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| Thierry Sabine's grave |
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On day six we start the journey east. At the Arbre Perdu (Lost Tree), in the very middle of the Ténéré, we are 200km in every direction from any kind of feature, with 360° of straight horizon separating pure flat sand from blazing blue sky. It's here that Paris-Dakar Rally founder Thierry Sabine's ashes are scattered: sadly, his gravestone has been desecrated.
How the drivers navigate this region is a mystery. But they are Tuaregs and have it in the blood. They use features on the horizon, old tracks in the sand, changes in the ground colour and surface, dune corridors, the sun and, of course, experience. Only one thing brings everything to a grinding halt: the dreaded sand storm.
We are also worried about this potential weather condition. On the evening we arrive at what will be our eclipse camp - under the escarpment that runs behind Dirkou and Bilma - a storm is raging and the visibility is down to mere metres. It's a long way to have come to watch flying sand.
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