It took three hours to drive into the Sarhara. The temperature was 39° and it felt extremely hot. Our destination was the Auberge Du Sud at Erg Chebbi. Hamid had telephoned ahead so we were expected and were allowed to camp in the hotel car park, have the use of showers and toilets and also the use of their lovely pool.
In the evening staff, wearing long blue robes and white turbans – and looking very handsome, set up the dinner tables around the swimming pool, covering the tiled floor with rugs. We had a delicious supper of soup, followed by little separate dishes of chicken and onions, stuffed aubergine, potatoes, pasta and a tagine of beef in a sauce topped with an egg. This was followed with fresh fruit. The following morning, after getting up at 5am to watch the sunrise over the dunes, we had a buffet breakfast, which included the local pancakes served with honey. Our total bill was just under £30.
