The 10pm plane finally left at 4:30am. Great... but it was going to Tamransett first and Djanet second getting us on the ground at dawn, 6am. I have to say the traveling Algerian takes a load of abuse regarding transportation punctuality but throughout they remain calm and generally good humoured, especially to us. Locals are extremely welcoming and kind as we struggle to find the right communication band, French, English, signs whatever.
Mr. Mani, a giant Tuareg, picks up from the airport in full purple regalia. He's huge and again, no English, but super friendly. He drives us 30km to where we were meant to have slept last night. We had indicated we didn't want to sleep but get driving, so with 7 bed hours in the last 64 we quickly grabbed petit dejeuner. Then a short drive to Mr Mani's house and a repacking of vehicles
as the cook, Abdullah, and his driver, Sully, show up in another beat-up diesel Land Cruiser.
Mr. Mani indicates he is staying in Djanet so Cherry and i join Abdullah, another extremely tall Tuareg in very camp gear and Sully, heading off, south east from Djanet to find our travel companions who had spent the night near a nomadic Tuareg settlement (generous description, just one family two tents).
On our way Sully drives up to a pile of rocks and tells to scramble over them. What's with guy, does he think we need a bathroom break. Then we see the incredible petraglyphs, kinda over shadow the one at Toroweap last week.
Giraffes and cattle - excellent renderings.
We eventually find the Tuareg camp,
some 50 miles out across the sand. Quite few serious 4wd sections.
What a shocker. Paul and Howard are quite infirm and in their late 70's. Howard is deaf, probably all his life perhaps a stroke, resulting in a chronic speech impediment and an air of distinctly not following proceedings. Paul on the other hand is blind in one eye and can't walk well at all.
I'm not making this up.
Somehow this meeting combined with chronic lack of sleep leaves me quite depressed. What was I thinking.....
We meet Hassan, our excellent English speaking guide, a delight and soon Akmed returns with the second vehicle with extra diesel tanks on board.
Serious desert rigs.
Much vehicle repacking and then it's further SE to El Biredj to find the famous rock paintings of the Tissili D'jassir National Park. In a word, under whelming in terms of expanse but the detail is excellent.
This is lunch so Abdullah gets cracking prepping lunch while Cherry and I set off for a hill while Paul and Howard accidentally nap.
Very nice lunch but if eating salad in Algeria is a bad idea then we are screwed. Good salad though.
Back in the two vehicle convoy through absolutely stunning scenery until the wagons circle and tonight's campsite is officially declaring after much inter-vehicle shouting in Tuaregese.
The scenery is so stunning
that I have now remembered what I was thinking.
Cherry and I take a bunch of sunset photos and build our camps. Jeepers it's dark already.
No moon so the star will be beyond spectacular. iPad astronomy kit is handy.
From my rocky perch I see dinner is being prepped while I sit up on my rocky high point drinking a stiff Bacardi, no coke, and do the one finger polka on the iPad.
We camp in El Biredj
125miles today
- from my iPad
Location:Day 2 El Biredj
