Cairo to Cape Blog
25 - 30 November 2008
Cruising Across Lake Nasser
As we were about to step onto the ferry a small local Egyptian politely asked if he could pass... I moved abruptly and as he shuffled through I saw him carrying on his back a full size household fridge neatly packed in its original box! As we pushed and shoved our way onto the ferry dodging hundreds of sacks of onions, TVs, stereos, boxes of fruit and veg, furniture and of course hundreds of people; we were relieved to finally drop our bags in our cabins. Of course the ferry does not leave on time; it leaves whenever it is full hence we finally left port at 8pm; 3 hours late.
Our cabins were compact and the air-conditioning worked a treat; bunk beds and a small table was all that could fit but it was a cool relief from the heat of Egypt and a safe haven from the hundreds of people camping out on deck; or wherever they could find a vacant spot between all the cargo.
We woke in the morning to the familiar Middle East call to prayer crackling over the ferry speaker. After a tasty breakfast of beans, flatbread, lentils, fruit and cheese we gathered on deck as we gently sailed past the famous temple of Abu Simbel and into Sudanese territory.
A few hours later we caught our first glimpse of Wadi Halfa; we were relieved to see in the distance the cargo barge with our vehicles waiting patiently for our arrival. The Captain was true to his word; arrived before us and guarded the vehicles over night- of course now he was waiting for his generous "bagsheesh" we had promised prior leaving Aswan.
Once again entering a country like Sudan requires mountains of paperwork, stamps, more stamps, and 3 officials in different offices also needing to stamp the stamped paperwork. The vehicles need to be checked, searched for illegal items, and engine and chassis numbers clarified against the Carnets and of course a stamp to say this was done! After a quick search of the vehicles we were finally ready to exit the customs compound. However we still needed to register our visas and passports with the Police. The Police finish work at 5pm and as it was just after 5 we had to spend the night in the desert and return to following morning to finish the process. There is a hotel in Wadi Halfa... in the very loose sense of the word "hotel" - bed frames without mattresses! Hence camping the desert was far more comfortable.
 Peter And Linda Chilling Out In Their Cabin |
 Loading Onions Onto The Barge, Aswan, Egypt |
I cannot help but secretly smile when people rave about 5 star accommodation. As I am used to 5 million star accommodation in the desolate peace and quiet of the desert - no car horns, no people, no hustle and bustle - just us, the stars and the sand. We had heard that a mate of ours was also camping in the desert waiting to catch the cargo barge to Aswan so we met up with him and spent a few hours swapping up-to-date information about Sudan and Egypt.
Which way to Khartoum?
When ever someone asks us what our favorite part of Africa is without hesitation it is always crossing a desert off-road. Nothing beats the feeling of driving over sand dunes, digging ourselves out of bogs, miles and miles of nothing - not even a track; reading the dunes to know what is soft and what is solid. A trap for young players and steep learning curve for first time desert drivers; not quite like driving on the beach at home.
The desert is deceptive; the ground looks flat - but it is not; in the distance the sun reflects giving the impression of watering-holes (mirages) everywhere but there is nothing but sand; the colors change minute by minute as the sun reflects - one minute the distance is a pale cream color; 10 minutes later is deep orange; at night the sky comes alive with millions of star as dozens of shooting stars dart across the sky line. The moon light ignites the sand and even in the middle of the night you think it is twilight. The desert is its own world; with its own rules and speaks a language only a few ever master. It is no wonder travelers often find themselves lost, confused and scared in such a vast hostile nothingness.
GPS can be your best friend and your worst enemy. Navigating by the sun is a skill every desert traveler should master; GPS points can be out, batteries go dead or you burn out the charger. It is a great toy but relying on it entirely could be deadly! Thiemo, in the lead vehicle (and compass built into his brain!) was going seemingly all over the shop with no clear direction to anyone else, infact he was avoiding the soft sand and as it turned out looking at the GPS map on Han's computer he was going in a semi-straight line heading South-East - simple navigation for you! Han's was in complete amazement and kept asking how we knew the way. GPS only shows a straight line from A to B which means you run directly into every soft sand pit.
