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Crossing the Sahara

Posted on December 9th, 2009 in Africa, Mauritania by robjkentjr

After a quick stopover in Atar to restock supplies and try to buy some more local currency, we set off across the Sahara Desert to the coast.  With a GPS it was a breeze but I can only imagine how bad the situation would be if something happened in the middle of nowhere.
Wikipedia says this monolith called Ben Amera is the second largest in the world.  The largest is Uluru in Australia, which after visiting this one, we did not feel like making the long pilgrimage to go see.
The morning sun breaking over the horizon and catching the rock face.
The crawling sand dunes as they slowly move around the rock.
This photo is to give an idea of how large this rock is.  If you look down to the right, you can barely make out our camp and I am only about a third of the way up the monolith.
Our second day we came across a lot more sand tracks but the wind was starting to pick up and wipe away our road.
After almost three days of driving, this convoy of cars were the only other people we saw.  They must have paid a fortune for this high class tour.
Coming out of the desert, Bon Lanuar is the first city you come across.  Does not look like much but we were happy to see people again.
I really do love the desert and even though we only saw a small portion of its vastness, we were relieved to be back on the main road.  Our next stop is the Banc d’Arguin National Park and the two million migrant shorebirds that stop there.

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Terjit Oasis

Posted on December 5th, 2009 in Africa, Mauritania by robjkentjr

After a week of seeing nothing but sand, we could have easily mistaken the Terjit Oasis for a mirage.  Mirage or not, the oasis is hidden in a long valley where the high rock formations channel water through a small portion of it to form a postcard paradise.
This was our campsite along the creek for a night.  Cool and relaxing with excellent service; all the food and drinks were brought to our tent.
I decided to take a quick dip after lunch.
The rock face is the purification system and the bucket is where the water is stored.  A bit different from a tap.
This is where the water enters the valley, as you can see there is not much life outside this area.
While driving to see some of the other surrounding villages we came across the herdsmen leading their flock down to another valley.
A village and dry well that were not as blessed with water.
A shelter and its inhabitant along the side of the road.
We had heard stories of how beautiful this area of Mauritania was but did not believe it until we were there.  Reluctant to leave, we now needed to cross the Sahara and get back on the main coastal highway going North.

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