Still taking it all in…
For years, I had the wild dream to return to the Algerian Sahara (connected to my happiest childhood memories) and retrace the steps of my nomad and trader ancestors. Not just visit. Cross it on a méharée, from Tunisia to the south of Algeria — as far as safety allows while northern Mali remains unstable. Like any crazy idea, it needed a first step.
So I parked the “impossibles,” the “you’re not Jacques Cousteau,” and the “get real” voices. I humoured the possibility.
A few Google searches later, I stumbled onto the website of a man who had done what I was only dreaming of. On a whim, I sent an email. Not thinking much would come of it; Maybe secretly hoping it wouldn’t – so I could say, “Well, I tried.”
7 hours later: a reply inviting me to connect over WhatsApp. I let time lapse, unsure what to do with myself.
12 hours later: a text from me and int eh next second: Incoming call. Régis Belleville. 😱 I almost didn’t pick up! I’m not ready!
What am I going to say?! What if I’m full of shit?! The thoughts zoomed through my mind but my body was faster. My thumb answered. And just like that, I was on the phone with a living legend. The man who soloed (well, with camel friends) over 1,137 km through the Sahara without water stops — a record in Saharan history: Régis Belleville. Probably the most legendary Sahara adventurer of our time.
Not only did he generously share his wisdom and stories, he also agreed to guide me further once my itinerary is ready. He shared stories of success. Stories of failure. Stories of survival.
And then he said: “Maybe you’ll fail once. Maybe twice. Maybe three times. But if you want it, you’ll do it.”
No drama. No doubt. Just like that. Matter of fact. He didn’t see being a woman as a problem, or obstacles as barriers. He gave practical advice on smugglers, military, and the brutal realities of the desert.
He also gave me my first real mission: Find archives, Cross-ref old caravan routes, geopolitical maps & water points.
Shape my own path.
I know it’s a first test.
I know he already knows the way.
But I have to prove I can think like an expeditioner. When someone like that says: Yes. You can. You have to honour it.
