Run for the Border

So I`m in the truck and we are tearing through the desert in a obvious hurry. The kid next to me gave the old lean forward lunge with full cheeks at which point I yelled to stop the car in Arabic and he let it fly once I got out. Ill be honest I was almost at that point my self. I thought I was going to die in a fliped truck in the middle of the desert thinking why didn`t I get on that plane. That actually became the theme song. We stopped in a village and had some drink (zariq...sweet milk drink) and tore back off. Just when I realized we were not going to hit a real road which we should have allready done if we were going via Noukchott we came to a town, stopped and I lost my Zariq. Emabarrasment aside that was worse than mister toad. I then realized we wer on the border waiting for the ferry to cross the river into Senegal. A border guard came over and talked to me and asked me if I was with Sheikh Hajj and I delt good at that point until he took my passport and said come back at three which I willingly said OK. We went to one of the sheikhs people`s house to eat where I made friends with one of the guys who was the only one to like that I was there. I was getting the cold shoulder otherwise. We get back to the border and the ferry is loading up but we can`t find the guy with my passport. And the money I had apparently wasn`t a whole lot or enough for a hotel (a good one at least) Then The guy showed up like I told you not to worry and gave me my passport back with it stamped which meant I my visa for Mauritania was done. The sheikh did have pull because I didn`t have to wai in any line or anything but man i was commited at this point. This is also where the othere shiekh from Senegal started telling everyone that he didn`t have room for me in his car. My new found friend was a bit upset with this. I told him I didn`t have a place to stay and as a true honest to God Muslim would do he said you will stay at my house for the night and then you can go to Dakar in the morning. Sweet Thank you God. Getting on to the ferry the Shiekh guy was like allright I did my part see you now go on the boat and leave me alone...but my money was being changed by one of Sheikh Hajj`s loyal followers so the other shiek guy gives me 5000CFA (not a whole lot but a bit) as if to really seal the deal. Good riddence to you too...I`m still a bit bitter.
Ahmed could have been nicer. We got to his village late at night and his brother came up welcoming me and his kdis too. We had some drink prayed and then rested a bit before food came. They are poor poor but still gave me all they had and put me in a mosiquito net inside there hut to rest peacefully. And I did.
Got up for the morning prayer and got ready to shove off. We called Ayisha in Dakar with the Muridya tariqa and she explained how to get to the school/home where I would stay. Ok next step. Ahmed puts me in a cab and tells me to go to St. louis where Ill catch a bus to Dakar. I did that. But the buses here are white vans that are crazy cramed but cheap and I did it for like 5 or 6 hours. The people coming into Dakar were half and half about me. The young guys runnig the bus cared less but some other people helped me get to where I was going even though I couldnt communicate with anyone at this point. In fact this one woman got off the bus bought a phone card for me and called the people...got into a cab with me and made darn sure the guy knew where to take me. God bless that woman. I got here and here I am. Well fed, well rested and am being shown around by these wonderful people. I am looking forward to learnig more about the philosophies and holy cities which they are going to show me as well as the plans for a physical place for multifaiths to live in senegal. God bless these people.