Day 11 Tamakrest waterfall

Usual wake up routine and a relatively short drive to the waterfall. Pretty amazing to see this much water just lying around.


Had a good granite scramble to the top where the vegetation defies belief.


The crew took advantage of the abundance of water and did laundry.


A long lunch with rear brake maintenance today.


Also enough time for the crew's laundry to dry.
Rambled through the 'burbs of Tamrangasset (ugly and garbage strewn) on to a camp site near the actual Mt. Hoggar.


Portraits today





and Hassan does fire duty.




While Towa (mystery 2nd driver) and Akmed go into town - fuel, bread cigarettes.

Very windy night - tent worthy, indigent indigenous are in the 'hood as well.


- from my iPad

Location:Tamransett NW outskirts

Day 10 Youfihakit desert

Earlyish start and continued to head south to some very unusual formations.









This appears to be our most southern location as we now head NW towards Tamanransett. Stop for lunch, fries


More sand bread for the locals dinner tonight. Sand bread is made from semolina flour. Couscous too?


But the main entertainment is my first shave in 40 years



After lunch we headed north across a lunar landscape


divided by recently wet oueds. We followed these looking for wells. Eventually found one in the dry river bed and filled up.








Not much further and the midst of unfamiliar civilization


we made camp. Cherry and I elected to use tents tonight.


A little easier to keep an eye on things. Interesting sunset now that we have clouds.


- from my iPad

Location:Youfihakit desert

Day 9 Tin Agoula

It's become apparent that yesterday and today are a transition phase between Tassili N'ajjer and Tassili Hoggar. In other worlds featureless desert with not much visual entertainment.
Lunch was spectacular with a green chili pepper vegetable stuff AND that cauliflower special.
After lunch crossed the Ajjer/Hoggar marker


then could see Tin Agoula off in the distance. Akmed thought we could find a better camp site. Hard to argue.
Usual sunset photo session


and another veg stew dinner with soup of course. Very tasty.

Cherry makes first cut at tip distribution:
Abdullah 100
Hassan 40
Akmed 40
Towa 20
Mohammid 20

Maybe makes a point too strongly.


- from my iPad

Location:Tin Agoula plus some

Day 8 Tadent well

Major de-sanding exercises upon wakening. The stuff bag for M. Poufay is AWOL. At b'fast Cherry points out across the desert about 400m and says there is something red out there.
stuff bag reclaimed.. Celebrate with a 'bucks.


Howard fesses up to a middle night nature break - next to the vehicle in the main thoroughfare. Protocol violation.
New driver's assistant is less hostile this morning and reveals he speaks some English.

Morning prayer.


Load vehicles and head southwest then due south across a giant expanse of nothing.
No guide so very quiet in the tourist vehicle.

Mid desert vehicle maintenance on the 'new' vehicle ('98 diesel). The older one is an '82 petrol engined Land Cruiser.


Maybe a front-end alignment at the next stop.


Long long drive today, mainly south, and slightly west for 220km with nary a road to get in the way. Mid afternoon we gave chase to a herd of gazelle.


Small goat sized beasts that are very quick. Much bouncing in the vehicle as Akmed gives chase, photographic quality suffers.

Tuareg encampment Tabort a few km before reaching the well at


Tadent. Very few people around. Talent is not the final destination but another 20km south. French military fortification evident on hill tops.


Spaghetti for dinner with veg sauce.


Makhamid, number two mechanic, is a guitarist and also neither unfriendly nor unhelpful. Fireside music perhaps? No such luck.

Excellent night's sleep, cloudless moonless night.

- from my iPad

Location:Tadent

Day 7 Erg Admer

Paul did in fact leave.
Good night feeling clean.
Breakfast at 7:15 in order to ready to leave at 10am
We were ready but where was anyone from or hired by Cheche?
At 11:15 helpful hotel manager starts phoning on our behalf. Mani is now in France! Must have left with Paul.
Cheche office in Djanet is closed.
Call Faysal in Algers. Mani is with him. Everything is fine!
Oh yeh?
About 30 mins later Hassan shows up in 'new' vehicle - very rough and very slow. New owner/driver. Not friendly or happy. That makes all of us.
Hassan is stressed as we amble the 8km into Djanet. Visit museum -ok. Visit market - barely ok. Buy mp3 CD.


Then we head to lunch and waiting at the restaurant is Abdullah, the cook. Good to see him. Abdullah and I head off for coffee and spot Akmed. The three if us head back to Hotel Tenere and wait.


Seems to me I just witnessed an extended session of Tuareg finger pointing.
Eventually, say another hour, lousy vehicle arrives with Cherry, Howard, Hassan and new driver plus equally unfriendly driver-helper.
The vehicles are loaded and we head off west to Erg Admer. Where's Sully?
Not 30km down the road we lose other vehicle and pull off the almost paved road into the sand to wait.
Eventually the other vehicle, containing the other 4 non tourists, catches up.
Camp on side of dune.


Poulet de sable au Abdullah avec pomme de terre stuffing.


Red meat drying on the roof rack - what's that about?

Hit the sack and the wind picks up. Sand everywhere. Worrying about empty stuff bags blowing away.

Restless night.


- from my iPad

Location:Erg Admer

Day 6 return to Djanet

Pre-dawn hike up between towers.





Heading back to Djanet across wide wide expanse of nothing.


Smoke break


at the Nov 1960 Berliet expedition sign.


Stop for lunch just 18km short.
Can we get to the hotel already?

Quick visit to crying cow.


Totally different artistic style. Cool.

Arrive at hotel


Hani arrives to sort out my missing eticket.
Also to deal with Paul who has decided to bail tonight.
In Paul and Howards room I notice Howard holding a ticket.
It's mine for goodness sake! What was he thinking when I asked if anyone had my ticket on the first day in Djanet. I asked him what he intended to do with it - a blank stare.
Oh my goodness.

To add to the fun the ticket I was carrying was actually Paul's but when I asked him his last name he only gave me the last two syllables of his long polish name so there was no match in my head. (no, his name is actually Edward Paul Gatza but the ticket I held had a typo and said: EOWARDGATZA. Paul didn't recognize it so why would I? Who knew his first name was a misspelled Edward?

Now he says 'that's my ticket'. It's moot because Paul is leaving early but what ticket did he think he had?
Which reminds me, Howard asked me yesterday what the name on my ticket was, I spelt it and he didn't recognize his friends name!
Oh the insanity!

Hotel's lousy shower is great! No wifi.

Will have dinner here at hotel tonight and hit downtown Djanet tomorrow.

Paul is leaving us at 1am tomorrow!


- from my iPad

Location:Hotel Tenere, Djanet

Day 5 Tin Merzouga dunes

Cherry summited Tin Merzouga.


I hiked out get the rock shot we saw on way in yesterday.






Lunchtime, the great schedule reconciliation!


Nature break elephant discovery
wild squash - donkey food.


Wild ride into Alidema

Paul sez he is going to bail.

Long lie down in the playa waiting for dinner. Stubbed toe big time.



Vegetable ragout with sand bread. Excellent
445km


- from my iPad

Location:Alidema