A strong headwind had been blowing since the day before, but at least it wasn’t cold, which was a relief. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be climbing, so I really hope the wind dies down. That day, we decided to pitch our tent on the riverbank, just off National Route 4. There’s a village right nearby.
“W, come take a look. The river water is so clear. Should we do some laundry?”
“You’re right. Let’s do it, let’s do it. We’ve got quite a pile of laundry anyway.”
For us, besides relaxing at the hotel, there’s another important task: doing laundry. However, the hotel in Mascara didn’t have a bath, and to make matters worse, the water pressure was so low that doing laundry was out of the question. We had no choice but to wash just our underwear at a hammam (public bath), all the while worrying about what people around us might think.
“H, let’s get the laundry done before sunset.”
“You’re right. The weather looks good for tomorrow, so let’s prepare dinner after we finish the laundry.”
Having a water source nearby is convenient for all sorts of things—not just rinsing rice, but also washing dishes, washing our faces, brushing our teeth, and washing up.
Before going to bed, I lay in my tent thinking, “Since we have a river right in front of us, why don’t I go fishing tomorrow morning while I wait for the laundry to dry? It’s been a while.”
River Water Quality Testing
While I was preparing breakfast, a large group of people suddenly arrived, and the area around our tent instantly became noisy. There were over 20 of them in total; it seemed they were conducting a river water quality test. After collecting several samples in small plastic containers, the entire group left, and silence returned as if nothing had happened. [Could it be that the river is contaminated?]
Back then, Algeria—like Morocco—still lacked a fully developed water and sewage system. This was especially noticeable the further one got from the cities, where domestic wastewater was essentially dumped directly into the rivers. I’d seen scenes where the water in ditches dug alongside the roads had become stagnant, with black oil floating on the surface, turning them into cesspools; sometimes, the wastewater would overflow and block the road.
“Is it okay if I go fishing while my laundry dries?”
“Sure. I’ll just have a smoke and some tea.”
I took out my trusty compact fishing rod and reel. It had been a while since I’d gone fishing—the last time was on the Tagus River in Lisbon. For bait, I used chopped sausage and hobos.
After two hours of fishing, I caught a fish similar to what we call “moroko” in Japan, but it was only about 10 centimeters long. While it might have been suitable for tsukudani, it was simply too small to be worth boiling or grilling.
My laundry had dried, and I didn’t leave until after 11:00 AM; the strong winds from yesterday had died down.
Next → Two Things to Find
前日から強い向かい風が吹き抜けていますが、冷たくない分まだ救われていました。あしたからは登り、風がやんで欲しいものです。この日は、国道４号線を少し外れた川岸にテントを張ることに。すぐ近くには村もあります。
「Ｗ君、ちょっと見てよ。きれいな川の水だよ。洗濯するか?」
「ホントだ。しましょう、しましょう。だいぶ洗濯物も溜まっているし」
私たちにはホテルでノンビリするのはもちろん、もう一つ洗濯をするという大事な仕事があります。ところがマスカラのホテルには風呂がなく、おまけに水の出が悪く、洗濯どころではありませんでした。やむなく、ハマム（公衆浴場）で周りの目を気にしながら下着だけ洗濯していたのです。
「Ｈさん、日が暮れる前に洗濯しちゃいましょうよ」
「そうだな、あしたは天気はよさそうだし、晩飯の仕度は洗濯の後にしよう」
水場が近いと米とぎはもちろん、食器類の洗浄、洗顔・歯磨き、体の清拭と何かと便利です。
就寝前、テントの中で「せっかく目の前に川があるんだし、明日の朝は洗濯物が乾くまで、久しぶりに釣りでもするか?」そんなことを考えていました。
川の水質検査
朝飯の仕度の最中、突然多くの人がやって来てテントの周りがにわかに騒がしくなりました。総勢20人以上、どうやら川の水質検査のようです。小さなポリ容器で数本のサンプルを採取して全員引き上げていくと、再び何事もなかったかのように静けさが戻りました。〔まさか、何かに汚染された川なのか?〕
当時のアルジェリアはモロッコと同様、まだ上下水道は十分に整っていませんでした。それは都会から離れるほど顕著で、生活排水はほぼ川に垂れ流しの状況です。道路脇に掘られたままの側溝の流れはよどみ、黒い油が浮いてドブと化している、時には排水が溢れだして道をふさいでいる、そんな光景を見てきました。
「洗濯物が乾くまで、釣りしてていいかな?」
「どうぞ。僕は一服しながらお茶飲んでますから」
取り出したのは愛用のコンパクトな釣竿とリール。釣りをするのはリスボンのテージョ川以来のことで、久しぶりになります。餌は切り刻んだソーセージとホブス。
釣ること２時間、日本でいうモロコのような魚が釣れましたが、体長は10センチほど、佃煮ならともかく煮るにも焼くにも、どうにもサイズがイマイチでした。
洗濯物が乾いて出発をしたのは11時を過ぎてから、きのうの強い風はやんでいました。
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