Day 13: Into the Sahara Desert

Distance: 590km
Just a quick update today as I have been on the road for 9.5 hours with only a 45 minute break for dinner.
This bit was always on my list of NOT spots and apart from a few bright spots it has lived up to expectations with long straight roads with little variation in scenery.
I have stopped at a little roadside camp site where a young girl and her mother seem to be in charge. They don’t speak French which is what I have been using up to now (badly) but they only speak some form of Arabic. The girl wrote down the camp fee as 500…. Now that is about 50 pounds. . What!! I said no too much and the mother got out 25 from a cash box. Ahhh that’s better, about 2.50 in pounds.
I was just about to put up my tent but the mother pointed to some tents. I gave the international signal for sleep ( hands together at side of head) and she nodded. Looks like i’m sleeping in there then.
Tomorrow I go deeper into the desert.