Monday 26 Noember :
I pick up Alain's Toyota Land Cruiser in Marrakech. Even though navigating the streets of Marrakech in a big 4x4 is no picnic, I grin widely. I love that car. The exhaust pipe is still emitting a thick black smoke. Everybody (by that, I mean every man) has an opinion as to why : " It's the regulating pump", "it's the filters", "it's a diesel, what do you expect?", "it's Allah's will!"
Anyway it seems that black smoke is better than white smoke. If your 4 wheel drive emits white smoke, be worried, be very worried.
Tuesday 27 Nov :
I pick up a friend, Hassan, owner of Hamadaa du Draa in M'Hamid, at 8.15am.
600km to Merzouga, through the Atlas Mountains. Hassan is with me to help with the driving but as he's partied all night, he decides to go to sleep. He wakes up near Rissani before sunset and starts driving. I am grateful that he is driving the last 8km of piste in the dark. I am not yet used again to driving in the middle of nowhere in the dark!
Reunion with Jamila and Benoit, our trainer. Jamila, her friend Bushra and I are sharing a room, and a bathroom with no doors. If you like your privacy in a toilet, I do not recommend Auberge du Sud in Merzouga.
Wednesday 28 :
Breakfast at 7.30am outside in a tent. Cold but not too bad.
We plan our day. Mostly it's about navigation. There will be some "Herbes a chameaux" to drive through but not much difficulty for the driver.
But first thing first :
According to Benoit, a pressure of 1.5kg should see us through for most of the rally. However, in the dunes, I must come down to 1kg and even 800g.
Thursday 29 :
Today is DUNE day. I'm feeling a lot of trepidation.
Something under the car has been leaking through the night. Benoit quickly establishes that it's the brake fluid. Rear brakes. Hassan thinks the rear brakes haven't been working for the last 2 days. I'm glad I didn't know that.
Benoit doesn't want to waste time at the mechanics in Rissani and decides to stop the fluid from reaching the rear brakes so there's plenty left for the front brakes.
Yes but how do you stop the rear brakes rather than the front brakes? Benoit makes a decision...
I take the car for a little spin to check it's all in order. Unfortunately, Benoit stopped the fluid from reaching the front brakes. And as I don't have rear brakes, well, the result is that I drive straight into the parking barrier :
After this we decide to all go to the mechanics in Rissani and get the whole thing fixed. And amazingly, it is in 1 hour and 15 euros later.
We also decide to eat a "medfouna", a culinary speciality of Rissani : Madfouna in Moroccan language means "Buried" and it is quite similar to Calzone and Sausage Rolls with spicy meat and vegetables tucked between the crusts.
It's now dune afternoon; it is decided that Jamila will sit with Benoit in his car for navigation purposes and Hassan with me. Hassan, " l'homme du desert" has never been inside the dunes of erg Chegui. Well, with me as a worried driver, he's in for a treat. Somehow, he is a calming and reassuring figure. In the middle of the dunes, when I'm hyperventilating, he decides to put the radio on and insists on translating the love song currently playing. At first I suggest he f* s off but he insists and I end up laughing my head off.
Jamila, in the meantime, is seriously learning to navigate with the map and the compass.
Friday 30 :
More navigation. Long distances with only the car compass helpful.
Jamila and I are astonished at how little we knew about navigation for the first rally. No wonder we were always lost. Benoit has been brilliant. We're not the only gazelles he's training.
Saturday 1 Dec :
We find out it's been snowing heavily in the moutains. Jamila and Bushra's way back to Meknes is blocked and unfortunately so is the Tichka pass, which is my way back to Marrakech (on my own this time as Hassan goes back home to M'Hamid).
I head off to Agdz where I can decide to drive towards Tichka and hope for the best or drive the long way to Agadir to take the motorway to Marrakech.
