Rama in the Sahara

[Extimus]

So during my last biking trip I read "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke. I'm not gonna spoil the book in this post because its a fucking great read and I absolutely recommend it if you're a sci-fi fan.
Anyway, the book is about humanity coming across an alien structure which is described as a cylinder of diameter 10 km (6.2 mi) and length 50 km (31 mi) called "Rama". It's so fucking huge for a structure and I've tried to comprehend the size in my head while reading but it's no use. So!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure

The "Richat Structure" or "The Eye of the Sahara" is a point in the Sahara surrounded by 3 rings of rising stone, the first of which has a diameter of roughly 12 km.
I'm going there
I'm standing there
I'm going to look at stone, pretend it's Rama, and I'm going to be happy.

Cheers for the read

 

[ali]

That place looks incredible! It's now on my bucket list too. I imagine it's helpful to speak French there?

Another spot i always wanted to visit is/was Western Sahara, just next door. It's a weird place because it's a country that kinda got invaded/annexed by Morocco, and now it exists in a weird political limbo with a government in exile in a refugee settlement in Algeria. There is a wall of sand thousands of kilometers long splitting the country in two, and landmines all along it. Probably not the safest place in the world to travel, but i can't imagine there are many places in the world quite like it.

BTW, this might be a better fit in the Africa section of the site. There's a post there from a couple years ago by a traveler who hitched through Mauritania.

 

[Extimus]

Politics, man.
Landmines aren't my cup of tea but damn for a wall of sand thousands of kilometers long I might risk it, if I'm in the area. Thanks for the tip
Stay hydrated

 

[Tony Pro]

I haven’t been there, but I’ve made two attempts and I got damn close in 2019. A friend of mine who passed away years ago used to show me the Richat Structure on google earth and we’d talk about how we were gonna go there some day. So in 2019 I hatched a plan to go there myself and drink a bottle of his favorite whisky while standing at the center. I hitchhiked from Essaouira to Nouadhibou, rode the iron ore train to Choum, got a bush taxi to Chinguetti, hired 2 camels and a guide to take me to Ouedane (I could have gone there by car, but come on). Unfortunately Ouedane was as close as I got. I had a wedding I really needed to be at and I was out of time.

I really hope you make it there, it’s one of the most difficult trips on the planet but if you want it bad enough then success is inevitable. I’d appreciate if you raised a glass to Darren when you’re there.
Regarding the landmines in the Western Sahara, it sounds spooky but you’d have to be looking for them to step on one. The closest I came was when I was looking for a stealth camping spot near the Guerguerat border post. I hiked to the edge of town and out into the sand dunes, when a trucker by the roadside started shouting and waving his arms. I walked back to see what was up and heard him shouting “Monsieur, there are bombs under the ground! Boom!” I pitched my tent on the sidewalk like a fool.

But you can actually walk across the no-man’s land into Mauritania if you follow recent tire tracks, it’s only like 2km and there’s a well-established route followed by hundreds of cars each day. You might spot Sahrawi rebels in makeshift watchtowers; they’re just there as a show of force and they like posing for photos.
I wrote a mini-blog about my last trip here: https://squattheplanet.com/threads/back-to-mauritania.39727/

 

[Extimus]

Man to get to Ouedane by hitchhiking, trainhopping, trekking through the desert and then having to stop there, it's like 30 km.
I don't speak french no but I'll get by with universal charm, hopefully
What's his favorite whisky? I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Tony Pro]

Thanks, but better just raise a glass of tea; booze is illegal there.
And arduous travel has a funny way of changing one’s priorities, that’s the only way I can explain turning around when I did.

If you speak Spanish you’d be able to use it in the Western Sahara, as it’s a former Spanish colony.

 

[TheSac]

So during my last biking trip I read "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke. I'm not gonna spoil the book in this post because its a fucking great read and I absolutely recommend it if you're a sci-fi fan.
Anyway, the book is about humanity coming across an alien structure which is described as a cylinder of diameter 10 km (6.2 mi) and length 50 km (31 mi) called "Rama". It's so fucking huge for a structure and I've tried to comprehend the size in my head while reading but it's no use. So!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure

View attachment 67561

The "Richat Structure" or "The Eye of the Sahara" is a point in the Sahara surrounded by 3 rings of rising stone, the first of which has a diameter of roughly 12 km.
I'm going there
I'm standing there
I'm going to look at stone, pretend it's Rama, and I'm going to be happy.

Cheers for the read

I just want to say Rendezvous with Rama is a great book, and I love the idea of using it as motivation to visit The Eye of the Saraha.

 

[Jone]

I haven’t been there, but I’ve made two attempts and I got damn close in 2019. A friend of mine who passed away years ago used to show me the Richat Structure on google earth and we’d talk about how we were gonna go there some day. So in 2019 I hatched a plan to go there myself and drink a bottle of his favorite whisky while standing at the center. I hitchhiked from Essaouira to Nouadhibou, rode the iron ore train to Choum, got a bush taxi to , hired 2 camels and a guide to take me to Ouedane (I could have gone there by car, but come on). Unfortunately Ouedane was as close as I got. I had a wedding I really needed to be at and I was out of time.

I really hope you make it there, it’s one of the most difficult trips on the planet but if you want it bad enough then success is inevitable. I’d appreciate if you raised a glass to Darren when you’re there.
Regarding the landmines in the Western Sahara, it sounds spooky but you’d have to be looking for them to step on one. The closest I came was when I was looking for a stealth camping spot near the Guerguerat border post. I hiked to the edge of town and out into the sand dunes, when a trucker by the roadside started shouting and waving his arms. I walked back to see what was up and heard him shouting “Monsieur, there are bombs under the ground! Boom!” I pitched my tent on the sidewalk like a fool.

But you can actually walk across the no-man’s land into Mauritania if you follow recent tire tracks, it’s only like 2km and there’s a well-established route followed by hundreds of cars each day. You might spot Sahrawi rebels in makeshift watchtowers; they’re just there as a show of force and they like posing for photos.
I wrote a mini-blog about my last trip here: https://squattheplanet.com/threads/back-to-mauritania.39727/

Hey!!! Once you got to Chinguetti, 1) how did you find you guide (did your guide find you?) And how much did you pay? I have forgone the camel trip here in Morrocco so far, but would be really down to do it Mauritania, my girl and I are going at the beginning of February. Really interested in what you feel is a fare or normal rate.

CHEERS.

 

[Tony Pro]

Hey!!! Once you got to Chinguetti, 1) how did you find you guide (did your guide find you?) And how much did you pay? I have forgone the camel trip here in Morrocco so far, but would be really down to do it Mauritania, my girl and I are going at the beginning of February. Really interested in what you feel is a fare or normal rate.

CHEERS.

The guide will find you. I think I paid €250 for 5 days including food, but I’m terrible at haggling. They’ll want more for two people of course. But seriously, barter hard. If you’re trying to save, you don’t have to stay in a hotel in Chinguetti, just camp in the eucalyptus trees at the edge of town, I used to cook couscous there and play pennywhistle.
Like I said in my other post, if you’re in the Tiznit area let’s grab a coffee.