Ishtar Days, Arabian Nights

John Bowe decided to visit a friend of his who was in the peace corp in Mali, in West Africa. But he chose the most difficult possible route to get there. He decided to hitchhike across the Sahara desert using a 1,000-mile-long remote route that most hitchhikers avoid. He purchased no special gear and carried a small bag filled mostly with books, a change of clothes and one Michelin map. But the map was used to literally get him off the grid. (19 minutes)