DESERTS OF THE WORLD - Stories around the campfire

[Shehab Alawadhi]

I am speechless on what I just read. I was imagining in my mind just people sitting around a campfire and @Ale Vallecchi just telling stories. I miss the times where we could all gather in giant group and bbq or make a giant bonfire and talk or listen to music. Inshallah all this goes well and I hope to hear @Ale Vallecchi tell his stories while we eat delicious different types of food. Great story telling!!

[Atif]

Very informative write-ups!

[M.Seidam]

10 years later .... In a weekend I and my wife paying a visit to our elder son’s house .. after a nice dinner my son’s wife prepared , we decide to have our dessert on the terrace to enjoy what was left from the  reflection of the sunset on the landscape.... time for bed every one got to bed and next morning and as my biological timer to wake up at dawn for the prayer and never go to sleep after that. Walking on  my cracking toes in an attempt not to wake up the folks... gently preparing my double espresso without sugar ( Lavaza has been always my second wife , she knows it and happy as long as it doesn’t go further 😆 ) .... watching the fascinating sunrise I leaned my back on the super soft couch and closed my eyes and just let go ... 10 vehicles unrecognizable from far away , though their flags to the contrary were familiar carrying  the symbol of big Gray C in a red back ground enclosed in a black circle.... in a sec I wondered was it a dream .. when I opened my eyes the sun as It didn’t move as if it got stuck waiting for a rescuer ! ... I turned my head and as if a shock struck me when I read the title of a book on my son’ s side table  DESERTS OF THE WORLD - stories around campfire by @Ale Vallecchi

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Mohamed Seidam

[Rahimdad]

There are a few people who successfully paint a picture in your mind in the way they write up, ordinary stuff becomes extra-ordinary. @Ale Vallecchi and @Mohamed Seidam along with our witty @Wrangeld are just those authors of such magnificent literature. I can read on for ages and imagine myself being there in their thoughts, but alas its time for me to get ready for my afternoon drive.

[M.Seidam]

As there are unforgettable places at different times there are definitely some people their presence in our past, present and future is an honor. And @Rahimdad you are definitely one of them.
 

[Ale Vallecchi]

LONG TREKS – OBJECTIVES, PREPARATION, AND MANAGEMENT (Part 2)

As anybody can guess, one of the most critical ingredients of a successful desert exploration is water. In order of importance, the need for water is for drinking, cooking, car maintenance, and finally, washing. From the physiological point of view, once a person looses through perspiration approximately 2 liters (or 2-3% of its body weight in water), she/he starts to experience loss of concentration, fatigue, dizziness, and general discomfort. So, replenishing your body’s reserves of water is a must. Perhaps few know that there are optimal times for drinking water, to maximize absorption. Locals know well what are the ideal water drinking times: in fact, if you notice a Bedouin or a Tuareg’s habits, they would drink water only in the morning and in the evening, without takin countless sips during the day. What they take countless sips of, during the day, is tea. With lots of sugar. This forefather of energy drinks resets the body’s dehydration gauge. That is, simple water passes rapidly through the system, reducing its benefits mostly to cooling the body, while sugared tea gets processed more slowly, providing a deeper and longer lasting hydration of the cells. Of course, one still needs water to make tea, so the requirement for water in terms of supplies will not change. How much to drink may vary depending on the season. Also, the first days of the trip may also require more water, as the body adapts to the drier environment. All things considered, in general we calculated that each person should need 3 liters of drinking water per day (these may be reduced to no less than 2 liters in winter, or upped to 5 liters if trekking were involved), while on a daily basis we accounted for a usage of 2 more liters for cooking and brewing tea, plus 1 additional liter for washing/shaving (even though this consumption may be reduced by using wet towels to wash), and, finally, another 1 liter for potential car maintenance. That makes a total of 6 or 7 liters per person each day, just to be on the safe side. So, for 12 days out in the desert, a group of 14 people will require a supply of almost 1,200 liters of water. WATER REQUIREMENT: Done. Next chapter – Fuel supply.

