Circuit *Steve
(*Short for Stephanie)

Steve’s original plan had been to accompany myself and Geoffrey on a Camel Voyage trip in March 2020, but at the very last moment, our itinerary fell by the wayside due to covid.  All arrangements cancelled. 

Over two and a half years later, Steve’s enthusiasm to travel across the Sahara on camelback had not diminished, likewise her energy!  And so it was that on Tuesday 1^stNovember 2022, we all found ourselves in Terminal 2 London Heathrow, boarding TunisAir Flight 791 – a brand new aircraft, which departed bang on time! We got to Tunis and the Hotel Africa where we celebrated our unusually prompt arrival with a bottle or two of wine.

Before breakfast the next day, a visit to the STB bank adjoining the hotel to exchange pounds into dinars.  At 10 am sharp, Belgacem was in the hotel carpark, ready to load us and our luggage into his Citroen for the 7 hour drive to Douz, stopping off at El Jem for lunch – the restaurants here are a stomach churning combination of slaughter house, butcher’s shop, take away mutton and chips,  complete with in-house dining area packed with discerning locals.

Our two-night stay at The Hotel Sahara Douz was just what Steve needed to fortify herself for the five day camel voyage that lay ahead.  She took advantage of the cloudless blue sky, relaxing on a sun lounger by the pool, and reading – that was when she wasn’t actually swimming.  And my ultra efficient friend had the foresight not only to book a massage for herself, but also one for me as a ‘thank you’, to await our return from the demands of the Sahara.

Steve’s efficiency was later to win her the utmost respect from our Bedouin guides, Adel and Ali.  Ali’s mobile had run out of juice, and his first port of call was to ask me if I had a charger, which needless to say I did not!  Steve of course did – she had exactly the right gadget, and after a tense wait to see whether or not it had worked its magic, Eureka, it had!  From that moment on, she was Queen of the Desert!

Lahajah was the camel who had the honour of carrying the Queen, with Lazrak, his seven year old companion, carrying her overnight accommodation in the form of a rolled up communal tent.  I was aboard my beloved Zeydoun, who for the first time, was beginning to feel his age – twenty-two years to be precise.  He had difficulty getting up, and on two occasions, I thought he was going to topple over – an unnerving experience for his seventy-six year old rider, and for Adel who looks after him.  On my next camel voyage, I will ride another camel and Zeydoun will carry the tent – the passing of time has caught up with both of us – negotiating steep dunes now out of the question, but then our guides are getting older too, opting for the level going where possible.  In places, the sand was the consistency of flour.  On my walks to go behind a bush, I sometimes found myself knee deep in the stuff, making me realise what hard going it must be for our guides.

The Bedouin were desperate for rain, so vital for the desert vegetation on which the livestock survive.  And I was shocked to find that one of the most important wells, Bir Boubacher, had fallen into disrepair.  The pulley system had rusted, and the drinking troughs were filled not with water, but with sand.  The well keeper’s house was deserted.  Adel and Ali had to cut off the top of one of their plastic jerry cans, and make holes in the sides for cord so that the can could be lowered into the depths of the well.  One of Ali’s  pale green plastic sacks,  moulded into the sand to form a bowl shape, was the improvised watertight drinking vessel  for the thirsty dromedaries. 

A big moment came for Steve when she was asked if she would like to ride young Lazrak.  Ali reckoned she was the ideal empathetic rider to get him acquainted to having a tourist on his back – up until now, he had only carried a tent.

Sunrise and sunset were the beautiful bookends of our desert days. When darkness fell, a roaring camp fire crackled, supper was served, followed by a cabaret of pipes, drums and dancing.  When bedtime finally beckoned,  the desert was bathed in silvery moonlight.  Steve walked back to the tent, her moon shadow leading the way.