Starting from Morocco:
I started off my cycling trip in Morocco by traveling in the Atlas Mountains, to the “Blue City”, and along the Atlantic coast. After, I reached the Moroccan Sahara which took me a long time to cross.
My trip around Africa started with a cycling trip in Morocco. I flew from my country, Tunisia, and my heart was full of dreams, fears, and doubts. However, my previous trips made me stronger and more confident to face the challenges of the road.
Cycling Moroccan Sahara:
Meeting a new friend and cyclist partner made the unfinished Sahara crossing easier for me. Every cycling day there changed into hours of meditation that filled up my soul with peace and gratitude.
We reached the bordering country Mauritania. The border crossing was easy and fast, and I didn’t need to pay a visa fee using my Tunisian passport.
Discovering Mauritania:
In the beginning, Mauritania looked like an extension of the Moroccan Sahara. When we reached its first city Nouadhibou we were surprised at how modest life was there. I don’t mean it negatively but it was like traveling back in time with donkeys dragging trolleys in the city center, homes built from mud, women wearing flowery quilts, men with their blue traditional dresses called ” Draa دراعة ” covering their heads, and faces, leaving only their eyes uncovered so they can see each other. There were old Mercedes cars that looked like they wouldn’t be able to start but their motors each time.
There were markets where we could buy everything. Products were displayed on low tables or on the ground. Some of the products available included: fish, vegetables, bread, fruits, meat, and live chicken all in the same place. There was no need for fridges nor a specific place for each product. I saw many trucks full of products and people sitting on top of the goods at a height of over 5 meters or more from the ground. It was such a busy and interesting city that everything we saw was fun after spending many quite peaceful days in the Sahara.
We took the “life train” which was considered the longest and slowest train in the world. The train brings iron from the mines in Zouerat to the port at Nouadhibou. The trip is tough and it lasts for 24 hours. It was an amazing trip on the train especially because we were able to meet locals going back to their villages in the empty train wagons for free instead of paying for seats. They were loaded up with many kinds of products that they needed to bring back home. We jumped into the empty iron wagons with them and we were so lucky that they helped us to carry our bikes and luggage inside the wagons.
We enjoyed watching them prepare a comfortable place to spend the night and opening bags full of sand in order to prepare the most famous drink in Mauritania, chai.
We were drinking cup after cup of chai during the long hours, enjoying the sunset, the sun looked like it was melting over the Sahara, what a beautiful view.
During the night we had different conversations with our new friends on the train and we were invited for pasta, topped with chicken and a bit of sand.
In the middle of the night, our new friends got off the train in their village to spend the weekend holiday with their families. They are so happy and grateful even for the tough life that they have. Sharing the trip with them had an extremely positive influence on us. We continued our adventure on the “train of life” under a sky full of stars until we saw the sunrise after reaching the village of Zouérat
