CHRONICLE OF A TRIP TO LIBYA – OCTOBER 2009
Thousands of years ago, the heart of the Sahara in Libya was an orchard. Now, it is wind and dust and it is hard to imagine that in other times water and life flowed through there. When you contemplate the immensity of the Ubari and Murzuq valleys, you are invaded by several sensations: peace, tranquillity, also restlessness, respect, melancholy… It takes you several days to realize that you are in front of the ages of the earth, that there you are nothing and nothing remains when you leave. There you realize the passage of time, you can smell it. You are aware. The desert is evocative… perhaps it is the most fascinating.
On this trip, 32 cars started with the purpose of crossing the Libyan Sahara through the deserts of Ubari, Murzuq and Akakus, most of us succeeded. It has been a great adventure and we have had a great time. I hope that the chronicle is faithful to the events, although for each person it has been a different and unique journey. I will explain my point of view.
STAGE 1: THE TRANSITION TO THE DESERT
DAY 1: WE EMBARK FOR TUNIS
The trip begins on Friday the 9th towards Marseille. We took the car loaded with everything we needed for 17 days and we hope not to have any mechanical problems! In the afternoon Territori4x4 calls us to let us know that instead of embarking in Marseille, we will do it in Genoa due to a strike by the shipping company. The shadow of the delay in our trip haunts us, but we decided to be optimistic!
We met at the hotel with Luis Garrote, Ramon, Gerard (we admired his HDJ 200 in the parking lot), José Luis and Puy, Kenet and Marta etc. We are all very excited, for some it is the first time we go to Libya! We had dinner explaining anecdotes and adventures and went to sleep.
The next morning we arrived in Genoa without any problems. The spectacle was served: there was a large concentration of “desert contraptions”: trucks, quads, unimogs, restored old glories, etc. A luxurious atmosphere that entertains us for hours until boarding!
At night, the atmosphere in the boat’s bar is total: people are excited, making jokes, the first shirts and T-shirts of the trip are seen, they talk about the preparations, other experiences, trocolas… hahaha.
DAY 2: WE ARRIVE AT MATMATA
The disembarkation has no complications, we refuel and get off at full speed! We go with David, Mare, Salvador, Martí and Maite, Joan and Gerard racing to Matmata. Expensive trucks, vans without light, donkeys and bicycles on the road are the most common… In the hotel, parking is like a 4×4 concentration. We were all so eager to get to the arena!
DAY 3: WE ARRIVE IN LIBYA AT LAST!!!
We left Matmata with great expectation. The Libyan border is a real pain in the neck, although it helped us to get to know each other better in the group. Finally they gave us the license plates and we were able to get out of there at full speed. We entered Libya and divided the gas stations to fill even the pockets of our shirts!! We were not going to see anything else until after 4 days when we left the desert. We camped near the road.
STAGE 2: WE START ON THE TRACK TOWARDS THE UBARI. FIRST CASUALTY.
DAY 4: AT THE FOOT OF THE DUNES, MARE DOES HER THING.
I was awakened by the noise of engines and when I opened my eyes I saw the sun illuminating the horizon… I remembered that I was already in Libya and that that same day I would sleep on the sands of the Ubari.
Coffee, pastries, clearing tables and chairs, the group, well disciplined, tidied up the camp with great diligence… in half an hour we were leaving for Derj, where we refuelled again. A few kilometres later we took the track that leads to the sea of sand of Ubari.
The track invited you to run and give the cars shoes, and even more so after so many days waiting for action, but it is a dangerous track, full of traps… unexpected holes, pointed stones… We began to hear mechanical problems on the station. We all started to be prudent and reserve our cars for the arena. The Defender had broken the 2 rear shock absorbers and some other cars had also had problems.
We arrived at the camping point at the foot of the dunes and we took the shower for the first time! Showering in the middle of the sand is a hoot! After dinner, Marc and I went stargazing. There we find Anna lying down doing the same and the three of us are enraptured by the desert sky. Spectacular. I stretched out on the chilled sand at night, and stared at the stars overwhelmed… There were so many, so close together! It seemed that you could catch them with your hands. All the constellations and the Milky Way could be seen. I tried to take pictures of him… but without success.
We heard how they summoned us to the briefing around the fire. We went but not before serving ourselves a Gin Tonic.
