Caught in a Sandstorm in the Sahara

0:00 Welcome to my last hurrah.

0:01 I feel like I'm on a real adventure, but I'm also a little terrified.

0:07 After experiencing several breakdowns,

0:09 I've decided to embark on one last desert adventure on Expedition Sahara,

0:13 my most challenging off-road trail through the Sahara to date.

0:17 This whole place just feels so Mad Max,

0:20 and it's about to give me a hell of a lot of memories.

0:23 A massive three day sandstorm,

0:25 300 miles out in the desert, things falling apart pretty badly.

0:30 And guess what?

0:32 Yet another breakdown.

0:34 I can't believe this is happening again.

0:36 And I just wanna say I apologize in advance for all the F-bombs in this video.

0:39 There's a lot of them, no (beep) way.

0:42 They're mostly bleeped out, but it's a pretty crazy ride.

0:44 So thanks for your understanding.

0:46 Odyssey, don't (beep) do this to me, and let's go.

0:53 These are honestly very bad conditions to undertake a big,

0:58 ambitious desert crossing.

1:00 It's not a very auspicious day because there's

1:03 a pretty vicious sandstorm out here right now.

1:06 You can't really see it because the camera kind of clears up the sand,

1:09 but the wind has been blowing all day long, sending sand woo, in all directions.

1:16 So visibility is pretty low.

1:19 But aside from that, my truck just got out

1:22 of a repair that I do not trust a one bit.

1:26 My fridge isn't working,

1:27 my inverter isn't working, my speedometer isn't working.

1:31 There's a lot of things telling me that I should probably not do this right now,

1:34 but there's a little voice inside that's telling me that if I don't try,

1:38 I'm gonna regret it.

1:40 So we're gonna go get ourselves some

1:44 extra diesel and then we're gonna get going.

1:47 The plan is to spend the next three days

1:49 driving 300 miles along the infamous Iron Ore train tracks.

1:52 It's by far the most extreme off-road trail

1:55 I will have driven on this entire expedition,

1:57 only a couple of tiny settlements along the way,

2:00 with the nearest tarmac being 150 miles away at the most remote point.

2:07 (gentle music) (woman speaking in foreign language) All right.

2:21 The plan for day one was to drive 50 miles towards

2:23 a natural wonder that few people outside of Mauritania know about.

2:28 (gentle music) All right, our first sighting of the rail tracks,

2:35 these are the tracks that I'll be following over the course

2:38 of the next 300 miles along the route of the world's longest train.

2:46 (person laughing) Which I took five years ago, and it was incredible.

2:50 One of the best 24 hours of my life.

2:54 My only job over the course of the next

2:56 300 miles is to follow these train tracks, stay to the south of them.

3:01 Shouldn't be too hard not to get lost,

3:03 but there's a lot of other challenges ahead, so I'm just not gonna jinx it.

3:07 (person laughing) I'm gonna stop talking and start driving.

3:10 (upbeat music) This off-road trail is my last hurrah on this expedition.

3:14 You may remember from the last episode

3:16 that Odyssey's been having some gearbox issues,

3:18 and I need to start thinking about heading home.

3:20 But I need this last off-road adventure to feel

3:24 like I've made the most out of this expedition.

3:26 From the get go, I knew this wouldn't be an easy ending.

3:29 As I drove into the desert,

3:31 the sandstorm became more and more intense, dust completely covering the sky,

3:35 and on many stretches, even wiping out all tire tracks,

3:39 so I couldn't see if I was following any trail at all.

3:43 Okay, we've hit soft sand and almost got stuck, but didn't.

3:50 But yeah, this is very soft now.

3:53 We're gonna have to lose a bit of tire pressure,

3:58 let out some air, and hopefully we can keep going.

4:02 God, this wind is just insane, woo.

4:05 (gentle music) (vehicle engine whirring) You can't be comfortable there.

4:20 You know, you could go back inside the truck, right?

4:23 The best way I can describe being in a sandstorm

4:26 like this is that it feels like it's raining sand.

4:29 (person shouting) So it's coming from every single direction.

