It's definitely colder here.

Here we find ourselves on sweeping expanses of open desert where the horizon is uncertain and the landmarks are well beyond what is shown on the map.

Here, the plateaus and hamadas are crisscrossed by a variety of wadis, some deep, some shallow, some crossable, some not, from which one emerges much too far off course to avoid losing one's bearings and "wasting kilometres".

This area is also rife with pesky camel grass that sprouts, without a care, in the smallest sandy wadi. And it seems to take great pleasure in growing exactly in the middle of the only possible route through, just to make sure that passers-by get the chance to inspect the underside of their vehicle...

Here, above all , there are the famous Boudenib "cauliflowers". These wreched, completely inedible plants are filled with sand and as hard as rock and are unforgiving should one dare to drive over them.

All that's missing is the (very) frequent lack of visibility. Because here, it's very often a bit like a white day on skis... It can be hard to distinguish sky from ground.

One might have expected a transition leg after the day in the dunes and before the first marathon leg... but no! The Gazelles will certainly be happy to get back to the bivouac this evening. Today will have proved much more challenging than anticipated. And then at the end of the day, there are preparations to be made. Tomorrow is bivouac moving day and the first 2-day marathon leg!