QAFILA KHAMISA days 12-13 — Carlos Perez Marin

JOURNAL

epilogue

3. journal: days 12-13

5h30 / 24,08 km

One of the men Nefaa greeted as he reached the bed of the river stayed to dine and sleep with us. Apparently he stays here and there, and works in the small gardens.

Yesterday night was the best. Clear skies, singing birds, calm and stars. Finally I got to see the stars!

The stop at Rachid served us to eat well, but again, rice with goat meat.

We left early and Nefaa’s friend advised us to go straight to one of the mountains that limits the course of the river. Always pebbles and sand. When Nefaa found a lead, I realised that maybe it was an ancient town built of stone and that it was a street. At the bottom there is a village, so it could be the same case as Rachid. We will have to seek information.

Avoiding the river made it easier for us to take a straighter path but with lots of rocks and pebbles. 2 hours later we came down from the hills and Nefaa wanted to stop for 20 minutes so that the camels could eat a little. He immediately took the opportunity to make 3 glasses of tea.

After the break, we reached the tar, and the pace of the walk increased. Also the wind. On the left, we could see the type of terrain, dunes, whereas the road is not ideal as a route, at this time of the trip, is preferable to the dunes. Anyway, 4 km later, we headed for the river to find a place to eat, which we did just before a small village. We are 20 km from Tidjikja.

We drove the whole afternoon trip on the tarmac, getting as close as possible to town. The place of the meal was not too attractive, a talha but not in good condition, we could see a little dirt given the proximity of the village. The construction pattern repeats itself; a fixed khaïma, a small construction with a double pitched roof, shelters for animals and toilets. Some buildings are made of stone, but concrete (blocks) is starting to gain ground.

After the village (15 km away from the city) the landscape changed a bit, as if it was no longer the desert, with very green shrubs and earth, and not sand. In 2 hours, only 4 cars passed, but I'm sure the traffic will increase quickly.

Finally we can not yet see the city, according to Google Maps we are 12 km in a straight line, which Nefaa plans to do tomorrow morning.

The night appears almost perfect, hoping that the cars do not pass by the road, since we are very close.

For the last meal, Nefaa made bread and dried goat meat. I was going to eat the fruits bought yesterday from Rachid but I could not avoid eating bread made in the sand...

In the meantime, I observed the sky without clouds but with the light of Tidjikja behind us. This did not prevent us from continuing to have shooting stars, 15 since Chinguetti.

2h36 / 13,99 km

The breadth of the landscape allowed me to contemplate the star dome, not very clear, but it was very beautiful and moving at the same time. During the night, 2 trucks passed and their noises, from a long distance, sounded more like machines from elsewhere.

The morning was like any other, being close to the end didn't mean relaxation in the preparations and we left at the same time as the preceding days. Before that moment I paid the rest of the money to Nefaa, plus a little bonus, by the way, I hung my little compass on his kitchen bag, but when he saw it he said to me that he didn't want it. I knew he could orient himself very well without needing this instrument.

Initially, I didn't want to make the same mistake as on Qafila Thalitha's last day when arriving at Tighmert. We had 12 km to do and that meant between 2h30 and 3h of walking, not less.

Nefaa started fast, at 12’ per km, thanks to the hard sand, but with undulations, after 1 hour I was tired but the desire to reach Tidjikja gave me strength. 6 km later we could see two antennas announcing the proximity of our end. Before going into the town, we stopped to see where the camels could eat a bit. I took advantage of the Internet connection, for the first time, to find a hotel or hostel to stay. Finally I called Nemoud (whose number Sidi and Zaida had given me) and he told me how to get to the hostel Le Phare du Desert.

Nefaa wanted to make one last tea with me, which he made between the gardens just outside town. Once at the hostel, Nefaa unloaded the camels and brought them to a plot to eat. He stayed with me and after the lunch he left for Chinguetti, hoping to see him soon with the artists of Caravane Ouadane, but also in the coming year in a next qafila.