After the next day’s stage talk, Toni announced that we were going to see Jesus Christ… at that moment Mare appeared carrying a wooden cross that was made with two logs, a crown of thorns and a tail cover shouting “forgive them!!! That they don’t know what they’re doing!!!.” Automatically the whole camp was crying with laughter. Mare carried the cross to the fire and only witticisms could be heard: “I already said that God was going with Toyota!!”, “Lluis!! Put on the website that the people of Territori saw God in the dunes!!” and so on… A tired of laughing.
As if that were not enough, and from now on I will use initials so as not to reveal lurid details of anyone… what happens in the desert stays in the desert… someone had another show in mind!
I wanted to go to sleep. When I went to my car I noticed some movement, giggles and compressor noise behind KS’s car… When I looked, I saw a mass of plastic that was acquiring volume and shape… My god!! It was an inflatable doll!!
Obviously, I didn’t want to go to sleep. They inflated the wrist and placed it on top of a dune with a red light between the legs and summoned the mechanics of the group (Dani, Sergi, Kenneth) to offer it to him… well, when the whole camp was there, the party was set up, father: everyone touching the doll, making jokes, in short, it even came to life and baptized her as Brigitte, the f–a. JJ had her by the shoulders and said “I don’t know why they say that my girlfriend is a b-itch”, hahahahaha. In the end they took her and put her inside LR’s store, which threw them all out except Brigitte hahahaha Well, anyway, they were walking the toy I don’t know how long.
I went to sleep with a stomach ache from laughing so much.
DAY 5: ERGS AND SOFT LACES. FIRST CASUALTY.
The landscape changed and he began to give us small sand cords. I say small because I’ve already seen the Murzuq! We could put the cars at 80-90km/h between the soft dunes. We pass by Zener’s hammada.
A few kilometers from the camping point, we hear on the radio station that the Navara pickup has broken its engine. Lluís had to sling him to the camp.
At the end of the hammada, we saw the Ubari dune massif in front of us. Emotions were unleashed by the station and we were all aware that we had arrived in the desert for real! We all warned each other of a position where there was a very dangerous cut on the track.
We camp earlier than planned to wait for the broken down car and decide what to do. A little wind had picked up. The sand escaped from the ridges with monotony… We made lunch and just after eating the wind began to blow strongly. A gust of wind and sand suddenly covered us. We left everything to get into the car. With the same surprise, the wind slowed down and we got out of the car to pick up the kitchen utensils.
Everyone was more or less grouped chatting and I was alone for a while. I admired that lonely and extensive landscape. The wind continued to blow and the sand rose at ground level. At that moment, I was barefoot and I felt the sand itching on my skin, it was like a slow and stubborn erosion… I looked at the horizon and saw to my surprise a large dark brown cloud approaching the camp. We all realized that it was a sandstorm and we found the color contrast with the blue sky and the height it was carrying amazing. Running, we took out the cameras, the camcorders, etc. To immortalize the show. The broken car and the colleagues who were sling it were in that cloud!
Luckily, the storm was going in another direction and the wind calmed down completely. When the afternoon began to fall, we took the car and went to a lonely place to shower, it was about 30ºC, so we really wanted to! The shower felt great. Clean and perfumed we went to the camp.
With the last rays of light, our companions arrived at the camp. They had had to sling the Navara through the dunes and all over the hammada.
With the night, the first aromas of dinner began to awaken our hunger. That day we had fideuà on the menu and a bottle of cava.
In the briefing, the organization explained the situation of the pick-up: the car could not start, it had a broken engine due to a problem with the oil. They had to sling him to Ubari by road and repatriate him. The complication was to sling the car through some cordon of dunes. Finally they decided that Albert, Mare and Francisco would take it. They would meet us at the Takarkiba campsite 2 days later.
DAY 6: THE IMMENSITY OF THE UBARI
Once again, we get up at sunrise. From my car, I could see the first light of day, the early drivers, the dunes…
The group continued to enter the dunes. We were duning calmly to the foot of the Great Dune of Ubari. There, we concentrated all the cars to get in one by one and film ourselves, take photos, have fun, etc. I have to confess that at that time I was already very nervous at the prospect of entering the massif and the uncertainty of what we were going to find.
