25/1-18/2/2015 Sudan

The net here in Gondar, Ethiopia is to slow for pic uploads

25-26/1/2015 Aswan, Egypt to Semna, Sudan

Boat passage High dam to Wadi Halfa, Sudan

WD79, T5, Av36, max 36, 35670, 791

Not wanting to miss this once a week ferry, I was on the road by 0800. Traffic out of Aswan was still moderate at this time of day.

It took a few enquires as to finding the road to the High Dam.

It was only 8km or so out of town when the scenery turned to rocky unhospitable desert.

A stop was made at a high walled enclosure, looking inside from the gate it was pretty much an open air cattle abattoir. Utes were leaving loaded up with legs of beef in their trays covered with white cloth.

The guys said I was on the right road.

Some 20km and some mild climbing saw me descend to the ferry terminus on the high dam or Lake Nasser.

There were people everywhere with boxes containing TV’s, some flat screen some still the tube type, other boxes held new fridges, washers or other appliances.

All my money, EP, was changed into Sudanese pounds with money changers wandering about. The rate received was 1 for 1.

So 5 Sudanese pound is about 1 Aussie dollar.

Apparently there are no ATM’s in Sudan that accept foreign cards.

It required a journey through a maze of bureaucracy before embarking the MV Sagalnaam for the 18 hr trip to Wadi Halfa in Sudan.

First they wanted to see my ticket, then 50SP was payed for the bike, then 2EP for a stamp of sorts, then a bag check, then two or three people checking and rechecking the passport and other docs.

It all took about 1hr, which was good by some standards.

A Czech Republic couple, Stephan and Gabriella were also making the passage. We got together and decided to look after each other’s gear onboard.

This was brilliant. Once onboard, we found a great spot up on the foredeck infront of the bridge windows. We could have someone at each end with our gear as we moved it to the upper deck.

Without Stephan and Gab, it would have been a difficult trip for me, keeping an eye on my gear.

The vessel was scheduled to leave at 1200, we finally got away at 1500. All the goods were hand loaded, things like 20L pails of cooking oil, eggplants, onions, and other consumerables. Many Sudanese buy things cheaply in Egypt to resell in their country.

As it was, we had the deck to ourselves and got a proper nights sleep and took turns to eat in the cafeteria and fill out entry forms for Sudan.

Lake Nasser is huge, the shores are deserted, they are just barren rocky terrain.

The water was as flat as possible for such a large body of water. The motion of the boat was almost unoticable.

Sunset was a huge fiery ball setting over the hilly terrain to our starboard, it was quite dramatic.

The clear night was a stargazers dream. No fewer than 3 satellites were spotted cruising across the evening sky.

A meal of roast chicken and bread with beans was enjoyed in the cafe on a lower deck.

We all had a good nights sleep. My airbed was inflated, so it was also very comfortable.

Another man who was here with us gave us a feed of flat bread and smoked mullet, it was great but the fish was incredibly strong.

The sunrise was identical to the sunset except on our port side. It herladed another cloudless hot still desert day.

The nights are still a bit cool and a day temp would be in the vicinity of about 30 degrees.

Once we reached the water border, the captain blew horns and a vessel with the Egyptian flag came out to meet us, they were border police and were having a change of personnel.

Once this formality was over, we proceeded to the dock area some hour away in Sudan.

On arrival, there were people all over the concrete ramp leading out into the shimmering lake.

With the constant northerly winds, this end of the lake was infested with a green algal bloom, whereas the northern end was a refreshing blue.

We decided to take our time and let everyone unload their gear first, before we disembarked. It was mayhem with boxes of appliances and food being lowered over the side by some people and others carrying boxes.

Once ashore, police checked one pannier and placed a red stamp on it and the bar bag, then another officer marked these as finally Sudan had been entered.

It was a 15 minute ride into the desert township of Wadi Halfa.

Here, a Zain sim card was purchased.

My next move was to go to the police station to register my entry.

This again was a long process, not so much in time, but the amount of people that had to see my documents.

There were staff everywhere, some just looked at it and said go to that office.

Many public servants in my country have the exact same job, though better disguised.

The big surprise came when the captain asked for 325SP. I said”what is this for”, no one told me about this. He looked at me and laughed I said no more and reluctantly handed over the cash.

This was the registration fee. It had to be payed within 3 days of arrival here.

So with the $US50 in Aswan for a visa and another $A65, entry to Sudan was quite expensive.

From here, I headed to a restaurant that was recommended to me by the staff at Zain.

Here fruit juice and quarter of a chicken were devoured.

A decision not to stay here was made. I had stocked up on water at the police station urns.

Petrol was bought for my stove, the guys just gave it to me.

Most obvious here in Sudan was the lack of hounding from people, it was such a relief.

Once on the road, just out of town the desert began.

It was so nice to be in open spaces without people everywhere.

Twenty km into the trip, a twang was heard, a rear spoke had broken on the cassette side of the wheel.

Luckily, I never tighten the cassette securing ring too much, so it can easily be undone without using the chain tool often deployed for the task.

Prior to having my bike tuned at Geronimos in Trinidad, the chain was derailing over the big rear sprocket onto the spokes. Unbeknown this had damaged some spokes. Ones of these had failed.

The guys at Geronimos did a great job of tuning the gears. Things there were so cheap compared to other places.

They can be found at #15 Pole Carew st Trinidad, mob 868 682-3011, Email, [email protected].

Once the wheel was trued, things packed and ready to roll it had been observed there were other damaged spokes so more may fail in the future.

I am now carrying up to 11L of water before finding a campsite.

Good coffee and extra porridge had been bought in Egypt, not knowing if it was available here.

The riding was through gently rolling rocky desert terrain. Not a shred of vegetation was seen.

Nearing dark a group of guys near the roadside were seen, a stop was made for a chat. They were a mining crew for a Chinese company.

They gave me water, and explained their operation. They then headed off into the desert.

