Our van is having a mechanical service this morning which will include a grease and oil change plus air-cleaner filter replacement. This is particularly important as this Saharan dust gets into everything, including car engines. Tomorrow Adlene will be driving the van alone back to Algiers while Ridwane accompanies us on to Oran.
We had a leisurely breakfast and then had the morning, until 11:00 as free time to prepare for our flight to Oran and our further travel homewards.
At 11:30 we said farewell to the charming husband and wife owners of Dar el Yamama and complimented them on the superb meals that they’d served us during our stay.
Adlene, for our last trip with him, drove us to the Timimoun airport some 10 km away. There were emotional moments for all of us and we could see tears welling in Adlene’s eyes. It was hard to say goodbye when he’d looked after us so well and been such an amazingly careful and capable driver. Whether it was in the chaos of big city traffic jams or out on the open highways coping with hundreds of fast moving trucks, Adlene showed remarkable skills and patience.
Saying farewell to Adlene, Timimoun
Our flight to Oran was supposed to be leaving at 14:00 but on arrival at the airport we were informed that the flight was likely to be two hours later than scheduled.
We waited patiently with the additional concern that the pilots have the option of not flying down to Timimoun if there’s the possibility of the Saharan winds causing sand storms and subsequently low visibility for landing. However, eventually the Air Algerie ATR 72-500 plane did turn up.
Before boarding the plane, we had to identify our bags and see that they were placed on the trolley for loading. This identification of luggage took place on the tarmac in 42°C heat and then on boarding we found the temperature in the plane was not much less. Although seat allocation was shown on our boarding passes, no-one took any notice and sat wherever they wanted.
Our flight took off at 16:15 and by the time we’d climbed for only a minute or so, the ground was barely visible due to the air being so full of red Saharan dust.
The day’s intense heat had caused atmospheric disturbances making the first thirty minutes of flying quite bumpy.
The flight lasted just on two hours and covered a distance of about 700 km. For the last half hour, the view out the window changed and we could now see farms and green crops as opposed to the orange monochrome of the Sahara desert.
Our Air Algerie plane from Timimoun to Oran
Oran airport was clean and the baggage handling done promptly and efficiently. Ridwane introduced us to our new driver (just for tomorrow) and he drove us to our Le Palme hotel in central Oran. The outside temperature was about 25°C and so much more comfortable than the oppressive heat of the Sahara.
We showered and had a buffet style evening meal in the hotel’s dining room after a day involving a lot of waiting and not much physical activity.
Our visit to the Sahara for these last few days has been eye-opening with a great deal to see of historical, archeological and cultural significance. The very hot, dusty and super dry weather has made our visit to the Sahara quite demanding although we must acknowledge that it was our decision to arrive in this extraordinary and fascinating part of the world in the summer season!
Tomorrow we spend our last full day in North Africa visiting sights of interest in and around Oran.