There were many structures like this where the bottom half of the wall was made of brick or concrete to protect from the wind and blowing sand. Some people were sitting around inside while others were lying down.
Other communities had tents rather than permanent structures. We were surprised there were so many small communities in such a hostile environment. There was very little distance between the settlements. Some buildings were made of wood and looked like they had pulled pallets or wooden boxes apart to make small huts to live in.
This community had quite a large town centre and the driver and the Senegalese passenger got out here to wash their face, hands and feet and pray. The Senegalese guy spoke slow clear French so we were able to chat with him easily in our bad French. He had been back to St -Loius to have some teeth pulled and was heading for Nouakchott for a few nights and then onto Nouadhibou where he coaches a senior football team.
It was quite hot during the drive and there was not much activity in the desert. The sheep, donkeys, and goats stood in what little shade they could find under the trees and very few people were out and about. The camels wandered across the road and seemed to have the most energy as they looked for food. 75% of the land is desert or near-desert and this is increasing. As wood become scarce. dried animal dung and kerosene are being used for cooking.
The driver took us to a guesthouse that Swedish Anette had recommended near the main city market. We were given a huge room with a shared bathroom at the back of the main building, which was a cafe/ restaurant. There were lots of mosquitoes so we asked for a room with a net. Said, the owner arrived with some hooks and a net and proceeded to set it up over the bed. This is the last area that we know we will be in, where we can still catch malaria. So, after a year of avoiding it, we do not want to get it now.
We had to go to the market to change some Euros into the local currency called ouguiya (UM). It has been so wonderful travelling in the CFA countries where they all use the same currency. The market was pretty modern compared with others we have been to. It was clean and well organised.
Nouakchott is about 50 years old and the streets look newly sealed with lighting that works and footpaths that can be used by pedestrians. Some small streets are still sandy and there are no obvious open drains.
Mauritania is a Muslim country and it is illegal to bring alcohol into the country. Some of the tourist hotels have alcohol and a beer is about 8 Euros. The women wear coloured head scarves rather than black veils and we were surprised to see quite a few of them smoking. After Senegal, we welcomed the peaceful gentle approach of the Mauritanians. There were no touts hassling us and the locals left us alone.
The guesthouse cafe was busy with locals coming and going from about eight in the morning until late. Some men arrived for coffee with their laptops because there was free Wifi. There were also tables outside where they sat and watched everyone go by. We met a man called Lamir, he was a friend of Said and spoke excellent English. We chatted to him, when he was about, and learnt a lot about Mauritania. He said you can say what you like about the government and the king and there was a free press. He had worked for various non-government organisations and was a translator. He brought his friend along one night who was a lawyer. He had studied in Russia and and also did a lot of work for NGOs. In no time his rusty English improved. I showed them my books on NZ and they were most interested in all the different kinds of sheep we have
and also did a lot of work for NGOs. Later in the evening Lamir brought his wife, Tisnet, in to meet us. He invited us to visit he and his wife but John had already bought tickets for the bus the next day which was a shame. His wife made beads but couldn't speak any English at all.
Mauritania has about three million people of which 60% are Moors (Of Arab and Berber descent). It is like the buffer country between the northern Arab world and the southern Black African world. The men wear a light blue or white robe over western clothes and favour the white turban like headdress. There are no brightly coloured robes like we have seen in the other West African communities.
We tried some of the local fish that the cook went off to the fish market to buy especially for us. He also had a large group of locals book in for dinner so he got red fish for them. Like all the coastal countries, overfishing is a problem and Mauritania has sold fishing rights to EU fishing fleets.
