Hotel Semiramis Nouakchott

... pull..PEAAAACE...or should i say SALAAM(ish)! After a mad dash onto the over-full furnace of the train we took our squashed seats with a strange squad of old Arabic men, Senagalese boys and as ever out here, a few army boys. Being beside Stu set me up for the 12 hour train trek but being crammed into the cramped cabin with up to 12 men and moi was at times trying! Tea was brewed, banter had and all sorts of songs sung in our cosy wee cabin. As the sun set over ...

... us were quickly quashed by the quirky, cool and hippy hang out that emerged around the sun, sea and sand of the city. Soaked up some of this before reluctantly resuming our road trip to Agadir and another immense beach! <br><br>Beautiful as we braced ourselves for the push south and eventually across the blooming border...<br><br>XXX<br><br><br>

... park where we saw a little bit of snow and I slid down a long long slide. We visited the supermarket, in what has become a common theme of the tri[p, stocking up on some beers and other essentials for the next few days. Day 2 Sarah and I ventured on the light rail into Manchester. It was reasonably cold and we had a good time walking around the city, with its interesting mix of new and old buildings courtesy of the ira bombing there a while ago. They have a mini 'eye' like the London ...

... we were lucky enough to travel alongside one of the longest trains in the world. There were over 170 carriages full of coal, on top of which many had people waving excitably to us (I don't suppose they get much entertainment on the long ride south). The night train that travels the same track extends over 2.5km is the longest in the world.<br><br>After a night in Nouadhibou, we traveled onto the capital Nouakchatt. I couldn't quite believe when we ...

... there is that much sand covering them. The truck is full of sand as are lockers, tents, hair and clothes. Once again tiny villages seem to spring out of nowhere. Little squares of rammed earth, brick or simple branches covered with cloth. Tent like structures which to us would signify the coming of a circus. Donkeys pull carts, children covered in dust scatter across the road waving us by. We had a bit of ...

... a goat market - you really wouldn't want to be reincarnated as a goat in this country... or a donkey for that matter. Pigs seem pretty safe... what I wouldn't give for a nice bacon butty...mmmmmm. Anyway so we're still passing through sand, sand and more sand. Flat as a pancake. Little tent villages spring up randomly before we start entering a region with a few more trees. Before long ...

... ground asap. As quickly as it started it was all over. Being the good honourable people that we are instead of having a free lunch we headed back to the restaurant (where people were now sat finishing off our left food and drink) paid the bill and made tracks back to the camp ground. Definitely a very interesting way to start off our stay in Nouakchott. You'll be pleased to know we are leaving here today.

... vezes, mas deu timeout. A net é muito lenta, tive de diampunar na situação. No dia seguinte a nossa situação seria desbloqueada. O Baby teve de vender a sua maquina digital por metade do preço que ele diz ter custado (mas eu acho que ele comprou roubada e simplesmente se informou do preço verdadeiro para usar na discussão).Seria suficiente para os 3 tanques se o Baby não fosse tão mãos largas, mas ia dar pelo menos para chegar a fronteira. Arrancamos dali as 22h00.

... with Mr R's smelly feet. So things came to a head, and it was time to leave them.  But before we leave you for good we thought we'd give some internet space to our thoughts over the last 4 weeks. MOROCCO AS A BIRD - by Maureen Before arriving in Morocco, our guide book had given us an impression of a relatively strict Islamic country with few "Western" influences, particularly in the south of the country. After a month in Morocco I can't say that our experiences entirely agree. I ...

... END OF ADVERTISEMENT Who's stupid idea was it to go to one of the hottest countries in the world at one of the hottest times of the year?  And once there to go inland to one of the hottest places.  Clue - their surnames begin with 'R'.  It is hot in Mauritania.  You don't get much change from 50 degrees whilst inland in the midday sun.  First thing in the morning it was hot enough to give Mr R a nosebleed when he sat up in bed.   As well as the heat, the transport ...