Trips

Sun., 2/26/23 - Toujane, Matmata Region, Sahara Desert Camp

The road taken to leave Djerba Island was built over a first century Roman causeway that connects the island to the mainland. A large pipeline runs along the road to supply the island with water. There were flamingoes and small fishing boats (row boats) near the shore which was white with drying salt.

Leaving the island of Djerba	New highway from Cairo, Egypt to Rabat, Morocco
Really deep furrows	Along the way on our 3+-hour drive to the first stop, there were may places selling black market gasoline/diesel from Libya or Algeria. The gas (or diesel) is filtered through old T-shirts or other material. It costs probably one third of the price of gas in Tunis. Probably best not to light a cigarette nearby.
Local "gas station"	Local "gas station"
Local "gas station" - this one has 2 pumps!
Another use for a cultivator	Old tractor
Eventually, we stopped at a Berber area where we observed a primitive olive oil pressing operation and viewed the owner's cave house.
Primitive olive oil press	Primitive olive oil press
Primitive olive oil pres	Cave house
View from the highway	In Toujane, we stopped at a Berber cave guest house/restaurant or cafe and drank rosemary tea and had Berber bread dipped in olive oil and honey. It was a good mix to try at home. The owners then brought out handmade carpets with Berber designs. They were made from sheep or camel hair.
	Painted wall
Courtyard	Camel saddle
Another hour's drive brought us to Matmata where lunch was served in another Berber cave. Along the way, we saw a shepherd and his dogs herding a large group of sheep. Our tour leader stopped the bus to engage the man in conversation.
Shepherd and sheep	Sheep herding dogs
Matmata	Old doorway
Restaurant entrance	Grinding grain
Low seating	Coke in any language
Baby camel	After lunch we were to stop for a talk with a Berber woman about the Berber language. She wasn't available so a local gentleman was recruited. Not worth the stop. As we finally headed for the Sahara camp, it became very windy again and sand was blowing across the road and creating sand dunes on the road. Visibility was very low. This is called an adventure.
New driving rules must apply	Nice dune
I wonder when they close the roads?	Eventually, we left the bus and got into four-wheel drive land rovers (Toyotas) for a rather wild hour-long ride across and over the sand dunes to reach the Ghilane Camp - an exclusive OAT tented camp in the Sahara Desert. Unfortunately, it was 5:30, not the scheduled 3:30, by the time we arrived, so we missed the sunset. The wind and blowing sand made it nearly impossible to see the horizon anyway, but we walked to the top of a large dune and enjoyed being on two feet instead of in a bouncing vehicle. The desert views were wonderful and it was very peaceful and quiet. At the fire pit, a wall provided protection from the wind and the group sat on benches and enjoyed wine and snacks while dinner was being prepared by the camp chef.
Ghilane OAT Camp - our tent	Looks inviting - not exactly the "Ritz" but we managed
Zippered doorway - the sand that had blown in made the tile floor very slippery and a challenge to walk on.	Ghilane OAT Camp
Ghilane OAT Camp
Dinner was a treat. The camp chef and our drivers had cooked lamb stew for three hours in terra cotta pots in a hole in the ground filled with embers. They had made bread of flour, water, and salt and thrown it on the coals. While everything was cooking, the drivers entertained by singing, beating a drum, and dancing around the fire. After the bread was done and the ashes brushed off, we sampled pieces of the bread. Then we had soup, bread, cooked salad, and the stew, which was full of lamb bones. Dessert was oranges, again. At least we ate dinner inside the camp building instead of balancing plates on our knees in the dark at the fire circle.	Tending the fire
Preparing to cook the bread	Preparing the bread
Just about ready	Lamb stew

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