4:32 It's coming from up above, from the sides.

4:38 Ugh, it's getting everywhere.

4:40 Honestly, I know why the people of the desert cover their hair traditionally,

4:47 it's because if you don't, you get sand freaking everywhere.

4:51 Get inside.

4:55 Oh god, this is a little stressful, because of the wind,

4:58 most of the old tracks have been covered up,

4:59 so I can't really see where I'm going.

5:01 I can't see if I'm actually on an old set of tracks on an old trail,

5:06 or if I'm just somewhere in the desert making my own trail,

5:10 which obviously I don't wanna do because if I get stuck and I need help,

5:16 I wanna be on a real trail so that there's

5:18 at least a small chance that someone can find me.

5:21 Note to self, don't venture into the desert when there's a sand storm.

5:28 Oh my God, I cannot believe my luck.

5:31 The train is here.

5:34 (person gasping) The train is here.

5:39 Holy shit.

5:41 (gentle music) Oh my God, that's so cool.

5:55 Okay, I think it's high time that we found somewhere to camp for tonight.

5:59 There is a giant monolith around here that I really wanna check out.

6:05 It's called Ben Amera, and I can't see it.

6:07 In fact, it's so huge, you should be able to see it from here.

6:10 But because the sandstorm is so intense,

6:13 you can't see anything, absolutely nothing.

6:17 It's just white.

6:18 It's like I've been dropped into a jar of milk.

6:23 But I do believe that it's somewhere there, the monolith.

6:26 So that's where we're gonna head,

6:28 and hopefully tomorrow we'll actually be able to see it, all right.

6:32 (gentle music) Ben Amera is a pretty special place.

6:35 It's a monolith.

6:37 And in case you're not sure what that means, that's a giant,

6:39 massive rock that can be the size of an entire mountain basically.

6:43 Ben Amera is one of the largest monoliths in the entire world,

6:46 and it's actually taller than Australia's famous Uluru.

6:52 What, where are we?

6:57 We're sleeping under the monolith, what?

7:00 (upbeat music) If all you wanna do is be alone in the desert,

7:14 in nature, in a Four by Four, Mauritania.

7:19 There's like oasis here.

7:21 There's mountains, there's desert,

7:23 very underrated gem of a country, and everybody's so nice.

7:27 People are genuinely really, really sweet, really kind.

7:31 So welcoming and helpful.

7:33 Well, the fridge is broken and this is the moment where

7:38 I pat myself on the shoulder for having the incredible foresight.

7:42 'Cause you know, Vyork eats raw meat.

7:44 And up until now I've just been putting it in the freezer,

7:49 which has been amazing because I could,

7:51 you know, bring like a supply of a week's

7:53 worth of Vyork's food in the freezer, maybe more.

7:57 But now that it doesn't work, I can use a backup food that I brought.

8:02 So this is just some air dried food.

8:05 It's like a nicer, healthier version of kibble

8:09 that Vyork will gobble up as well.

8:13 And I have just enough to last us a couple of weeks.

8:16 Perfect for the way back.

8:19 You wanna show the nice people some tricks?

8:21 Yeah.

8:25 Good boy.

8:27 (upbeat music) Yeah, good boy.

8:51 (person sighing) Why don't you work, can a brand make a stove like

8:58 this, a camping stove that is actually high quality?

9:02 Can a brand do that, is that possible?

9:06 I feel like that would be fabulous.

9:09 So I don't have to sit here and hold down

9:13 the leather with my thumb for the entirety of the cooking process.

9:20 You know, at this point in the trip,

9:22 some things are just not quite there anymore.

9:26 Things are breaking down, falling apart.

9:28 But you know, one thing that is still absolutely incredible,

9:32 and I cannot get over this Mauritanian bread.

9:38 So you know the country Mauritania was a French colony for many years.

9:44 And we do not like colonies.

9:46 We do not approve of colonies, obviously.

9:48 But one of the legacies that the French have left behind,

9:52 aside from the language,

9:54 is the incredible bread that you can find in Mauritania.

9:57 So whenever I pass by at a village, I buy bread.

