Riding Camels in Chinguetti and Visiting Terjit..

So I have to say I was a bit more prepared for the camel ride than I could have been.  The others had been telling me all sorts of things about camels and what to avoid.  Here is what they said:
1. Camels make lots of noise..they are very very loud..and they complain a lot.
2. Camels don't really want you on their back.
3. Don't fall off the camel because it will hurt.
4. They spit.
5. Don't kick their sides or they will run away with you into the desert..and they don't know how find their way back.

Here is what they didn't tell me:
1. Their eyelashes are sooooo long and beautiful.
2. Flies like them a lot.
3. It takes three people to help you get on the camel.
4. It is actually really tiring to ride a camel..and the saddles are not so comfy..

The camel handlers and camels arrived on time at 8:30am.  I have a feeling this was because the Mayor had organized the trip for us.  I got on the first camel and so I got the biggest camel.  I think it was meant for one of the men, but I am glad they pushed me forward.  He was a lovely camel.  The handler put a ring in then camel's nose in order to control him.  I am not sure what would happen if the ring wasn't there..actually I think he might have hightailed it out of there.  I don't feel great thinking about that aspect of the experience so I won't dwell there.  I won't ramble on here either.  Everyone got a camel and there was a handler for every two camels.  We rode to the dunes and back.  My handler was the oldest man in the group...and the chattiest.  He talked the entire time to the other two..who threw in the occasional response..something like, "yup, we hear that", "say it again", "so true", etc.  We have no idea what they were talking about because it was in Hasania. I think it was better we didn't understand it.  Oh, and I had the camel who loved loved to snack on any bits he could find..so he would stop abruptly and bend down to pull dried grass from the sand.  He was so funny. Of course the others thought this was very appropriate given my special love for all things crunchy and salty..

It was a good experience...although I felt a bit bad for the camels.  They handlers seem to like their animals though..and my handler actually found snacks for my hungry camel.  I am glad I did it, but unless I need to use them as a means of transportation somewhere specific, I will not choose to do it again.

We had to leave to drive back to Nouakchott shortly after our ride ended.  About two hours into our drive we decided to stop in Terjit..a very pretty spot down an extremely bumpy dirt road..It is actually an oasis.

On the dirt road to Terjit//

See the people I see in the rock?

The sunset..

On the outskirts of Nouakchott..

I had to add all these sunset pictures because it was soooo beautiful to see...a perfect end to our short but memorable trip..

Visiting the Ancient City of Chinguetti, the library, our hotel and the dunes..

The Mayor sent us off to see the ancient city of Chinguetti.  Here is a brief description from Wikipedia:

"The city was originally founded in 777, and by the 11th century had become a trading center for a confederation of Berber tribes known as the Sanhadja Confederation. Soon after settling Chinguetti, the Sanhadja first interacted with and eventually melded with the Almoravids who controlled an empire stretching from present-day Senegal to southern Spain. The city's stark unadorned architecture reflects the strict religious beliefs of the Almoravids, who spread the Malikite rite of Sunni Islam throughout the Western Maghrib.

After two centuries of decline, the city was effectively re-founded in the 13th century as a fortified cross-Saharan caravan trading center connecting the Mediterranean with Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the walls of the original fortification disappeared centuries ago, many of the buildings in the old section of the city still date from this period.  The city is seriously threatened by the encroaching desert; high sand dunes mark the western boundary and several houses have been abandoned to the encroaching sand.

The indigenous Saharan architecture of older sectors of the city features reddish dry stone and mud-brick houses, featuring flat roofs timbered from palms. Many of the older houses feature hand-hewn doors cut from massive ancient acacia trees that have long disappeared from the surroundings. Many homes include courtyards or patios that crowd along narrow streets leading to the central mosque.

Notable buildings in the town include The Friday Mosque of Chinguetti, an ancient structure of dry stone featuring a square minaret capped with five ostrich egg finials; the former French Foreign Legion fortress; and a tall watertower. The old quarter of the Chinguetti is home to five important manuscript libraries of scientific and Qur'anic texts, with many dating from the later Middle Ages."

The Mosque

The Mayor's entrance to the city..

First, I just have to say that besides the small town we passed along the way and Atar (a town where many stop overnight on their way to Chinguetti or to get fuel), I didn't see any other settled areas close to the main road.  It was just wide open space.  Amazing really, because this country is so big. Looking at the landscape as we sped along the empty road, I saw the difficulty that anyone would have just walking on that surface.  It looks like someone just stomped across the whole country with a huge hammer because it is covered in sharp jagged pieces of stone and rock.  The goats, camels, donkeys and sheep do very well here...and I saw herds of camels just grazing along the road.  It was nice to see the animals in a more natural calmer environment than in Nouakchott..just being animals and not working or avoiding cars, people, etc. 

Back to Chinguetti...There are people living in the old town, although not many.  Most live in the newer town surrounding it.  It is amazing to think of the history...and you really can see how the desert is coming..and how one day the city might be buried.  The Mayor showed us the window openings, which were basically resting on the ground...illustrating just how much damage it has already suffered.

We were the only 6 tourist in the entire town..old an new.  I felt honored and grateful for what I was experiencing.  Many Mauritanians have not been to visit that city.

We made our leave and it was off to our hotel..the Maure Bleu...you must go visit!!!!

Our host at Maure Bleu greeting Nitza

Inside my room..

Our accommodations..Lulu came along compliments of the Maure Bleu

The rooms were clean, the food was tasty...and one could shower (hot or cold depending on the time of day..solar panel heated water).  The Mayor called to have the library opened for us..you can't imagine what we saw...beautiful ancient manuscripts, handwritten Korans dating back to the middle ages..

The door and locks to the library

A very old book on geometry

In the library courtyard

Okay...and so...I will end this post with our visit to the dunes for sunset.  We walked up to the top of one to see the most spectacular site...If you want to feel awe or just get a reality check on our place in this Universe...go stand on the top of a dune.  The feeling for me was similar to standing on the edge of the ocean..I can picture myself from above...a tiny tiny, even imperceptible dot on a shoreline.  Being there, I imagined the same thing...I knew I was so insignificant in that place..but still, I experienced an enormous sense of gratitude.  Just thankful to be alive and for the opportunity to see such beauty. The dunes go on as far as the eye can see.  Nothing disturbs the landscape..except for our presence at that moment in time..the footprints we left behind.  And soon after we left, I am sure the wind and sand erased even those...

Walking up the dunes..

Nitza on the dune..

Looking down from the top of the dune..one side smooth, the other patterned..

Proof I was there...:)

So amazing to share this moment with Nitza...

And that was the end of our wonderful day...and we went back to the Maure Bleu happy, sandy, tired and famished! The camels would come for us at 8am the next morning....oh my!