off to Africa!

[bartjeej]

Hi all!

As you might know the blog was a good bit behind on real events (about 2.5 months by the time of my previous post). About a month ago, just as I was about to enter Guinea Bissau, my journey was cut short when my grandfather became gravely ill (he has since passed away). I have since gotten a few requests from friends and family to finish the blog, and I think it'd be nice for myself too. It'll be a while until the whole trip has been covered, but anyway, here's the beginning of the end!

The gorges and oases of Afella Ighir form a 40+ km loop, and it's probably the most beautiful and peaceful part of Morocco I've seen. Met some very nice people, both fellow tourists and locals, and saw some incredible landscapes. Food was delicious too. If you ever go to Morocco and want a less touristy alternative to the Dades gorge, this is the place to be.

Between a rock and a dry place

overlooking Ait Mansour by bartjeej, on Flickr

water is life by bartjeej, on Flickr

rolling waves of stone by bartjeej, on Flickr

Friendly gentleman by bartjeej, on Flickr

Dusty desert by bartjeej, on Flickr

Tiouadou sunrise 3 by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[BBW]

Bart, I am so sorry to learn of your grandfather's passing.

I am glad you're going to keep your blog going and let us armchair travelers and friends continue along for the ride. Although I haven't kept up, I plan on reading your story completely when we hit the winter months...when I'll long for warmer weather. ;-)

 

[bartjeej]

As on SC, many thanks for your kind words BB, I really appreciate them :grouphug:

Time for a new blog post...

Ramble on

... in which I meet someone who might be even clumsier than me, see some very old and some modern architecture, drink Snickers soup and get my first ever motorcycle ride (without a helmet, don't tell my parents )

Some pics (didn't take many during these days, many many more to come in the next post):

Agadir girl by bartjeej, on Flickr

Kasbah Tizourgane by bartjeej, on Flickr

pebbles by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

There's a new blog post online...

Staying high and dry (‘s more trouble than it’s worth)

... in which I nearly drown myself trying to surf, find my favourite town in Morocco (in terms of atmosphere), and miss an incredible sunset.

Boat house by bartjeej, on Flickr

Teleboutique by bartjeej, on Flickr

This way to heaven? by bartjeej, on Flickr

Sidi sunset 2 by bartjeej, on Flickr

mirrored dreaming... by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[Phoenix]

As always, very beautiful images. As for cc, nothing much from me really, maybe just a little blown highlights on this way to heaven, then again it might be needed for the context of the image.

 

[bartjeej]

Thanks Phoenix! I do have a version of 'this way to heaven' that's exposed much lower, but I like this one a lot better (and so does my mom, so that's settled :tongue: ). As you said, it conveys the feeling I had a lot better this way. Still, very much appreciate your CC!

 

[bartjeej]

What time is it? Time for an update to the blog!...

Much Ado About Nothing (or: To be, or not to be)

... in which I may or may not be in another country, am definitely at the end of the world, don't get arrested at any checkpoints, and fail to find anyone to travel with.

Cormorant by bartjeej, on Flickr

shallow-water horizon by bartjeej, on Flickr

All roads going nowhere by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

Oh n0es, not another blog post?!? Afraid so, folks! And to make matters worse, in this one...

NouadhiBoum

... I make it through a minefield and into Mauritania, accept a generous invitation, get a glimpse of Mauritania's twisted social order, eat something inedible, and have a musical epiphany.

Minefield by bartjeej, on Flickr

Boum and family by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

Life and general laziness kept me from updating the blog for the past >3 months, but here's another update. In this episode...

Magic Carpet Ride

... I do the most awesome thing I've ever done, followed by the most dangerous thing I've ever done. Looking back at it, I'm quite lucky to have survived, and the third reason that this blog post took so long is that, for a long time, I didn't have the courage to tell my parents just how dangerous this situation was. Anyway, here're some pics from the blog; more inside!

Scary? by bartjeej, on Flickr

All aboard! by bartjeej, on Flickr

Dragon dune by bartjeej, on Flickr

PS this episode, and particularly the magical night parts of it, is why I'm considering getting one of the Sony a7 series cameras; good results at super high ISO combined with small size and weather sealing.

PPS none of the photos in this episode were made with the X100, but for the sake of continuity I'm still posting it here. I'd have loved to use the X100 but I wasn't sure if my makeshift weather sealing would hold up to the dust storm created by the train, so I used my little Pentax PX waterproof camera, and in one instance my old Samsung EX1.

