, but I was not sure about that … and I was not sure if I would even get up onto the train without help as well …
So, therefore I researched some more and found a Mauritanian tour agency being happy to accommodate my special requests. With the country not seeing many tourists in any case – there are still official security travel warnings out on a large part of the country – and in the new normality even less, they jumped at the opportunity, even though I was just one person. Idoumou of Le Phare du Désert – Désert Mauritanie fabricated a personalized schedule for me including the iron ore train ride – on which I would be accompanied, of course. I would have a driver and guide/cook and we would do camping most of the time. While I am not too much a friend of camping anymore – I am getting old … – I jumped at their offer. It would be the best way to see the Sahara desert. The price was acceptable as well. And – most importantly – I would be the only guest – so I was more flexible with the schedule – as long as I made it back to the airport in time for my return flight.
I found a flight from Berlin via Istanbul and booked it. Mauritania is listed in Germany as a high risk area, but that statement had not been reviewed since being issued in June 2020. Anyway, if believing the numbers in the media … it was safer anywhere else in the world at the moment than in Germany … I was not going to think about it – Uganda has taught me not to get all worked up about those numbers.
I booked the tour – and paid for it. Idoudmou kept me updated on whatsapp, so I was not too worried having sent my money into the unknown … and I was happy to have found a flight from Berlin – that meant only 2 hrs by local train for me to reach the airport.
In the 2 weeks since booking, I had been busy researching and ordering online what I would need and did not have. I was a well set up traveller, but camping … I ended up getting a new sleeping bag and a self-inflating air mattress. For riding the iron ore train I needed some ski goggles and garbage bags because of the dust … Idoumou asked me to bring special German tooth paste for him and some shoes he wanted to order … all had to be gotten online since in Germany we were still in lockdown with all shops closed … and it had to arrive in time for my departure … the new normality … strictly last minute travel plans and online shopping …
Mauritania is also an alcohol free country … oh gosh … what about my medicinal Vodka? … and Idoumou also said to bring salami and cheese for lunch … just in case … I had read, that you do not travel to Mauritania for the food … I cannot remember, when was the last time I took salami and cheese with me on a tour … that must have been way back when I was living as SCUBA instructor in Thailand in the end of the 1990s … when my family send me care packages with cheese, chocolates and gummy bears ….
Yesterday morning I drove to Dresden and my sister once more stuck a cotton swap into my throat for the necessary C-test … that was the only thing required to enter Mauritania … a negative C-test. In the early evening the result came through … negative … I had not expected anything else, but you never know … It had been slightly more than 2 weeks since I had gotten my first vaccine dose …
Nevertheless – even without having had the result yet, I had packed! My backpack did not know what was happening to it … only 4 weeks rest for it and already all stuffed full and ready to head out again! A backpack full of camera gear as well … However, I was travelling somewhat lighter than to Uganda … nah … maybe not …
Mom and me had been virtually quarantining … as usual in our village … All my family had been vaccinated at least once by now, my Dad and sister even complete. The only one who had not gotten a first shot was Mom, because in Germany the over 80s had priority and I had only gotten lucky because the vaccine of Astra Zeneca had only been approved for under 65 years old for a while … since Mom was missing 3 months to the 80 … we had not been able to register her earlier … until a week ago, though, when Astra was approved for all ages. I had been trying to get her an appointment for hours online with 3 laptops in waiting line … I gave up around 02:00 that night …
My sister had taken over at 05:00 and had scored an appointment for Mom before it was all booked up again. Mom’s appointment was exactly the same time as my train to the airport. Well, no problem! I could live with that, as long as she got her shot! But then … Germany withdrew approval of this vaccine abruptly a couple of days ago … WTF … only late last night they approved again … Mom’s appointment was still confirmed online … my sister called the hotline this morning … nobody was sure what is happening … so we decided, Mom had to go and play it by ear at the vaccination center … sometimes Saxony is well ahead of German time … Only with the weather it was complicated … this morning there was snow again … Déjà vu from my departure to Uganda … Grrr … But it was only a fluke shower …
Mom drove me the 20 km to the train station an hour before my train – actually I drove her there – and I hung at the station waiting for my train while she drove back in the opposite direction to the vaccination center. And I can report … it all went well … she got her first dose without problems! Bingo! That also meant, when I returned in 2 weeks whe would already be somewhat protected …
I had about an hour at the train station, but luckily the sun was out and it felt a bit like spring already. So it was not all that bad to wait. My train was on time – it was a local train only – to the new BER Airport I can actually go on the regional train network and a ticket is just € 17.70. It took 1 hr 20 min to Königs Wusterhausen, were I had to change. I had 30 min lay over there and got a sandwich from the station bakery for lunch. I ate while waiting at the platform. Then it was only more 10 min on the next train until I had to get off at BER Terminal 1-2 station.