In Agdz by lunch time, I'm told the Tichka pass is still closed. So it's the long drive to Agadir for me. At first, it's more piste than road and it's very lonely. Mountain after mountain of stones and the odd palm tree. Barely a soul until Taznakht. Things improve after that and I just drive with barely a stop to Agadir and Marrakech.
READY FOR 2013!!!
I pick up Alain's Toyota Land Cruiser in Marrakech. Even though navigating the streets of Marrakech in a big 4x4 is no picnic, I grin widely. I love that car. The exhaust pipe is still emitting a thick black smoke. Everybody (by that, I mean every man) has an opinion as to why : " It's the regulating pump", "it's the filters", "it's a diesel, what do you expect?", "it's Allah's will!"
Anyway it seems that black smoke is better than white smoke. If your 4 wheel drive emits white smoke, be worried, be very worried.
Tuesday 27 Nov :
I pick up a friend, Hassan, owner of Hamadaa du Draa in M'Hamid, at 8.15am.
600km to Merzouga, through the Atlas Mountains. Hassan is with me to help with the driving but as he's partied all night, he decides to go to sleep. He wakes up near Rissani before sunset and starts driving. I am grateful that he is driving the last 8km of piste in the dark. I am not yet used again to driving in the middle of nowhere in the dark!
Reunion with Jamila and Benoit, our trainer. Jamila, her friend Bushra and I are sharing a room, and a bathroom with no doors. If you like your privacy in a toilet, I do not recommend Auberge du Sud in Merzouga.
 |
| sunset in Erg Chegui |
Breakfast at 7.30am outside in a tent. Cold but not too bad.
We plan our day. Mostly it's about navigation. There will be some "Herbes a chameaux" to drive through but not much difficulty for the driver.
But first thing first :
 |
| checking the tyre pressure. |
Thursday 29 :
Today is DUNE day. I'm feeling a lot of trepidation.
Something under the car has been leaking through the night. Benoit quickly establishes that it's the brake fluid. Rear brakes. Hassan thinks the rear brakes haven't been working for the last 2 days. I'm glad I didn't know that.
Benoit doesn't want to waste time at the mechanics in Rissani and decides to stop the fluid from reaching the rear brakes so there's plenty left for the front brakes.
 |
| a manly job |
I take the car for a little spin to check it's all in order. Unfortunately, Benoit stopped the fluid from reaching the front brakes. And as I don't have rear brakes, well, the result is that I drive straight into the parking barrier :
 |
| trying to repair the barrier! |
 |
It's now dune afternoon; it is decided that Jamila will sit with Benoit in his car for navigation purposes and Hassan with me. Hassan, " l'homme du desert" has never been inside the dunes of erg Chegui. Well, with me as a worried driver, he's in for a treat. Somehow, he is a calming and reassuring figure. In the middle of the dunes, when I'm hyperventilating, he decides to put the radio on and insists on translating the love song currently playing. At first I suggest he f* s off but he insists and I end up laughing my head off.
Jamila, in the meantime, is seriously learning to navigate with the map and the compass.
 |
| Benoit : "Jamila, ecoute moi. Mais ECOUTE MOI!" |
More navigation. Long distances with only the car compass helpful.
Jamila and I are astonished at how little we knew about navigation for the first rally. No wonder we were always lost. Benoit has been brilliant. We're not the only gazelles he's training.
Saturday 1 Dec :
We find out it's been snowing heavily in the moutains. Jamila and Bushra's way back to Meknes is blocked and unfortunately so is the Tichka pass, which is my way back to Marrakech (on my own this time as Hassan goes back home to M'Hamid).
I head off to Agdz where I can decide to drive towards Tichka and hope for the best or drive the long way to Agadir to take the motorway to Marrakech.
In Agdz by lunch time, I'm told the Tichka pass is still closed. So it's the long drive to Agadir for me. At first, it's more piste than road and it's very lonely. Mountain after mountain of stones and the odd palm tree. Barely a soul until Taznakht. Things improve after that and I just drive with barely a stop to Agadir and Marrakech.
READY FOR 2013!!!
