More importantly we made it out 😂
Day 1.
Foum Zagid to the dunes Erg Chigaga. I’ve got a couple of tracks imported and we attempt to follow one. The first 45km or so are OK, apart from the bloody corrugated sections (or jigglyshit as it should be called). We then get to the dunes and the track is taking us through the northern section of the dunes. It looks too iffy, too much soft sand so I decide to do a detour. It’s along some of the worst tracks ever, vast expanses of rocks. It’s down to 7 to 10mph max, it seems to go on for ever. In reality it’s 25km. 8 hrs in we get to the dunes😀
We’re a bit knackered and just park up in the first spot we find. Gin and tonic time
No kidding, 3 pints of gin and tonic 🤣
Marie (who knows how) knocks up an amazing vegetable concoction, loads of chilly and smoked paprika, and to finish it off coconut milk. Really good, we're missing spicy food. Weird given that every Souk you walk around there are mountains of colourful spices for sale, but for us, Moroccan food gets a bit bland. It doesn't help that they seem to think tourists only want tagine or brochette. We know for a fact, we've had it, that Moroccan food is so much better than that but it’s sometimes a challenge to find it. It doesn't help that our French is virtually non existent of course.
Anyway after food and G and T's we're feeling very happy and chilled. As soon as it’s dark the light shoe from the stars is simply stunning. The moon hasn't risen and of course zero light pollution means that we can see the milky way in it’s full glory.
Day 2.
We’re hoping for a nice easy drive out, it’s only 59km. I’m trying to follow the same track but the gpx waypoints are too far apart. This combined with the multiple tracks visible in this part of the desert means that it’s very easy to start following the wrong one. So we're constantly back tracking to pick up the track again. So in frustration I give up on that and start navigating by the sun
What could go wrong? It’s only the Sahara 🙄
No, not really. We just follow tracks in OsmAnd, it’s remarkably accurate. Nice easy going, smooth and flat happy days😎
Until. And this sneaks up in me. We’re into soft sand dunes. I haven't prepared for this in that the tyres are only deflated to around 22psi. That’s for driving over rocks and corrugated sections, not this. But we’re committed, no option but to keep going. So, this really isn’t my style, momentum, 3k revs and hope for the best. A packet of crisps stored I a net above Marie opens and showers her in Paprika flavour, all the stuff on the dash is around our feet, who knows wants going on in the back. I just have to keep going until we find some hard ground.
As soon as we do I can stop and figure out where we are. Go back or continue? After a bit of debate we decide to press on. The Sprinter seems happier ASR off in this. I couldn't figure out if it was the drag off the sand or the engine management reducing power in the sections we've just been through, a little disconcerting. Marie claims the front was air borne a couple of time, who knows but I’m a little tense right now!
But we make it out. I’m seriously impressed with the Sprinter. I'm glad of the 493Nm, anything less would have been seriously stressed. The temp gauge didn't budge from 89 to 91C.
Time for a chill and a beer by a pool now. We’ve booked a hotel in Zagora🍻
Yay, we made it into the Sahara
More importantly we made it out
Day 1.
Foum Zagid to the dunes Erg Chigaga. I’ve got a couple of tracks imported and we attempt to follow one. The first 45km or so are OK, apart from the bloody corrugated sections (or jiggly**** as I call it). We then get to the dunes and the track is taking us through the northern section of the dunes. It looks too iffy, too much soft sand so I decide to do a detour. It’s along some of the worst tracks ever, vast expanses of rocks. It’s down to 7 to 10mph max, it seems to go on for ever. In reality it’s 25km. 8 hrs in we get to the dunes
We’re a bit knackered and just park up in the first spot we find. Gin and tonic time
No kidding, 3 pints of gin and tonic
Marie (who knows how) knocks up an amazing vegetable concoction, loads of chilly and smoked paprika, and to finish it off coconut milk. Really good, we're missing spicy food. Weird given that every Souk you walk around there are mountains of colourful spices for sale, but for us, Moroccan food gets a bit bland. It doesn't help that they seem to think tourists only want tagine or brochette. We know for a fact, we've had it, that Moroccan food is so much better than that but it’s sometimes a challenge to find it. It doesn't help that our French is virtually non existent of course.
Anyway after food and G and T's we're feeling very happy and chilled. As soon as it’s dark the light shoe from the stars is simply stunning. The moon hasn't risen and of course zero light pollution means that we can see the milky way in it’s full glory.
Day 2.
What could go wrong? It’s only the Sahara
No, not really. We just follow tracks in OsmAnd, it’s remarkably accurate. Nice easy going, smooth and flat happy days
Until. And this sneaks up in me. We’re into soft sand dunes. I haven't prepared for this in that the tyres are only deflated to around 22psi. That’s for driving over rocks and corrugated sections, not this. But we’re committed, no option but to keep going. So, this really isn’t my style, momentum, 3k revs and hope for the best. A packet of crisps stored I a net above Marie opens and showers her in Paprika flavour, all the stuff on the dash is around our feet, who knows wants going on in the back. I just have to keep going until we find some hard ground.
As soon as we do I can stop and figure out where we are. Go back or continue? After a bit of debate we decide to press on. The Sprinter seems happier ASR off in this. I couldn't figure out if it was the drag off the sand or the engine management reducing power in the sections we've just been through, a little disconcerting. Marie claims the front was air borne a couple of time, who knows but I’m a little tense right now!
But we make it out. I’m seriously impressed with the Sprinter. I'm glad of the 493Nm, anything less would have been seriously stressed. The temp gauge didn't budge from 89 to 91C.
Time for a chill and a beer by a pool now. We’ve booked a hotel in Zagora
Yes the desert requires respect! A tourist died more or less on the route we followed, they had hired a 4x4 and suffered a puncture. For what ever reason they couldn't change it, or maybe the spare was flat. My memory is a little hazy on the details. Anyway they had only taken a few litres of bottled water with them, which of course starts to run out pretty quickly. The husband decides to meet off on foot to try and find help, they’d seen a Nomad tent on their way in. By the time he returns, in only a few hours, his wife has died of heat exhaustion. We had around 30 litres of bottled water and 80 litres in the on board tank (that’s to be avoided if possible, who knows what bugs are in their by now! It doesn't have any uv treatment or filtration)
So for me the desert has a romantic allure, the adventure, solitude, size/scale, the wilderness. But it’s a bit of a love hate thing. It’s physically challenging for sure but that’s eclipsed by the mental challenge. Not to mention the mechanical challenge to your vehicle. Your mind is working at 80% capacity more or less the entire time. Are still on the right route? Am I taking the right line? Listening for any new and unwanted noises from the vehicle, concentrating on the navigation, when the route isn't as you expected running multiple scenarios through your head. Every time you enter a dry river bed or crest a dune you have recalculate everything. Anything that is normal behaviour, I expect to do that by that time, I will follow that route/plan needs to be reassessed. If you have to turn around or do 4mph rather than the expected/calculated 40mph. So be it. We're not programmed to think like that anymore!
I can assure you that if your mind is cluttered up with 1st world problems this will cleanse your mind. There’s no space for junk
So it was great to travel through the Sahara, but even better to get out
Naturally if you get used to it that all reduces but this is the 3rd time in 10 years so we’re far from naturals at this. The first 2 times were with a group. Solo is another story🤔😀
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