I arrived at the brand-new BER airport with 4hrs to spare until my flight. The new airport had only been inaugurated less than 6 months ago and only the new Terminal was open due to the circumstances … but I can tell you … it was weird. There were not many people, because only 19 flights were leaving from now until the airport closed for the night … It for sure was small as well … very few seating options to wait … only one coffee shop and this one only sold to go … all restaurants were closed due to lockdown in Germany … Mind you, I did not even see any other places that could be open if they could be open … and this was the only airport of the capital city of Germany …
Anyway … I did find a seat to wait and had my last Piccolo … Approx 3 hrs before my flight I went to drop off my bag. Check in was quick. The lady had to check online for restrictions for Mauritania since things change everyday … not for Mauritania, though … I assured her, I had checked this morning … she had to make sure anyhow … Still I only needed the negative C-test … and had it! I was allowed 2 bags 32 kg each … I had only 1 and it was 24 kg. So, all was good.
Since I still had time and there was absolutely no line up at security check, I thought about going out to the parking lot and find a geocache … but it had started to rain again … it was regular April weather … this morning snow, then sun, then rain and sun again … and now rain again. I guess, it was a sign to hightail it to Africa!
I wandered to security check and breathed through it. They have quite a line of security gates, but only 3 were open … still it seemed in total very few if that airport was ever running at full capacity … In the transit area 2 duty free shops were open, but I only bought a water for € 1, because I could not take alcohol to Mauritania … So no point in buying Vodka …
At the only snack bar that was open … without seating … I bought another hellishly expensive sandwich and then found a seat with a view at an empty gate. Once more I found it absolutely paradox that at an airport restaurant there were no seats available … even considering the circumstances … If you think about it … a negative C-test was required to go literally anywhere under the circumstances … so everybody in transit had been tested … and what is the difference of sitting neatly at a table eating in the rrstaurant and sitting at the gate munching away … it was all in the same building … in the same room … and in the airplane we all would cram in together anyway …
The view was towards the late afternoon sun over the landing strip … plenty planes parked there … only a few were taking off or landing … very few in the short time I watched … it was sad …
Eventually it was time to line up at my gate for boarding. The plane must be packed … the gate was crowded. What I had noticed was that there were no such markings of social distancing like at other airports nowadays. I mean, in Frankfurt every other seat was blocked for social distancing and markings on the flow indicated the 1.5 m rule … Not at the brand-new BER Airport … No announcements concerning that either … Oh well … maybe there were so few passengers expected to use the new airport that it was not necessary … Since BER was not a flight hub … merely an airport to leave from or arrive at … it probably was not necessary since in Germany we have been drilled to observe the social distancing rules for seemingly ever now …
The plane was indeed packed. It was a small plane with only one aisle, but it was full to the hilt. Entertainment was good and we got dinner as well … no alcohol on board either … Have I ever flown Turkish Airlines? … No alcohol? … Oh well … I had water and Cherry Juice instead … the food was good, though.
The flight to Istanbul was approx 2.5 hrs and uneventful. We landed on time and had to take the bus to the Terminal. While at the bus they watched the social distancing … paradoxum #2 after the flight … the Terminal itself was crowded. Boy, it was just like before the shit hit the fan … everything was open … all shops and restaurants … and it was packed! The gate display boards were full as well. Turkish Airlines and Istanbul Airport surely were not as bankrup as Lufthansa and BER … sorry to say …
I had only 2 hrs or so lay over, but an hour until my gate would be displayed. So I tried to figure out the free airport WIFI, but it did not work with receiving an SMS with a code. Instead, I found a seat in a pup and treated myself to a last large beer! I had fogotten how Efes Beer tasted … It was good! … And expensive! € 10! But what the heck …
Once I got my mobile working I booked a data pass for € 5 to at least post some photos and check e-mails. When it was time to see which gate my flight was at, I gulped down the rest of my beer and went to check. On the way I found the WIFI kiosk. For free WIFI I had to scan my passport and after some hick-ups received a code to log on for 1 hr free connection. It worked perfect.