10:02 And this, it's just soft on the inside, crispy on the outside.

10:05 It's so freaking delicious.

10:07 I could eat it every single day of my life.

10:09 So today we're dipping.

10:15 (person grunting) So good.

10:20 It's so delicious, did you have a good dinner?

10:24 Did you have a good food?

10:26 Did you have some good food?

10:27 Okay, we are both fed.

10:30 I am clothed in my PJs and almost ready to go to bed,

10:34 but I wanna tell you guys about why I have to get back home so soon,

10:38 why I can't just extend my trip here.

10:40 I've got something very exciting to get back to.

10:43 Ah, it has something to do with this, which is my book, "The Wilder Way".

10:49 And I have to get back because I'll be doing a book tour around my memoir,

10:53 which I'm so excited about.

10:55 So I'll be doing events in the UK and I'll be doing events in the US.

10:59 There's a lot of stories in this book

11:01 that never made it to YouTube and never will.

11:04 It feels very vulnerable to share it with the world.

11:06 But yeah, it's coming out very, very soon.

11:08 So I need to get back to welcome it into the world, The Wilder way.

11:13 Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

11:17 (person kissing) Good morning.

11:20 Maybe not so good morning because I feel like utter crap,

11:25 making my morning coffee, still the same technique applies.

11:31 The stove hasn't fixed itself magically overnight, unfortunately.

11:35 And last night was pretty horrific.

11:38 A car came by at 2:00 AM, at 2:00 AM, I don't know who the hell it was.

11:45 I'm gonna have to assume that it was a military car.

11:47 We are very close to the western Sahara border and I guess doing their rounds.

11:54 Anyway, that woke me up 'cause Vyork started barking

11:56 and then after that, I just wasn't able to fall asleep

11:58 because the wind was so incredibly intense and loud and just

12:04 shook the entire car and the tent all night long.

12:08 So I slept for three hours last night and four

12:11 hours the night before also because of the wind.

12:14 So I feel like a wreck.

12:17 (person sighing) I just need to make my coffee, do you see that?

12:23 Do you hear that, the whole car is still freaking shaking because of that wind.

12:28 The sandstorm is still here and it has not subsided.

12:31 I feel like it's getting worse.

12:35 Oh, come on, you freaking thing.

12:40 Ugh, I hate this.

12:44 I got sand in my eye, oh, come on.

12:49 Can this stove at least fucking work?

12:51 'Cause I really need my coffee right now in order to (beep) function.

12:55 It's like the wind gets in through every

12:57 fricking hole and blows out my fire every time.

13:03 Yeah, no sleep and no coffee makes a dull girl.

13:07 (gentle music) Feeling a little urgh.

13:26 Like I don't really know what's going on.

13:28 I haven't really woken up yet.

13:29 Not the best state to be doing a very challenging off-road trail through sand,

13:35 deep sand, deep soft sand, where you really need to be super focused.

13:41 But I don't really have another choice at this point.

13:45 On day two, I plan to drive about 150 miles west across the sand,

13:49 passing a single settlement on route.

13:52 (gentle music) (machine whirring) Ah, no!

14:04 (beep) wind.

14:07 Things have been going wrong for a little while.

14:09 I can normally handle stress pretty well,

14:11 but in order to do so, I really need good sleep.

14:14 So with the wind keeping me up half the night,

14:17 the last two nights, I think the anxieties are starting to get to me.

14:21 And even though I really want to do this last adventure,

14:24 I am definitely feeling nervous about the truck

14:27 and anxious about making it all the way home.

14:30 It's just a lot of emotions right now.

14:32 (gentle music) I'm starting to appreciate what the luxury it is

14:39 to be able to see the road in front of you.

14:42 Once you stop seeing the road in front of you,

14:44 driving becomes an exercise in feeling out

14:48 the world around you and really hoping that you

14:51 don't crash into something that is 10 meters

14:53 in front of you but you can't see it.

14:55 (person laughing) This is what my world looks like right now.

14:59 This is very cool.

15:01 I feel like I'm on a real adventure, but I'm also a little terrified.