It was our turn to climb the great dune. We started the 100 at full speed to tackle it with maximum inertia, I lowered the ventilla to take out the camera to film and while we were climbing meters and meters of sand, I saw the valley bigger and bigger and the adrenaline shot up completely. On the next trip I will install an adrenaline pressure gauge!!
When we reached the top, an incredible landscape opened up: the largest expanse of dunes I have ever seen. Mountainous massifs of sand one after the other.
We continue crossing the cordon until the first heart-stopping descent and play hamada again. The distances were so great that you could put the car at quite a speed and all the cars were very far apart. When we wanted to realize it, Gerard and we were crossing one cordon after another.
We passed through an oil exploitation area where there were electricity towers and wells. We followed WP and it was a joy to feel alone in that immensity. We knew that about 5 or 6km ahead we had a group, 2km behind we had Gerard and the tail was about 10km at most.
We went through flat extensions, climbs from 3rd to full throttle, vertical descents, hilarious pots where we could do an eight and gain momentum. We reached a point where the sand was quite beaten and there was a significant climb. With so much enjoyment we climbed too slowly and had to rectify backwards to get back up. I wanted to warn Gerard on the radio but in the blink of an eye we saw him pass by with his 200 at full speed, which he had to brake on the ridge and everything!! Hahaha
A few km from the camping WP, there was a very dangerous cut in the sand of about 3 m. Our teammates had already warned us and there was no problem, but you realised that in the desert you have to be cautious and you can’t let your guard down for a moment. Any mistake has serious consequences, because in Libya you pick up speed right away!
After the cut there was a climb that promised excitement on the other side. There was indeed a huge pot from which you had to get out! Salvador was in front and we were observing the situation.
Marc dropped the car, climbed the left flank of the pot, lowered it, climbed the right flank behind some camel grasses (where the sand is always more compact) and faced the climb. We arrived at the top plethoric!! Whenever you pass through places like this you are invaded by a feeling of triumph! Hahahaha.
We camp punctually at 5 pm on a small, flat expanse overlooking the dune massifs. An incredible place to settle.
DAY 7: THE ROUTE OF THE LAKES
The camp was a few miles from the lakes. We arrived at around 9.30 in the morning. We duneed without complications until we reached the top of a ridge from where the first lake could be seen.
Surrounded by palm trees, sand and immense dunes, was one of the lakes of the Ubari. A very curious landscape that captivated us all morning. We climb a huge dune from which you have the perspective of the landscape. Obviously, that dune had to be lowered and it was respectful to see that I had to drop the car into the void, so to speak.
We continue making dunes until noon when we arrive at the Takarkiba campsite, near the town of Ubari. Although it was not a big deal, it was nice to be able to unpack your suitcase, tidy up your car, shower with plenty of water and relax for a while. We refueled to the brim and bought water, eggs, cokes and some fresh fruit.
There we met Mare, Francisco and Albert who told us about the adventure of the broken down car: they sling it through the dunes, not without some difficulty, since climbing a dune with a pick-up without reverse gear… In one of the hardest moments they saw a truck passing by on the track and they managed to get the missing piece of sand to sling their car.
They arrived in Ubari without problems, where they left the couple in a hotel and with all the repatriation procedures underway.
STAGE 3: THE IMMENSITY OF THE SAHARA IS CALLED MURZUQ.
DAY 8: THE MURZUQ BEGINS
For days they had told us “you’ll see the Murzuq”, “those really have fabric”, “you’re going to freak out with the descents that there are”… Well, I was scared, to be honest. I didn’t say anything so as not to make the driver nervous, but I was very afraid of rolling the car.
We took the road to the village of Murzuq where we refueled again to the barricades. 9 euros 200L… it was a pleasure to do so!!
The Murzuq route was planned entering through the southern Murzuq, where the dunes are “lower” and making a little diagonal crossing the central Murzuq to the Tehi-n-Tilemsin pass, through which we had to leave the erg and head for the akakus.
Murzuq’s first day was very entertaining but there were still not the heights that awaited us later. We were doing more technical dunes than in the Ubari, with short descents but with a lot of incline.
On one of the ridges we stayed up to the door! We took out the shovel and prepared the sling, since Gerard was coming from behind. He gave us a tug of war and wing, let’s continue. I took the photo knowing that the 200 sling at 100 was going to give a lot of itself!! Hahahaha.
