Travel Reference
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from the smell emanating from it could tell it was the toilet. Further on, the passageway
opened up to a compound that had four one-story family homes facing each other with a
courtyard in the center. Due to the evening's heat, all the residents were sleeping outside in
frontoftheir homes.Saleck wokeuphiswifeandtoldhertomake tea andinsisted that she
cookdinnerforme.Sinceitwassolate, IthankedSaleck forhiskindnessandaccepted the
tea but politely declined the meal saying that I was not hungry.
Wetalkedaboutourselves,politics,religion,history,andmusic.Hethenjumpedup
and entered his home to retrieve a small cassette player. Under a blanket of thick stars and
the music of Rod Stewart, he performed a traditional Mauritanian dance. He first demon-
strated the male's movements with running commentary and when he showed me the fe-
male's movements, all the families who were watching burst into laughter.
We eventually went to bed and like the others in the compound, I slept outside. Sa-
leck wheeled my bike into his home and locked the door. I unrolled and inflated my Ther-
marest sleeping pad. Because of the innumerable number of insects, I slept with my pants
tucked into my socks, my long sleeve shirt tucked into my pants and my cycling gloves
on. Even though I had my own mosquito netting, Saleck insisted that I take his. The nicest
comment came from his wife just as I was about to doze off. She believed that good things
were in store for me in the future.
I woke up early to find the compound already stirring. The room where my bike sat
wasalready openandIdecided totakethetime toreadjust thederailleur andtighten allthe
components(pedals,handlebars,wheels,seat
etc
.)WeleftthecompoundonceIwasdone.
I walked my bike as Saleck escorted me to the bank and then to do some postcard shop-
ping. He then took me to the main newspaper, Layboune, where I had a lengthy interview
and my photo taken. Saleck patiently waited for me and then led me to the post office.
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