The journey into the sand...

Path to nowhere – When the land changes its face

I don't even know where to begin. The impressions that have hit us today are hard to put into words. Traveling through this country in your own vehicle gives you a perspective that no travel brochure in the world can offer. It's like traveling through time.

In the evening, another completely bizarre experience: On the highway, pitch black, with a veil of rain, they suddenly appeared – four traffic policemen. Are they chatting there, exchanging their latest experiences?

Contrasts that burn into memory

The journey through the mainland is a rush of images. The road conditions change as quickly as the scenery. On one side, you see beautiful, magnificent houses, and right next to them, abandoned ruins and deteriorating huts. Porsches and old rusty pickups. Mopeds loaded with huge bags.

For what feels like 200km, it's just olive groves next to the highway. The guys at the toll station are selling inflatable airplanes without wings. The first 350km are flat and green.

And then, almost imperceptibly, the transformation begins. First, the olive trees become less frequent. The green gives way to a dusty beige. The houses become smaller, the huts more sparse. The sand cautiously creeps up to the roadside, taking over the color scheme. Eventually, it's just beige-brown. While it initially rains, the sum of everything comes out and it gets warm, but the wind is still cool.

We stop in a small town to get something to eat; across the intersection, two policemen stand with assault rifles, traffic control or something similar. By the way, Tunisia has been in a state of emergency for over ten years! The sandwich/dough roll tastes great! Then buy some water, and head to the gas station. The attendant with the eunuch voice recognizes Michel from last time and is happy...

Then it’s into the mountains, winding roads, mountain villages, simple houses, donkeys standing in the yard.

Houses carved into the rock – you can literally see how the people have wrested their living space from nature.

The gateway to infinity: The beginning of the desert

And suddenly it's there: The moment when the desert takes over. It's mesmerizing.

Wind that is getting warmer, and you slowly realize: We are really here now, the car in front of us is leaving a trail of sand behind, small dunes are licking the road, two dromedaries suddenly cross right in the middle of nowhere.

Then the arrival in Ksar-Ghilane, an oasis at a warm spring. Palm trees, water, green, we stop, it’s just past sundown. Michael and I walk out, 100m in the sand, but this isn't sand, this is brown powder!! We stand there, the sun illuminating the dunes in an absolutely magical light. Incredible, this sight! Unbelievable. We are in the Sahara.

You get a completely different impression of a country when you experience it this way. It's no longer just a vacation destination – it's a way of life that is completely captivating us right now.

7 in the sand – now it's true.