Extreme Journey in Africa's Sahara Desert! 🇲🇷 Choum to Nouakchott

Welcome to a new video. I am in Choum which is a small town in Mauritania a country of Western Africa. The town of Choum doesn't have a lot of things. There are 2-4 shops and a bunch of houses. You'll know why I am here if you have seen my previous videos if not then, I boarded an Iron ore train. Mauritania is popular for its Iron ore mining. An empty train runs from Nouadhibou, their 2nd largest city and goes to Zouérat, their mining town. It is 700 km away from Nouadhibou. I reached Zouérat fr

om Nouadhibou in the empty train. Iron ore was loaded in it at Zouérat which then goes back to Nouadhibou. Initially I travelled in an empty train & then in train filled with iron ore from Zouérat to Choum. I got down at Choum where I met Mohamed who came to pick me. This is the only accomodation in Choum and has been recently built. I had a room here. I paid 500 Ouguiya ($12.52) or ₹1100 per night. 1 Ouguiya has about ₹2.17 and 1 USD has about 38 Ouguiya (Mauritania's currency). They add an ext

ra zero here in the currency. For a bill of 100 Ouguiya they'll tell you 1000 instead. They used to have an extra zero in the currency that they've removed now. So, they say an extra zero always. I used to think how its so expensive but they used to return it when I paid. Construction work is ongoing here. Private huts are being made here. I'll put the place's name on screen for you to stay here in case you're visiting Choum anytime. I'll have food & then head to a new city Nouakchott the capita

l of Mauritania in the south. I'll quickly have food and they'll drop me a in a bus. Its 10:15 right now & the bus will come around 10:30 - 11:00 am. I'll have to stay ready. I just saw, there're 2 eggs. This is the bed. I just noticed, this was the bed with a mattress on it. Palm tree is used to make it all in Adrar region. This region of Mauritania is called the Adrar region. See, drone shots of Choum. These are the houses here. Typical traditional houses in Adrar. As I came at night, I couldn

't see anything. It was dark. Bus driver called to tell he is Choum and is waiting for me to come. Let's go. What's that...a souvenir? Oh, I needed it so badly. Thank you so much This is a souvenir of Mauritania. Thank you so much again. Thank you! Take Care! That was Mohamed & he is Hadimin who will drop me to the train. Sorry to the bus. Hadimin was telling me direct flights come to Atar the capital of Adrar from France in this season starting in October. The main tourism season. Retired peopl

e from France take this flight. Not sure where it comes from in France. Even he didn't know it. They come to Atar direclty which is an hour away from here. My bus to Nouakchott will also cross Atar. I'll get down there & explore this region of Mauritania. Behind me is the bus. That one. The ticket is for 600 Ouguiya ($15.03). I am in this mini van. There's still some sand in my hair. Nouakchott is about 7-8 hours from here Atar is 1-1.5 hours from here & then Nouakchott is 6 hours from there. I

paid 600 Ouguiya ($15.03) for the ticket which is around ₹1250-1350. I have to sit here like this for 7-8 hours & my legs don't fit in here. But there's no option. I enjoyed here in Choum & I could've stayed for 1-2 days more. But anyways now! We're in Atar which is Adrar's capital. It is the biggest city here. It ain't that big but compared to others here it is. They bring tea everywhere the car stops. I'll go out and stretch a bit. I'm done sitting here in this space and I have the bag too. Te

a? He gave me tea. I have made some friends here who are from Western Sahara. I'll tell about them later. They gave me this tea. It is too sweet. I made 2 friends here who are from Western Sahara. They are from Polisario controlled region & not Morocco one. I asked them why they are here... They don't know English but Spanish so we talked in Spanish. They told me they're here to travel. They asked me where I'm from & I said India & here to travel. I asked if they need visa for Mauritania and the

y denied. I asked about their passport & told it is in Algreia. Then they showed their id and they had different card. They aren't from Morocco controlled Western Sahara. 80% of Western Sahara is under Morocco and 20% is under Polisario. They started explaining to me in Spanish that 25% is under Polisario & 75% is under Morocco. They said, 'No, we don't like Morocco.' They are different people of Western Sahara with different identity & sovereignity. They were nice. They gave me tea & took care

of me. No one speaks English. We're able to talk as they speak Spanish. They're nice people. Our van has stopped here in Atar. These are the views of this city. People are having food here. I came inside as it was hot outside. They gave me these dates to eat. I thought they were prayer beads or something. But it was a roll of dates. They asked me to pull it & it broke when I did. They started eating it & I got to know they are dates. He is from Senegal. He is maybe from Mali. We don't know each

other's language. They speak Arabic and Pular and I don't know either of it. They know a bit of French & I don't it either. We are travelling & having fun and everyone's sharing... People are nice. Those 2 guys from Western Sahara took me to have food. They even paid for my tea. There's no space in the car but the people & company is nice. Jai Hind Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Jai Mali! Jai Mali! Jai Mali! Jai Hind! He clicked a photo with me from this app called Beauty Cam. He clicked the photo and our

