Blogs from Western Sahara, Africa

Well it all sounds like a great adventure but honestly how many nights of desert camping do you think you can do? Hint... My threshold is one... Yes exactly one!!! Don't get me wrong, the stark beauty of the Western Sahara is something to behold... Heards of velvet camels, golden sand dunes interspersed with scrub bush and cactus roll unimpeded toward the horizon, an impossibly blue sea crashes against a wild and barren coast, beautiful yes, BUT....camping no! The incessant wind whirls sand as fine as powder into your hair, nose, eyes, ears and worse!...Grit everywhere! I flee the campsite and the fellow unwashed despite the starry nights and opt for a tiny hotel with running water in the bonafide border town of Laayoune. A brainwave! Little did I know the treasures that awaited me there ... read more

Troche historii z drogi. Lotnisko w Marakeszu jest bardzo blisko miasta ale postanowilismy tam nie zagladac i ruszyc odrazu w trase,co prawda pojechalismy nie w ta strone co trzeba,ale mily starszy pan wywiozl nas na wlasciwa trase w stone Agadiru. Nie przemieszczalismy sie za szybko ale co dzien o kilkaset km do przodu poznajac nowych ludzi. Znow ladowalismy w Tiznicie i Tarfaji. Trafilismy w srodek ramadanu wiec czesto musielismy poscic razem z muzulmanami bo glupio pic i jesc przy kims kto posci caly dzien. SZczerze mowiac nie wytrzymywalismy i jak tylko zostawalismy sami wpychalismy w siebie szybko co sie dalo,szczegolnie wode. Ogolnie do Al Ujunu dojechalismy w kilka dni,ale nie bylo latwo ze wzgledu na policje ktora czepiala sie kierowcow ciezarowek ze nas biora na stopa i przetzymywala nas razem z kierowca do pol godziny ... read more

W tej podrozy podoba mi sie to, ze ruszamy z miejsca dopiero gdy czujemy sie jak u siebie. Czyli poznajemy gdzie najtanszy chleboplacek, dobra mieta z absyntem(powaznie dodaja jakas zielenine ktora sie tak nazywa,wyglada jak koper) najlepsze placki z orzeszkami, jakies tanie jadlo, ludzie nas pozdrawiaja juz z widzenia i Imienia.CZyli gdy sie zasiedzimy... wtedy ruszamy dalej. Od paru dni lazimy slimaczym tempem po Al Ujunie. ZAdziwiala nas liczba wojska. Ciagla odnosze wrazaenie ze za chwile ma sie cos wydarzyc. Jak przed wielkim meczem.W niedziele trafilismy na demonstracje.Jeszcze wiecej policji i zolnierzy z jednej strony, a z drugiej mlodzi Saharyjczycy mowia o sobie Sahrawi wyspiewywali w zgrany, zorganizowany sposob swoje hasla. Podchodze do policjantow i pytam zaciekawionym (przyjaznym) glosikiem co sie dzieje, dlaczego oni krzycza o co chodzi.. Policjant zmierzyl mnie (jak z... read more

As there is no official border crossing on entry into the disputed Western Sahara, it’s difficult to tell exactly when you get there, there were a couple of giant camels in the middle of a military outpost which seemed likely, but everyone’s GPS suggested the border was in fact an empty patch of sand about 400metres further on... personally we preferred the camels. We had to be pretty careful in Western Sahara because only about 3 weeks before conflict had risen up again. The Sahrawi refugee camp had been broken up by the Moroccan authorities, with a dozen civillians killed in the process. Jeepers, best not to mess around with Moroccan military. The first town we stopped at was Layoune, which is a heavily military dominated town; the place was crawling with soldiers and training facilities, ... read more

So I didn’t go to Laayoune after all, as I went straight through on the bus to Dakhla. It took 16+ hours and was uneventful except for the numerous police checkpoints. Also this fruit vendor, Abdullah, who bought me a yop and then asked to exchange phone numbers. I was suspicious, but his near illiteracy made me think he was just extremely nice, which he was. He gave me a bunch of photos of himself (odd?), and we are now brothers. I arrived at Dakhla at 5 am and found a crappy hotel around 7:30 am that let me check in so I slept until noon. Then I explored the city --- so many cops and military!!! Bought a sweet “Lawrence of Arabia” suit! Off to Nouadibou, Mauritania tomorrow. Actually in four hours as I have ... read more