But the sands of the Sahara were too much and today the railroad goes that far and no further. However, there is a bus line operated by the Societe Arficaine des Transports Tropicaux, which has its main offices at 26 bis, Rue Sadi-Carnot, Alger, Algeria. Once a month, during the winter months only, this "bus line" sends a passenger carrying bus-truck across the Sahara to Gao, on the Niger. And from here it is possible to make your way up river several hundred miles to Timbuktu, considered by many to be the most remote city in the world. This is not a travel guide, but in case some of our more adventurous readers are interested I'll mention the fare across the Sahara amounts to 29,225 francs, or about $85 at the rate of exchange at this writing. I spent in the whole six weeks a total of $800 including all transportation and including more than a week in the rather expensive city of Dakar. Prices in the Sahara are cheap. The journey across the Sahara takes a week and during this time you must carry your own food, although water is supplied by the bus which hauls it along in goat skin water bags. There is room for only four passengers, the rest of the "bus" being devoted to cargo. At night you usually sleep out on the desert or in the bus although some stops are made at Foreign Legion type French forts and there are army "campments" where you can get an army cot for about $30.00. Our bus driver stopped from time to time in Arab towns, or at Arab Bedouin camps, dropping off cargo, or sometimes acquiring it. At each of these stops Gerry made purchases of native jewelry, antique weapons, and sometimes leather work. The prices were fantastically low. Almost unbelievably so. The bus driver explained to me that these people see very little "hard" money, that almost all of their exchange was by barter. Some families might go a whole year or more neither making nor spending a cent. I was operating on a tight budget at the time and had to watch my money so although I bought a few souvenirs, for lady friends and such, it was Gerry who did most of the shopping. In fact, I began to see the reason for the fact that he had brought two large collapsible type canvas valises with practically nothing in them.
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