I had been afraid of the primitive, had wanted it broken gently, but here it came on us in a breath, as we stumbled up through the dung and the cramped and stinking huts to our lampless sleeping place among the rats. It was the worst one need fear, and it was bearable because it was inescapable. - Graham Greene

4 March 2020, Chalkhet el Imane to Bon Lanuar, 70km
Hotel El Ezze Raha UM600 (R240)

The 70km to Bon Lanuar were done with speed and pleasure, the wind acting as friend not foe. The slight westerly trend of the road effectively shifted the easterly wind to just a tad behind us, giving us a little nudge. Instead of the wind hitting our front shoulders at an acute angle, it now hit our back shoulders. Instead of fighting for every metre in a mid-range gear, our legs were fluid in a higher gear. Well, mine were. Charl’s top gear has been dysfunctional since Liberia, so his gears were mid-range still, but his legs spinning freely.
This was perhaps the the most isolated section we have cycled since entering Mauritania. Several cell towers, presumably with attendant watchmen, though these unseen; maybe two or three small settlements or homesteads - seemingly abandoned; a sand mine. No checkpoints, no shops, no camels until we neared what looks like an oasis at Bon Lanuar, a village just off the road with palm and other trees greening the desert.
There were distance markers every 5km, the cement gravestone variety; some so sand-blasted they were unreadable. And there was some traffic, of course, but light as usual. Again today, as on several previous days, we have seen overlanders heading in both directions, many on motorbikes, several in four-wheelers ranging from hippie to yuppie.
For much of the day, it was just Charl and I and the road and creamy sand under a blue sky.
We cycled initially past a uninspiring white hotel at the south end of the village, but turned back to it when told it was the only option in town. It was 600UM for a large en suite, the bed comprising two single mattresses, with one single head- and footboard so placed to give it a hint of opulence. The floor and sheet and all surfaces including the TV were coated in a thin layer of sand / dust. The inescapable joys of living in the desert. Our hosts agreed to cook us dinner for 150UM each, and later served tender chicken and spicy macaroni at a low table in a dull salon with a built-in couch around three walls.

For today's route see below photos
For overview route, click on ROUTE tab above…