2005-10-31 - 3:16 p.m.

This is the second entry uploaded today. Please click on Older Entries on the side bar to the left to get access to the previous one! I’ve been trying to access my email account but no luck… Aaron is also having trouble accessing his account.

October 31, 2005

Happy Halloween!
Aaron and I just got into Nouadhibou this morning after riding for about thirteen hours overnight on the top of the longest train in the world, “comfortably” laying on iron ore rocks and powder… our “blackened” new look was just perfect for this Halloween occasion: oh my, did we look like dark scary wicked witches at our arrival! :-)

It will be two weeks tomorrow since Aaron’s arrival in country. Time is passing so quickly and our travels are wearing us down a bit: it will be nice to work our way back to my site in the next few days… but only after enjoying the much-heard-of yummy Spanish and Chinese restaurants, ice-creams, cappuccinos, fresh vegetables and fruits, and loads of seafood to be found here in Nouadhihou… not to mention the beautiful walks on the ocean front!

I will try and upload pictures of our trip so far, when we get into Nouakchott where the connection seems to be better: so by the end of the weekend you will hopefully be able to see for yourself how beautiful this part of the country is!

Chinguetti was an amazing destination that made me appreciate even more my stay in Mauritania. It is claimed to be the seventh holy city in Islam and its old rock houses breathe an air of ancient history, complemented by the multi-generational stories that lay behind the many antique family-owned libraries that have contributed to Chinguetti becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Surrounded by sand dunes, Chinguetti is also transformed into a popular tourist destination for seven months in the year… a tourist season we barely luckily avoided as we were able to enjoy “solo” a beautiful camel trip into the desert to an oasis 13 kilometers away called “Il-Gayle” (which translates into “the day”… probably due to the fact that in the past, salt caravans would probably “spend the day” there, resting, re-energizing, and shielding themselves from the desert heat).

After watching the sun quickly dip into the horizon behind the dunes, eating “sand-baked” bread, and drinking tea in the desert, we fell asleep under the largest sky I have ever seen… I kept waking up in the middle of the night looking up at the abundance of clear stars and each time couldn’t help myself from saying the word “amazing”!

Words of wisdom if you are to ever go on a similar trip:
1) Bring warm clothes and sleeping bags for the night… it gets freezing cold in the desert!!!!
2) Pad your inner thighs and buttocks when riding on the camel on a traditional saddle… or your painful bruises will be bothering you for the next week or so!!
3) Bring plenty of bottled water if you don’t want to drink well water… the guide will eventually use some of it too, so plan for large quantities!
4) Look for a man called “Seif” when choosing a library to visit in Chinguetti… he is a very pleasant and humorous guide! The local PCVs know him well.

P.S. Thank you Sam, Jeff, Jess, Mustafa, Alexis, Luis, Allison, Keith, Tyler and De Nero for your wonderful hospitality!! It was great seeing you and spending time at your sites finally! I will be looking forward to having you over in Magta Lahjar: do remember it is on the way to Kiffa if you are planning on spending Thanksgiving out there!

Please check back in a couple of days for pictures!

Hugs,

Jordy

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