Of course the sun gives us direction but the desert is alive with markers; but if we told you what they are, we would be out of a job!
 Thiemo Helping Fix An Austrian Couple's Vehicle In The Desert |
 Ready, Steady, Go .... Nubian Desert Pit Stop |
With the windows down and sand blowing in our hair we took off into the desert. The rules were simple - drive with your eyes, and look out for each other (which worked 95% of the time), and if you get lost head for the railway line. We scattered all over the place but never completely out of sight even with 7 vehicles (2 independent vehicles asked to join us) it felt like we were all alone.
Over 3 days we traveled over 340kms; it wasn’t until day 2 we spotted the first vehicle. A desert truck bouncing through the desert, up and down sand dunes he was obviously in a hurry and certainly knew the way. The locals often travel at night, navigating by the stars; now that is a skill we are yet to master.
There was a sense of disappointment when we finally reached tar seal at the desert town of Abu Hamed; everyone was enjoying the desert crossing and didn't want it to stop but as all great things there is always an end point. We stopped to pump up the tyres and away we went as clouds of dust dropped off the back of vehicles.
More than Egypt.....
Many people are unaware there are more Pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt. We stopped at the ancient pyramids of Meroe, dating back to 700 BC built by the Meroitic Pharaohs. They are much smaller than the Great Pyramids of Egypt but the simple fact we had to cross a desert to reach them makes them all the more spectacular. We arrived late in the afternoon and drove around the back to camp in the hollows of a sand dune - of course 2 vehicles drove straight into soft sand... Ok it was Fred (who managed to reverse out thinking I didn’t see him) and Hans and Jenny - it was the following morning before Peter gave them a quick pull and they were out. Funny how we can cross a desert with very few boggings but driving into a bush camp....
The following morning there was no wind, the desert oozed it’s eerie silence when from out of nowhere the first "camel" man arrived, followed by more “camel” men, and “donkey” men and tens of kids on foot. The souvenir shops had come to us and as we unzipped our tents and opened our eyes to see a bright new day we were greeted with a toothless smile and a hearty "welcome to Sudan, come and look at my shop". Before long over 20 locals had come to greet us and offer to sell everything from jewellery, clay pots, hand-woven mats, old coins and camel rides to the Pyramids. Sue and Russ where the first to take up the opportunity to buy some local crafts, Linda also jumped in bargaining hard; Fred had a sniff around but showed more interest in purchasing a camel whip from one of the camel handlers (which was not for sale). Linda and Fred took up the offer to ride a camel to the Pyramids while the rest of the group thought their landies were more than capable of making the short 500m journey through the sand.
It was not long before the sun was beating down and it was time to make our final 250kms or so to the Capital, Khartoum.
 Home Sweet Home |
 Doing Breakfast Dishes With An Audience |
Lord Kitchener's Gun Boat
We arrived on the outskirts of Khartoum around 2:30pm, the traffic was hectic; with vehicles darting in all directions and cutting in breaking up our convoy line. After a few strategic stops to regroup we were finally on the bridge and crossing the Blue Nile River – in sight was could see our home for the following 2 nights - the Blue Nile Sailing Club.
The Blue Nile Sailing Club is an institution in Khartoum dating back to colonial days; the centre piece is the remains of Lord Kitchener's Gun Boat which was moored in Khartoum; during the great floods the boat was beached and has remained in this spot since. The Sailing Club is a popular place for well-to-do Sudanese to mull away their weekends cruising in their expensive yachts.
So it is here on the banks of the Blue Nile I write this entry and hopefully the internet connection is kind today allowing me to upload this entry and photos.
Tomorrow we start our 2 day journey South- East toward the Gallabat border to Ethiopia - the land of dungeons and dragons and fabulous Italian style espresso coffee...
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