It was reminiscent of northern Chile at the world’s largest copper mine. The vehicles soon disappeared in the huge landscape and only the clouds of dust revealed their whereabouts.

The sun had gone down by now but there was still plenty of light. The time here is now eastern African time. 1 hour ahead of Egypt, so it is now sun down about 1830.

Luckily, rocky terrain bounded the road.

A few mounds of dirt from earlier road works were sufficient to conceal me.

It was a pleasure to be camping again, my new airbed was inflated, just soup was had for dinner.

The evening was mild enough to have the tent fly just covering my upper body.

All the way on the road today people were waving and tooting. It was such a pleasure.

Many modern buses were heading towards Halfa, presumably to get people to the ferry.

They had the road to themselves and were travelling at high, but safe speeds given the conditions.

The road surface was excellent.

A guy on the boat had told me the only things that can cause problems out here are snakes and scorpions. He said check your foot wear in the mornings, as the scorpions are quite large and can be fatal at times. This was nice to know.

27/1/2015 Semna to power station camp

D156, t12, Av20.58, max38, 35826, 947

Lovely northerly tailwind max about 30°c

After the long ride yesterday, my legs felt fine, some liniment was rubbed into my right knee.

I had decided to get up early to beat the heat. At 0400, it was time to get up. Breakfast of porridge and coffee was enjoyed. The bike was wheeled out through the firm sand.

With the northerly wind blowing early, progress was rapid. Both lights were used as it was still very dark.

It was exciting to be here in the desert of Nthn Sudan riding in the cool air before sun up.

By the time it did rise about 0700, 20km were already logged. Some photos in the early morning light were taken.

At one point a group of guys were seen in off the road sitting around a pile of rock, we waved. Doing a quick U turn, the bike was parked, on arriving at the group we exchanged greetings. They were sitting around with small hammers breaking up the pile of quartz into stamp size chunks. There were gold seams in the rock. They showed me some, but without my reading glasses, it was not recognisable. The guys were a really friendly bunch of people. They camped out here.

There are many gold operations around this northern area. Some small time, some larger concerns. One guy was seen walking alongside the road with a metal detector.

By 1100 some 75km had been logged. I stopped for a couple of cans of sardines. The scenery and the black road stretching through it were very dramatic, there were rock outcrops everywhere, all contrasting with the vivid blue sky.

They showed me some small veins, without my glasses very little could be seen such was the quantity of the precious metal.

A cutting was soon arrived at, here in the shade two cans of sardines were demolished and a gel taken. Even though big kilometres are being logged in the tailwinds, most of the passages are pedalled all the way, after a while this wears one down, it is important to stay well hydrated and fed.

Running out of energy can happen very rapidly.

In the distance the shape of tents and buildings could be seen, this was the settlement of Akasha East.

Here a huge meal of chicken and beans with bread was enjoyed along with a mango and orange juice.

The people in the tent were incredibly friendly and happy to have their photos taken with me.

Some left over chicken was taken.

This settlement was a cluster of stalls and tents on both sides of the road.

By about 1700 Abri had been reached. A stop was made at the water urns.

It was tempting to pull in here for the night, as there were hotels, though I rode on.

Now close to the Nile, these small midges were all over me at any speed under 23km/hr. If a stop was made they just smothered me. They didn’t bite but got in my ears, eyes and nose.

My neck warmer was pulled over my head so my eyes were just exposed this help a little.

I really had to keep going till dark in the hope these insects would retreat after sun down.

A couple of campsites were looked at but did not offer full protection from passing traffic.

Near dark and a reprieve from the insects though a few hung about. A power substation was seen to be illuminated, here a camp was made in amongst some piles of dirt.

It was a good hide away, some people walked right past and did not see me.

Pasta was enjoyed as was a good nights sleep.

28/1/2015 Power station to Sabu and Mohammads house

D86, T5, Av21.94, max37, 35912, 1033

Hot with northerly

The small flies were up as early as me. Though not in huge numbers. I was on the road by 0800, a good tailwind again pushed me along. It was easy to be doing over 30km/hr for extended periods.

Every village passed had a mosque, the minarets came in all heights and designs, green was the most popular colour.

The buildings mainly adobe blended in with the landscape and the belt of date palms signified the Niles presence.

Many of these small villages were sign posted but not on my map and most definitely on google maps.

The road got close to the Nile,so a trip was made down a sandy track to a village. Here under a tree was a family sitting on a woven rug in the shade.

I joined them and spent an hour here, drinking chai and talking to their friends that pulled up.

Between us and the river was loose sand and crops so getting to see the river up close was not possible.

These people were so friendly, the father worked for a large gold concern near here.

Not far from here some coke was bought at a tin shed and time spent with more guys. I can’t get over how friendly the Northern Sudanese people are.

The Nubian woman I have met have been strikingly attractive with a lovely dark brown smooth complexion.

Nubians are an ethnic group originally from northern Sudan and southern Egypt. Today, Nubian people live in Egypt and Sudan, and in Sudan inhabit the region between Wadi Halfa in the north and Al Dabbah in the south. The main Nubian groups from north to south are the Halfaweyen, Sikut, Mahas, and Dongola. They speak a variety of Nilo-Saharan languages in the Nubian language family. Nubian people have a long history dating back to dynastic Egypt, and Nubians even founded a dynasty that ruled upper and lower Egypt during the 8th century BCE.[1] Ancient Nubians were famous for their skill and precision with the bow. Ref: Wiki

Further on, a large area to the right left of the road contained people planting some seeds. This was a group of Ethiopians who had settled here and were planting tomatos. They were from Addis Ababa.

Bags of fertilizer lined the road, they contained nitrogenous fertilizer made in the UAR.

Another desert town was reached, it was nowhere near the Nile and was just a ram shackle group of tents and sheds. Here was a stopping point for mini buses and the larger buses.

