Crossing the desert

We start early for our first day of desert driving. With the guidance of our Mauretanian passenger our convoy makes its' way through the dunes. The ground we drive on is a mix of rocks, bushes, gravel, and soft sand. We go at about 50 km/h, and the car´s suspension is taking quite a beating.

The most challenging parts are the sandy partitions, as this is where the cars can get stuck, and have to be dug or pulled out. The sandy patches are usually 20 meters long and you don´t really see them until they´re right in front of you. It is best then to speed up, glide over the sand with a lot of momentum, follow in the tracks of your predecessor, and steer as little as possible.

Easier said than done. It is incredible that a car can take such a beating and still run: At times we fly over bushes and rocks, other times we dive nose first in to the sand, the rest of the time we get shaken up so vigorously we can barely hold on to the steering wheel.

A real challenge for man and machine. At first we worry about the car, but after a few hours we enjoy each little challenge the path brings. While other teams occasionally loose mufflers, roof rack luggage, or get stuck in the sand, our blazing veedub is holding up well.

At night we try to reach a Beduin camp in the middle of nowhere. It is amazing how our guide is able to find his way through the featureless landscape. Sometimes there are a few tire tracks to follow, but most of the time he is following his own mental map written by years of experience. We are running late, and have to drive the last half hour through the total blackness of the Arabian night. Still we find the Beduin camp without a problem.

It is the camp of a single nomad family: Four blue tents reserved for the men, and four white tents for women, children, and visitors. Around the tents we hear a heard of goats bleating. We are invited into one of the tents for tea, as it is customary in North-African countries.

The lack of light and running water doesn´t seem a problem for the Beduin woman preparing the tea. She clamps a flash light with her left shoulder, and washes the dishes with water from a hot kettle. The dirty water is then discarded out the tent´s entrance. We drink our peppermint tea quietly. We set up our tents close by and fall asleep under the amazing desert sky.

tags: Plymouth-Banjul, Aachen, Rallye, Paris-Dakar, Africa, Sahara, Mauretania