My gate was B18B and the display showed 13 min walking time … off I went … I could not remember, when was the last time I had to walk that far for a gate … and the entire way was busy as well … All gates were open and flights displayed and people waiting … it felt pleasantly normal …
At the gate it was busy as well, but since the flight was 30 min delayed everybody waited. Some German woman spoke to me if I was Sabine … No, I am not, sorry … she found her eventually. It turned out to be the diamir group I had planned to join initially. There were a few other Westerners on the plane as well, but not many.
Eventually boarding started – I had selected a seat in the back – hoping for space … but I was being disappointed. The plane was packed. And the cabin baggage hold above the seats were all full in the back … WTF … how can they be … They were boarding the plane by rows starting from the back and I was one of the first passengers to get on … Everything was all full of boxes and suitcases … I could hardly stuff my jacket in between there and had to put the camera bag 5 rows further to the front … before the passengers seated there arrived and blocked it …
I had an aisle seat and in the end the middle seat stayed empty … a lady was supposed to sit there, but she obviously found a seat a couple of rows behind me. Fine with me.
There was dinner and water and cherry juice again, it was OK. I watched a movie and then I slept somewhat … actually quite a long time … In the morning there was breakfast as well.
20.03.2021
The flight was just short of 7 hrs, uneventful and arrived at 06:00 in Nouakchott. Since I was seated quite far back I got out late as well. As I came into the terminal, there was already a long line up for whatever was ahead and the 1.5 m distance was observed. All passengers were wearing their masks still, but the staff in the terminal did not … some of them wore traditional clothes and their cheche, though, which covered the mouth and nose as well.
There were some people who were eyeing the passengers … and I remember my agent Idoumou had written me, they would be picking me up already before passport control … but how would I recognize him … nobody was holding name signs … I had looked up a photo on the website, but with the cheche it was hard to recognize anybody … Then one of the men was walking along the line inspecting Western women and when he passed me … I was not sure either … but I stared him down … and then he took a double take and ask … Yes! It is me! – Oh good! Welcome! Follow me! – What? Skip the line? – Yes yes, follow me! Come Come! …
And so I walked eagerly behind him passing the entire long line until we reached a door … only one of the guards there made a fuss … in Arabic …and Idoumou talked back calming him down … The line was not moving anyway, so I had to wait … We had filled in a form for the Health Department on the plane and I assume the first desk was where they took this one. Idoumou however was up there making whatever blahblah and then he came back and with this one guard still making a stink, he had me pass behind the fence and skip that entire line as well and led me straight to the Visa on Arrival offices. He gave me a form he had already filled in with my passport details I had sent him and after only 3 min waiting it was already my turn at the visa desk. US$ 60, a scan of all 10 fingerprints and a very lopsided look into the camera later the officer stuck my visa in my passport and Idoumou ushered me to the passport control. The stamp there was quickly done as well and I was amongst the first to wait at the luggage belt which had just started to turn.
None of the other Westerners was out yet. Idoumou had done magic. How he had managed was beyond me, but he obviously had permission inside the terminal behind passport control to pick up his guests. Which was definitely an advantaged, it probably saved me at least 1.5 hrs waiting time …
My bag came out fast as well and he helped me carry it through customs. All bags – including carry-ons had to be x-rayed … The only thing I was worried about was my stash of secret disinfectant look-alike … But I should not have been … the only thing they really had a closer look at was the camera bag and they asked if I had a drone – No! I have no drone! I wish I had one, but I have heard of drones being confiscated in many countries, so why have one anyway …
We had already walked off when they called us back to look at the bag again and the officer showed me on his screen what he saw … it was only one of my small tripods … I had forgotten about it … it has metal legs and always shows up on the x-ray … I should have long taken it out … I never us it … but I keep forgetting … you never know anyway … one day it might come in handy … Today they were happy with the explanation and let me go … Idoumou did some blahblah as well … Merci beaucoup, au revoir!
By 06:30 I was out and sitting in Idoumou’s car and we were headed to the city. For the first time since I got on the train at home yesterday, I could take my facemask off as well … Relief … The airport is some 30 km north of the city. It was just starting to get light and I had my first views of the Sahara desert.
