Whatever happened with the Maine-anon who did the ore train? Did he ever go on any more crazy adventures?
>>1271964
Yeah. He's now embedded in lingots of tool steel, sold all across the american continent.
>>1272221
Hoffa'd!
I assume you're talking about my thread from 3 years ago, unless by coincidence there's another Mainer who did it more recently.
No, I've done nothing crazy since. I might do it again next year; dunno when exactly.
Maine is lovely this time of year, you are all welcome.
>>1272362
Holy shit has it been 3 years already? I've been here too long
>>1272396
I feel you. I'm actually disgusted with myself for seeing this thread within a day of its creation.
>>1272421
Can you post some pics or do you have an archive thread link? I need some nostalgia
>>1272425
Sure, I can dump some stuff. I've had one of the shittiest weeks of my life, so I could use some nostalgia too.
NB I'm not the only anon who's ridden the train. At least half a dozen of us have.
>>1272451
>>1272452
>>1272454
>>1272455
>>1272456
>>1272459
>>1272460
>>1272461
/dump
Go realize your dreams, jerkoffs.
>>1272462
good shit homie thanks
>>1272462
Did you jump between the wagons? Or did you change when it stopped?
>>1272474
hell no. The locals do but the train slams on the brakes a lot, so it's risky. These are pics of three different train rides.
>>1272462
Cheers cunt, looks like a great experience.
You got any pointers ? I'd like to do this but it's not possible in my country, I think(?). What does "the ore train" mean? (Apart from the obvious transportation of ore)
What country is this?
>>1272605
>What country is this?
Mauritania
>>1272602
>What does "the ore train" mean
It's a rail line that goes from the coast into the Sahara. I guess travelers romanticize it because riding on trains (outside of passenger cars) in most countries these days is not allowed, and also riding a train through the Sahara is kind of unique
>>1272396
Same. I remember the thread. Three goddamn years, fucking hell
>>1272637
Yeah the view looks great, I'd much prefer jumping these trains than the ones in northern America that you usually read about
>>1272602
It's "The Iron Ore Train" rather than "an iron ore train" because it is (debatably) the longest freight train in the world, is the only train in Mauritania, and has a pretty interesting history (look up "Choum Tunnel" on wikipedia). It's become a sort of rite of passage for western NGO employees in the region.
No reason you couldn't do it; I don't think there's any nationality Mauritania is fussy about letting in.
>>1272642
I just climbed up on top of the box car for some fresh air; I'd been riding inside the dark container for some hours, chatting with a Mauritanian who'd just hitchhiked from Libya (guy in pic related)
I got into an empty car in Nouadhibou, but I overslept and ended up riding the train 6 hours past my target to the mining city of Zouerate. I freaked out because another anon once told a story about the Zouerate police locking him in a shipping container. Luckily I was able to ride the train back the same day, and got where I wanted to go.
About a week later I hopped back onto it to get back to the Moroccan border crossing.
>>1272791
So you climbed on top of it while the train was running? Wasn't it scary sitting on top of it with nothing to the sides?
Also, I'm not sure I understand. Did you stay inside of that covered container? Most people seem to be staying in either full or empty wagons, but none of them seem to be covered. Is it the wagon you need tickets for that you're sitting on top of?
>>1272795
No, the passenger wagon stunk so strongly of piss I don't know how anyone could ride in it, let alone sleep on the filthy mattresses.
So from Nouadhibou-Zouerate the cars are completely empty. From Zouerate-Nouadhibou, most cars are filled with ore, while some have shipping containers dropped inside them. So "boxcar" is the wrong term. I rode in the shipping container from Zouerate to Choum, then I sat on top of the ore when I returned to Nouadhibou.
Riding in the empty car was a hellish experience which tested most aspects of my endurance. Imagine lying on your back on bare metal, looking up at the sky which is red with dust, feeling the vibrations in your bones and the deafening noise all night long.
Riding on top of the pile of ore was nice because there was less dust, less vibration, and I carved myself a comfy seat.
>>1272799
about that: how was sleeping? Like, could you even sleep while the train was moving? (apparently, since you overslept)
>>1272818
Not really, it was the most uncomfortable night of my life. I only got about two hours of sleep; I just picked the wrong two hours.
It's bitter, bitter cold in the desert, and I didn't want to subject my good sleeping bag to the iron dust, which gets everywhere.
