Nigeria: FREEDOM Calculated number of wives of Bobby Nystrom, USA I came down with malaria and almost ate medications. In the lobby, behind a wall of my room, high heels prostitutes tapped some unknown to me a melody, while they meet and see off their customers. On the street near our hotel without any questionable enthusiasm and joy took place the celebration of independence. Gradually, my strength came back to me, and I ventured out on the crowded streets of Niamey - City of flies - the capital of Niger. This is very poor, dirty, hot and most of the time very dusty city. But now due to heavy rains all the dust has gathered in puddles and turned into a brownish muck that keeps us around the city. Temporary pools were ankle-deep, sometimes deeper, hiding under the surface of the water sharp metal objects, animal skeletons and feces. We have enough for a week and then we boarded a bus and headed north into the desert. Dammed inexpressive streets accumulations of sand have become small islands of barren land in the ocean of grass and low shrubs. These islands, as we move to the north increased in size until, until, finally, they took over the surrounding vegetation. Then have a dusty green islands began to shrink in size to the weak beams of dried grass and eventually disappeared from sight. We drove into a dry rocky area in the Sahel (region south of the Sahara, ca. Perevi.), Where only occasionally met unattractive spines decorated with plastic bags. We still had to get used to the terrain. We returned to the Sahara. Last grass after 15 hours of monotonous driving (which is only several times interrupted by an emergency stop), we left the latter more or less a big city and went on their way to the town of Arlit, the heart of the Sahara. Two hours later the sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon line. Somewhere far away the storm danced over the monotonous landscape of the plane. Suddenly, with tremendous speed, she began to approach us. The driver started to go faster and faster, while all who were on the bus, sat motionless, without taking his eyes from the impending storm. First wave of sand with a low whisper ran about a foot from the ground. All quickly closed the window on the bus, and a storm descended on us. All around was a brownish-yellow, the driver slowed down, and the storm began to shake the bus all the stronger. The mosque in the town of Niamey Visibility dropped sharply - 50 meters, 30 meters - the driver hit the brakes - 10 meters, 5 meters - the bus stopped. Then, the visibility dropped to zero. The bus rocked, like a cradle, and the wind was trying to break into the window. From time to time the driver start the engine and moved a couple of meters forward to the sand does not accumulate and block the wheels. It lasted about an hour. Day gave way to gloom, and brownish-yellow shroud was replaced by darkness. The bus was quiet. It seemed that the passengers of the bus was both scary and interesting. As a free application to a strong storm, salon bus smelling of wet goat. Half-eaten yogurt, which was part of our breakfast about 13 hours ago, suddenly also made itself felt. Gradually the storm subsided and we continued to move slowly. Exhausted, we finally arrived in Arlit and rushed to a nearby hotel. Clay minaret In West Africa, the city is called in honor of their more famous European counterparts. Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire called the "Paris of West Africa", a village in Benin Ganvi - "Venice of West Africa" ??and so on. If we follow this tradition, the Arlit can be called "Chernobyl West Africa." It is here that the first was found uranium, Niger's main export earner. French and Chinese miners living in protected camps, which are built around a huge factory Somair, while the rest of the city is no different from other similar towns in West Africa, which resemble the indiscriminate piling up of buildings from mud bricks. A sad spectacle. They are much dirtier than any other city I have ever visited, very hot, and totally nothing to do. On the outskirts of the plant "Somair" This is a kind of staging post for the Algerians, who travel south to sell European cars and goods, and for Nigerians traveling to the north to try their luck to become illegal immigrants in Europe. Read more:
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