September 14th

Today is Fatou's birthday. Shit, all I have to wear is a pair of old ripped jeans, sandals, and a casual linen shirt. Hmmm...

Today was a slow but nice day.

Since the city of Nouakchott terminated its contract with the foreign company in charge of the garbage collection in the city, Cheikh got assigned the temporary garbage collection of the most important neighborhoods. And so I spent part of the day to do the rounds to check on each area to see if the work had been well done. Such an interesting topic to deal with. As I was telling Cheikh, since the beginning of my trip, garbage and recycling has been a common thread to al the places I have been to.

In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch, and before the sun set, we went to the beach nearby. Wow! What a place and experience! The beach is not all that far, but to get the to, you need to pass some minor dunes and sandy areas. And then, well, plastics everywhere, yes, though wayyyy less than in Senegal, but the beach itself, the slightly inclined part that gets hit what the water based on the up or down tide, is pristine sand. The water as well. And the temperature...just perfect. Literally, perfect! Perhaps because it was during the week, but there was barely anyone there. That inclined area is ligned with numerous long and large white wooden pirogues flipped upside down, creating such a beautiful decor.

So we just sat there. No one bothering you to try to sell you anything. No shade. No umbrellas. No shops. Just pirogues, sand, water, and the horizon. Amazing! The coast is so wide that the swimmable beach doesn't mingle with the fishermen's beach. I must absolutely mention that though there was no shade and we were in the bright sun, there was absolutely no uncomfortable heat in the air. It was such a weird phenomenon. 1km away it feels like 45 degrees Celsius, and there it felt like 20.

After out swim, we did go to the fishermen's beach though. Well i had to check out one of Mauritania's blue gold spot. Apparently Nouaddhibou is supposed to be even more impressive. But today, wow! Pirogues parked up along the beach as far as the eye can see. Surreal! Hundreds, thousands...ufff...unbelievable. And the area, the market, the beach, so clean!!!  Nouakchott is really a surprising city. Really! It keeps on surprising me everyday.

Fatou's birthday dinner was low key. I felt super privileged as I was basically the only guest which almost made me feel I was intruding on such romantic moment Fatou and Cheikh could have had if I hadn't been there. The food was French, delicious.

We left early. Good thing given how tired I was.

No clue what tomorrow will be made of, but today was great! Fatou and Cheikh are amazing hosts filled with generosity and kindness.

Happy 31st birthday Fatou!!!