skin tone different but as the photo got processed he looked fair than me. I'll show you wait! Look how we look before and then how we look after the photo. See this will now go under processing. Filter will work. Look at him in the photo and then look at him in reality. Oh, you look handsome too! Another stop! Don't know when we'll reach. They'll take 11-12 hours for the 7-8 hour journey. I have gone crazy. Look at how I'm sitting. This place on Google Maps is somewhere between Terjit & Tabrank

out. Google maps doesn't show a name for this place. We stopped here & back there was police check point. They checked to see who're in the van and then let us go. Don't know why we've stopped here. There's just a shop here. I understood now, they stopped as its their prayer time. They'll play & then we'll move ahead. There was a shop behind & some houses here. Nothing else! Its 5:30 pm and we've stopped again. Everyone is praying. Its almost 8:30-9 pm & the taxi has stopped here. This is my bag

. Taxi drivers have gathered around me. I'll keep the bag first. There were so many check points on the way. I got in this taxi after a lot of negotiations. We've stopped at the petrol pump. Look at the petrol's rate. It is ₹108 per litre or 50 Ouguiya ($1.25). Its less than 50 Ouguiya so around ₹107. Its expensive even when they have petroleum. They have iron ore, petrol, fishes, some palm trees. Their economy relies mainly on it. We've been circling the same place since 10 minutes. I couldn't

talk as the translator wasn't working. He was charging quite a lot. He asked for 500 Ouguiya ($12.54) for 20 minutes or 9 km journey. I denied saying I'll walk. I can pay for when its justified but not where its illogical. Then an uncle at 200 Ouguiya ($5.01). I said I wouldn't pay more than that. 200 is also more I guess. This is a shared taxi so he's dropping someone else first. I told them I paid 600 Ouguiya ($15.04) for the mini van for 10 hours journey while they're charging 500 ($12.54) f

or 20 minutes journey. They said I'll be the only one in this unlike many people in many van. I denied saying I would walk. The condition of the cars is so bad everywhere. There are old cars in Mauritania that make a lot of loud noise. I believe he didn't understand the hotel's exact location. I booked a good hotel as I wanted to rest a bit. Some would know about it He might be charging more as I'm staying at an expensive hotel. Don't know! There're many shops here and everything is open. I'll r

each there & have food. Most shops I see are of clothes & blankets. Some sell their traditional dress too. Nouakchott is quite a big city Nouadhibou their 2nd largest city is nothing compared to it. Nouadhibou seemed like a single street only. My hotel is 10 km away from where the van dropped me. Roughly 9.5-10 km. Van didn't drop me on the outskirts as there's something or the other around. Route was all deserted. This is their capital city & is quite big. Yes, I forgot to tell you that 1/3rd

of the population... Maurtiania's population is 44 Lakh or 4.4 millon & 1/3rs of it lives in Nouakchott. Over 15 lakh people reside here. Hence, its a big city as compared to Nouadhibou & others. Although, 15 lakh is not a big number for a city but Mauritania is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Yes! Perfect! This is my hotel and looks like a protected area. There's European Union's office or something here. Let's go to the room quickly. The hotel is nice! As good as the

hotel looks, the receptionist is equally bad. I won't say bad but he was unprofessional. Have to go a floor up! Its on the 3rd floor. This is my room. While I booked, it showed balcony too. I can't see a balcony here. You have to come with very low expectations in Africa. You saw how rough my experience was in the last 3-4 days. I was indulged in adventure in an Iron ore train, during the hot weather in Sahara desert In temperatures of over 40 degree I was around iron ore, sand. I wanted rest f

or 1-2 days for the body to relax. There's still sand all over my body. I haven't slept well. I thought to book a good hotel for 1-2 days. I paid ₹4000 ($47) for a night here so ₹8000 ($95) for 2 nights. They don't even have a card machine for me to pay with card. They said ___ (cash) and said no when I wanted to pay with card. The receptionist was unable to understand me. They have such a big hotel atleast speak English. They don't want to speak English but the hotel is called Casa Blu Hotel. C

asa is a Spanish word meaning house. Blu is an English word for the color blue. Casa Blu or Spanish & English is their theme. The receptionist doesn't speak Spanish or English. There was just that guy there. Atleast speak the language justifying the hotel's name. Its a big hotel but the sides of the bed are broken, there're marks here, ceiling is damp, & have given me a window instead of a balcony. Even the handle is broken. This is the condition here. So, don't ever keep high expectations in A

frica or such countries. It will look quite luxurious but the interiors are just bad. Look at this, before you say something. People start commenting without seeing properly. If you think this is Pakistan's flag then this is Mauritania's wrist band that they gave to me. They gave me this & fridge magnet. I wore this as locals feel good if a tourist wears it. They feel happy & you also feel connected to the country. This was all the travel today. We started at 11 am from Choum and its over 9 pm n

ow. Its around 9:15-9:30 pm. I think it was around 10-11.5 hours journey. I trevelled in that mini shared van & saw noon, afternoon, sunset, evening, etc. It wasn't clear as windows were black. They stopped every 2 hours to pray. They prayed in the middle of the desert. I think they pray 5 times a day. There were checkpoints around. A checkpoint where we were stopped was neither of police or military but some other force. I did ask them but forgot the name now. I became friends with the officer.