Further on, we arrive at the Fornons Dune in honor of the owner of a car that overturned there a couple of years ago. We all left messages and registrations, we took photos… I read the one my brother left at Easter!
We camp punctually. When we were having a beer at the camp, we saw Mare arrive with a sunken bumper and a broken driver’s window. He had taken a flight. Fortunately, the bumper could be put back on properly with a winch… however, it was left without air conditioning!
DAY 9: HOW BIG THE MURZUQ IS! MY RECONCILIATION WITH EVERYTHING.
There are days when it seems as if you reconcile with the world. On this day, when we cross the heart of the Murzuq, that happened to me.
The previous day had been intense, but the veterans announced that we now had to overcome the heights of the central Murzuq. She was no longer scared, but excited and with an incredible adrenaline rush.
The stage began and we could see how it got complicated cord after cord. We were zigzagging up the dunes, passing huge pots where we could make the eight. We began to find descents in which, at least, I held my breath because it was dropping the car into the void! You saw the nose of the car, but not what came next and then you went down in a dive holding the steering wheel with both hands that almost left the mark of your fingers!
There was one of the steps that I called “the cursed step”. The truth is that the whole group was very light and on few occasions several cars concentrated. There was a very pointed ridge on which we found a car hitched. JuanPe was helping him with the wins. Francisco tried to pass through all this and remained stuck. While Luis helped Francisco, JuanPe opened a new line and Joan followed him too. While we helped Joan, Josep passed the crest and I don’t know if any more cars. On the other side there was a heart-stopping descent and we passed one car after another at the end.
Between the dunes, there were small valleys with dark dirt floors. At one of the stops for breakfast, we began to observe the earth and dig a little. It was incredible to find remains of pottery and flint. I got goosebumps imagining people thousands of years ago, using that same pottery I had in my hands, to collect water from a nearby river or storing oils or cooking… I imagined an African savannah thriving in hunting, with trees, sounds of animals and people… Immediately afterwards I observed around me the sound of the wind, the dust on my boots, the solitude of the desert. It was a revelation. That moment was special, as if tailor-made: there I was, in the middle of the Murzuq, with a piece of engraved pottery from thousands of years ago, surrounded by huge dunes, in the soft light of the afternoon. Observing that, I saw two butterflies fluttering at my feet… Butterflies!!
I turned to the car, and there were dozens of butterflies! That was my reconciliation with the world.
Leaving aside the transcendental moments, the most fun were the steps between dunes, small pots with dune on both sides and going up, where you had to put a rod and look for the best route. In one of these steps Gerard was in front and we enjoyed watching him let his horses run free! He went down like a bullet into the pot, carried it up the right side, but the sand was very soft and he slid sideways to a camel grass in the middle of the pass. He quickly rectified, looked for a tracing again and came out like a rocket upwards.
Seeing the fes fes of the right flank, Marc decided to take the left with the third one at the bottom, leaning laterally (to which I could not hold on tighter to the handle of my door) passed the pot, lowered the car to the camel grass and went up the other side. We arrived euphoric to the top. Gerard was inflating a tire that with all the noise of the pot had fallen off or something was wrong with him.
At that point there was another fuss: a car was in another pot that had also been knocked out, Raúl was helping him, Joan was trying to get in and at this point Francisco arrived and began to try it too. The sand was very hackneyed and you had to get inertia, shoe and pass right where the car was fixing the wheel. When all the cars came out, the passage was free and it was a pleasure to climb it at full chestnut.
Those narrow passages, sometimes gave you surprises with pots on the side that looked like a black hole… If the car fell there, I don’t think there was a way to get it out.
The last string of dunes was spectacular. Albert opened a pass where there was a gentle and long descent and then an incredible climb that became narrow and on one side you had a dune wall and on the other a black hole (commonly known as a pot) that I think took you to the unknown dimension.
We reached the top of the ridge and exactly at WP 71 an incredible view opened up before us: two huge dune ridges on either side and in the middle a valley of sand. The beauty of the landscape, with the afternoon light gave me goosebumps and Marc and I promised ourselves never to forget that moment.
Shortly after that was the camping spot. We took the car and wanted to shower at the top of some dunes watching the sunset… It could not be otherwise considering the day so spectacular and full of intense emotions.