Beans and bread were enjoyed here in one tent, while in another the guys gave me some fresh fried fish to take with me.

One tent was for shisha smoking and chai, it was popular with a group of men. I rode from here well fed but still worn out.

Another 15km up the road a shed and a few trees was arrived at, here I stopped for a cold drink. The guys were super friendly. They pulled out a bed for me to lie on.

I promptly fell asleep for a short while. Here we swapped music and photos on our phones and just watched travellers come and go.

One guy could not get his trike going so I helped with that to no avail.

A middle aged man, Mohammad could speak English so we spent a lot of time chatting.

Soon a couple of Hiluxs pulled up it was the gold guys I had met a couple of days ago. Their excavator had broken down and they were on their way back to Khartoum. It was great to see each other again. People here love shaking hands on all occasions and we did just that.

They had not seen the third Cataract of the Nile, so we all piled in the utes and headed to the Nile in the distance.

Once there, we climbed a hill that had old ruins at its summit. Mohammad said Mohammad Ali used to visit here during rule of Egypt. The river was very wide at this point and as expected contained some rapids.

Mohammad pointed out his village, Sabu, on the east bank upstream in the distance.

We spent an hour up here, Mohammad explained how the government were wanting to build a huge dam her. He said 25 villages were going to be impacted.

Lifestyles lost. Like lake Nasser, nothing can grow on the shores it is just rocky unfertile saline soil.

He said a Chinese company had been here for 4 months surveying levels. His people protested and four men were shot by the police. He went onto say that his people would fight this to the last man.

Kajbar Dam, Sudan The Sudanese government plans to turn the Nile Valley – the only fertile stretch of land in Northern Sudan – into a strong of five reservoirs (see map). The Aswan Dam and the Merowe Dam have already been built. Next in line are the Kajbar, Shereik and Dal dams.The Kajbar Dam on the Nile’s third cataract would create a reservoir of 110 square kilometers, and generate hydropower with a capacity of 360 megawatts. It would also submerge some 90 villages, displace about 10,000 people, and destroy an estimated 500 archeological sites.

The Kajbar and Dal projects are located in the lands of ancient Nubia. After large Nubian territories have already been lost to the reservoir of the Aswan Dam, construction of these new dams would bring the unique Nubian culture, which dates back over more than 5,000 years, closer to extinction.

The affected people are strongly opposed to the construction of the Kajbar and Dal dams. They have warned that the projects could lead to a second Darfur conflict. The Sudanese government has cracked down harshly on their protests. In 2007, security forces killed four and injured at least 20 people who protested peacefully against the proposed Kajbar Dam. The UN Special Rapporteur on Sudan deplored the excessive force used against the Nubian population.

In 2010, the Sudanese government awarded a $705 million, five-year contract to build the Kajbar Dam to the Chinese company Sinohydro, the world’s largest hydropower contractor. The affected communities and International Rivers have called on Sinohydro to withdraw from the Kajbar contract.

Back at the roadhouse, the mining crew departed, a glass of hot chocolate was made using my stove for the remaining guys, they loved the chocolate.

I had another light sleep. Mohammad asked me if I would like to stay in his village for the night.

I was not to keen on leaving the bike here at the roadhouse but was assured it was not Egypt and would be safe. The afternoon spent with these people had seen my build a trust with them.

I left it there unlocked but in a separate room and just took my bar bag with me.

By the time we got to Sabu in a Hilux taxi ute it was almost dark, we went down to the river and viewed the crops and the river.

One of the buoys on a net was being pulled around Mohammad explained they must have a large fish entangled. He said fish here get to 70kg.

Hence the size of the croc in the photo.

The alluvial soils down here were rich, there was a micro climate of cool air down on the flood plain.

His grandfather had planted many date palms at the upper reaches of the flood plain.

All this would be gone if a dam was built.

We walked up a rocky outcrop in the fading light and he showed me where there was gold to be found, equipment was needed to extract it.

Time was then spent chatting with a group of men sitting together in the now dark starry sky. They were laughing and chatting. Dressed all in white it was a great contrast against the moonlit evening.

He took me around some houses to meet his brothers and sisters. We then shared a meal on the floor of our sleeping quarters together.

His brother in law came round with some date wine. This stuff was thick and cloudy. Five good swigs and I definitely knew it had been drunk, my head was as light as a feather but more was declined.

The sound of the waterfalls on the river could be heard as I drifted off to sleep.

Early in the morning on awakening, my thoughts drifted to the lifestyle these Nubian people have here along the Nile, it is so special, and they look after the natural resources they have got. They eat well. All this would be obliterated should that dam proceed.

Like Lake Nasser, were they had to move the Abul Simpel temple, due to the inundation.

I will always remember my visit to Mohmmads village the Lattitude was 19 degrees 56 minutes, my birth date

This country has sun almost every day of the year. Maybe that billion dollars spent harnessing this energy maybe a better idea.

29/1/2015 Sabu to Dongola

D104, T4, Av25.10, max58, 36018, 1137

Blue print of yesterday.

Mohammed and I were up early and over to his sisters place for chai. We had both used our phone lights to head to the toilet away from the house before daylight.

Buying toilet paper here is impossible in these villages they just don’t use it. The motels use a jet of water to clean ones bum.

Luckily, many rolls were used to pack the bike for the flight from Nicaragua. These were kept, and presently are coming in very handy.

We had arranged for the taxi to pick us up at 0730, once back at the roadhouse another chai was enjoyed.

My bike was ok, my trust of these people was confirmed, they were genuine characters of the desert. It was a privilege to have spent time with them.

I was on the road by 0830, it had been a special experience to have been welcomed into Mohammad’s village.

Dongola, the capital of northern Sudan was only some 100 km away. The wind was howling at 30km/hr. My max speed today was made almost on a perfectly flat road.

100km/hr was clocked in 4 hours, soon hunger set in. A stop was made at some urns.