There was little traffic and it took only a little more than half an hour to reach Hotel Sunset near the Olympic Stadium. It was in the North of the city in a wide open space. Check-in was quick and Idoumou took me to my room #101 – Oops … it is not made up! – Oh, he made a mistake! Wait, I get it changed! … I waited and a few minutes later he came back with a new key and we went in the elevator again and up to #302 – Check if the electric is working! – Oh, no! – No problem! Take the next room! #303 is fine and made up and ready!
That all done I checked the room and was happy with the view as well – There was the Olympic Stadium and I could see the sunrise! Idoumou asked for the stuff I had brought him – the special German toothpaste and the shoes I had ordered for him online – good thing I packed those last and easily reached them. He was happy and we would settle the bill in the end. I had asked him to organize for me a road map and a SIM card with data on it, as well. Then I gave him US$ 100 which he would exchange for me while I took a much needed nap. We made an appointment for breakfast at 09:00 – I had a good 1.5 hrs to relax.
Hotel WIFI was working very good and I could post the first photos before I fell asleep. The hotel was very comfortable, I even had a balcony and AC and TV. I never turned the TV or AC on, though.
At 09:00 I went down to the lobby. Everywhere there were signs about mandatory masks and distancing … nobody wore a mask, though – except most of the staff. There were not many people around, though. Idoumou came together with Elycheikh who would be my guide for the next 11 days. Not that I could pronounce his name properly … or remember it … so he said I could call him Ely … that I could manage!
We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It was buffet style … fruits, croissants, baguette, eggs, fresh orange juice, real black coffee … During breakfast we roughly talked through the schedule … It was very flexible … the only thing I really really wanted to do was the iron ore train and I had to be back here on 30.03. to get the C-test necessary for departure on 31.03. in the morning to fly out on 01.04. – the rest was whatever … Le Phare du Désert is a tour agency that comes highly recommended, so I was not at all worried.
They brought me my road map and a SIM card. I put it in my second mobile and it worked, but did not connect to mobile data … So after breakfast Imoudou and Ely went with me to the city to a mobile shop and Ely took my mobile in to make it work … it took them all of 3 minutes and it was done … I was online! …
Idoumou had also brought the exchanged money … so I was fluid as well now … he had given me a reasonable exchange rate es well. I got MRU 3300 for my US$ 100. I was fascinated by the beautiful banknotes. The MRU Uguiya – or Ouguiya in French – is the official currency of Mauritania since its introduction in 1973 when it replaced the CFA franc – the West African Franc. A Uguiya is divided into 5 Jums. That is – unlike most world currencies – each Uguiya is divided into 5 and not 10 Jums.
He instructed me to watch it and not get confused, because it had been changed in January 2018 when a redenomination of the currency at a rate of 1:10 was announced – basically a 0 was cut off – 10 former Uglyans MRO are now 1 Uguiya MRU. Most people still think in the old nomination … pretty much like some Germans are still converting into Deutsch Mark in their heads … Occasionally it would be difficult to guess in which currency a seller is talking … especially because sometimes it looks either too cheap or too expensive … I should encounter that a lot …
We stopped at another shop and for MRU 100 Idoumou got me a black turban – basically for the train ride as protection, but in an Islamic country it is always good to have a scarf as a woman just in case. Roughly MRU 330 was US$ 10 … So that turban cost me less than US$ 3 … a fortune! A turban – also called cheche or haouli and actually only used by men – is a long rectangular sheet of 3.5 to 5 m long. It is without doubt an important piece of the traditional Mauritanian suit. Much more than just an accessory, cheche is essential a protection from the sun’s heat and frequent sand storms. The men cover the face with it in order to protect skin and eyes. I could wear it as a scarf if need be …
That all done they dropped me off just north of the center and I walked into the city. They had business to do and would have brought me back to the hotel, but since we were already close to the center, I got off here. It was hot, but at 10:00 not too hot yet. I wanted to explore a bit and get a feel for the city … and a couple of geocaches were there to be found as well …
Nouakchott – originally derived from the Berber word Nawākšūṭ meaning Place of the Winds – is the capital and largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahel – the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. The city also serves as the administrative and economic center of Mauritania. It was a mid-sized coastal village on the desert trail north from Dakar and of little importance until 1958, when it was chosen as the capital of the nascent nation of Mauritania. At the time, it was designed and built to accommodate 15000 people. However, beginning in the 1970s, a vast number of Mauritanians began moving to Nouakchott because environmental conditions in their home villages had become too harsh due to drought and increasing desertification. Many of the newcomers settled in slum areas that were poorly maintained and extremely overcrowded. However, more recently, the living conditions of some of these inhabitants have improved. With almost 1.2 mio residents in 2019 is the city the hub of the Mauritanian economy. It is home to a deepwater port and one of the country’s two international airports.
