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TRAVEL EXPERIENCESroutelog # 10

CONTENTS

‘METEMA - KHARTOUM’

The first ‘TRAVEL EXPERIENCE -JOURNAL’ of Sudan is combined

with the last in Ethiopia.

‘OUT OF AFRICA’

“... not having lights and not able to see anything, bumping on

sand roads, locals telling us to go in different directions, yelling at

each other, to go in another

direction. We were a little stressed (that is an

understatement).”

Continued on Page 12

SUDAN beet-route.com

Desert silhouettes

Crossing the Nile - Dongola Modern Khartoum

SUDAN

NB: THESE WERE OUR ‘L IVE’ WRITTEN JOURNALS OF OUR TRAVEL EXPERIENCES. MINIMAL EDITING

HAS OCCURRED DURING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS.

OUR THOUGHTS REFLECTED IN THESE DOCUMENTS ARE SOMETIMES RAW AND ARE HOW

WE FELT DURING THIS 11 MONTH JOURNEY.

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“OUT OF AFRICA”

Kilometre's cycled:Approximately 250 kilometres (Dongola - Akasha East) Punctures: 0 (again!!!) Repairs:None, these bikes can do it ALL! Jon repaired one of the water bladders which was punctured in Ethiopia. Road conditions: Khartoum- Dongola: new asphaltTerrain: flat Dongola- Delgo: most of the villages and small towns in this area have no tarmac yet (2008). The tarmac currently runs out about 15 kms north of Dongola (on the east bank). However the road is very close to being finished.Terrain: flat Delgo- Abri: mixture of sand, gravel, dust, and hard packed (rolled) road about to be sealed. 30 kms of tarmac leading to AbriTerrain: small short hills, up and down, up and down as far as the eye can see.

"You look sooooo ....

(dusty/grubby/sweaty/etc.) ",

beetroute team to each other frequently.

K h a r t o u m ( 0 2 / 1 2 / 0 8 ) A s w a n ( 0 7 / 1 2 / 0 8 )

Yep, it’s a desert!

Deep desert dust Face protection from dust

KHARTOUM - ASWAN! PAGE2

KHARTOUM - ASWAN! PAGE3

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Wadi Halfa- Aswan: Lake Nasser (passenger ferry) Weather:Hot, hot and more hot.We think it topped out at 41 degrees celcius in the Nubian Desert in the midday heat. Nights in the south stayed in the high 20's, however in the north was closer to 12-13 degrees, allowing for good sleeps.The main wind comes from the north-east and is constant from about 11am, sometimes earlier. Liters of water consumed/day/person:  8LLitres of water in plastic bottles consumed: 4 L (1 litre of ice-cool water was given to us by a friendly overland couple with a fridge onboard) Flavour-some Food:Ful (cooked fava beans) is pretty much the national dish in Sudan. It can be very bland tasting, but when given a bowl of chopped onions, some pita bread, salt and some jebnah (white cheese) on top, it makes for a filling and tasty meal.When in remote vegetable and fruitless areas, take one tin of tomato paste, add one tin of cream, half a carton of local

feta and when mixed with pasta makes for energy, calorie restoring goodness, with pepper to taste. Has the bonus of being delicious also :) Physical Well-being:Jon's back is still giving him bother, however it has improved.Aukje's fingers are still numb after riding a few days in a row. People:We have found the locals to be very hospitable, and generous. We have been given many a treat... The bureaucracy however has been quite tiring.We met three dutch motorcyclists (www.motorenoppad.nl), and three overland couples and two families in trucks, on road between Dongola and Abri and the exchange of information always makes for a pleasant break. Team Dynamics:Very good. Early morning starts, midday rests and afternoon rides proved to be a good routine for us. Our final run to catch the ferry for Egypt wasn't the best example of beetroute teamwork however :)  Due to our (only) two-week

transit visa, we chose to cycle the section from Dongola to Wadi Halfa, and we had exactly a week to complete this section, as the ferry would leave on Wednesday Dec 10. We left Abri on the morning of Dec 6 and were informed by an Italian couple that due to an Islamic holiday in Egypt, the ferry would leave that same day, and there would be no ferry on Wednesday! We were lucky to have the card of a ferry agent in Wadi Halfa and called to confirm. Yes, the ferry would leave that evening. It was noon and we were 150 kilometres from Wadi Halfa. In true african fashion, we quickly changed our plans, flagged down a truck, and got on for a quick ride to Wadi Hafa.

