Have you ever had the desire to cross the Sahara?

Hoggar Mountains in the Sahara

No, but I have thought about camping in a tent with a hot arab.

I had a cousin named "Sahara". The "h" was silent.

Don't cross me, bitch!

You DO NOT cross Sarah.

She will cut and gut you.

No, OP.

No.

Lol, well, based on these responses, I am an oddball.

Is it true all deserts were former rainforests? And because humans began farming it depleted the topsoil and now all that's left is a barren desert. Apparently the Middle East used to be a sense forest.

*dense forest

Can I have your stuff?

Oh God no! I read a book written by a man who actually did when I was in my teens, and it sounded absolutely horrible. Heat and camel shit in the wells, dishonest guides and being offered 12-year-old girls in the towns, boredom and danger, and having to deal with camels.

No, I want to do the Icelandic ring road and the Cinque Terre highway, and cross Australia by train and the US by car (I've done 2/3), but not the Sahara.

Do you remember the title of the book r11?

R7 not at all OP. I may not necessarily want to cross the Sahara, but I would love to travel the Silk Road some day. I find that far more interesting than travelling to say, Paris, Rome etc. although I'm sure those places are lovely and chock full of tourists!

[quote]I want to...cross Australia by train and the US by car (I've done 2/3),

I’m envious. I would love to criss-cross America by car. That’s an adventure I hope to have someday.

R14 I have a friend who has done it several times. I, also, would love to do that. No strict agenda, no timeline just the open road and unknown adventures.

r14 I have driven across the US several times. The eastern and central states are a big yawn to me, but I could drive across New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana ... forever.

The Sahara makes me sad. 10-15,000 years ago, it was green, with lakes and rivers and abundant wildlife. Then the climate shifted, and it became desert. Humans has nothing to do with the change, as the people who lived there were nomadic hunter gatherers. Their petroglyphs can still be found, showing them fishing and hunting. When I see the dunes, I think of what used to be there and how beautiful it must have been.

R17, what's wire hangers doing in this closet?

No, but I’d like to go to Timbuktu just to say I did.

My brother crossed the Sahara on a motorcycle with a friend in the 1980s.

Why go so far?

I crossed a very busy street in New York City once. It was a terrifying ordeal. But I made it through it, so I think I'm ready for the Sahara!

r17 Why are you talking to yourself?

OP - check out Michael Palin’s Sahara series. I don’t have what it takes to travel there myself but it was fascinating and entertaining to watch.

Full Series

[quote] I crossed a very busy street in New York City once. It was a terrifying ordeal. But I made it through it, so I think I'm ready for the Sahara!

Pfft. Delancey Street doesn’t count. Check back with us when you cross Park Av. against the light on a Friday rush hour.

OP is sure doing a whole lot of thinking during this time. However, it may be a nice way to socially distance...maybe forever.

Thank you, R1, those mountains are astounding.

Yes because of this song

I got interested in the Outback because of this woman’s adventure and book.

Thank you r25!

r27 made me laugh

R30, that makes you think of steak?!

Sorry, R12, I don't remember the name of the book. And I got it out of the library in the 1990s or 2000s, so it's probably long out of print.

OP must have the same mindset as those who are dying to go to Iran or North Korea, just for the fun and joy of it. Your life is too dozy and tranquil, OP?

r35, there's a big difference between Morocco and Iran/NK.

[quote] there's a big difference between Morocco and Iran/NK

Yes, Morocco has one more letter!

I was just reading a blog post, can't remember where I came across it, a British guy and two companions started in Morocco and drove nearly the length of Africa. This was back in the 50s or early 60s. Wonderful story. Just following tracks in the desert, no roads. Photographs of the oases they stopped at, looked like something out of the bible, camels and palm trees. Just incredible.

Xxxx

I'd like to spend Midnight at the Oasis

OP years ago I went with my partner to Ouarzazate, Morocco which is on the edge of the Sahara. We had a guide take us into the desert. It was an amazing experience we were there for about an hour on a beautiful day walking up and down the sand dunes and it really does look like an ocean but frozen in place and made of sand. When we returned to hotel we had to shower and change our clothes before we did anything else sand got into everything.

Do we get to have hot camel drivers who will set up the tents and attend to our every need?