It's really quite biblical !!

Decided that the high pressure sales tactics weren't for us so we beat a hasty retreat from Meski, up a very steep hillside, doing a certain amount of slipping and sliding, as the road surface was difficult for Delfin at 3.850 tonnes, complete with a 60 litre tank of fresh water pulling her backwards.
A lady standing in a tin tub  stamping her washing, reminded Sue that she was keen to strip the beds and make the van smell wholesome again.

Almost as soon as we were on our way, the harshness of the scenery was apparent. There were black rocks and boulders, with no sign of cultivation . Without warning, there appeared a cavernous gorge visible from our high driving seats.It was many metres deep and within it was a trickle of water.

You know those dates that we buy at Christmas with the camel picture on the box.....well they come from here! 

Oasis du Ziz



Even in temperatures of 38*C, firewood is required for the bread ovens.

The last town of any size along the N13 is Merzuga.



The city gate into Merzuga





After this point there are no shops, garages, supermarkets or watering holes until you reach Erg Chebbi and the end of civilisation as we know it!



And there through the heat haze is our first glimpse of the Sahara desert!! Yes all vehicles have to give way to camels even in the middle of nowhere.

Erg Chebbi

Bedouin  in the orange sand

We are just metres from the dunes and I can't believe that all those years spent teaching youngsters about this hostile environment from text books and videos and finally I am able to experience it for myself. At one point today it was 40*C both inside and outside the van!

So to bring our amazing day to an end, here is Sue washing our bedding and getting it ironed dry in half an hour .When the wind blows it is like a tumble drier.