Everyone in the camp was overjoyed. The briefing was a lot of fun because KS, JJ, MA staged a very funny episode with some miniature cars they were driving. They made a dune in the sand and put the cars in miniature that they represented: Pelucón hooked, Manolo arrives to rescue him, between when he arrives and when he does not arrive, Mare takes Pelucón out and Manolo is left alone in a pot where he gets hooked up to his eyebrows. At that moment Mare arrives dressed as a superhero (Rescuer Man) with a helmet, a vest… hahahahaj in short, impressive performance. Too bad I don’t have pictures!
To round off the day, in the middle of the briefing we noticed a spectacular phenomenon: a comet or something like that fell from the sky and apart from the halo of light around it, an even larger halo had formed in the shape of an arc. We all got up to contemplate it and were amazed.
When it went out, millions of stars were left illuminating us.
DAY 10: WE LEAVE MURZUQ THROUGH THE TEHI-N-TILEMSIM PASS
We woke up a little sad because we only had 40 km left from Murzuq. With our self-esteem at its peak from the previous day, we did not head towards Tilemsim.
I don’t know exactly what happened, but it took us 5h to do those 40km! The steps were not more complicated than the day before, however the group was slower. There were climbs, which were more like walls.
We reached a point where we had to pass the cord. Several cars were hooked up in one of the passes and JuanPe opened a ridge and I saw him disappear on the other side. I walked up to see the views and I was amazed by the vertical wall that came down. On the other side there was a valley and another cordon to cross.
One by one all the cars made the full climb and passed the ridge. The next cordon had another climb where cars got stuck a lot. Albert finally opened an alternative that was a wall. Marc went straight there and I thought “fuck, we’re going to hit the wall”, because we were also going at full throttle… but no, these cars upload everything and we go to the other side.
The Tilemsim is very handsome. A very fun narrow passage between the dunes. There was a lot of faith but we all went through. To our depression, we had already crossed the Murzuq… but we had other perspectives! The Akakus was said to be very beautiful and besides, as the pace had been so good, we had won 2 days that we decided to cross the Awari again through the rest of the sand cords.
To enter Akakus, we did a bit of a track and took a few kilometers of teneré. An expanse of flat, fine sand where you could run safely. The landscape has already begun to change to give us dark and eroded rock formations.
We were heading to the arch of Akakus where we wanted to camp. On the way we saw some cave paintings that surprised us a lot: antelopes, human silhouettes, men hunting… it was the portrait of other times.
With the last light of the afternoon, we arrive at the arch. It is a huge rock, a natural and magnificent triumphal arch. Camping there was very special.
At the briefing, we were surprised by the action of the newly founded Barbie Extreme Command! Natalia, Marta, Esther, etc. They had managed to steal Brigitte from her pimps and appeared in an 80, in the middle of the darkness with Brigitte half naked peeking out of the sunroof. We laughed a lot.
Again, millions of stars illuminated us, this time with the shadow of stone underneath.
STAGE 4: WE CROSS THE AKAKUS WITH GREAT RESPECT
DAY 11: TIME STANDS STILL: ETERNAL AKAKUS.
We leave early to visit the most emblematic sites of Akakus. Manolo guided us through the stone labyrinth and we were able to visit more paintings, the finger of Allah, another smaller arch and the elephant’s foot, a rock formation that is reminiscent of an elephant’s foot in shape and texture.
Akakus is a perfect combination of sand and stone. A forest of dark rocks eroded by wind, time and, what do I know, maybe also one day by water! The day was very clear and the light fell on the landscape as if by chance. He bathed the stones timidly and shadows and contrasts of great beauty were created.
If the desert is evocative, the Akakus is even more so. The wind was not blowing. The calm was absolute. A strange silence. It seemed like a set-up, a set made for us. Thousands of years of sun, sand, stories hidden in time. Traces practically erased from other men. The paintings showed a time so far away that it is difficult to understand. I imagined a native, mixing dust, plants, cattle blood and drawing cows, people, hunting scenes… so long later, his witness continued.
Fascinated, we left the desert to Serdeles, where we were able to refuel, eat, shower and relax again.
DAY 12: We return to the Ubari. Second casualty.
Fulfilling its promises, the organization takes us back to cross the rest of the Ubari ridges. We are all excited to get back to picking up sand and deflating tires. It is the consolation of knowing that the journey is coming to an end.