Also in true african (and beetroute) style, the truck broke down - twice.Our hopes diminished and we feared having to spend 11 days in Wadi Halfa, and further overstaying on our visa. We arrived in Wadi Halfa after dark, the ferry would leave in two hours and we did not have tickets yet. The agent had told us to come to immigration, somewhere in town, but a

KHARTOUM - ASWAN! PAGE4

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friendly passenger-by told us to go to the ferry terminal immediately. Confused and lost, we rode in the dark through Wadi Halfa, Aukje not having lights and not able to see anything, bumping on sand roads and locals telling us to go in different directions, yelling at each other, to go in another direction. We were a little stressed (that is an understatement). We made it to the ferry terminal because we totally randomly bumped into the ferry agent. We arrived there looking as dusty and sweaty as possible, and were the last people to board the ferry, but made it! It were our very appropriate last hours in Africa: hard but rewarding, and very funny when looking back. Animals:A few dogs, a fox, were told that there was sightings of crocodiles, however we didn’t see any. Donkeys, sheep, goats and cattle. Memorable Quote:"You look sooooo .... (dusty/grubby/sweaty/etc.) ", beetroute team to each other frequently. Typical:When arriving at the ferry in Dongola to cross to the eastern bank we went to buy a ticket to cross the 200 metre wide river. The ticket salesman said do you have "police permission"? We didn't. We asked why? "Its the system" was the reply. We turned back and found the office which issued permission to cross the river after a scavenger hunt in the township, and returned to the ferry officer. Who when asked for the permission slip, seemed surprised that we had got

it, smiled and said, because we had gone out of our way to get permission the journey was free... what???...(bureaucracy + sudanese friendliness = a confused yet pleasant feeling)

Unexpected Disappointment:We travelled in the very early morning to catch the bus to Dongola, having bought the tickets 2 days before. We arrived early and our bikes were loaded, and the bus started to fill. A crowd was gathering at the side of the bus, Jon was called off the bus, to face the crowd who were pulling the bikes off so they could load their own boxes. Explaining that our bikes were to travel on a separate bus or truck, Jon protested and said it was no different if our bikes or their luggage travelled separate, our bikes were on first so they stay! Nope, the bikes came off, they loaded their gear and got on the bus. We were left standing on the side of the bus, with bags pulled in different directions, scattered around the bus. The agent we bought the tickets with tried to put the bikes on the bus at one stage, which the passengers hissed at, and the driver took off. (???) That whole process took place at 4am and lasted over an hour. We were then loaded, plus bikes and panniers onto a pick-up and taken to another bus station, and the whole process happened again. The bikes were on,

“... not having lights and not able to see anything,

bumping on sand roads, locals

telling us to go in different

directions, yelling at each other, to

go in another direction. We were

a little stressed (that is an

understatement).”

LOST in the dark!

KHARTOUM - ASWAN! PAGE5

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more passengers started to gather with more bags, and our bikes started to be pulled off again. This time we stood our ground. A 20 minute stand off, and eventually we paid 10 Sudan pounds and the bikes stayed on. 5 hours later we were on the way, and just plain exhausted. We lost our helmets in the transfer, which explains helmet-less photos and video in the north. Secret Spot:Dongola to Wadi HalfaWhat an amazing ride! This could very well become (once the road is finished, and possibly once political stability is restored in Sudan) a very, very popular tourist drive. Simply gorgeous and cool close to the Nile, with the huge contrast of the desert a matter of metres away. The open friendliness and generosity of the people is the cherry on the top. We think the road will be completed within 2 years, for the more adventurous travelers, our recommendation

would be to get there soon, because the road will change the dynamic of this exquisite area. The nightly desert starry skies have been amazing, and so has being able to watch every sunrise and sunset. We are very sorry to be 'Out Of Africa' (although not officially) but looking forward to the Middle East. Hints For Traveling This Section:Pack a mosquito net for sure plus extra insect repellent. The flies (much like a NZ sandfly or a UK midgy - small black biters) in some areas you just cannot escape.Shade in some form also is essential as there is very little in the high midday sun where you can retreat.

Aukje’s contact with a local. She pulled out the latest camera phone to take a picture of Aukje (desert adventurer) Fun with figs