Last call for Mauritania yall

I just hung out in Noukchott for a few days. The amount of time it takes to travel and the uncomfortablity factor made me downright lazy. I actually tried to go to Chinguiti which is a very old Islamic powerhouse town which was something I wanted to do but when the Senegalese guy (who I was going to ride with) and I pulled up my white skin made the price go up 2000 ougiya. So I left so the whole car wouldn`t have to suffer the whity tax. I was actually running low on cash as well seeing that there are no Atms in Mauritania that would take my card. I should say THE ATM in Mauritania wouldn`t take my card. But Isa and I had been invited out to an educational confrence in the village of Mauta Maulana where the Tidjyanni shiekh Shiekh Hajj Mishry runs his school (and the village). I had met Sheikh Hajj earlier in Noukchott and he had told me that I could ride down to Senegal with some people who were coming in for the confrence if I liked so I figured I would give that a shot.
Isa and I paid more to ride in the back of a Trooper like vehichle which was cramped but still better than the back of a Toyota risking loss of the feeling of you butt for a week. Actually loss of feeling would have been good. By the way thanks for riding out there Isa...it was good to have you around the last few days. So we got out to the village at night after a flat tire and repair of the flat. But being a festivity the food was a flowin. We also got put up in a very nice home and slept out on the roof (mosquito net required) (Isa eating Wheatabix) The confrence was a yawnfrence. No but it was enjoyable to see how things are orginized or not. Sheikh Hajj was clearly the starr of the show and we got to meet the whose who of local sheikhs of his order. Some sheikh are wonderful spiritual men...others know they are shiekhs. I`m sorry but I had a bit of a bad taste left in my mouth because classism is alive and well in Mauritania and some people worship the ground these guys walk on and don`t get too much back. Others ride the coat tails and eat thier food which the shiekhs are willing to feed anyone. this would make me bitter too.
I had decided to go back to Noukchott and wait for my plane but then after breakfast the shiekh from Senegal called me outside and said to get in the truck. I wasn`t even ready but my inabaliity to say no kicked in and I found my self rushing back to the house throwing my things together and hoping into a squeezed truck hoping I could get off in Noukchott but it wasn`t long that I realized we were headed straight for the border.
The sunsets on Mauritania.
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