The iron ore train to Choum was already a popular staple of any backpacking trip in Mauritania when I went in the early millennium. One thing often missing from

The iron ore train to Choum was already a popular staple of any backpacking trip in Mauritania when I went in the early millennium. One thing often missing from descriptions, however, is how incredibly filthy the cars are with iron-ore dust, even on the trip back east after the ore was delivered to the coast. While I was still in Western Sahara, I learned from another hitchhiker coming north that I should buy some plastic sheeting as used in construction, and hermetically wrap my backpack in that. I am happy that I did.