Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The building I entered consisted of two rooms, one for sleeping and the other for
supplies. He explained that he came from Marrakech and was hired by the government to
live in the desert for 6 months to keep the roads clear of sand. He showed me a picture of
his wife and son and we talked about his life. It was about an hour later when I started to
doze off and excused myself to go to my tent. He bid me good night and closed the door
behind me. The wind had died down but there was a chill in the air. I looked up from the
darkness and saw the night sky like I had never seen it before- there were millions of stars
and constellations. I stood there mesmerized before the chill reminded me to get my ass
into the tent. I nestled into my sleeping bag and the last thought I had before falling asleep
was about my luck in meeting someone as kind as my host.
I woke up early the next morning and before leaving, I thanked the man for his
kindness. He bid me farewell and off I went. Again I found myself cycling along a huge
stretch of unspoiled beach. I had to contend with a slight crosswind but it was much easier
thantheonefromthedaybefore.Underovercast skies,Icoveredalotofdistance andcon-
sumed little water.
Take Heed to Road Signs…Even in the Desert
I came across a sign on the side of the road that warned of camel crossings. I
thought it was funny because the area had no vegetation and was quite flat for hundreds of
meters on both sides of the road. What a dumb place to put a sign, I thought. As I plodded
along, I focussed my attention to the views on my right. Suddenly, out of my peripheral
vision I see two objects darting across the road. I hit my breaks to stop and to my utter
amazement, two camels were not more than 4 metres in front of me. It scared me to death.
I wrote the following in my journal, “Note to self: Signs are put on the road for a reason.
You dumb shit.” I was just imagining the police report: trampled by two camels on a flat
open road.
I decided to delay lunch and pushed on to the outskirts of Laayoune. I finally ar-
rived at 3:15 and was drained. I foolishly splurged on Coke, pastries and orange juice (all
were free compliments of the restaurant owner.) I must say that that Coke was the best one
I've ever had in my life. It was ice cold and quenched my parched thirst perfectly. I stayed
there for an hour and then made my way to the last police checkpoint before entering the
city.
Laayoune
The city was packed with UN delegates and peacekeepers from 26 nations. They
wereallmembersofMINURSOandweretheretohelpresolvetheterritorialdisputeofthe
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