Here in a building some men were feasting on foul and beans. They invited me to join them. This was perfect timing. Again, they were a great bunch of guys with lively senses of humour, we got on well.

I left here with a full stomach.

Once in Dongola a hotel was booked, The Ulla. It was basic but sufficed. Washing was done and a week old beard removed.

That night, falafel freshly fried was had in pocket bread.

The staff got my internet working, so I can post on Instagram as things happen again (browsinabout). Sudan has a good mobile network. There are towers everywhere along the desert roads there really are no black spots.

My blog is getting behind in updates, these big days see me just wanting to eat and sleep.

It is much easier to write an account of the days activities in the evening but lately that has not happened.

A much more detailed and passionate account can be written, when it is done daily.

30/1/2015 Dongola to Al Goled Bahri

Camped behind coffee shop

D87, 36105, 1224

Computer not working all the time.

Good northerly wins.

The Ulla hotel, though basic, had a ceiling fan which are great for drying clothes in a hurry. Finally I departed at about 1100.

Heading to the supermarket that was spotted yesterday, bread, honey, tuna, and potatoes were bought. It was great to see coffee sold in plain plastic bags for 15SP.

It took awhile to work out how to get out of town. Oliver had told me he took the A11,that cut straight across the desert to Merowe.

My desire was to follow the Nile down to Abu Dom then head north back up to Merowe. Leaving town as directed put me onto a hard packed sand track that led through other small villages. One man asked if I would like to join him for lunch, politely declining, I rode on.

Off in the distance, cars could be seen speeding along, that had to be the highway. Heading to the right it was soon reached. To its west was nothing but featureless desert broken only by a distant high voltage transmission line.

Once on the highway, the scenery was bland to say the least, pretty much just flat desert with the Nile green belt way off to the left.

Some large herds of camels were seen grazing, they were always attended by their owners. Many were hobbled. The roads travelled so far here in Sudan have been in excellent condition with a great smooth surface offering little friction.

Soon the need came to eat. None of the villages came near the road. Pulling off at one which had a large minaret, the bike was ridden and pushed for half a kilometre on into the area where the mosque was. Being Saturday, there was a gathering of men and boys of all ages just coming out of the mosque. They all came to greet me and asked what I wanted. Mirghani, who could speak reasonable English greeted me. I told him I needed to eat and was there a restaurant here.

He probably thought, you have got to be joking!!

Anyway, he said come with me, so we walked through the brown dirt streets amongst high adobe walls till we got to a kind of common area, where lots of woman and children were sitting at tables or standing around chatting. All the kids were fascinated when I turned up, Mirghani said they are excited because you are the only white person here.

The woman who were out and about retreated to a building further away, it was a kitchen.

The men invited me into a carpeted building of brilliant white washed exterior, inside was white also.

The temperature within was exceptionally comfortable compared to the glary, hot outdoors. Once inside we all sat on chairs and beds arranged around the perimeter of the 20mx6m interior.

We spoke of our lives and my travels down from Halfa.

Everyone was dressed in brilliant white robes and many wore white scarves or turbans. Mirghani said he would have some food for me soon.

It was such a unique experience to be sitting with this gathering of some twenty men all dressed in these white garments. We had lots of laughs as the translations were made by Mirghani.

Soon one of the boys bought in a stainless steel plate the size of a big car tyre, on top of this this was an embroidered dome.

They lifted it up and here were four plates of food all for me. There was freshly killed beef pieces, foul (beans), ish (bread) afresh geen salad, rice and on another plate cut up cucumber and capsicum with tomato and onion.

Everyone watched me eat. All the while, my comments were shokran, shokran.

All the food and meat was organic. Mirghani told me people live quite old in his village, one woman is 120 years of age. Eating this kind of food, it is easy to see why.

This coupled with healthy manual work is a sure recipe for longevity. Looking at what was before made me think, just how much processed garbage we consume.

Everything from prepared sauces, to yoghurt, spreads, juices, infact most things other than fruit and veges are processed one way or another. Even much of our meats are butchered from animals that eat processed feeds.

Even the fruit and veges are bred for presentation and handling, whilst most if not all are bathed in chemical mist all during their growth up to harvest.

One of the younger guys bought me in a big mug of chilled water to have with my meal, this too was some of the best water I have had here in Sudan. Natural well water.

The woman must have been preparing the meals for the men, as it was not long before 4 similar platters arrived, all covered in the woven domes.

Mirghani invited me to eat again. We all sat on the floor around each platter and everyone tore at the bread and dipped it in the various dishes, one was a meat stew and another a vivid green puree, Molokhia, was a strong mix of greens.

No utensils were used to eat any of the food. Most places eaten at do not provide utensils.

It is the right hand only, with the bread used as a utensil. Being left handed I have to check myself often.

My time here stretched out to 4 hours. The hospitality shown by everyone was moving to say the least. At 1700 we parted.

Everyones hands were shaken. Mirghani wished me all the best. Many of the other men and some children were crowded around me. I had tears in my eyes as I thanked him deeply for the special time shared with them. We shook each other’s hands strongly looked each other in the eye and gripped the others shoulder. He said I was welcome back here any time.

I rode away feeling so sad about how our respective cultures cannot see eye to eye.

Still thinking about the unique time spent in Dambo, it was getting near dark. Some 8km up the road was a roadhouse, if you could call it that, come coffee and chai house.

I pulled in here and started chatting. They offered me dinner, my hands were motioned in a circular fashion over my stomach to say imply I had just eaten. I showed them pictures of Dambo and they knew Mirghani.

A couple of bottles of Coke were enjoyed with some men at an outdoor table.

I am still coming to terms with the fact that it basically doesn’t rain here. The roofs that are not iron are dates palms fronds lying over plastic, there waterproof qualities are not an issue.

They were happy for me to sleep in the old adobe building out the back. A room was found where the tent was pitched. No food was cooked, as I was well fed and very tired.

