Blogs from Adrar, Mauritania, Africa

Quando una nazione genera quasi il 50% delle sue esportazioni da un solo prodotto, si suppone che per lo meno abbia sviluppato le infrastrutture necessarie ad una sua rapida e sicura movimentazione. Tanto di cappello percio' alla Mauritania, un paese quasi del tutto sprovvisto di trasporti pubblici ma che scarrozza il suo prezioso minerale ferroso da una miniera in pieno deserto fino ad un porto sull'oceano bene al sicuro su di un convoglio di piu' di 200 carri merci che vanno a formare uno dei treni piu' lunghi e pesanti al mondo; grazie alla SNIM (la Societa' Nazionale delle Miniere e delle Industrie) la Mauritania si assicura anche una forma di trasporto pubblico del tutto insperata: una carrozza passeggeri viene agganciata in fondo alla fila e cosi', partendo da Nouadhibou sulla costa, i mauritani possono raggiungere ... read more

Will there be somewhere for me to sit down, lay down? Will I have to stand up the whole time? What about a toilet? Will I be able to breath? Where’s my luggage going to go? Even if I am able to sit or lay down, what’s the state of the floor or seat? Will I be able to cope catching an iron ore train for 12 hours not equipped for humans and getting sand blasted by the Sahara for my troubles? I crossed over from Morocco and we cross the train line, which was going through maintenance so that brought confidence and concern at the same time. I reached Nouadhibou, which is the second biggest city in Mauritania. It is used for its port and is a desert landscape. It is also the location to ... read more

First some reflections on the pick-up ride yesterday. A once in a lifetime experience. I stress ONCE. However, it was very cool despite being somewhat hellish. So yesterday I decided to take a six day camel excursion with a young guy (Evoku) from Chingetti. Once we finally got to Chingetti (blown tire on the truck) a French woman gave me some good info on Senegal. Later her Burkinabe friend gave me info about Burkina Faso so I can stay at his house --- how unbelievably friendly since he has no idea who I am. Staying with Evoku’s family which includes his 18 year old wife and two children, as well as a large extended family. I’m supposed to go to Oudane but that plan got shot due to oil exploration (?). Also there’s a problem with ... read more

chinguetti was beautiful, but I dont feel like writting about it much. just check the pictures, Ill post something else instead in a while... oh yeah, just wanted to say that if you want to go to chinguetti you should go noow. since the killing of a bunch of frenchies in mauritania its a dessert city. me and the ppl that came with me were the only tourists in the city, and besides some CIA spies, I mean peace-corps volunteers, also the only whites (nassar in hassanian arab, a word I start to hear more and more in sentences such as: youre not like the other nassar, you dont buy stuff, you poor !)... read more

Hey Everyone, I think it’s being about a month or so since I updated my blog. Don’t know if anyone even reads these but I thought that I would still write on the chance that people are. Things have being very hectic the last few weeks. I have being at site for about five weeks, which is to long for me. After about week four, I’m feeling the need to talk to my parents or use the computer. School has being slightly chaotic. My school director left to go to another town and he was not replaced for about two weeks or so. Then a new director came but he did not plan on staying in aoujeft and was only their for a week and a half and then left and now we have a new ... read more