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DAY 49. SAT 24/03. Tamanrasset to Assekrem. 87 kms. Total 11369 kms. Camping Refuge Assekrem. N23 15.494 E5 38.161
Started the day with a visit to the doctor/hospital to get Inga checked out. By all accounts a very good doctor. As mentioned earlier, gave Inga an injection for her blood pressure/levels? And a prescription for 2 different antibiotics! Almost immediately afterwards Inga was already feeling much better. Headed into town to collect medicine from the chemist but we had run out of money (only changed our left over CFA at the border) and being a Saturday banks were closed! Luckily managed to pay for tablets in Euros so we were in business with the throat lozenge sized antibiotics…. A couple of other stops in town before hitting the track to Assekrem, about 80kms, which took around 4hrs! More suited to hiking boots than 4x4’s – like mountain climbing in a car! Especially the last 20kms which climb very steeply over rutted, washed-out track and rocks. Most of the time is spent in 2nd and 3rd gear and even 1st gear is needed quite a lot with low range on the steepest bits! Climb from altitude of about 1300m in Tam to about 2600m at the top of Assekrem. Don’t think I would not do that drive again – next time walk of take a camel but it takes about 3 days this way. From the refuge/camp there is a short walk up to the top of the peak where there is a hermitage (P de Foucauld – French monk/priest?), weather station and where most people go up to watch the spectacular sunsets and sunrise over the Hoggar Mountains. Rob and Wifa went up to watch the sunset as Inga was still recovering and didn’t want to over exert herself too soon. Spectacular sunset and took many photos but eventually got too cold and hurried down before turning blue! During the night the wind really howled which resulted in a terrible nights sleep in the tent but with Wifa sleeping in the back of the landy there was no other option.
DAY 50. SUN 25/03. Assekrem to Tamanrasset. 96 kms. Total 11464 kms. Camping “Kat-Kat”/4x4. N22 47.161 E5 33.344
Didn’t wake up early enough to see the sunrise, missed it by about half an hour! With our bad nights sleep and the wind still howling and very cold we couldn’t be bothered getting out of the tent at 6am! Packed up and left back to Tam in a hurry after a quick breakfast. Wasn’t too bad going back down the track and seemed to go much quicker than the way up but it still took 4 hours to get back to the camp site by which time it was only 1pm. That left us with the afternoon free to do a few things and get to the bank. Unfortunately by the time we got there bank had already closed for the day! (Closes at 1pm on Sunday?) So still no money! Did have enough loose change to buy a fabulous half grilled chicken and chips for dinner (and give the cats in the camp site a treat with the bones). Rest of the afternoon was spent doing washing, giving Cathey a bit of a wash to try and get rid of some of the fine dust which covered her, especially the back where the lights were completely hidden by dust! Also filled up water for the desert journey ahead and checked oils etc.
DAY 51. MON 26/03. Tamanrasset to Teffedest Mountains 246 kms. Total 11710 kms. Bushcamp
Started the day by going down to the bank to finally change some money then back to camp to pay for our night’s accommodation and collect our new guide, Jafha Mohammed an older, more experienced desert guide. Came complete with his rolled up bed and bag of supplies for camping so we knew he was the real deal. Filled up with diesel, all 150 litres, as we wouldn’t see another gas station until 5 days later! Only cost around £15, great, isn’t it? Headed north along tar road for some time until just past In-Amdjel, when we headed east cross country to pick up some tracks heading toward the Teffedest Mountains. There were even a few drops of rain on the way out – our 1st rain in Africa since leaving Europe! Stopped for a lovely lunch of chicken mayo sarmies made with left over chicken from last night! Mohammed quickly got a small fire going for numerous cups of tea which became the routine. Drove for a few more hours before camping in the south west part of the Teffedest. Again Mohammed collected fire wood and the fire was lit in the evening too for cooking and more cups of tea, which also became the routine. He just curled up in his bed next to the fire and we slept in the back of Cathey as it was quite windy!