It is always nice camping on private property, the chances of getting disturbed during the night are greatly reduced .

31/1/2015 Al Goled to Osmans farm sth of Fagrinkotti

D119, T6 Av20.15, Max 38, 36225, 1343

Just another brilliantly clear day

Last night had been a warm night in the tent inside the old adobe building. On getting up wandered over to the roadhouse and greeted the owners. The woman was igniting charcoal to boil water.

I offered to boil the water on my stove which they accepted. The son and I wandered back to my little earthen floor room. The kettle was put on the stove. His mother kept calling out for him. We were standing around waiting for the kettle to boil.

Using my translator, “a watched kettle never boils” was written for him to read in Arabic, he immediately laughed, it did seem to take forever.

Once fully packed. As normal my bar bag is checked before leaving. My purse was not there, immediately I thought that it must have been left on the table last night while I was chatting with a man.

Asking about, no one really knew what I was talking about.

Then it occurred to me that last night was spent sleeping in my riding shorts. This was my only hope, had it fallen out of my pocket in the sleeping bag. Unrolling the bag found nothing. My only other hope was the tent. Utter relief overcame me when it was found in the rolled up tent.

In nearly four years nothing of importance has been lost or stolen. My guard had been dropped last night as I was worn out.

A lesson was learnt here. It was nice riding off knowing my money and debit card were with me. Very little money is carried with me at most times.

Fried eggs, bread and onion were bought at a roadside cafe, only an hour into the day, on the account nothing was eaten for dinner last night.

The kitchen was run by guys, as usual health standards were minimal to none. These places are great for building up an immunity to bacteria here in this part of Africa, so far so good.

Near Ad Dabbah, there was a gathering of people and vehicles on the roadside, once closer, it could be seen as the site of an accident, a bus had hit a taxi ute and destroyed it. Two people had died.

Just on from here, a good wash down was had in an irrigation canal, the water was remarkably cold.

I was really cautious as I dipped my feet and washed clothing. It was not known whether crocs inhabit these waters.

I asked a man who walked by, he had no idea what I was on about. Not even understanding the word crocodile.

The countryside now is still desert to my right and always the green strip if the Nile to the left, sometimes close others in the distance. Housing has moved far from its shores as towns have grown. No one lives in the flood plain though.

The intersection at Abu Dom was reached. Here the road goes south to Khartoum, only some 303km, it is the route all the buses take.

There were roadside cafes at the intersection, here chai and drinks were enjoyed for an hour. Whilst buying some oranges a woman approached me for money. She was ignored, for me it is the only way to deal with this.

As soon as the road was entered and riding to the north began, as expected it was hard work in the northerly prevailing wind.

Within 10km, it had sapped all my energy. Pulling up, quite spaced out, a gel was taken from my front pannier. A voice called out to me and a man from a field of young corn came over to talk. He immediately struck me as a genuine kind of person. We spoke as best we could. He asked me to come and join him for some chai.

I grabbed my bread and a can of tuna, climbed over the fence and joined him sitting on a small bund wall of the field that was in the process of being flood irrigated.

Osman told his son to get the girls to make tea.

They bought it over. His wife came and two younger girls, one with a baby. I was introduced.

It was the first time I had been introduced to woman who were not Nubian. They were happy to have a laugh and check me out, myself likewise.

The sweetened tea was just so nice in my worn out state.

A pickup pulled up near my bike parked on the highway edge, it was full of white robed guys and some dressed normally. They all came wandering through the knee high corn.

A few of them had metal detectors, they had spent the day in the desert prospecting for gold.

1/2/2015 Osmans farm to Merowe

D83, t6, Av15.94, 36308, 1426

Hot, clear and northerlies

Last night hundreds of sparrows came to rest in the date palms. During the night they were disturbed a few times. Using my translator, Osman said that snakes stir them up in the night.

He came over with tea and biscuits at 0730, we sat under the palms in the cool air and chatted as best we could. He was shown photos of Sth America and Egypt on my phone. The kids came over to say hi. Today, Sunday in the first day of the working week here in the Islamic world.

Osman helped push the bike out of the deeper sand near his house. Again saying goodbye was hard.

The hospitality and kindness shown was overwhelming. We gave each other a hug as we parted.

Out on the road, as expected the wind was on my face though not to strong.

The scenery is now village after village, with the green belt of date palms along the Nile to my left.

Many people were seen with camels and donkeys pulling small carts. Crews were making muds bricks along the way. As usual, it was constant greetings and people yelling from afar.

It really is a pleasure riding here in Sudan.

Each village has a mosque, some of the minarets are so eye catching with the varieties of colours used and their small handrails.

These and the black and white chequered tanks are the most prominent things in the landscape, other than the ever present palms that grow along the Nile.

The main traffic is the old 2 wheel drive Hilux utes for carrying people around the villages and the mini buses (vans) that shuttle people between the cities.

There were water urns throughout the trip. Some had just the tastiest clear water within and others had cloudy water. It all tasted good in the heat of the day.

The climate is such that there is no twilight, it is light then just dark about 1830.

The days are a little fresh in the mornings, but warm up rapidly to about 30 degrees around one or two o’clock. There is no dew, infact, wet clothes even dry out over night.

The tent fly is not being used, the night air is that comfortable and dry.

Bread was bought at Kurti and a large punnet of natural yoghurt enjoyed.

Things are not that cheap here, for example, the yoghurt was $1.75 and a kilo of mandarins is $2.

Finding good fruit is now getting difficult. It is best to have a good look around the small souks or stall holders on the roadside.

At times the road had cracks crossing it, these made for a bumpy ride. Almost all roadside buildings are constructed of adobe.

The wind was about, but not unduly strong. It was always infront of my shoulders and at times head on.

Many urns were stopped at as were shops selling flavoured yoghurt.

Arriving in Merowe, the first motel was abit dodgy though located well, the next one was to expensive and the third one looked at was way too much.