Before leaving for a new country, I always buy at least a guide book. For Mauritania I could not find anything in English or German. There might be something in French, though. But my French is rudimentary at best at the moment … I am out of practice. The only thing I found was a chapter of Lonelyplanet’s Africa guide … all of 13 pages about Mauritania and slightly outdated as well … Well, at least it had a rough city map for orientation. And I had my offline geocaching map as well. Once more geocaching would be my tour guide for a bit.
I walked the Avenue du General de Gaulle straight south into the center. Just 60 years old, the city is young to my standards. Since I had decided on this trip at such a short notice and had been busy with all kinds of stuff beforehand, I had absolutely no expectations or glue what I was up to. I had travelled solo in Muslim countries … I had lived 2 months in Egypt working as SCUBA instructor almost 20 years ago … so I knew the drill and was not afraid or anything. I went in intrepid and open minded. But I felt the fatigue from the long travel here and the heat.
Nevertheless, I had the small camera in hand – I was not confident enough yet to take the big camera and had once more forgotten I had a GoPro … The streets were wide and the people friendly. Often young people – mostly men – waved at me and shouted greetings across the street. – Bonjour! Comment allez-vous? Ça va? Change money? – No, merci! Bonjour! – I waved back. At no point did I ever feel harrassed, though.
Lucky for me there were a couple of geocaches hidden in the center and it turned out one was near the National Museum … that seemed to be a good place to start before diving deep into the local market. I am a sucker for local markets, but I needed a bit of acclimatization to be ready for it.
Nouakchott was a large, fortified fishing village in pre-colonial times and under French rule. As Mauritania prepared for independence, it lacked a capital city and the area of present-day Nouakchott was chosen for its central location between Saint-Louis in Senegal – the city from which the colony of Mauritania was governed – and Nouadhibou, a port city and nowadays second largest city in Mauritania and major commercial center. Its location also meant that it avoided the sensitive issue of whether the capital was built in an area dominated by the Arab-descended Moors or sub-Saharan Africans.
What I noticed immediately after only a short time in the city, was that an extremely large percentage of local people wore traditional clothes in everyday life! Even if Mauritania’s young generation turns to western fashion, the traditional Moorish Boubou keeps on being a costume very popular in the country – Mauritanian people are very attached to their traditional Boubou even if they live in the city … Imoudou had worn it when picking me up from the airport and also at our meeting this morning, Ely as well …
A Moorish Boubou or Drâa is a kind of long sheet – usually in bright blue or white – with a hole to put the head through, with 2 large opened sleeves on each side and decorated with golden and white embroidery. In summer time, when it is very hot, the sleeves can be rolled up. A large pockets was sewn in at the front to allow men to put their personal effects in – and they carry everything in there … it seemed to me as if this pocket had the depth of a lady’s handbag … if you get my drift.
Reaching the market district I turned off onto Rue Baker Ahmed on which the Musée National de la Mauritanie was located just a couple of blocks east. I passed several stalls and workshops where those Boubou were being sold and also dyed. It had been the Tuaregs – an ancient Berber tribe that stretched from southern Morocco through Mauritania in the south to eastern Mali – who were called the Blue People for the indigo dye coloured clothes they traditionally wear. The people known as Moors today are an offshoot of those Berber people, specifically a Hijazi Arab/Tuareg mixed tribe. When Arabs conquered North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries, one of the first Berber people to convert where the Tuareg, who at that time dwelt on the African Red Sea coast. They helped the Arabs in their spread of Islam until they reached the Atlantic. From there the Moors and other Berber tribes conquered the Iberian Peninsula, Southern France and Italy and the island of Sicily. They were expelled from Iberia in 1492 – after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella defeated the last of the Moorish strongholds – and rejoined the rest of their Berber tribesmen in Africa. A new problem arose when an oppressive Arab ruler in Algeria persecuted the Berbers who practiced a different form of Islam. The Moors were forced to flee into the desert where they now inhabit the Sahara from Western Mali, South-Western Algeria, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Southern Morocco and Northern Senegal and have been historically influential in the spread of Islam and its legacy in North Africa and the adjacent Sahel region.
