We get a slow start this morning, getting up at 7:45 AM to do our laundry. After hanging it up to dry in the sun and wind, it begins to dry very quickly. We have breakfast, after which we organise our stuff a bit.
At 9:55 AM, we get a lift on the truck into town. We spend the morning walking around, checking out the ramparts and fortifications, the shops and the old city. It is a nice town, which was founded originally in the 15th century by the Portuguese, but what remains today was started in 1765, when the town was set up to be suitable for foreign traders.
The people are very friendly, they have great shops (where they do not hassle you too much) and the streets are nice to walk through. There are lots of cafes, restaurants and bakery's. We walk down by the harbor and check out the fishing boats. They are being fixed up on on the pier and the fisherman are unloading the fish. Others are preparing the lines and hooks. It is a great spot to walk around and take in the colors, smells, sounds and sights.
We have lunch at one of the seafood stalls lining the walls along the ocean. We have sole and cray fish. They are fresh and the barbeque it for you there. After lunch we continue our wanderings amongst the streets and ramparts. We spend some time writing some postcards on the fortress walls overlooking the town. We head back to the camp site at 2:30 PM. We walk along the beach, getting back at 3:10 PM. We take it easy for the rest of the day. We have a great seafood barbeque dinner that night. Tomorrow we will start a few days of long drives to get to Dakhla, where we will arrange a convoy to take us through the minefields to the border.