Day 42: Bir Gandouz – Noaudhibou, Villa Maguela

The Belgians overtook us the day before yesterday and were already queuing at the border that evening, essentially in pole position. However, the house wall was the better option for our roof tent cars; Lio and Domi's sprinter probably swayed quite a bit in the storm.

Btw: Everything is full of sand, nothing is spared. We'll have to pay a bit attention to our technical stuff. But yesterday we reached the 30 degree mark and you open the windows or turn on the ventilation.

We start at seven and reach the border shortly before eight. The queue is manageable, but quickly builds up with a third lane and the first nagging begins. Blessings are coffee and a snack with Nutella – that's enough for now. We suspect it will be a long, boring day and it will last hours. Apparently there was also a vehicle with illegals who wanted to go from Mauritania to Morocco, which further delayed everything.

We spend the next seven hours like this:

The border doesn't open until after nine (due to illegals). Then motorcyclists arrive and the first trucks arrive. Admission is in batches. In between: standstill. It wasn't until later that we realized why – it's because of the hall with the vehicle scanner, in which only one truck or three cars is/are fitting.

Left, first barracks, completely black taped and closed. We drive past and have to go back there later. On the back is the window gap for the exit stamp in the passport.

Then we go to the second barrack on the right for the “Fiche”, the routing slip. Pass the queue of Mauritanian travelers to the scanner hall around the corner on the right. Hand in the file, wait for the scan, drive out, wait for the routing slip.

This is followed by two sniffing dogs (both of which piss on our tires, for whatever reason, the customs officer says: too new). It's about drugs and alcohol, and supposedly also about fresh pork, but that's unconfirmed. After the dogs there is a personal inspection by the customs officer, who then also stamps the routing slip. We are asked about weapons or drones.

Then we have to go back to the barracks at the very front left, where there is the last stamp on the fiche and the last stamp on the import card for the car.

Then, as I said, the missed exit stamp in the passport, whereby Brigitte cannot be found in the system - the official on the ferry probably didn't write clearly.

After that we can continue. Drop off fiche at the next stop. Last stop: passport check, whether everything is included in terms of stamps and show your insurance card.

We're in no man's land, 1:53 p.m.

Directions to the Mauritania border building. The driver has to ask for entry in the first door with his passport and car documents. Only then one is allowed to drive through the gate.

Meanwhile, the first “fixers” are milling around the cars, people who offer to accompany you and thus make the border crossing easier. We can do it without.

The visa is applied for on the left side of the house. To do this, you first have to know which of the closed doors can be opened and how. Waiting. Hand in passport. Scan fingerprints. Take a picture. Pay 110 euros (unfortunately they don't accept dirhams when asked, only euros).

Further to the security officer, who is telling Ian and Catherine where we are allowed to be and where we are not. When driving to Atar always border/railway/us. The map is helpful in explaining where we want to go. A few Spaniards had written it down meticulously – the faster way.

Then we are allowed to drive a few meters for the dog sniffing.
A few meters further is the next entrance for car imports. When we checked on the way out we noticed that the chassis number was wrong. So back again.

After a few meters, the vehicle is personally inspected. And next the police station. Something is wrong (not with us) but everyone has to leave the room, the room is locked, our passports are in there. Waiting. Maybe everyone was just praying? Who knows.

After we are finished here, someone official says we can go on, we waste some time changing money (see below) and the official who told us we can go on has just left and another official whistles us back. So turn the car around again. Another passport check and check of the car's import documents and after the other official has returned, a look into the cabin again to save face, then the customs formalities are completed.

But now. In the meantime we have exchanged a few dirhams. And since Brigitte had the official rates ready as a screenshot, we were offered a good exchange rate.

Now the car insurance: We take out a 20-day (4x4) policy and pay just under 400 dirhams. From what we've heard, that's ok.
DONE!!!

Ian, Catherin, Abdul and we drive about three quarters of an hour towards Noaudhibu to Camping Villa Maguela and find a wonderful site there, as well as Lio and Domi and some other nice people.

Some park against a house wall, we park in a kind of open garage. It's still windy and everything is sandy.

We are greeted with hibiscus juice. We decide to get dinner served tonight and enjoy a shower before.