15:07 I think Vyork is a little bit bored of this relatively monotonous landscape.

15:10 And yeah, it does look pretty monotonous.

15:13 There isn't that much to see per se.

15:15 I know I'm kind of trying to make light of the situation,

15:18 but we are in the Sahara and this is a pretty serious place to get lost.

15:23 And the way to avoid getting lost on this track specifically

15:26 is to always keep the train tracks in your line of sight.

15:30 'Cause this is the kind of place where you cannot afford to make any mistakes.

15:34 And we stuck, not badly, just a little stuck.

15:42 And the only reason why I'm stuck is because I was

15:44 in third gear where I really should have been in second gear.

15:47 So I kind of lost momentum, and this is us right now.

15:51 If you remember Zane from the previous episode,

15:54 the mechanic from, he told me something very important.

16:00 He told me that everyone gets stuck.

16:03 It's completely normal to get stuck.

16:05 The big question is, can you recover yourself?

16:09 Can you get unstuck, can you get yourself out?

16:12 First method I'm gonna try is to deflate my tires.

16:16 In case you're unfamiliar with what this does,

16:21 deflating your tires basically increases the surface of the tire that is

16:27 in contact with the ground because the tires kind of go like,

16:31 they kind of flat themselves out.

16:34 So how that works is basically,

16:34 imagine that you're walking on snow and you are walking on snow

16:41 with your shoes and you keep sinking into the snow 'cause it's so soft.

16:45 But if you put on snow shoes,

16:49 you increase the surface area that's in contact with the snow

16:54 and therefore you get a lot more traction and stability.

17:01 It's the same principle here.

17:03 Okay, we've got it.

17:06 (gentle music) That afternoon,

17:08 I drove through one of the two tiny settlements that lay along the route.

17:12 These are basically service stops for the train.

17:14 And I don't think anyone actually lives there permanently.

17:17 It's a pretty surreal looking place.

17:19 And then, would you believe it?

17:22 Just a few minutes outside of the settlement,

17:24 I noticed that Odyssey started losing power.

17:27 Oh shit, I think we're in trouble.

17:30 Oh shit, I think we're in trouble.

17:36 It doesn't wanna switch on.

17:39 Do you know how (beep) lucky I am?

17:41 I was just passing by that little settlement.

17:44 I don't really know what it is,

17:46 but there's some buildings there and a little shop.

17:49 There were some cars there and I just, the car, it just stopped.

17:54 I was trying to give it some power and it just stopped.

17:57 It wouldn't.

17:59 Jesus (beep) Christ, what is going on?

18:02 Oh my God, this is like the worst.

18:04 This is probably the worst place for a breakdown in the entire world.

18:09 On the off chance that this is just a small, that this is just a small issue.

18:19 Oh my god, no (beep) way.

18:22 I can't be broken down here.

18:24 It's just no (beep) way.

18:26 (vehicle engine whirring) No (beep) way.

18:37 No, no, no, no.

18:40 (tense music) Just try and start her again.

18:52 Jesus (beep) Christ, Odyssey, don't (beep) do this to me.

18:59 (vehicle engine whirring) Nope, she just cuts out.

19:04 (beep) Okay, calm down,

19:09 the truck broke down near the only (beep) settlement that there

19:14 is around here on this whole (beep) stretch of desert.

19:20 So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go there and I'm

19:24 gonna ask if there's a mechanic there and hopefully I'll get her fixed.

19:30 (tense music) I can't believe this is happening again.

19:43 It took me a few minutes to reach the settlement and straight

19:45 away I approached a guy who was loading something onto his pickup.

19:48 I asked him for help and he told me to get

19:51 inside and said we would drive to my car together.

19:54 He seemed nice enough and I didn't really have a choice, so I went with him.

19:58 (tense music)- [Speaker] Problem.

20:16 And there is a mechanic who is driving a land rover.

20:19 (wind blowing) Just my fucking luck.

20:24 (gentle music) I dunno what it is about

20:29 mechanics in the tiniest villages in the Sahara,

20:31 but they seem to be a regular fixture.

