My day off by the desert gave me a chance to relax a little before driving a 4×4 around Erg Chebbi desert and drink tea with the Nomads close to the Algerian border where we were constantly being watched suspiciously by the military from the surrounding hills.

I then exchanged the wheels for legs and climbed aboard my designated camel ‘Hamu’ and headed deep into the dunes. It was dry and hot with no wind.

En route we joined a caravan, riders being of Spanish, French and Dutch origin. Hamu struggled to keep up, reminding me of the globe trotter convoy incident earlier that day. After thousands of miles in the saddle, taking a camel ride isn’t a good idea and had visible signs of seat rash.

The caravan arrived at the bivouac in time for the sun setting behind the huge dunes which cast shadows over the camp. The wind then picked up creating mini tornadoes swirling up and over the dunes. The darker it became the brighter the many shooting stars could be seen. In the desert the temperature decreased dramatically, so we all found shelter in the communal tent where we ate a feast of chicken tagime, bread, melon then more tea. Except for the Dutch, they drank a smuggled bottle of snapps. I struggled with the different languages, although English was commonly spoken. I watched the resident cat amusingly as it chased the palm size, white. spiders around the camp. Camel spiders I have since been told.