We only used to get a little anxious about the need to refuel when the gauge in our cars started reading “Kilometers left: --------“. Since Cafu appeared on the UAE scene, we do not even have to worry about that. Now, imagine a 2 (or 3) week drive, 1,000 km from the nearest Cafu truck, and fuel, once again, becomes a major concern. At this junction, knowing your vehicle’s fuel consumption comes in handy, to establish your requirements for the whole trip. Let’s start with the assumption that a Land Cruiser normally goes just under 6Km with 1 Liter of gasoline, in city driving conditions. Add some extra consumption to account for driving on sand: let’s say a benevolent 5Km/Lt (or an equivalent of 20 Liters to cover 100 Km). Under these assumptions, and considering the cars we were using (Land Cruisers 70 Series) were equipped with a dual tank, their 130 Liter capacity would last for Kms 650 (130 Lt/20 x 100 = 650). Adding to this calculation the fact that the cars will travel with a full load (4 passengers plus gear and supplies) and keeping a minimum safety margin (one never wants to be running on fumes), let’s say each full tank will be good for 600Km. Therefore, planning for a 1,500 Km trip means that each car would need to carry approximately 200 Liters of extra fuel (to be on the safe side). That’d be 10 jerry cans of 20 Liters, to be stacked on the roof rack. Clearly quite a load to carry, which would force the group to greatly streamline their luggage. Thankfully, regardless of how remote some of the locations we would pass seem to be (and actually are), they happen to find themselves along major trading routes. Originally, of salt caravans, and pilgrims on their way to Mecca; nowadays, salt is still traded along these lanes, but other commercial goods are motor trucked across the Sahara, from Central Africa to the coast of the Mediterranean. So, thankfully, Bilma, Dirkou and Arlit are either equipped with proper gas stations, and, more likely, with refueling points, where gasoline is pumped out of barrels. Considering that our two refueling points, Bilma and Arlit, were respectively 550 Kms away from Agadez, and another 600 Kms away (Arlit from Bilma), we were able to carry “only” an extra full tank worth of jerrycans. Incidentally, water can also be resupplied at the same locations (which they also happen to be oasis), so that the load of water tanks needed for the whole trip could also be reduced. FUEL SUPPLY: Done. Next chapter – Kitchen and camping equipment.

[M.Seidam]

Dear Ale @Ale Vallecchi waiting for the chapter of kitchen and camping equipment please unless you plan it on real camp fire then it’s worth waiting ☺️

 

[Ale Vallecchi]

On 12/18/2020 at 11:11 AM, Mohamed Seidam said:

10 years later .... In a weekend I and my wife paying a visit to our elder son’s house .. after a nice dinner my son’s wife prepared , we decide to have our dessert on the terrace to enjoy what was left from the  reflection of the sunset on the landscape.... time for bed every one got to bed and next morning and as my biological timer to wake up at dawn for the prayer and never go to sleep after that. Walking on  my cracking toes in an attempt not to wake up the folks... gently preparing my double espresso without sugar ( Lavaza has been always my second wife , she knows it and happy as long as it doesn’t go further 😆 ) .... watching the fascinating sunrise I leaned my back on the super soft couch and closed my eyes and just let go ... 10 vehicles unrecognizable from far away , though their flags to the contrary were familiar carrying  the symbol of big Gray C in a red back ground enclosed in a black circle.... in a sec I wondered was it a dream .. when I opened my eyes the sun as It didn’t move as if it got stuck waiting for a rescuer ! ... I turned my head and as if a shock struck me when I read the title of a book on my son’ s side table  DESERTS OF THE WORLD - stories around campfire by @Ale Vallecchi

 

@Mohamed Seidam it's our duty to make our dreams come true. Great writing!!!

[Ale Vallecchi]

LONG TREKS – OBJECTIVES, PREPARATION, AND MANAGEMENT (Part 3...before the actual trip begins)

Nobody takes long desert trips looking for gourmet cuisine as part of the experience. Yet, one may occasionally be surprised by the ability of the cook to overcome the shortage of ingredients, and be as creative as possible, with local food and interpretations of more international dishes. The galley is usually stocked on a special “kitchen” car, where only the cook seats, next to his driver. Based on the size of the convoy, sometimes an assistant cook travels with the group. Most of the foods are non-perishable dry or canned items, while fresh vegetables, and sometimes fresh meat, usually last only for the first few days, and can be resupplied only if the trip includes a stop at a local market.

