It was during my enchanted days of travel that the idea came to me, which, through the years, has come into my thoughts again and again and always happily—the idea that geology is the music of the earth. - Hans Cloos

17 February 2020, Auberge Amach to Nouakchott, 33.9km
Guesthouse Ziena UM600 (R240)

A short run to the capital, on a flat road. Nothing to write home about…
We cycled a dry, sandy, almost colourless world dotted with erratic bush, past really ugly settlements, each village with a water bladder swollen near the widely-spaced structures, sometimes green, sometimes black.
On the outskirts of Nouakchott, a slum, wooden huts close together in a sea of plastic pollution. Beyond the slum, commerce in the shape of small colourful shops and sheep tethered on the sidewalk. Initially the city streets were crowded, the drivers a little more aggressive than we are accustomed to. Checking our map, we pottered left and right, west and north, past the Presidential Palace, to a small pizza place for a late lunch. Then zigged and zagged to Guesthouse Ziena where we have a large room, and a shared bathroom and kitchen. Our room has aircon, which sadly needs re-gassing but nonetheless cools the room to relatively comfortable, and wifi which meets our online needs.
We decided on Chinese for dinner and walked a couple of kms to Hubei restaurant where we were the only guests, arriving earlier than most seem to eat in this city. We were surprised to find pork on the menu in a predominantly Muslim country, and tempted, until our hostess pointed out that the price was in fact considerably higher than that proclaimed on the dated menu. Charl asked if she perhaps had beer and was so excited when she said yes that neither of us thought to check the price, a whopping R180. I confess to some irritation that our hostess has not pointed this out before bringing it to the table, especially in light of her having told us about the cost of the pork dish.
We’re still struggling a little with the oddity of paying 1,200 ouguiya face value when asked for 12,000.

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