 

[KillRamsey]

WOW, that sounds like a great time, if a little risky. You, sir, are living.

 

[BBW]

That first one is very eerie. Love the fellow wrapped in green in the foreground...the lines disappearing into the vanishing point, as well as the white wrapped women in the back. Normally I wouldn't ever make a cropping suggestion, however since we've known each other for such a long time... I'll hazard a suggestion which you can completely ignore - what about cropping the sky out to just about a 1/4 of an inch (sorry, you know us Americans - we're nonmetric speakers!) above the green man's head? This is a powerful image.

 

[bartjeej]

Thanks Kyle! It was indeed a bit riskier than I had anticipated, but an absolute highlight of my life nonetheless.
BB: Thanks for your suggestion - and please feel free to make comments or suggestions on any photo, any time, any place! I took your suggestion to heart and made it a 3:2 aspect ratio (was 4:3). I'm not entirely sure on whether I prefer one or the other; while the blue sky on top didn't have much of a function in and of itself, I do think it made the leading lines effect a bit stronger. What do you think? (hmm I might have to upload the original somewhere for comparison purposes, as I replaced the original on flickr with the crop). Oh and by the way, those are men with the white turbans in the background, not women. As far as I'm aware, no (local) women ride the cargo wagons, they all pay for a seat (or at least a place) in the lone passenger wagon at the rear.


Just a short little update, this blog post:
The best job in the world

... features no life-threatening situations (not for me, at least!), but does have an observation on daily life in Mauritania, some musings on the state of affairs with regard to religion, and a very exciting invitation.

Not many pics, but here're two, of a girl and her van...

Anja @ bab sahara by bartjeej, on Flickr

Anja's trusty Mercedes van @ bab sahara by bartjeej, on Flickr

The girl, Anja, is one of the more interesting people I met in Africa, and one of only two female solo travellers I met South of Morocco...

 

[bartjeej]

A new job and a new girlfriend have conspired against me working on the blog, but here's an update. In this one...

1/5th of a tourist horde

... I go deeper into the desert, and back in time to one of the most important caravan towns of the Sahara, and Mauritania's closest thing to a tourist trap - which sees far fewer tourists per year than the Eiffel tower does per second.

Dunes 1, Chinguetti 0 by bartjeej, on Flickr

old mosque, chinguetti by bartjeej, on Flickr

boubou by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

Took me a long time to write this one, but I think it's been worth it... in this post...

Echoes of songs

... I experience one of my highlights of the trip: a 5 day, 100 kilometer trek through the desert, and everything that entails.

Walkabout by bartjeej, on Flickr

Counting camels by bartjeej, on Flickr

Neck deep / thorny issue by bartjeej, on Flickr

Curves and camels, II by bartjeej, on Flickr

Tanouchert street by bartjeej, on Flickr

I think some of my best images of the trip were shot during these 5 days... plenty more inside the blog

 

[bartjeej]

Yet another post that's been a longggg time coming, but I finally got around to it! In this one...

Of women, bandits and a fake tan

I ruminate about the role of women, drug smugglers and oil companies in Mauritanian society, explore a caravan town, and make some more observations about daily life in this unique country.

Ouadane Ksar / oasis by bartjeej, on Flickr

Silent afternoon by bartjeej, on Flickr

Ouadane old mosque arches by bartjeej, on Flickr

Purple / Lime / Blue - Adrar plateau by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

The long process of completing my blog gets one memorable step closer with this post...

Happily ever after

... in which I somehow become a guest of honor at a Mauritanian / Fula wedding reception, and score an appointment for a date with the brides sister (I kid you not!).

Making an entrance by bartjeej, on Flickr

Very public tipping by bartjeej, on Flickr

showing henna (1) by bartjeej, on Flickr

 

[bartjeej]

What? He's still working on this blog thing? Yes, its taking ridiculously long, but I guess it's becoming one of those "to show my future kids" things now...

Since Í'm an arrogant and forgetful idiot, I don't have any photos from one of the most stunning places I visited during my 4 months in Africaso instead, I asked two other travellers who visited that place for permission to use their photos. I think they help give a pretty good impression of the place, check it out:

A fairy tale with an anti-climax

 

[bartjeej]

Small story...
To the place of the winds
...setting the scene for the next one, so to speak, which will be more than a little bit mad.

Only in Africa... by bartjeej, on Flickr

Nouakchott by bartjeej, on Flickr