The National Museum of Mauritania – Musée National de Nouakchott – was located just outside the market district. A geocache was hidden somewhere right by the entrance gate. It was not busy in the vicinity and I was not sure if the museum was open. But still … I did not dare to thoroughly search for the secret box. Geocaches in this part of the world get visited very rarely – not like in Europe, where often a geocache gets more than one visit a day. This cache had the last log more than a year ago and even before it was several months in between. And – let’s face it – geocaching is a very western hobby … a stealthy search for a secret box is literally impossible as we visably stand out in any case. Most geocaches I had visited in Uganda I had to photolog, because the actual box had disappeared. It was probably not any different here. After a half-hearted look around, I did a photolog.
I kept walking for another few hundred meters along the dusty Rue Baker Ahmed, because another geocache was hidden in some sort of memorial park. It was not far and the park gate was open, but it seemed as if the premises were being remodeled or such. Workers were taking a break in the shade of some trees and eyed me curiously as I confidently walked through the gate. The box was supposed to be an easy find and just hidden behind the memorial plaque for a Christopher Ervin Leggett – a US Aid worker who had been shot dead in the Mauritanian capital in 2009 and Al Qaeda’s North Africa branch had claimed responsibility killing him for allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. There was no box to be found anywhere in the vicinity of the memorial … so it was another photolog.
Nouakchott has not much to offer regarding tourist sights … the city is full with international organizations and geared less to travelers, but more to business people. Apart from the Grand Mosquée de la Capitale and the Mosque Marocaine – which I was not going to visit as I was not sure if it would be open for non-Muslim visitors and women as such – the only other sight was the Port de Péche – the fishing port – which I had agreed to rather visit on my last day in the country – there was no much else except the market. But since I was already here, I decided to have a look at the Musée National de Nouakchott.
Putting my facemask on – I was not sure if it was mandatory within buildings or not, so better be safe – I walked through the entrance door. There was nobody at all at the entrance hall … just a few dogs were relaxing in the cool inside. I just walked past them and up the stairs to the first floor.
The National Museum is housed in a 40-year-old building constracted by a Chinese cooperation. This building is also housing the Mauritanian Institute of Scientific Research, the Mauritanian Manuscripts Conservation Center and the National Library. The museum is said to have notable archaeological and ethnographical collections.
The upper floor contained the ethnographical gallery. As I walked in, there was a small group of young French tourists getting a guided tour. The gentleman in charged greeted me friendly in French and invited me to look around or join the group. I could pay the entrance ticket later. Since I am not such a friend of guided museum visits, I walked around by myself and only every now and then sauntered near the group when they got explanations about something that interested me. Slowly my French was reviving and I understood a lot.
There were saddles, utensils and local costumes, traditional medicines and displays of the living conditions of the nomadic people who inhabited in the country for millennia, miniatures and objects of everyday life and tools.
Having looked around upstairs enough, I walked down and waited a couple of minutes in the foyer until the gentleman came down to unlock the archeological gallery for me. I also had to pay him MRU 100 for the museum entrance. He was obviously the only staff on duty. I found the archeological section slightly more interesting than the ethnographical. There were a lot of photos from excavation around the region and sherds, rocksamples and arrowheads. Excavations were mainly carried out in Koumbi Saleh – the former capital of the Ghana Empire, in Aoudaghost – the main trading post on the caravan route for more than 5 centuries, and in Azougui – the former capital of the Almoravids. Some of these objects, fortuitously found by Mauritanians, have been brought to the museum, demonstrating the respect they have for their heritage.
Leaving the museum I went back towards the market district – I call it that because markets of all kinds were concentrated in this area. It was basically in the new center – Nouakchott was planned with the expectation that commerce and other economic activities would not take place in the city – with broad streets and a grid-like structure. The market was not busy at this time of the day … midday was the hottest time and most people would be taking a siesta now …
A large section was all geared to sell the Mauritanian Traditional men dress called Boubou. It was light clothing as protection against the sun as well as the frequent sandstorms. The Boubou is mostly blue, white or black and is perfect when the weather gets very hot, because the wide cloth allows air to move around.
