Sand, sand everywhere as far as the eye can see.

We've finally made it to Erg Assedrem about 500km south of the Algerian border in Mali, right in the heart of the Saharan Desert. It's about as much as I expected, only more of it. Sand that is.
I'd heard stories of how it gets really cold at night in the desert but wasn't really prepared for it especially after my stint in the Ogaden Desert in Ethiopia (average of 35 degrees during the day). Man was I in for shock. Night temps are down to less than 10 degrees and with the wind chill factor it might as well be minus. So much for the thousand dollar aircon unit we bought for the aircraft. So much for walking around in shorts and no shirt. Silly thing is due to the wind and the dryness it's still too easy to get dehydrated. Out here, if your pee isn't almost clear, you're not drinking enough. Reminds me of a pee colour chart we got during our induction when I was in the Ogaden. Should have kept it.

We're flying nights here due to the heat turbulence during the day. This of course means an odd starting day at 2000hrs, sleep, wake up at 0400 hrs to pick up the pilots, sleep, then wake up at 1000hrs to answer emails and start processing work. Not all that different to my normal hours, just the painful wake up period happens at the end of the flight not the start.

I'm on my last couple of weeks out here actually. After being holed up in Bamako for so long there hasn't been much time to immerse myself in the wilderness before it's time to head home. There's a bit of a tight flight schedule to get home and hopefully I'll make it back early Jan. Otherwise I'll be really pissed at losing three thousand odd dollars of pre-paid course fees.

There's been a quite a few pensive moments over the last few nights, sitting on top of a 20,000lt fuel tank, staring at the stars. End of year, end of chapter. What next for this wondering soul? There's also been a mighty number of strange dreams from parking an airplane in a Westfield shopping car park to arguing with friends who don't work with me about things at work. What it all means? No idea, I just reckon I'm sleep deprived and need a break.

Hmmm... so there ends another semi baked update. It was really more to post something new to push the last few entries of drivel down the page. Sure I could just delete them but that wouldn't be true to what I'm trying to do here. Writing about ones' self on the Internet is nothing more than a self obsessed exercise in narcissism anyway, so I might as well be true to me about it.