We had about 8 hours drive through desert to Nouakchott. We when arrived it wasn't quite what I was expecting from the capital of the country. Despite being only 50 years old the city was very basic and looked unfinished. Most of the buildings are built on the same level to each other with none really standing out more than another.
We stayed 3 nights in Nouakchott. This enabled us to get our Senegal visas which was done in less than an hour and would also allow a bit of rest.
There's not much to see in the city but I really enjoyed walk down the streets just having a look whats around. The temperature has heated up to the early 30's which was felt as we were wearing more conservative dress than would be worn at home in these temperatures!
One afternoon we headed to the beach to the fish market. The whole experience was great and so much better than I thought as a non fish eater. We spent a good hour watching men drag in the boats and race up the beach with buckets of fish on their heads to unload in the back of pick up trucks. The beach was packed with action and fisherman lounging around after a days hard work.
Sawa somehow managed to find a restaurant on the 10th floor of a nearby hotel which was easily one of the tallest buildings in the city. It was a nice place for a coffee during the day and on our last night in the city we spent our remaining money on a meal out there. We aimed to see the sunset but we couldn't see it due to all the dust in the air.
From Nouakchott we headed from desert to wetland on the way towards the Senegal border to camp on the border for the night. The truck only gets a 3 day pass for Senegal upon entry. This means that we would have 3 days to get to Dakar so by camping on the border and being 1st in the queue we maximise our time in the country.
In the end we got a 5 days pass after Steve slipped the man with the stamp an extra 20 Euros making our journey to Dakar far more relaxed. I've really enjoyed Mauritania but looking forward to Senegal.
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