Took a drive down the peninsula to Cap Blanc today. The road takes you past the iron ore terminal which was billowing reddish dust into the air while loading the ship. It must be distinctly unpleasant to work in all that dust. It also passes the oil depot which creates its own petroleum smell.

At the end of the peninsula which is essentially split between Mauritania and Morocco, is a nature reserve where some rare monk seals live but they are notoriously difficult to see as they live in caves under the cliffs. The cliffs are spectacularly weathered and the lighthouse has not seen a lick of paint in decades. One of the most annoying things of Mauritania and the Sahara in general is the mindboggling amount of flies. Open the car door, and swarms of flies enter and then trying to get rid of them is a frustratingly futile exercise.

On the way back through town the plan was to try to find something small that is typically Mauritanian as a momento. Well, that was a struggle that never achieved its aim. There are almost no shops or areas or people who sell typically touristy stuff, strange given how hawkers typically swamp you in any other part of Africa. When we got back to the place we were staying after searching for ages for the elusive momemto, Victor and Tich confirmed that there is nothing available in that sort of line. We were also looking for a small window sticker flag to include as part of our trip record, but these were never heard of there. So, we’ll have to find a Mauritanian flag sticker elsewhere.

With the tide rapidly going out, Trevor had a swim in the sea while Charlotte took it easy after hurting her chest (perhaps a cracked rib) when she slipped at the peninsula. The evening was so calm, peaceful and beautiful that we did consider staying a few days longer.

For dinner, Victor had bought seafood (shrimps/prawns, sole, calamari, squid, etc.) which was absolutely delicious. We were joined at dinner by a Swiss/German couple who arrived late in the evening after a long border crossing from Morocco. Our return to Morocco tomorrow begins to bring back the nightmare border crossing coming south a few weeks ago, but Victor insists that going north is an easier border crossing. Sounds strange given that one is entering Morocco which by most logic would seem to mean a more complex process than exiting. Tomorrow will reveal the truth.