After several kilometers of road and track, we finally reach the dunes. We had only been there for 1 hour and we heard on the radio station that Fornons’ car had broken a shock absorber on the last stretch of track and Ramón had some mechanical problem.
The cars were separated into three segments: the leading cars, Ramón’s group in the center and Fornons and others at the tail. Ramon’s problem seemed serious: he did not clutch and could not move. It was decided to meet all of us at Ramon’s point and see what to do, since it was in the middle of the dunes in a kind of pot.
When we arrived, the mechanics had already begun to disassemble the clutch to rule out another breakdown that might have a solution. To add more excitement to the subject, there was a sandstorm and little visibility.
The mechanics (who by the way earned a monument on this trip) made a hole under the car to be able to work better, covered the sides to prevent the entry of sand as much as possible and put all the tools on a plastic floor. They dismounted half the car under the worried gaze of its owner, and could see that the fault was that the flywheel had broken, if I’m not mistaken. They were working from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and with Salvador’s invaluable help, they were able to make a weld and Ramon got out of the dunes on his own foot.
DAY 13: We continue on sand. Overturned car.
The next day the group was divided. Ramón with other cars left by road to meet us at the border two days later. The rest of us, we continued through the Ubari to make the most of it.
We continue until we reach the camping point of a few days ago. We wanted to go back up the big dune and enjoy the cars a bit there. Marc and I were at the foot of the dune ready for action when the radio station heard “I overturned, do you see me?”. The truth is that it took me a long time to react, but Marc and the others were already getting into the car to go straight backwards. At the top of a small cord of dunes, a car could be seen lying on its side. It was Francisco. A few cars arrived first and we were relieved to see Francisco well. The rest of the cars were at the top of the big dune and we could see them coming in packs quickly.
The overturned car had 3 wheels flat and was a bit buoyant. It had the roll bars and that had gone so well. Lluís put his wins and the others helped to push the car by putting it on 4 wheels again. They fixed the tires and started the car. Luckily Francisco had been very quick to turn off the engine and there was no problem.
With the fright in our bodies we went in the direction of the hammada Zener and Derj. We camped in the same place where we met Brigitte!
DAY 14: We inflate tires. Third casualty.
The goal of the day was to get to sleep in Zwara to be close to the border. There we had to meet with the comrades of Ramón’s group. The stage was not very exciting: we had to cross the Zener hammada again.
We were very cautious because the hammada is dangerous and breaks cars at the slightest carelessness… suddenly, Marc and I saw a ditch in the middle of the track and he braked the car but we still ate it with potatoes… The truth is that I thought we had broken shock absorbers, because I heard a very loud noise and the camera I had on my lap flew away.
We get out of the car to check damage… Apparently everything was fine, but when I got back into the car, the front left wheel made a scrubbing noise… the cars behind us came to us: Germán, Alex, Albert… We dismantled the wheel to see where the noise could come from, so that nothing was broken. We blew well and reassembled the wheel. It was no longer making noise!! Dust or stones had gotten in and they rubbed against the disc. Thank goodness!!
We continue on the road. We heard on the radio station that Josep said “Francisco has lost a wheel!!”. A few meters away we stopped with the other cars: Francisco’s car had a front wheel come off and had dragged the axle a few meters along the track. Poor Francisco had recovered well from the dunk, but that brought him down… There were remnants of the disc on the track. According to what they said it was very strong because it was blue and that only happens when it reaches I don’t know how many degrees of temperature!
The mechanics and Albert stayed with Francisco. The plan was to weld the wheel as much as possible to make it easier to lift the car onto a crane that Albert had to go and get. The rest of us continue to Zwara by road, where we would meet the rest of the group. There we did the last camping on the beach and it was memorable!
STAGE 5: RETURN
We cross the border with the usual slowness. We were all a little depressed about the end of the adventure, but also satisfied with how much fun we had had. Arriving at the 5-star hotel in Hammamet was a delight: the shower (I showered twice in a row), the dinner and breakfast buffet… in short, very good. On the boat, we slept 15 hours straight!
The balance of the trip has been excellent. The people, the route, the car… We have enjoyed everything at every moment. The memory of the desert, its landscapes, the sensations of crossing it will remain forever, or at least, until we return.