DAY 52 – 55. TUES 27/03-FRI 31/03. Teffedest Mountains to Erg Mehejbet, via Arak.Overall 595 kms. Total 12305 kms. Bushcamping
Quite a relaxing time for us as we didn’t do as much driving as we were used too. Only averaged about 150 kms a day. Would drive for a couple of hours in the morning and then take a long 2 hour lunch break till around 3pm. After making a fire, eating and drinking tea, Mohammed would have a little nap for an hour or so. We would generally relax, read or listen to the radio. Then drive for another few hours until 5/5.30pm when we would camp. We slept in the back every night except for one due to wind. Put up the side awning once for Mohammed to sleep under as there was a bit of rain that right and also lent him our spare sleeping bag on a couple of occasions as it was quite cold. It was quite an interesting but enjoyable experience traveling with a guide especially as he spoke no English. So communication was generally hand signals and a few common words in French or Berber dialect. Navigation was generally on tracks or cross country over rocks and stones or through camel grass whenever the guide would get a bee in his bonnet. Real desert guides don’t use maps or gps but rely on land marks and local knowledge for navigation thus it was often a case of “head for that mountain over there”, regardless of where the tracks were going. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes enjoyable and always amusing. We will never forget Mohammed’s humour, lunch time naps, endless cups of tea, fire wood collecting missions, soured camel’s milk, flat breads baked in the sand under coals and his bottomless magic bag with many “potions” for some of which he would pick wild herbs in the desert. Our route took us over to the east side of the Teffedest via Mertoutek, a small desert oasis, where we picked up another guide to show us the local rock paintings and carvings at N24 16.209 E5 30.490. After driving through the water in the oasis to get to the rock paintings and back to Mertoutek to drop off the guide we noticed quite a bit of oil had leaked out of the rear left oil seals again on the same wheel we had troubles with earlier in Morocco. Also wheel/hub had been quite loose since leaving Niger which didn’t bode well – probably due to seals not being embedded properly which had now caused play in bearings and hub assembly. We resolved to address this when (and if) we made it to Tunis as without the right parts and in the middle of the desert there was not much else we could do. Headed north up the east side of Teffedest towards the peak of Garet el Djenoun and camped near the km 150 way point on the A9 piste/route (Sahara Overland). The following day took us via Garet el Djenoun where we lunched (N25 06.942 E5 24.227). Quite what the fuss about this particular peak is we could not quite work out besides it maybe being the highest in the range it was a bit unspectacular. Camped that night on the north side of the Teffedest heading south west back towards the N1 road and Tesnou, another famous mountain. The next day we crossed back over the the tar road again to visit Tesnou or Marabout Moulay Hassan on the west side, a spectacular pudding shaped mountain formed by volcanic activity/lava flow (N24 36.398 E4 32.416). Again this mountain hosted our prolonged lunch stop. After that it was back on the tar road heading north and we camped approximately half way between Tamanrasset and In Salah off the side of the road amongst some interestingly shaped boulders and mountains. Put the tent up for the only time on this leg of the journey. Final day had us heading via Arak which was our 1st town along the way where we managed to by some bread but not much else. Lunch was spent just north of Arak near the start of the great sand seas/Ergs. While Mohammed had his customary nap we walked over to one of the great dunes. Rob tried to climb to the top but it was too steep and he didn’t fancy crawling up on all 4’s. Camped that night at Erg Mehejbet, completely surrounded by dunes! A bit windy and sandy again but awesome dune scenery none the less.
DAY 56. SAT 01/04. Erg Mehejbet to In Salah. 210 kms. Total 12515 kms. Camping Palmier. N27 11.774 E2 28.412
Arrived in In Salah just after lunch and went to Haffaoui Mohamed’s house who is the proprietor of Tanezrouft Voyages, the agency we were traveling with. Yves Larboulette, who also works for the agency, was also there visiting from Switzerland so we got to chat to him which was nice. And another Mohammed, also working for the agency, [and I believe Bel(aka Landygirl) & Mel Phillip’s guide last year] whom we had met earlier in Tamanrasset so it was like a little reunion with a great family atmosphere. Had lunch at the house and even got to use some internet in the office. Were invited back for dinner too which was very nice. But before that we went to set up camp at Camping Palmier – the only camp in the town. A bit basic but after 5 nights in the desert was quite a luxury for us! Any form of shower would do! Also made the mistake of filling up all 80 litres of our water carrying capacity as we were quite low after last filling up in Tamanrasset. 16 days later in Tunisia we are still trying to get rid of the last of it! In Salah is named after the salt in the water (Salah is Arabic for salt) and it tastes pretty terrible even when filtered!
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