Arrested driver, and other stories (including 3 hours sleep)...

What a crazy journey.- arrived in Mauritania early on today... our driver managed to get arrested on the Nouakchott entry checkpoint – lots of kerfuffle(spelling) and our bags fully searched... the only thing they were really after was booze (contraband in Mauritania) and what was it that the border guard wanted me to give him as a ‘cadeaux’... nothing but my hand washing gel...made from, you guessed it, alcohol... ah love ironies...
Desert taxi – this thing really moves!

Got a lift off a custom official to Nouakchott, massive hassle getting there, but on arrival...what a place! A great auberge, lots of overlanders hanging around. We dropped the bags off and went off in search of food – successful... a great little family place, and although they’d closed we had a private little dinner of chicken and chips(!) served in a tagine!!! A 17 year old girl who spoke good English served us and we chatted about the relative merits of myspace, facebook etc... what a world...We met a Frenchman too, Sebastian. He’s going our way and suggests that we go with him in about 5 hours. I think we might just do that...!

Desert taxi – this thing really moves!