00:00:02since the 11th century in Tao tini the
00:00:07landscape changes with the day a
00:00:09pockmark landscape of tailings from the
00:00:12hand dug pits where the salt is mine the
00:00:16abrasive sand grinds away slowly on the
00:00:18bodies of the men who continue to work
00:00:20the salt many have terrible sores all
00:00:24over their feet and hands there are days
00:00:31when your arms hurt but there are no
00:00:34doctors here there is nothing there are
00:00:37men who have bad wounds like this it’s
00:00:39really hard but what are you going to do
00:00:43the salt tablets are loaded on the
00:00:45camels as the people prepare to head out
00:00:48they will spend about 14 days heading
00:00:51south to Timbuktu for them crossing the
00:00:55desert is not merely getting from here
00:00:57to there it is a process in the Sahara
00:01:01Desert there is no reference point as
00:01:04far as the eye can see it’s an absolute
00:01:07sea of sand nighttime comes and goes
00:01:12the Sun rises large in the sky as the
00:01:16caravans move out on these long journeys
00:01:18the guides utilize skills which have
00:01:21been developed slowly literally over
00:01:23generations they read the direction of
00:01:26the stars they use the orientation of
00:01:29the sand dunes and tracings in the sand
00:01:31that marked the direction of the
00:01:32prevailing winds as they travel through
00:01:36the desert they come upon well after
00:01:38well where the caravans stop and allow
00:01:40their camels to drink it’s the
00:01:43continuation of a tradition a means of
00:01:46survival that’s been alive for a
00:01:47thousand years during their trip the
00:01:51caravan encounters rain causing them to
00:01:53stop the rain affects the salt and will
00:01:57cause it to break if it is not allowed
00:01:59to dry out they are at least a 10 days
00:02:02walk north of Timbuktu in the middle of
00:02:04the Syrian desert down to a liter or two
00:02:07of
00:02:08but they don’t panic they remain
00:02:11extraordinarily cool they send a guy to
00:02:15track down a rumored well and hope that
00:02:18the rains have been sufficient with the
00:02:21little water they have left they brew
00:02:23some tea they have learned to adapt to
00:02:26the desert landscape using the knowledge
00:02:29gained from their ancestors over the
00:02:31centuries as they get closer to Timbuktu
00:02:35as far as the eye can see the sand and
00:02:38the sky blends together the camel
00:02:42caravans arrive in Timbuktu they very
00:02:46carefully unload the camels one salt
00:02:48block at a time they stack the salt
00:02:51blocks in little Adobe courtyard they
00:02:54prepare to make the journey back to Tao
00:02:56tini continuing the cycle of the salt
00:02:59Caravan
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