Whilst in town the police stopped me and asked to see my passport, they took a photocopy.

Some banas were enjoyed, as usual people were friendly, the stall holder would not accept money which was a nice gesture.

After hunting about for more motels which there were none. I loaded up with water and headed out of town at about 1745. It was quite late.

Having second thoughts, a uturn was made and a return was made to the Civil Defense hotel on the Nile.

Every hotel wants to see my passport and most want to photocopy it.

It was a smart move to return to a motel. There are not too many towns durng the next 300km, as the Baiyua Desert is crossed to Ed Damer.

Dinner was pocket bread and Tuna, along with Noodles. Nothing special, as hunger was not a huge issue.

My time in Merowe was spent just getting this up to date and slowing down.

Most motel rooms visited are full of mosquitos, this one was no different, repellent had to be used each night.

Mohammed, an engineer from Khartoum took me out for lunch on the first day. It was a lovely feast of BBQ chicken with a hot spicy sauce.

A lady across the road from the motel was making chai and coffee each day in a palm frond and plastic hut.

This was a social point for people that lived around the area. She also had coffee and a Shisha there.

One evening was spent on the riverbank across the road here people were fishing. Myself and another guy went in for a swim.

I am still surprised how cool the waters are.

On my last day in Merowe, I did not get away till 1130, a meal of lamb was enjoyed before leaving.

There was 250km across the Baiyau desert ahead of me. People had told me that there was 100km without water.

I needed to fuel up on food.

At least the winds mwould be cross winds.

3/2/2015 Merowe to desert camp 100km into Baiyau desert

D119, T7, Av20, Max36, 36,427 1545

Cross winds fine and comfortable, 27

After a my lunch at the same place Mohammad took me. It was 18km of back tracking to the Atbar turnoff . This was done rapidly in the 25km/hr northerly.

Once the left turn was made, civilisation ceased and the desert took over.

There was the odd new palm plantation and a couple of power transmission corridors. Not a lot though. Traffic was reduced to ocassional mini buses and a few trucks.

The wind was at times just behind my left shoulder so the riding was comfortable.

My water supply consisted of both drink bottles and two 1.5 plastic bottles.

By the time the first place for water was approached I was down to 1 plastic drink bottle. This was some 55km into the trip after the turnoff.

It was a roadhouse of sorts made from plastic, branches and palm fronds. Here they gave me some water and a couple of Fantas were drunk rapidly.

Heading on feeling better now more water was onboard., a guy stopped me in his car and offered me a small bottle of water which I had drunk almost before he left.

Forteen km on another roadhouse was seen, here two glasses of chai were drunk.

The sun was now getting low and the riding became more enjoyable as the temperature and wind eased,

The desert colours were also more accentuated.

Water was needed for the evening, A group of guys were on the rodside attending to their ute that had broken down, some were eating onions. They offered me some which I declined. I asked them if it was ok and they motioned yes.

Someone up ahead was walking on the road, it turned out to be a guy named Omer who was walking from Atbara to Merowe.

He was Sudanese and a great guy, walking 30km in a day.

He had walked and ridden other countries in West Africa. We talked for a while and took photos.

After 1800 and still plenty of light, a village was approached, here was a coffee place, no one was about except for some children, they said I could take some water so my bladder was half filled.

From here as soon as the urban are, if you could call it that, ended I started looking for a camp.

One was found behind a pile of rocks in a watercourse.

The evening was incredibly well lit in the near full moon.

Two teas and a hot chocolate were drunk with biscuits. My lunch was still providing nourishment.

The tent was zipped closed at 2030. Sleep came straight after.

4/2/2015 Desert camp 100km into Baiyau desert The Hilton

D109, T7, Av16.27, Max29, 36,518 1654

Crosswinds fine and comfortable, 27, really hard going

My tent had been erected with a good slope around my upper body, a good comfortable nights sleep was had.

My small chair broke in the sand, so it was left behind, if someone finds it they may be able to fix it.

Some how my tooth brush and paste have gone missing. This is not good in the mornings or at night for that matter. Once out on the road it was one of those days where I was looking for any excuse to stop.

At one point, there was a pile of pharmaceuticals on the roadside. They were all out of date. It contained every drug from Quinine vials to hypertension pills and Anti malarial drugs.

A couple of good little air tight pill containers were taken.

From here, it was more desert. Though there was some vegetation in the way of grasses and the broad leaf tree come shrub. Wild camels and donkeys were seen in some places.

There must be fair amounts of rain here in the wet season as there were some minor road wash outs. Only 2 hours in I needed to stop for tuna and ish.

The winds now were cross winds. The northerly had some east in it not good.

Come1230 an area of shrubs was seen, inspection here showed I could find some shade.

Here soup, biscuits tea and hot chocolate were enjoyed.

Life is really tough without the seat. I really can’t get comfortable on the ground.

From here, the wind had increased.

Water stops were few and far between.

A building was stopped at, here water was taken onboard. 15km on another place was stopped at.

From here, nothing was seen. The riding became draining in the crosswinds and at times forward of my left shoulder.

I was getting dehydrated. Thankfully, as the sun was get lower the wind abated slightly.

At 1800 in dead flat featurless country, my situation was not good.

A gel had just been taken, and water was down to 2 litres.

I was feeling beside myself, a situation I rarely like to find myself in.

On a straight stretch of road there was a semi moving slowly, I motioned him with a water bottle. The driver stopped and topped up all my bottles from inside his cab. The water was a light brown. Much of the water drunk to date is like this. It seems to produce no side effects.

The driver got out and had a huge watermelon. We shared this on the side of the road. Watermelon never tasted so good. It was a sweet one to go with it. It was quickly cut up with my Opinel.

His truck was just parked in the west bound lane. There is little traffic out here it did not matter.

Sometime later, a police ute came by with half a dozen officers inside, they stopped and offered me cold water. This was other worldly as it flowed down my dry throat.

