We were going to spend another day in the desert region around Douz. We had no clear plan where to go, and it was going to be hard to top the experience in the Ksar Ghilane oasis. Like so many times before, I let one picture be me guide. It was a picture of the sand dunes near the town of Zaafrane, a small oasis a few kilometers from Douz.

Other than camels and goats crossing the road, the two hour drive back to Douz could have been pretty uneventful. That was until we decided to stop by the road to take a few pictures of junked cars near the road. We took the pictures and were ready to continue, but the Landcruiser was not. It would not start. Mohammed, the driver, commented it wanted to join the junked cars. It was time to push but we had to get help of another driver, who happened to drive by, to get enough man power to move the car and get it going.

We continued past Douz to Zaafrane, or rather the old village that is getting buried by the sand. I wanted to see the location first to possibly come back for the sunset.

Gas station outside Ksar Ghilane	Goats on the road	Seen better days	Car wrecks	Store front in Douz	Palms in the desert
	Ruins in the sand		Irina	Hiking the dunes
Triple	Zaafrane and its minaret	Donkey parking	Landcruiser

After the midday sun drove us away from Zaafrane, we ended up driving to another desert location nearby and testing out the Landcruiser's off-road capabilities. After letting some air out of the tires, it seemed there was no stopping this car. While we were taking a break in the shade under a palm tree, we spotted a scorpion. It was light green in color and threateningly stuck out its claws and its venomous sting as I was trying to get it to pose.

After I expressed the desire to taste camel meat, Mohammed arranged it for lunch. We started by a trip to a butcher's shop where he picked a piece of meat, which we then took over to a restaurant that cooked it. One could call it bring-your own meat. Could this catch on in the US? The kebab was a bit chewy but it made for a great meal with the sides.

Ready to roll	Four-wheeling	Dates	Desert landscape		Dates
Bowl	Thirst	Scorpion	Scorpion	Carpooling	Adding air
Camel steak	Irina and Mohammed	Produce stand	Beans	Camel kebab	Yummy meal

We returned to Zaafrane in the late afternoon when the sun was lower and shadows made the dunes come alive.

Cemetery	Tricycle races	Jaw bone	Ripply landscape	Curves
	BW palms	Last stands

Unlike the reddish sand around Ksar Ghilane, the sand around Zaafrane is almost white. As the sun drew closer to the horizon, it took on warmer hues.

Clusters	S line	Sand and palm trees	Curves and ripples
Palm tree and its shadow	Photographer's shadow

The sun was just above the horizon. The shadows lengthened and the sand took on warmer shades still. The picture that made me come here did not lie.

Old Zaafrane		Ruins in the desert
Last sun rays	Scooter ride	Scooter ride	Sunset colors