20:34 Good for me.

20:35 This mechanic, bless his heart, tried to jolt Odyssey awake, but to no avail.

20:40 (vehicle engine whirring) And she does not spring to life.

20:48 This is some serious desert magic, desert mechanic magic.

20:59 (vehicle engine whirring) Now we've got three guys working on Odyssey.

21:06 And then the newly arrived third guy took a bottle

21:09 of perfume out of his Hilux and sprayed Odyssey with it.

21:17 They sprayed some perfume on Odyssey.

21:20 (vehicle engine whirring) So basically some wires aren't properly

21:29 connected because of the sandstorm and the sand getting in.

21:46 (vehicle engine whirring) Wow, (beep) unbelievable.

21:59 By using this perfume,

22:00 they managed to clean out the wires enough so that they connected again.

22:05 How amazing.

22:08 This is insane, I can't believe my (beep) luck.

22:12 This is what we call travel magic.

22:15 It's honestly freaking unbelievable.

22:19 I couldn't make this up.

22:20 Odyssey could have broken down at any point over the last

22:23 24 hours and she chose to break down in a village.

22:26 Not just any village, the only village I have seen on the way, the only one.

22:32 There's been nothing else.

22:34 Yep, this is the second time this has happened on the same expedition.

22:37 A couple of weeks ago, Odyssey broke down in the desert also in a village.

22:41 And there was also a mechanic there.

22:43 I've always said that Odyssey does break down,

22:45 that she always does so in the right location.

22:49 Odyssey, I love you.

22:51 But please can you keep your shit together for the next few days,

22:58 'cause there ain't more mechanics where we're going.

23:00 So please be a good girl, do this for me.

23:04 (gentle music) (vehicle engine whirring) Can you guys spot the desert highway?

23:18 So you can see the green bushes and the vegetation on either side, right?

23:23 And then in the middle there's this kind

23:25 of empty corridor where there's no vegetation at all,

23:27 which tells you that a lot of cars have

23:30 passed through this way and nothing grows here anymore.

23:33 This is where you drive.

23:36 (gentle music) Home, sweet home.

23:50 Well, having survived today, I believe I deserve a beer.

23:55 A non-alcoholic, warm beer.

24:01 In fact, it's a malt drink.

24:03 It's not even, not even a non-alcoholic beer, but it'll do.

24:10 (gentle music) Ah, I put the water.

24:27 Oh God, I think there might be a problem with the hose or something.

24:34 Everything is breaking.

24:37 Everything is breaking.

24:38 I think I need to admit to myself that I'm finally ready to go home.

24:44 I feel like this expedition has become more about

24:48 managing Odyssey's next breakdown than about exploring and you know,

24:53 being curious and adventuring.

24:55 Like I don't have that curious mindset anymore.

24:59 I have an anxious mindset now where I am

25:03 trying to like think ahead to the next breakdown,

25:04 the next thing that's gonna go wrong.

25:06 And I know that things always go wrong on expeditions,

25:09 but in every single episode, something has broken down with Odyssey.

25:13 And that's not why I'm out here.

25:15 I'm not here to keep fixing my car.

25:18 I'm here to like to explore and to be

25:22 curious and to see new places, meet new people.

25:27 Sure, I guess if your car breaks down, that's one way to meet people.

25:30 But you know what, this is not what I want out of an expedition.

25:37 So yeah, perhaps it's the universe or Odyssey letting me

25:42 know that we are done and that we should go home.

25:54 Yeah, yeah, if you wanna get back from the bush, get a Toyota.

25:57 But if you wanna make content, get a Land Rover Defender.

26:00 No, but seriously, I do not wanna see any snarky comments about

26:04 the Toyota Land Cruiser or Toyotas in general in the comments section.

26:08 Especially because I own a Toyota Land Cruiser that has been

26:11 at the mechanics workshop all winter with its own set of issues.

26:15 Every car breaks down, it's not just this one.

26:19 So no snarky comments about Toyotas being better, thank you very much.

26:25 At least she's a conversation starter, okay?