As usual, the order of service is breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus at least 1 tea stop along the way. Breakfast is always done with dry cookies, left over from the bread made the evening before, jam and honey, and sometimes with the bonus of a typical Italian cake (Panettone for December trips, and Colomba for Easter time travels). Tea and instant coffee are always available. Lunches allow exclusively for cold dishes, which require minimum preparation, without dismounting the whole kitchen: salads (as long as fresh vegetables last, or as soon as they can be replenished at one of the possible oasis), canned tuna, rice dishes, cheese and fresh or dried fruit (oranges and apples usually last for quite a long time). Possibly even the leftovers from a cous-cous from the previous night. For dinners, the full kitchen set up means warm dishes: after an aperitif (cold cuts, bits of cheeses, some olives and pates), the omni-present soup, key to rehydration after the long warm/hot day, followed by another hot plate, ranging from local cous-cous accompanied by bread cooked under the sand, rice (the cold remains of which, as in the case of the cous-cous, will be served the following lunch), spaghetti, or, less often, some grilled meats (the leaner parts, while the bones and cartilages are used to enrich the soup). Wine, courtesy of the travelers, often is served during dinner, while tea invariably closes it, being served around the fire.

There is always one person from the agency's staff who is the official tea maker. He stores the dry tea leaves, and the fresh mint, with great care, stashing them in two separate bags inside his tea pots, usually enamel ones with the colors blackened by the fire's soot. When the evening's tea is prepared by a Tuareg, as it would be in this case, it becomes an unforgettable moment, always to be longed for, during, and especially after the trip. The preparation is a rather complex and long procedure: you need green tea (usually strong Chinese tea), fresh mint leaves in large quantity, and a lot of sugar (approximately five teaspoons of sugar for one teaspoon of tea leaves). You’ll also need two pots. The tea is first put in the teapot and a small quantity of boiling water is added. The tea is left to infuse for a short time (approximately 20-30 seconds), then this initial liquid is poured in another pot, and kept aside. This is the “spirit” of the tea (essentially a strong, deeply flavored liquid from the initial infusion, which adds extra flavor to the final infusion), and will be added back to the final infusion, to restore its “spirit”. The tea leaves are then “cleaned” by adding a small quantity of boiling water, that is poured out after one minute (this lessens the bitterness of the tea). This process may be repeated more than once. Mint and sugar are added to the tea leaves, and water at the boiling point is then poured in the pot, which may then be further heated to increase the flavor of the infusion. After three to five minutes, a glass is served and poured back in the pot two to three times, to mix the tea. A final taste, and addition of more sugar, if needed, will complete the infusion. Now, the tea is poured into glasses from a height, to swirl loose tea leaves to the bottom of the glass, whilst gently aerating the tea to improve its flavor, and, last but not least, to produce a layer of fluffy “foam” on top of the tea itself. A Tuareg’s tea should always be enjoyed 3 times over a period of several minutes (usually while talking around the fire), to fully appreciate all its nuances, due to the evolving concentrations and balance of tea, mint and sugar. For a Tuareg this triple tea tasting is not only the proper way to fully enjoy the beverage, but it also becomes a representation of life. As the saying goes “The first glass is as bitter as death, the second is as strong as life, the last as sweet as love.” And remember… “A tea without foam is like a Tuareg without his turban” (Tuarge’s proverb).

Normally, while the kitchen prepares dinner, the weary and dusty travelers set up camp. Tents are supplied by the local agency. It is their task, before every trip, to check and fix all the zippers, clean the tent poles from the sand that will surely have sneaked inside the joints, and repair any breaks in the fabric. Ferrino is usually the go-to brand of tents we use, while I have almost never used those automatic deployment tents. Mattresses are also provided by the agency, which occasionally also brings a fabric enclosure used to protect the kitchen and eating areas from the wind. Everything else is care of the traveler. In order of importance: the sleeping bag (in winter time, at least good to give comfort at -5 degrees), a canteen, toilet paper, a head lamp (with batteries), wet towels, duct tape (great to repair any kind of tears in your equipment), a small spray bottle for washing/showering, a towel, a folding knife, eating utensils, and any medicines necessary to the individual (always best to have something against stomach ailments, including laxatives, eye drops, disinfectant, band-aids and gauze, antibiotic cream, and for those who suffer from it, never leave home without Preparation H….).

Now that we have taken care of the cars, water, fuel, food, tea and gear, we are really ready to leave Agadez, and venture in one of the largest, most desolate, diverse and sparsely inhabited deserts in the world: The Ténéré.

[M.Seidam]

Great Ale @Ale Vallecchi really can’t wait to live the adventure through your story !!