• Learning how to be a dune driver

September 18, 2004

Team members figuring out the best way to dislodge the vehicle	Dune driving

Waking up and being able to have a shower is now a luxury. Our campsite in Tekerkiba is the only one with facilities. Basic but at least there's a toilet and showers. We have two nights here, mostly to recuperate from long days of driving and also to get some lessons in dune driving from Sandro and Roberto.

We unpack the cars and early in the morning, we head into the desert. The first dune is quite high but with expert instruction we all make it across. We only drive about 30 kilometers today to an oasis. Due to the high salt content in the water, we all float effortlessly. Even Baharom Hamzah (Bingo Bingo) who can't swim was persuaded to jump in.

After lunch, we headed back to our campsite to get supplies at Tekerkiba for the next two nights of camping in the dunes. The cars were checked and minor repairs were quickly attended to by the mechanics.

On the 17th and the 19th day of our expedition, we head back into the desert. With all the skills learnt from the previous week, the team is ready for some of the highest dunes in the Sahara.

"The team is doing well,” says Sandro Arada, our desert guide. “They listen to instructions and are fast learners. This makes my job much easier." We arrived at our first stop of the day, another oasis with a salt lake. Some of us had another dip, but most of the team chose to cook their lunch under the palm trees surrounding the lake.

After lunch, Sandro gives the team a quick briefing before we head off to tackle the dunes. The rest of the day the team seemed to be driving around in circles, but we make steady progress to our campsite at the edge of the desert. Using the GPS and the tracks of the car in front, we managed to travel about 100 kilometers in about eight hours.

After this, the team will be heading for Tripoli, before we cross into Tunisia for more adventures.