Nouakchott

Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania, a country that contains little but sand. It is very hot, very dry and often quite windy which fills the air with fine sand and dust. The forecast (above) is pretty constant. Temperatures while we were there were over 100F in the shade and our car recorded at one point 120F. Disturbingly, it isn't even the hot season yet. Our journey through Mauritania was uneventful, except for a rather extended bathroom break. Having sensibly drunk gallons of water to stay hydrated, Wendy spotted some very limited cover and pulled off the road into what turned out to be the softest sand in the Sahara. For a few moments the car fought through it, before the wheels broke through and with a shudder the engine stalled leaving us bodded down in sand. We got out and started digging. Fortunately the Mauritanians are some of the nicest people out there, and soon a few passers-by had stopped to help out. After much digging, sweating and pushing we gave up and resorted to the winch, connected it to another 4x4 and one minute later we were back on firm ground. It was a useful lesson for us.