My situation had just gone from dire to manageable again. Thanks to the generosity and friendliness of the Sudanese on this lonely road.

Some 5km on, with enough water for the night, a little grass hut was seen some 300m from the road near a mobile tower. Checking for traffic I rode in here.

Inside was a bed ad outside were 44gal drums of water.

This was like arriving at the Hilton. I looked down at my bike and in particular, the feather on the frame, my thoughts were of thank you to the spirit that travels with me.

Events like this have happened on so many occasions, events that have saved the day and me.

It took till 2200 til recover from the dehydration and other stresses placed on my body. All that could be done was drink chocolate and tea.

Dinner of pasta was made, only a little could be eaten.

My airbed was inflated and put on the bed inside.

The wind was still blowing hard outside.

I was not the only one here, there were little Gerbils running around everywhere. They were on my feet and into everything.

They are lovely little creatures. They run and jump and enjoyed exploring all my gear.

All of it was hung up over night in case they chewed holes in things.

I was so fortunate to be in this humble little shelter in an otherwise featureless environment

Sleep came rapidly.

5/2/2015 Baiyau desert The Hilton to Ed Damer

D68, T5, Av14.41, Max28, 36,586 1722

Almost head winds, 27, really hard going

A great nights sleep was enjoyed. The wind was blowing strong first thing in the morning. The pasta was finished off.

At times during the night, there was the rustling of plastic as the gerbils continued exploring into the night.

Once out on the road at 0900, the wind was forward of my left shoulder. Basically, it was head wind riding.

It was a case of looking at the road a couple of metres ahead and just slugging it out.

Within two hours, it was time to stop and eat. My energy was getting drained.

A tree was found, and sardines and bread were enjoyed under the little shade it offered.

A truck was heard blowing its horn. Looking up there were a few camels just lazily crossing the road.

The wind out on the road now was getting strong enough to blow sand.

Even yesterday with the cut up melon on the road in light winds, it was getting covered in grit.

Down near ground level even in the lightest of winds in the deserts there is movement of fine particles.

My chain had been washed in Merowe, so this was one thing in my favour.

The dirt soon makes the chain sloppy across the links..

Forty km into the ride a huge factory could be seen in the brown haze. Getting closer it turned out to be the Atbara cement works.

Near here, a drink was bought.

The road was now occupied with many trucks carting rock, dirt and of course cement bags .

From here in a village, a shop was stopped at. Here 5 small bottles of Coke out of glass were drank. I spent time chatting with the owner he could speak a little English. I also bought toothpaste and a brush here.

Just observing life, a young boy came up to buy things. He was on a bare back donkey to buy things for his parents.

He bought some chewing tobacco which a lot of people use here.

I smelt the bag and said this smells like shit!!.

The young boy had no idea what I said but the shop owner did he laughed . We chatted and joked for half an hour or more.

After 3 days in the desert, this was great just to sit down and have cold drinks at my disposal.

The Nile had to be crossed again. Near the approaches to the bridge over the twin channels was a police checkpoint. Very casually 5 guys were just sitting around, not in uniform. They stopped me and asked for my passport.

Once again, we started chatting. The Sudanese as said before are so much fun to be around and talk to, they have a great sense of humour and love shaking hands.

We spoke for awhile, then it was across the bridge. The close horizon all around now was an ochre haze, due to some pollution but mostly due to the strong winds stirring up the surrounding desert.

Once over the bridge it was a turn right and in doing so, put the wind behind my back. This was so good.

The ride to Ed Damer was fast. It took me through village after village with urns all along the way.

Once in town a filling bbq chicken meal was ordered and the only hotel in town, just look for the large building in town. All the locals know it. The lift is big enough to fit a fully loaded bike so in that respect it is great.

Much of my gear is wearing out. My portable clip type phone battery charger blew up and shorted the power to my room. My mouse is not working properly.

This to be expected, they all get a hard time being vibrated all day in the panniers.

The room was air conditioned with hot water it was great at 100SP for a night.

My SP are running low, without ATM’s that accept foreign cards, some $US will have to be changed.

It was so nice to be out of the sand.

5/2/2015   Ed Damer to Meroe Pyramids

D85, T6, Av21.17, Max51, 36,671 1807

tail winds, 37°

Having got a discount price at the hotel, the guy wanted me out at 0730.

This was done easily. Out on the dusty road, some yoghurt was bought. Heading straight ahead in the town, it was hoped to travel on a secondary route. This unfortunately turned to dirt so it was out onto the highway.

Here the traffic consisted of trucks towing very long trailers, buses cars and old Bedford trucks among other vehicles.

It was easy going with good tailwinds. There was no shoulder on the road.

As it was Saturday, the traffic was not to heavy.

The truck drivers were great. They would slow down behind me until the road was clear. A wave would thank them.

Along almost all the length of the road today was shredded tyres. Most trucks just run two tyres on each axle.

There were marks all over the road where rims had cut into the surface.

The road was really only wide enough for two vehicles passing, no more. The riding was easy. Though, a constant watch for oncoming traffic was needed and to see what was coming from behind. If the timing was wrong, where I could, riding was done on the gravel shoulder.

Here, the Mondial tyres were put to the test in all the debris on the roadside. Especially the wire from the shredded truck tyres.

Some dried dates were bought fom a roadside stall in a village, some were overly dry, others great.

The date palm provides building materials, fruit, wine, shade, among other things. This plant coupled with the Nile and good subterranean water, are what make living here possible.

A British registered Discovery was seen passing, they pulled over. Brendan and Lauren were from far Nth Eastern Canada, up by Greenland they told me.

We talked for quite awhile and decided to meet up in Khartoum.

They were the kind of couple that it was easy to enjoy their casual company.

The day just kept getting hotter and hotter. Luckily there were urns most of the way along the road.

Most were stopped at, if only to get out of the sun.

