
Mauritania - typical view- g.t. photo
1. To discover that unique feeling of freedom on a desert tour
2. Traveling without seeing other travelers
3. The locals were friendly to us, in their own shy way
4. Seeing the fishermen coming back from the sea with their catch late in the afternoon while their families were eagerly waiting for them on the shore
5. Swimming in the ocean at a beach not too far outside the capital – the locals did not swim though because they were busy staring at us
6. Funny to see all the worn-out Mercedes cars (stolen in Europe?) in the streets of Nouakchott
7. The White Headland at Nouadhibou
8. The birds in the Banc d’Arguin Nantional Park (a UNESCO heritage site)
9. We enjoyed being crazy enough to choose this destination
1. To hear that Mauritania was among the last countries in the world to abolish slavery (in 1981!)
2. It was quite terrifying to see the capital so closely surrounded by the endless sand desert
3. Feeling sorry for the locals because nature provides them with so little rain water
4. We dislike the local practice of female circumcision because its real objective is not health-related but aims to deprive women of experiencing orgasms (horrific tradition)
5. We were told that the nomadic way of life is dying out
6. I could not find any nice-looking souvenir at the big market in Nouakchott
7. The threatening sight of car wrecks and all kinds of skeletons along the countryside roads
8. Our struggle with the mosquitoes in the Diawling National Park
9. When a giant mantis flew in through the open window of our car and the local driver was far more panicked by it than we were
10. In Diawling National Park, our car got stuck in the black mud

Mauritania - Nouakchott - rubbish - Alexander S. photo