The first tiring dune walking day, through Erg Chigaga. Fed up with melekhva.

pg 36 - 'I will put this on the soles of your feet....Like this is for protection.'

pg 49 - 'Within minutes, the tent is packed to the gills with children from the neighbouring tents'

heading into Erg Chigaga

Madani introducing me to the tent and cooking, back in the dunes near MHamid.

MBarak loved being photographed and mocked for the camera...here he is inside one of the panniers.

MBarak making bread

Learning to make tea

camped by a palmeraie, Northern Morocco

Kids fascinated by me washing, came over to have a look when we were camped near the palmeraie

The cloud seemed to me to be a big bird of freedom....

Nomad's tent from the outside

Inside a nomadic tent, somewhere near Tan Tan

The old matriarch laughs as I try to rock the goatskin holding jeera

being welcomed with tea in a nomad's tent

Walking through a dodgy area - 'stick to the track here, there are landmines everywhere'

The odd lizard for dinner was the only meat on that stretch

back in MHamid, sad and depressed. Learning to make cours cous the traditional way with local women.

After being hennaed by nomadic women, Christmas 2005

More henna.

Mocking for the camera when Jean, the French photographer, was with us for a while. Waiting while he gets a ride back to town. I was feeling a little rebellious about culture by then, and Jean encouraged me terribly!

MBarak riding the donkey, Ali Baba, over rocky hammada, with Madani following

Dunes in the Western Sahara

Tired and desolate, walking through the Western Sahara

landmined country, the desolate stretch between Tan Tan and Laayoune

MBarak and Madani mucking around in some dunes, Western Sahara

At the end of the road...saying goodbye to my camels, south of Boujdour. From right to left, Mimi, Zarwel, Habil and Chamlette.

MBarak and Madani saying goodbye

MBarak struggling with emotion as he hobbles Chamlette for the last time.

At the camel marketwith 'Kadar' in Nouadhibou

Walking out of Nouadhibou, first day back - hassled with people everywhere

Harraba

Khabuz, at the beginning of the dune sea

Walking through small dunes with Khabuz, Mauritania

It looked like someone had taken a divine paintbrush right down the middle - in the dunes with Khabuz, Mauritania between Atar and Tidjikjia

outskirts of a small village, with Khabuz

Oasis, mauritania, with Khabuz

sandstorm with Khabuz

The beautiful Mohammed, zen king

The stunning, peaceful valley Mohammed and I walked through

Mohammed the Good, on the right, and the idiot Mohammed who never made it out of the village. Taken before we realised he was a fool.

Rolled up trousers to deal with 'fuckin uniti' - the prickles

On the way to Tomboctou, found a track for a day that got us out of the prickles. Normally we avoided the tracks like the plague because of military and bandits.

picking prickles out of my trousers

prickles, prickles, more prickles

Infected prickle wound...there was a new one every day

My lovely infected foot, on the road to Tomboctou

Ali, the zerfal man!

Ali pounding up his snuff

cooking dinner before night falls

Typical Tuareg well, on the way to Tomboctou inside the Malian border

Little boy driving the camel which raises the water bucket

The nomads are different in Mali...the Tuareg are unlike the Saharawi, wilder somehow.

Looking at my camels in Tomboctou and realising they are very thin

Packing up in Tomboctou

The market where I got a truck to Gao

The truck I took to Gao...BEFORE it was packed

The lovely Moussa

Some of the beautiful country along the Niger river

Some of the people in the village where I took photos for the chief.

Moussa's family in Menaka, slaughtering a sheep

Moussa's sister, who did all the work of running the house

My wonderful cycling mate, Lachlan.

The police in Tillia...the abrupt end of my walk