Blogs from South, Western Sahara, Africa - page 2

Not only is this a physical journey for me, but also a journey in english semantics. Be indulgent, have patience with my linguistic faults as I try to twitch and wrestle with english expressions that you'll find far from idiomaticly correct. It felt good to leave Chefchaouen at last, next time I'll be back with the hordes of tourists in July or August. Not only did all the hotels get booked by police and security staff prior to the kings arrival, the constant cold and the afternoon drizzle got to me at last. So of to Fes it was. Once again I had sharpened my elbows all for nothing, the hassle I'd prepared for was not to come. I mean, of course you've got the restaurant-touts at the main entrance to the medina, but they were ... read more

Since I last wrote I went through Marrakesh, Agadir, Laayoune, Dakhla, and then across the border into Mauritania where I have so far been to Noadhibou and Nouakchott. Marrakesh was pretty and interesting but too touristic for me. Laayoune and Dakhla are in Western Sahara, which is disputed, and there seems to be some tension between the Moroccans who are sort of occupying it, and the Saharans. The desert is really beautiful, and unbelievably huge. The main even of this segment of the trip, however, occured between Dakhla and Noadhibou, where I was attempting to cross the border. I left around sunset, hoping to arrive in Noadhibou around dawn, and I knew it was a bad idea to travel at night, but I didn't want to stay in Dakhla for the night, so I jumped ... read more