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.

A long hot drive across the Western Sahara and Mauritania

After our adventure in the Djebel Sahrho we crashed for the night in a campsite in the town of Foum Zguid, one of the kicking off points for camel trains across the Sahara (Timbuktu 52 days travel south east). We then started a long journey across dirt and sealed roads first across to the coast at Tan Tan, then south through the Western Sahara stopping at Laayoune and Daklha and then crossing the border into Mauritania and down to Nouakchott. The route was interesting at times, with beautifully sculpted dunes being scoured by the wind and the deser ending abruptly in high cliffs over the Atlantic Ocean. We typically drove about 10hrs each day and were wiped out by the heat. The border crossing was interesting. The Moroccan side involved hours of sitting around and waiting but both imigration and customs went well and there were no outrageous demands for money. We took a guide through the 4 miles of infamous no-mans land between the Moroccan and Mauritanian border posts since the whole area is mined. I don't know how people could get through there without a guide since the safe route weaves its way through a maze of interconnected pistes and burnt out cars. The Mauritanian side was quick and efficient (once it reopened from lunch at 3pm). Just after the border we passed the famous 3000-car iron ore train on its way inland to Choum.

Crossing the Djebel Sahrho

After crossing the Dades Gorge we decided to head up into the Atlas Mountains for our first true off-piste experience. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, it basically means off road. We took a dirt road up into the mountains where it soon became a small rocky track that wound up and down the sides of the mountain. It was so much fun! After a very long day of driving, and as the sun was soon to set, we came upon a "hotel" in the mountains. The name was Hotel Tiza, but it was basically a nomad family who had a house and a room to rent. The family, led by Ahmed, was so welcoming and warm and they refused to let us cook our own dinner (even though we were really looking forward to cooking up some lamb and pasta...). We sat on the floor around a table with the kids and the grandmother and the parents and had some tagine and tea. It was a beautiful night. The next morning it was up at at the crack of dawn to continue our drive down the mountain.

Vallee des Roses and Dades Gorge

Ait Ben Haddoud

We left Marrakech to head down towards Ourzazate, across the Atlas mountains in the desert south of the country. Along the way we stopped in Ait Ben Haddoud, an old Berber mud-built village by a dry river bed which takes seasonal snow melt from the mountains out into the desert. It is a stunning village that has been used as a set for films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. We stayed the night here with electricity intermittently cutting in and out. The candles made for a romantic evening. The flies less so.

We are now back in Marrakesh

So our Asian side trip is over and we are back on track. We have been relaxing for a couple of days here and tomorrow (Monday) plan to head down across the High Atlas to Ouarzazate before we get back to the coast north of Laayoune. We will probably be out of touch for a little while - maybe until we are through Mauritania and get to Dakar in Senegal. We should be there in about two weeks.

Pragya and Raj's wedding

The main reason we went to Kathmandu was for Pragya and Raj's wedding. It didn't disappoint. It lasted three days, featured extraordinary costumes, a great band and Raj was even given special permission to wear makeup which he seemed to enjoy. We didn't have the slightest idea what was going on much of the time so we just tagged along as Raj was carried over to Pragya's house (he intends to start commuting to work this way), looked on with pity as they sat through countless hours of sanskrit and then in horror as they had their feet washed in public. It was a magical if somewhat exhausting experience. Next time any of you are planning a wedding and the astrologer recommends 6am then kindly get another astrologer. Thanks to Rebecca for some of the photos.