Oliver's Army are here to stay.

Eleven days and 2600 miles after leaving the UK we did our first days work. Looking at fire hearths in Waw en Kebir made by upright man (us!) between 2000 and 5000 years ago. It’s a quiet spot and we had it to ourselves. Probably 2-300 square miles, mainly flat, with a few raised bits along the north and south flanks just visible about 30 miles away. The hearths were of particular interest as they contained Acheulean stone tools (The style of manufacture indicates these pre date fire - cave man stuff, 100,000 years +) that had been reused as stones to line a hearth along with regular stones, to possibly cook something. Simon Armitage has the task of dating these in a lab back in London. From that he can calculate when the fire was burning. There were loads of hearths and this would indicate lots of people along what was once a lush green valley. We moved on to a way point identified by satellite image as the likely last damp patch to take a core sample. As we got closer there turned out to be an army base there. This was best avoided, not for any danger, but by the time you have shaken hands with everybody and drunk tea, half a day is lost. We pressed on a bit and camped. The pictures show a charred stone tool, our camp with the glow of light from the base about 2 miles away and lunch, served on a gingham table cloth out of the back of my Land Rover. Nothing if not stylish.

The Lake District.

After a faltering start we finally hit the sand at about 10.00 am heading southeast across a flat wilderness of nothing much at all to the northern edge of Waw en Kebir, an oasis of interest to the Geos, who intend to bore a hole in it to confirm the desert really is made up of sand. We actually camped at the edge of a vast wadi, some 20 kms. across. Low hills from an eroded lake bed of 450,000 years ago offered good protection from the southerly wind which was reasonably warm and a stark contrast to the previous two years when it has been just sub zero. The good thing about travelling with such knowledgeable chaps is that they are always keen to explain just what you are looking at and why it’s there. They are studying what was Lake Mega Fazzan. Yes. This 120,000 square km. area of desert has been a lake five times over 450,000 years. The high bits are in fact lake bed sediments that have refused to be eroded away by the desert’s winds. Microscopic fossilised shells confirm that it was fresh water, not saline. Flint hand tools confirm mankind had a rich and lengthy stay here, both millions and tens of thousands of years ago. From a nomadic ‘cave’ man, to upright man, much like you and I, but without a mobile phone. The sheep bought it on night four!

Under the watchful eye.

After a subdued, alcohol free, night out with the rest of the team. (There are about 25 of us - all boozers) It was an early night in the Hotel Yosser, then an early start to head south. Driving out of Tripoli we took then opportunity to fill up with diesel. Full tanks and 14 jerry cans. Whilst all of the 1000 kms. ahead of us would be on tarmac, one thing that you can’t rely on, is fuel stations actually having fuel. Particularly diesel (Nafta). This is rather odd in a country that produces the stuff, but apparently they have to sell one lot and get the cash in, before ordering another lot. This can mean petrol stations being without fuel for a few days and as they are spaced out at a rate of about one every 150 kms. it is prudent to be fat with fuel. I am attached to the Goes and we peeled off at Sebha, a mere 750 kms. in a day, whilst the Archaeologists carried on to Germa, a further 250 kms.. A long day. At Sebha we meet up with our Libyan logistics team in four Toyotas - two Cruisers and two pickups loaded up with food, drink and more fuel. Next stop, the desert. Photos show just one of many posters of The Colonel, The town of Ash Shwayre, a one horse town if ever there was one, half way down our route and us filling up with a good tenners worth of diesel. Fuel’s gone up!

Traffic calming.

Surprisingly, the Libya border crossing was easier than on previous occasions. ‘Tourist Police’ have been given a charm course and Hasan became our minder throughout the process. What is always amusing about traversing from Tunisia into Libya, is that all the officials involved in producing three bits of important paperwork appear to have never done it before, despite there being a steady stream of Euro 4x4s through the border every day. We were through in two hours and in daylight. A bonus. Last night we stayed in a Dept of Antiquities rest house behind the museum at Sabratha. This is little more than a shed, so I slept in the Land Rover. Our evening meal was at a very good Turkish Restaurant on the main road. As we promenaded along the pavement (A Libyan equivalent of strolling through Market Harborough) a local youth was doing massive doughnuts in a big car in the middle of the road. Loads of them! It was Friday night and the equivalent of the weekend. Maybe this is what you get when you deprive people of alcohol. Today we have driven into Tripoli centre. A mayhem of traffic where every gap is regarded as an opportunity for progress. A competitive element came over us to keep up with the locals. Scary, but we arrived here okay and hope to head south into the desert tomorrow morning.

Photos show our last beers for a month in Djerba, Tunisia. Changing money on the black market in Ben Gardena, just before the border and Tripoli traffic!

This is Toby Savage for 1943 Jeep Rebuild Blog 3rd January 2009.

Happy New Year!

‘Bonne Annee’ came the cries as we drove through the streets of La Goulette, on the edge of Tunis, to our usual hotel, the Amilcar. Things were different this year, however, as it had closed down. Hardly surprising, as like the Habib, our ferry, it was well past its sell by date. We drove on up to the Hotel Sidi Bou Said. 5 stars, but Tunisian stars are different to ours. Slightly smaller. Four rooms and secure parking suited us and the beds seemed comfy enough. Sanctuary was found later in the Au Bon Vieux Temps restaurant in Sidi Bou Said. We have treated ourselves to a slap up here in the past, but on our return from Libya, to celebrate the return to civilisation. As it was New Years Eve, we felt we should hit it again. It did not disappoint and neither did the Tunisian Reserve red wine. As good as anything drunk on the way down through France. We left at 11.30, before the dancing started and headed to the Coffee House at the top of the hill for mint tea with pine nuts and a blast on the Shisha pipe to see in the New Year. There was only us four and the staff there! Bleary eyed on 1st we headed south, first through Carthage, from where Hannibal set out to conquer the Roman Empire, then on the newly completed motorway down to Sfax and smaller roads to a little ferry that took us and about 20 other cars over to the Isle of Djerba where I write this. Next stop is the Libyan border about 100 miles further east. This is Toby Savage for 1943 Jeep Rebuild Blog 2nd January 2009.

Pictures show the first course of our meal, Kev’s and my Land Rovers on the ferry and the coffee house favoured by Impressionist painter, Gaugin in his day.

Lost in France.

It’s been a pleasantly uneventful run down through France, but tonight, in Valence we stumbled across a bar near the station with a barmaid who resembled Pocha Hontas. Several beers later Kevin and I ducked out leaving Ian and Steve to finish off the many beers. The photos show; a line up of us four somewhere in France, a meal (quite good from memory) some bread and water, as our budget is smaller than last year, and our new mate in Chalons en Champagne who photographed us pumping up tyres. This is the build up to real adventure.... it says here. This is Toby Savage for 1943 Jeep Rebuild Blog 29th December 2008. Just.

Oily Rag.

I know it’s really sad blogging on Christmas Day, but I was so moved by this picture my Mum made a card from that I had to share it. This was a Jaguar XK140 fixed head coupe my pal John and I ‘did up’ back in 1970. We bought it for £1000 and sold it for £2000 after fitting a replacement engine and respraying it. The engine came from a 3.4 Mk 11 scapper and we transferred the ‘C Type’ head from the knackered engine. She was sweet. It also had J.A. Pierce mag alloy wheels and Jag XJ6 tyres. John is bent double sanding with a pneumatic sander and I am sporting a flat cap sanding manually on the left. It looks as though we were flatting down the first coat of primer. It was a lovely car. Happy Christmas.