>>1272826
I see, thanks for the reply
>>1272826
What exactly brought you to this part of the world? Was this part of a larger trip in Africa? Or did you go just for the train?
What are the best months to do this trip? Or the other way around, any months to avoid doing it?
>>1273225
I hang out in Morocco a lot; this was just a 2-week excursion. I considered continuing to Senegal, but that didn't happen (though I finally made it there last April)
>>1273373
No idea, but I assume summer would be hot as balls. I did it in February and the climate was quite pleasant, even cool and misty sometimes.
>>1273661
Sorry for the information milking, but got any tips for morocco? I've been meaning to go there for a while, to do a longer travel-around trip for a month or something
>>1274215
I got a million tips for Morocco. My number one is GTFO of the cities. Pick any random stretch of mountains on a map, take a taxi there and start walking; every donkey path leads to a village.
But if that's not your thing, then skip the touristy cities in favor of the pleasant ones -- Meknes, Rabat, Taroudant, Ouazzane are my favorites; lots of historic stuff and no touts/hustlers.
>>1274340
Do you spend the night in the village? Do you bring a tent or ask for a place to stay?
>>1274426
If you speak French (and are a likeable person) you'll get invited to sleep over a lot; based on my experience, a few nights per week. As often as not I turn these invites down because I don't like to take advantage, and camping is fun. But I've made a lot of genuine friends this way.
I no longer bother taking a tent, because it rains infrequently and I can always find floor space in a home when it does. I do bring a warm-ass sleeping bag for sleeping outside, though.
Only about half of rural people speak French, so if you do go to the mountains, try your damndest to learn a little Berber. It makes these exchanges exponentially better, plus you'll be able to avoid awkward silent meals and thank your host at the end.
After a meal or sleepover I like to offer the host a little money. Usually they refuse in which case I try to buy some bread or eggs from them to take with me. It's very unusual for them to ask for money, but in that case of course you should pay up.
>>1272362
>riding freight trains
>in africa
I crown thy crustlord king of the oogles
>>1274340
Cool, that was exactly my plan. I've been twice through Marrakesh done surfing on the west coast, and the meetings with locals have been the best parts. Is it worth learning French if I want to go to small villages? Arabic would be too much of a time investment at the moment but I already know some french.
So would you recommend just hiking+hitchhiking/taxi to get around? I'm not new to this kind of travelling but I also really don't want to die in Morocco because I ran out of water in the middle of nowhere. I'd love traveling by camel/dromedar for a while if it's possible as well
>>1274623
Buses are cheap and can get you many places in the mountains. For more remote areas you have to rely on shared taxis, and often hitchhiking is easier than dealing with them. Anyway, there's nothing like riding down a mountain road in the bed of a pickup truck.
I wouldn't worry about running out of water; the mountains are populated enough that you can find help when you need it.
Yeah, while Darija would be the most useful language to learn, as English speakers we've got a huge advantage toward learning French. Better to speak a lot of French than a little Arabic.
But like I say, learning things like "this food is delicious" in Berber will get you a long way. If you speak decent French, google "Intitiation Tachelhit PDF"
If you're more comfortable with English google "Peace Corps Tashlheet PDF"
>>1274629
I will definitely learn some Berber, I'm a huge language buff so I look forward to it.
Yeah the french isn't really there yet, but I won't be able to do this trip for at least a year anyway so there's time..
When surfing we hitched a lot of rides, usually just paying in cigarettes, and these were really the best experiences I've had in any country, great people overall.
I'll probably do the same as you, bringing a nice sleeping bag and just going inside when It rains. I want to give you cred for your customs when staying with people as well, I think a lot of travelers forget this part (I've hosted quite a few).
Thanks for the help!
>>1274646
I try to tread lightly in Berber communities because it's really a fragile cultural ecosystem. Their language is probably going to be extinct 100 years from now thanks to Arabization and French influence; if tourists learn even a few native words, that helps teach the younger generation that their mother tongue can still be influential.
NB you want to learn the Tachelhit dialect for all areas south of Toubkal; for the northern High and Middle Atlas you want to learn Tamazight; for the Rif you want Tarifit.
>>1274577
What about snakes, insects and other animals? Do you just put your sleeping bag directly on the ground?
>>1274774
Yeah, there's snakes and scorpions, but I've never seen a single one. I do shake out my boots before putting them on in the mornings, because scorpions like the warmth, but otherwise I don't worry about it. I guess it is a legitimate hazard though.