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Sahara - 1999

Sahara - 1999

Jacek Pałkiewicz
2006-06-18 22:44:17

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wind, tracks may be left undisturbed for days. Our footsteps left large holes in the sand, which is as fine as talcum powder. Our feet would sink down as far as the ankle, making each step a tremendous effort. Here and there blocks of reddish stone jutted out of the sand. After a while, however, even these anomalies ceased and we were left in the midst of an endless vista of undulating dunes, through which our camels led us by the easiest path.

We pitched our tents at sunset, enjoying the quiet of the evening from the top of a dune. The sky was clear and we could see stars shining brightly above. Immersed in our thoughts, we used to stare into the camp fire, which was the only light in all that vast space. We were cut off from the world, and perhaps because of this, at peace. Up among the stars, the flashing light of a satellite reminded us of western civilization, which seemed very remote at that moment. We had a compass and knew how to work out our position from the stars. The Beduins call the Great Bear the She-Camel, and Ursa Minor, the Camel-Calf. Nowadays many people who go off into the wild, or out on the ocean, have fitted expensive equipment to their boats and jeeps which enables them to discover their position, via satellite, to within a few hundred feet. I often wonder if travelling with these aids, or with other luxuries such as air-conditioned jeeps, should really count as adventure.

Our Beduin guides would suddenly break into song at night. Their music is slow and they keep time by clapping their hands. It seems to represent the loping stride of the camel. The words speak of the things which constitute their world. Ma, water; ramla, sand; bir, well. We used to listen in fascination, regretting that we could not understand more. Such songs have been passed down through the centuries and contain the lore of generations.
In the morning the cold made us shiver, prompting our guides to prepare us a soup of pasta, potatoes and lentils. ...