The desert town of Chinguetti was once a must see for the predominantly French tourists in Mauritania but the decimation wrought by EU government travel warnings meant that Steve and I accounted for at least 25% of the visitors on any day of our 4 days there. Whilst this may well add to the level of “authenticity” of the travel experience for those of us who have bothered, it is difficult to overstate the desperate plight of the inhabitants of…
Lets be honest, how many of you could point to Mauritania on the map? There is a distinct lack of Thomas Cook package tours to the country to boost its tourist profile and little sign of that changing. However, the welcome Steve and I received was in complete contrast to the UK and French government advice to travellers, which paints the country as a hotbed of Islamic terrorism where foreigners should tread every step with fear. Mauritania does indeed have…
It is easy and probably even justified to fill travel blogs on Africa with tales of its’ charming inhabitants, but there is always an exception and that is Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It is difficult to summon any positive words to say of Dakar, so I won’t bother lest I leave any of you with the merest glimmer of a reason for ever going there. Most of you, I am sure are aware that I am perfectly happy to…
I have come to learn that public transport offers an enlightening, microcosmic view of society in many countries, the first bus journey I and my friend Steve take in the Gambia being a case in point. Our weather beaten, crumpled carriage finally clanged and grumbled into life on the 5th attempt when several of the passengers had got out to help push starting; amiable locals chatted away in a melange of languages typical of the region (I have heard four…