I wound in and out of narrow market streets. Even if it was not bustling, it was interesting to just walking around the different sections. Even the narrowest alleys were navigated by carts pulled by donkeys.
The Marché Capitale stretched along Avenue Kennedy. I did not go inside the building today, but rather waked around the outside and that was already compelling. I really like local markets. It is usually one of the first things I try to do in a new country – check out the local market. Here at the Marché Capitale I found everything from brass teapots, silver jewellery, traditional wooden boxes to colourful fabrics, shores and household items. I was not going to buy anything on my first day, though …
I did not find a vegetable market, though, when walking along Avenue Kennedy towards the south and the Grand Mosquée de la Capitale and the Mosque Marocaine. Initially I thought that maybe I would at least look at them from the outside, but it was just too hot at midday and it looked very far away … The avenues here were just too wide and too straight …I could make out the minarets in the dusty distance. It was obvious that the city had been wrested from the desert … the roads were covered in Sahara sand …
Traffic was not chaotic in Nouakchott. For a capital city it was very laid back, to be honest. Considering that Mauritainia is with 1.03 mio km² the 28th largest country in the world and has only a population of approx 4.4 mio people – that makes a population density of some 3.4 per km². However … a good quarter of that population is living in the capital … but still, there was no traffic chaos, no constant beeping like in India and no traffic jam … In comparison – Germany is the 63rd largest country in the world and has a population density of 232 per km² … But here were more donkey carts and push carts on the road …
I came across some snack stalls and also some butchers. I was not sure what meat they were selling, but it might well have been camel meat … I learnt later that this is what is eaten a lot … as well as chicken, goat and beef … no pork in a Muslim country, of course.
What soon got me intrigued was the above average amount of beat up ancient Mercedes cars plying the roads of the city. West African nations like Mauritania seem to have become the final resting place for automobiles that just will not die anywhere else … maybe old Mercedes do just that … after having been retired in Europe, they travel here to find a final resting place … but not after having enjoyed very long second life on the desert roads … At least 2/3 of the cars in circulation in Nouakchott are said to be 1980’s Mercedes 190! Believe it! It seemed as if the capital of Mauritania is also the capital of Mercedes Benz in Africa. The cars here seemed typically even older than the global average – exhibiting wear-and-tear that surpasses anything I had seen careening around South East Asia or India … or anywhere else … The isolated-but-sprawling Nouakchott supports a fleet of decaying vehicles that defy description and way beyond imagination. I am not a car freak, do not get me wrong, but I found this really amazing.
Of course, there were other cars around … the Toyota Hilux taking the lead as in many other African countries, French creations from the 1980s, Toyota Corolla, Landcruiser … these vehicles are all considered unbeatable … Maybe, though, at some point they will be replaced by the ever-growing number of new Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, Nissan … Traffic was being slowed down by the frequent donkey carts as well. Those transported everything and anything … even if it was new toilet bowls … And it was not unusual that the odd Camel – actually Dromedary – also called Arabian Camel – was transported on a pick up truck …
By now I had started the long trek back to the hotel. I followed the Avenue Kennedy north and actually found some fruit stalls. With negligible agriculture in the country, fruit and vegetable are imported – a lot comes from neighbouring countries like Marocco and Mali. So local vegetable markets like in Asia are not really there.
Turning onto Rue Monotel I walked further north, crossed a traffic circle and continued on the Route des Ambassades. I had left the somewhat busier center behind already and was now in a more residential area with several embassies and international organizations located here. I passed several restaurants, but I was not hungry yet. Rather looking for a supermarket, I found one just when I reached the junction near the Stade Olympique. Behind the stadium I could already see my hotel.
In the supermarket I bought some water, Guava Juice and a Bavaria Pomegranate 0.0%. Beer is the best thirst quentcher when it is as hot as here … even when it is alcohol free.
Just after 13:00 I was back in the hotel. I had been walking for 3 hrs straight in the heat … I was exhausted by now. I gulped down the Bavaria … it was rather sweet, but it did the trick. The temperature difference from home was like 25°C … I was ready for my afternoon nap! And that is exactly what I did for the next 2 hrs.
