Yesterday I was thinking that Algeria wasn’t too different from many other countries in terms of terrain. That all changed as we suddenly came into the Sahara, of which we only had a taste of yesterday afternoon. In addition tho the desolation, the most overwhelming thing is the dirt. We showered and did laundry this morning and we are already dirty. There is a fine dust everywhere and it never seems to let up. The wind is blowing the sand around like crazy.

As I’ve been writing this, I have been brushing off the fine film that forms every few minutes. It is impossible to keep gear clean because as soon as it comes out, it’s covered. I put my cameras into my waterproof bag which should protect them, although it makes them rather inaccessible. I don’t think I’ve ever faced the prospect of coping with this much dirt, and this is only the beginning. We will be living with these conditions for at least the next 2 weeks. We’ll either get used to it or go insane.