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SAHARA ODYSSEY …The Adventure Begins
DIFIKOT s.a.r.i THE ROUTE
Sandy will fly to Casablanca, Morocco in January, 2004. From there she will travel to Zagora, the home of her first guide, Lahcen Ahansal. There she will train for 3 months. She will take small excursions into the desert, learning everything there is to know about camels and desert life.
The trek will begin in March, just before the searing
heat of summer. The small caravan will travel down into Mauritania
and cross over into Mali. There the group will spend some time in
the ancient city of Tombouctou. From Mali, the caravan will travel to Niger, home to
the great Tenere Desert. For centuries, this wasteland was crossed
by the legendary salt caravans. It is the largest desert within the
Sahara, and feared by all who know of it. Shortly after crossing the Tenere, the caravan will
travel across the border into Chad, which is also home to some great
expanses of dunes. From Chad, Sandy will journey to Sudan, and then
to the Nile in Egypt. The caravan will spend some time in Cairo, before venturing
back into the Sahara for the return trip. Sandy will travel through
Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. Her final destination is Morocco, where
she will make brief stops in Marrakech and Casablanca, before flying
back to Canada. The Sahara desert is comprised of varying types of
terrain. There can be miles upon miles of sand dunes, some of which
can be up to 400 metres high. Fields of rock can stretch for as far
as the eye can see. There are dried out river beds, and stretches
of flat sandy ground. The most pressing need will be to find water
in this arid wasteland. Finding a well can be like searching for
a needle in a haystack. Missing a well can mean death for the entire
caravan. Temperatures in the Sahara can soar to well over 50°C. But in the evening they can easily dip to below 0°C. The winds can rage, whipping up the sand and causing blinding sand storms. Before the odyssey begins, Sandy will need numerous shots to protect her from various diseases that exist in the countries she will be traveling through. Here is the short list of concerns…TYPHOID, MENINGITIS, POLIO, HEPATITIS AB, YELLOW FEVER and RABIES. THE PARASITES, SNAKES AND SCORPIONS There are venomous snakes, including the horned viper. The viper is considered to be the seventh most venomous snake in the world. Its head is broad, with two horns that stick out above each eye. It moves in a side winding fashion, and tries to escape the heat by burrowing under the sand. The world’s most dangerous scorpions live in North
Africa. The scorpion is distinguished with a segmented tail that
is tipped with a venomous stinger. Death by scorpion sting, if it
occurs, is the result of heart or respiratory failure. In some countries there are armed bandits to be concerned about. They can either choose to steal everything you have, or kill you for everything you have. Life can have little meaning in the Sahara, where it comes down to survival of the fittest. Sandy has a love and passion for the Sahara that has no boundaries. For her, the Sahara feels like home. Throughout her life, she has felt a calling for this part of the world, and now she has decided to answer the call. She has planned the route, but has no idea what path
her journey will take mentally, physically or spiritually. This is
part of the allure. Sandy feels compelled to test her limits, to
venture to the edge of the abyss, without losing her mind, soul or
life. This trek will also serve to draw awareness and raise money for AIDS. We need to act now to combat the spread of AIDS in Africa. It is the single most important public health challenge facing the continent. The daily death rate in many countries points to the looming catastrophe. Money is needed for treatment, counseling, education and research. If you would like to learn more about this adventure, or would like to contribute, contact us at info@saharaodyssey.com
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