He saw I'm an Indian & called me out. He started talking to me about Bollywood, Sharukh Khan, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone, etc. The van was waiting for me & he was talking to me, saying 'I love India.' He said all that he knew in English. I became friends with him & asked why so many checkpoints were there. He then said there'll be 4 more before entering Nouakchott. We weren't stopped or inquired much there but they were all around. Its a conservative, Islamic and religious country. I don't r

emember going to such a religious country from the last 75-76 countries. They're highly religious. They pray all the time. They're not ready for tourism. Mauritania is among one of the least visited countries. They're not open with the outer world. They get shocked seeing a foreigner, a phone or even a camera. They aren't developed towards tourism. You can see the hospitality services. This is one of the best hotels but don't know English. Receptionist asked for cash & denied card. I asked if he

knew English & he denied saying only French & Arabic. There's a way... In the end, I said thank you after getting room keys. He didn't say it. I am coming to their hotel to stay, paying them for their services. I'm not obliged to them as I'm paying to stay here. They should appreciate the customer while I said thank you. But these are small things & I stay prepared & flexible with such things. Its important to tell you the loopholes. I came down to complain but no one's there. Hello! They've pu

t We prefer Mastercard at the reception. I told him only one light works & this doesn't to which he said what's the issue. I then told him even this doesn't work and even that too and he said the same thing. I asked him to give me another room & I won't stay in this one as I've to work. Then he brought this & said good! I said its not good but just better. I was very hungry so I thought to walk around as I'll get to know things better. Its around 10:30 pm right now. I hope I find something open

This city has Google listings. Its a good thing. It shows a bunch of restaurants There aren't many but even some is a good sign. I hope its a safe area. Let's keep going. It should be safe as there're embassies around. Honeslty, I don't like walking in this country as I've to walk on the road due to the sand. Then cars honk to give them side. There's no pedestrian walking or footpath. This is maybe a ground with a broken wall. I can hear cats and kitten cry. But let's just move. One thing I've

noticed is this country still has better cars. If you saw on the way there were big supermarkets, shops, etc Like I said before, this part is more developed than others. But I don't like walking here either. I prefer walking in Europe even if its at 1 hour distance. It is pedestrian friendly & you enjoy walking there. I don't like walking anywhere else but. There's a grocery shop here so I'll buy water now as not sure if it will be open later. I got 2 bottles of water of 1.5 litres each. They we

re for 20 Ouguiya ($0.50) or ₹42-43. Price for water is fixed here. 750 ml is for 10 Ouguiya ($0.25) & 1.5 litres for 20 Ouguiya ($0.50). The rate is fixed no matter from where you buy. Before coming, I was finding a gym online. Look, I found this gym nearby. I'll come tomorrow as its 10 minutes from hotel. I came to this restaurant but this is closed. What even happened! What's there! Oh, its a petrol pump. What you see diagonally in front of me is their Olympic Stadium. Its quite famous. Taxi

driver didn't know the hotel so I got him here by telling Olympic Stadium. Amazing house! Oh, its not a house but Morocco's embassy. I found this restaurant on Google called Smash Food. It seems like a fast food restaurant. but is it even open. I hope this is not closed. Its closed... no its open. How did this happen! They have the menu in English. Its good now that I can understand it. This is the restaurant. My food is here. Shawarma is for 250 Ouguiya ($6.27) or about ₹500. But how do I eat t

his. I got this smoothie & it tastes good. I ordered avocado smoothie but there's a kiwi in it. Don't know which smoothie it is, but it tastes good. This was for 150 Ouguiya ($3.76) or ₹350. I got a bill for 400 Ouguiya ($10.03) or ₹850 at the restaurant. I got smoothie and shawarma in that. The restaurant's owner... The owner's son was at the counter. Seeing him, I knew he was not Mauritanian as he look pure Arab. I asked where he's from while paying the bill and he told me he's from Palestine.

His father was also there and they both looked sad. The war is at its peak this time. He couldn't speak English but tried to talk. He said he's from Palestine. I talked to him & he looked quite sad. Even his father seemed sad. I felt sad and sorry for them. I asked where he's from Palestine & he said Gaza. I asked him if his family is there & he said yes. I asked if they're in North or South Gaza. He told me they're in the North. North is in danger right now due to Israel's warning to North to

move to the South saying they would blast the north. I do not support anything or any country through the video. I was sharing what I felt. It felt very bad. Seeing him sad made me feel sorry too. Then he told me the situation aren't good. His family and relatives aren't safe. He said everything's done for. Anyway, I'll go & rest. My hotel is 1/2 hour walk from here. I'll keep the phone inside and end the video here. Thank you so much for watching! I hope you have a great day. Goodbye!