26:29 (gentle music) Ooh, yes, please.

26:43 Canned peaches.

26:54 Ah, divine.

26:57 What a treat.

27:01 Oh yeah, I'm gonna eat the whole can.

27:04 (gentle music) The next morning, water was on my mind.

27:18 I still had enough backup water to last me a while,

27:20 but I was really keen to fill up.

27:23 Day three was to be my last day on the trail

27:26 with about 100 miles left until the tarmac road.

27:30 What a way to start your day.

27:33 Welcome to yet another God forsaken settlement in the middle of the Sahara.

27:40 This place feels like an absolute ghost town.

27:44 It's completely silent aside from the howling of the wind.

27:48 The sandstorm continues, by the way.

27:51 Anyway, I've come out here and I've stopped here because there's water here.

27:55 What you see there, that kind of balloon like container on the ground,

28:01 that is a water container.

28:04 And I am in luck to have found it.

28:09 Something is off with my water.

28:12 I dunno if it poured out by accident or what, but it just doesn't flow.

28:18 And that's an issue 'cause we're in the desert.

28:21 I do have backup water.

28:23 I have a backup container of about 10 liters or 15 liters.

28:26 But I just wanna make sure that, you know,

28:30 if we do get stranded or something, that I'm not without water.

28:33 So that's what we're gonna do now.

28:33 I'm assuming that there is no generator to make this work,

28:39 'cause I guess they don't rely on power

28:41 out here to get things like this working.

28:45 So a force of gravity.

28:48 Oh yep, force of gravity it is.

28:51 Now, how am I supposed to put it in my container?

28:55 It is gonna be fun.

29:01 Nope.

29:02 (person laughing) Okay.

29:04 Instead of filling my main tank, I'm just gonna make sure that my Jerry cans are

29:12 completely full and that my water bottles are completely full.

29:17 And then that means I should have about 25 liters of water,

29:22 which should be enough.

29:26 (gentle music) (insects chirping) This whole place just feels so Mad Max,

29:39 I wonder this is what the future for all of humanity.

29:43 (gentle music) At this point,

30:10 the conditions have become so bad that I can barely see 10 meters ahead of me.

30:15 There is just so much sand and dust all

30:18 over everywhere that I can't see any tracks anymore.

30:23 I'm just kind of trying to feel my way across the desert,

30:27 trying to stay more or less in a straight line, just heading west.

30:32 But yeah, I can't see anything here.

30:35 Oh my God, this is a serious lesson in navigation.

30:41 (gentle music) (vehicle engine whirring) Do you see this?

31:09 It's been like this for days now.

31:11 It's basically impossible to even stand around outside

31:15 in this sandstorm because the sand just gets in your eyes,

31:19 in your ears, in your mouth, in your nose.

31:24 Everything is just freaking covered with sand.

31:27 It's like impossible to exist out here.

31:28 I think it's honestly time to get outta here.

31:31 I'm gonna go back to the truck because even Vyork doesn't wanna go outside,

31:35 like this was supposed to be a little potty break.

31:37 He got out for about 30 seconds, did his thing,

31:42 and then got right back inside the truck.

31:43 'Cause this is just, it's horrific.

31:48 Hey buddy.

31:49 You wanna go home, you wanna get outta here?

31:51 It's too much, huh?

31:54 I know it's too much, shall we go?

31:57 Yeah, you wanna go?

32:00 Oh boo boo, that's a good boy.

32:03 Okay, we're gonna go.

32:05 (gentle music) I feel like I could have made it

32:49 to the nearest gas station on what I have left in the tank,

32:53 which is pretty incredible that I made it all

32:55 this way in the sand on just one single tank.

32:58 But I have all this extra diesel, so.

33:02 (gentle music) Check out this look, fit check, fit check, I see.

33:30 (person laughing) (gentle music) And just like

33:43 that, it's done, are back on tarmac.

33:47 This was some of the hardest driving I've ever done in my entire life.

33:53 Very drained right now.

33:57 I think I need to just find a spot to camp and go back home.

34:05 (person sighing) (gentle music) (vehicle engine whirring)