Wednesday 27th December 2006 Wake up 5 o' clock a.m. and fly to Rome. At Fiumicino Rome airport the Christmas time pit of hell: so much people on airport check in and controls! I start to need the peace of the desert... Just landed in Tripoli we take the bus to Sebha (ten hours trip).
Thursday 28th December We drive with Toyotas along the Messak Settafet border (stones desert). Snack between acacias, I don't eat any food because I have a bad gastric intollerance with blood spots vomit. We stop by the holy tree of a Marabout (an Islam sage), they say that by touching the tree's bark people can recover. I'm hopeful that it works also for turists and, in fact, I must admit that after touching the bark the stomach pain disappears. 1st mobile tent camp in ERG TITAGSIN: the best one camp place on my opinion, wonderful dunes of silver, green and golden colors. Amazing landscapes in the first light of sunset.
Friday 29th December In the desert every simple thing become special. The need of defecate in the natural environment, digging a hole in the fresh air of the morning and burning the papers after, is like a ritual of purification from the side-effects of civilization. We arrive at Ghat, one of the most important caravan-cities of the past (near the border with Algeria). On the top of the hill an Italian fortress, in kitsch style over the ruins of the medina (old city). Our guide, Barka, from Asouf travels, is a noble Tuareg from the city of Ghat, tall and smart man and, as they say our girls, with beautiful hands. AKAKUS: highlands of black stones desert, inside an isolated big rock 30 metres high which shape is that of a finger (or of a turist with backpack, changing point of perspective). In this area there are a lot of horn vipers and scorpions. Mobile tent camp at AWIS, between the indented shapes of the rocks, alarming in the penumbra of the moonlight; there is a big never-seen circle all around the moon; the Kelasouf is the tribu of the spirits living in the Akakus: during the night I have a nightmare in my tent and I scream full voice, awaiking all our caravan, I was like outside my body and not able to distinguish if my tent was a real or irreal place.
Saturday 30th December By satellite mobile phone we receive the new that Saddam was executed at dawn. We start again with Toyotas: "Inshallah". Flat desert (Reg) along the stones of Akakus. We stop near the rock of Awanini, by Wadi Tashweet, related to the story of a young fall in love with a noble girl: "Because he was not noble the girl's father ask him to to give in exchange 1000 camels. He did it after long search. Then the father ask him to climb the Awanini rock; with a strong effort he reach the top, but unfortunately it was impossible to go down, so he died of thirst." Rock paintings zone of the age of shepherds(5500-2000 b.C.). Mobile tent camp between the dunes of UAN KAZA, emerging like a mirage in intense rose color nearly fucsia, over a frame of golden dunes. In the Saturday night I ear a far sound of Latin dancing music, or maybe it was too a mirage...
Sunday 31st DecemberABAHUHA pass. Strong Gibli, cold wind in the desert. Sand clouds darkening the sight totally. Dust enter inside the car from a broken window, not a nice feeling. The pass enter into the BLACK highland, an infinite desolation of black stones. Then in the horizon two infinites worlds meet: appear the "sand sea" of Erg MURZUG! We hug the coast of the dunes, that seem to be eis-cream of vanilla, coffee, sillabub. We stop at a point of view: to me is the top of the top of this travel. I'm happy, thanks to the guide Barka I realize my dream to see the Erg Murzuq, a round area of 400 km of dunes only, the most barren place of the earth. We look for a place to celebrate the incoming New Year: the bed of a Wadi, once, 10.000 years ago, a river in the green savana. Our Tuaregs speack French, they belong to a beyond-borders nation, and the cook can not well understand Arab language. The night is cold and we seat aroud the fire, delighted by Tuareg guitar and songs. Early our staff go to sleep "à la belle étoile".
Monday 1st January 2007 Golden gravel flat desert, large expanse of gold without limits. I get used to the desert. Wadi Mathendush rock paintings of elephants, giraffes, ostriches, buffalos and big cats. In direction Erg UBARI, apricot dunes all around. Dinner under full moon: kid to the live charcoal and Tuareg bread cooked under the sand. Mobile tent camp in the dunes.
Tuesday 2nd January Great fun up and down in the dunes with Toyota! Like skiing on the virgin snow, with the jeep bonnet looking at the sky when we overtake the hill and then down the hill dizzily like in luna park. We rest at Gabraun lake and we visit Mako lake, that one with the little red shrimps main food of the Dawada people "worms eaters". In a farm we see a Fennec, small fox with big ears. At the end, in the evening we take the fly from Sebha to Tripoli.