Rabat

Our visit to Rabat has been long and interesting! Our primary reason for coming here was to get the visas we need to continue down through Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso. We have been here four 4 nights in a bush camp outside the city. We are parked in a beautiful wooded area that would be perfect if there was a shower and toilet! Last night the police showed up at the campsite and wanted to know The first day we arrived we drove to the Mauritanian embassy to drop off our visa applications. We waited in Line for 4 hours and were told to go away numerous times and "come back tomorrow" because we had too many applications. A little persistence paid off though and we got most of the visas approved. Unfortunately we hit a huge snag with the Americans and were told that their applications would take three weeks to a month to process! It seems the American government has tightened restrictions and so has Mauritania! So, our 4 American Friends will need to leave the group and fly over to join us in Mali. We are all very sad about this because we have grown to like our little group! Next snag is, we have only been able to process one visa every two days and we are all eager to move on because the campground in Casablanca ( our next stop) has wifi and hot showers! Add to that, most of the group has seen most of what Rabat has to offer. I however have come down with a nasty cold and spent the majority of the last two days asleep on the beach in the truck! I did find a really great pharmacist who gave me more antibiotics and some cold medication without forcing me to see a doctor! This morning, I ventured out and visited the "Tour Hassan" and the mausoleum here. Tomorrow we are applying for our last visa and hoping to get them processed in one day because Friday is a public holiday and nobody wants to be stuck here until Monday!