The Tweedles (Dakhla to Nouadhibou)

Nov 22^nd, 2010 - The next morning our driver collected us around 7 am and drove us to a café for a morning nibble. It was here we were introduced to the other passengers in our vehicle, two brothers from England. We were being dropped off in Nouadihbou while they were being driven all the way to the capital, Nouakchott. They were merely planning to whiz through Mauritania on their way to Senegal for a bit of camping. Camping vacation in Senegal? Okey dokey.

After some cordial exchanges I began telling the story of the Frenchman who traveled all the way to the border of Western Sahara/Mauritania sans visa and was summarily rejected by immigration officials. The jolly ole English blokes suddenly began looking a bit like the Brothers Grimm. They did not have a visa. They believed it unnecessary. At first I stuttered and then reiterated my 'you never know until you try' philosophy but also shared what I knew of the current situation. The policy on the border of Western Sahara and Mauritania is currently somewhere between 'No F@#$ing Way!' and 'Go F Yourself Furiously!' according to current intel. Not quite how I put it but I did try to gently bring the point home. After all, better to turn back at that point rather than plod on for five or six more hours south. They (as in Mr. Dee and Mr. Dum) were willing to take that chance. Please reference this post's title.