When I woke up, I sat on the balcony for a while. It was shaded from the afternoon sun and overlooked the stadium. I sorted through some photos and used the well-working WIFI, before I went for another walk at around 16:00. There were 2 geocaches hidden close to the hotel. I walked eastward along Avenue Moktar Ould Daddah. The first cache was less than 200 m from the hotel, but it turned out to be on the premises of the Stade Olympique … behind the fencing wall … so close and yet so far …
The second geocache was inside the stadium premises as well and I had to walk around to the south side where the gate was. In this area were several restaurants located, I passed a few of them. But after a little research I had set my eyes on Tafarit Sunrise House for seafood … this close to the ocean … It was located at the southern side of the stadium. I found it just across the road from the gate, but it was closed … they had adjusted their opening hours and only offered lunch from 12:00-16:00 and then dinner from 19:00-24:00. I was one hour too late … or 2 hours too early … whichever way you want to look at it. So instead of going to eat, I went to find that other geocache by the stadium.
The main gate was obviously at the west side, but it seemed to be closed. However, the south gate was open for pedestrians only. I was not sure if it was open to public, but I just walked through and the guard sitting on a plastic chair in front of the guard house did not even look up from playing on his mobile phone.
I strolled counterclockwise around the structure. A small door was open and football training was going on inside. It looked like kids were playing. There was another guard at that door and he looked rather grim, so I did not even try to have a look inside. The Stade Olympique is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for football matches. It also has an athletics track. The capacity has been 20000 since the most recent renovation. The stadium is also used by the Mauritania national football team.
The secret box was supposed to be hidden under one of the staircases on the side. I indecisive looked for it … there were no people on this side at all … but still I did not really search … It had been a year since the last person had looked for it and only done a photolog. The last confirmed find had been in 2017 … since then only photologs had been done and those photos showed that the site had been remodeled several times. No point in wasting energy … I just took the photo and moved on.
Since it was the same with that other cache hidden near the stadium, I did not even bother walking the few hundred meters to the fencing wall to look for it and decided to take a photolog instead. I headed back to the hotel and from my balcony I could see the cache location, that would have to do.
I had to do some reorganizing of my luggage as well. Tomorrow would start my grand desert tour and that required a different packing system … I was not sure what to expect, but re-packed for a roadtrip. I dug out my stash of secret disinfectant … and had a Guava & V sundowner on the balcony.
Just before 19:00 I went out again and walked to Tafarit Sunrise House. There were visibly more people around now that it was getting fresher with the setting sun. It was not cold, but getting cooler – still too warm for the jacket or the jumper … but I had forgotten my long sleeved shirt at home … however, a light scarf was always hidden in the depth of my camera bag … it is a large and colourful one which is very thin but warm and comes in very handy in such situation.
As I reached the restaurant, it had just opened. I was not the first guest, though. In the large room one more table was occupied and 2 TV mounted on the walls were blaring with a Bundesliga game … Believe it! German football in a Mauritanian restaurant …
I had been looking forward to seafood and the menu was extensive … Unfortunately, they did not have lobster … it was on the menu … but not available today … Oh well … I ordered Carpaccio de Capitaine for starters instead. Apparently the Captaine is a saltwater fish which lives on the coasts of West Africa, where it also enters estuaries. It can measure from 50 cm to 1 m even 2 m with max 50 kg of weight. The Captaine is silver with oblique dots and a lateral line. Very fresh, it has pinkish-white flesh and a very fine taste. The Carpaccio was delicious – thin cut raw fish doused in lemon juice and olive oil with marinated green peppers, capers, fresh tomatoes and pickled cucumber. So yummy!
The French influence was very clear – fresh baguette and butter accompanied the meal. For main course I chose Gambas Grillet. The prawns were reasonably sized and grilled to perfection. Tasty! The salad was good, too, but I had to leave it … I was so stuffed after all this great food!
The food was excellent. It did not come cheap, though. I had chosen an upmarket restaurant for my first night. I paid MRU 900 for the meal … still … US$ 27 was quite reasonable. Happily I walked back to the hotel in the dark. It was not far, only a few minutes walk along the main avenue. By 20:30 I was in my room actually ready for bed … but I sorted some more photos and a shower was in order, too. By 22:00 I turned off the lights. Hoping there would not be a sandstorm tonight, I left the balcony door open and did not turn the AC on.
It had been an exciting first day and tomorrow I was off into the Sahara!