The water in the weeping clay pots is unbelievably refreshing.

In one such adobe shelter, sardines and ish were enjoyed.

The next one a good sleep was enjoyed. A passenger with a truck driver came over and rolled a joint, he asked me to share it with him.

No way it was hard and dangerous enough out there with the trucks without being stoned!!

The idea was to arrive at the Meroe Pyramids sometime just before sun down so there was no hurry. The sleep in the heat of the day was great.

Dropping of an escarpment, and on some 15km the pyramids could be seen on my left, some 800m from the roadside.

As soon as the highway exited, a boy on a camel turned up. He was told that a camel was not required.

Arrival at the fenced off site, saw me ask if it was possible to camp the night .

I gave them SP30, they said it was all good.

The sand here was a rich red colour.

All the pyramids had been decapitated by an earl Italian Explorer, in search of treasure. It was found, in only one structure.

As the sun went down the site was bathed in shades of rich ochre.

The fading light really bought the significance of this spot to the fore.

A huge amount of work had been done to construct these pyramids. There were two groups of them.

Whilst up amongst them, some Sudanese guys turned up, they were old friends catching up for the weekend. As usual they were very friendly and helpful. We took pics together.

After dark my tent was set up behind the weathered entrance buiding. Another group turned up from Khartoum, they took a late camel ride.

By 1900, the place was deserted.

It was kind of special to be camped out near these structures of wonder.

The early evening was still very hot. Having a good sloping site for the tent saw me fall asleep not long after entering the tent.

Satellites were seen crossing the sky. I know where to look now.

5/2/2015   Meroe Pyramids to Acacia camp nth Khartoum

D112, T10, Av21.17, Max37, 36,910 1926

tail winds, 33°

A brilliant nights sleep had been enjoyed. The sun is not rising till near seven o’clock, so it is quite dark till late in the morning, for me anyway. On waking, it was 0600.

Hurriedly , a coffee was made and all the gear packed and the bike made ready. A hasty walk was made up the dune to the pyramids. To see the sunrise among them, was somehow important for me.

It truly was a spectacle, more impressive than the sunset. Some pyramids had been restored and had their pinnacles replaced. These provided a classic silhouette in the foreground to the rising ball of fire.

Again, the colours were emphasized in the early morning light.

Once the sun had come out of hiding in the east, my time here felt complete. The bike was man handled through the sand and onto the firm track into the site.

Back on the road, it was busy as ever with trucks. Again a tailwind saw good progress being made.

There was another group of small pyramids off to my left a little down the road.

Women and children were seen in the roadside vegetation picking things. A stop was made, as normal the children became frightened and moved away quickly.

They were collecting a legume. Another woman and children wer seen at a well.

Stopping here and wandering over, the children moved away. The woman was lowering a 6 litre oil container, at least 100 feet down the well to retrieve warm brownish water, of which I took some.

She was very elderly.

Later, a stop was made for oranges and bananas these were consumed on the spot.

Lunch was had at Shendi, here my sim card was recharged. This was a huge roadside shanty, with trucks everywhere. The repair places were located in huts made from, you guessed it, old truck tyres. There were people selling everything. Many huts were shisha and chai cafes.

People were again friendly, one gentleman, gave me his number and said if I had any problems, to ring him, he spoke good English.

The huge meal of goat, ish, foul and salad saw me leave very content. The four small cokes and large bottle of water complimented the solids eaten.

Forgetting to use my right hand a woman selling perfumes came and reminded me. It was a nice moment.

Later in the day, the urns were getting few and far between.

Come 1800, the need for the nights water was paramount.

During the day, an incident with a bus was scaring me. They were all in a hurry and in most cases forced me of the road. It really was quite frightening.

Two Colombianos on motos heading north had early told me to take care in Kenya, the buses were even more dangerous. Causing one of them to have an accident as he was forced off the road.

Having their engines in the rear they cannot be heard until very close. Most toot their horns as they approach, but never slow down.

The trucks are doing on average about 80-90km/hr, these schedule driven drivers are rarely doing less than 110km/hr.

Getting back to the water, an adobe outpost was seen alone in the desert, two men were on the ever present metal frame beds. They had water and offered me plenty. They also asked if I wanted to camp with them.

A kind no thanks was said.

Not far from here some undulations were seen. Waiting for a gap in the traffic, a hurried exit out of sight was made. A great campsite among thorny acacias was found.

It took twenty minutes to sweep the ground free of fallen thorns.

One of my High Country dehy food packs was eaten, beef curry, they really are great meals.

A few cups of tea were enjoyed and a tired cyclist climbed into his tent and fell asleep under a clear starry sky. The campsite felt safe.



6/2/2015 Acacia camp to Khartoum

117km 36910, 2043

Nothing had disturbed me all night. Some guys came by in a ute as the highway was entered. They asked where I slept. Gesturing to the site behind me they laughed, we said goodbye.

Trucks had been thick on the road in the early hours, so as to get to Khartoum early on Sunday the first day of the week. Sunday

Their numbers had decreased significantly by the time my progress was being made.

Excitement was building about arrival in this great mystical city of Northern Africa.

However, my calculations had seen me underestimate the distance there by some 50km.

I had no internet access.

The police stopped me at checkpoints twice, but were very friendly and did not hold me long.

Lunch was had at El Geili, on going to pay for it, a man whom I was chatting with had unbeknown to me already paid, he also paid for a chai.

The Sudanese make one feel so welcome here, there kindness, generosity and good sense of humour abound.

From here the road forked, the secondary road to town was taken. The large trucks were not allowed to use this road. The day was another hot one, in the late thirties, and this is winter!

Stops were made a few shops selling sodas in glass.

The road was now heading through urbanization throughout its length .

Khartoum is really three cities.

The Nile was crossed closer to town. The pedestrian walkway was used on the large bridge.

Brendan and Lauren had phoned to say they were in the youth hostal.

They gave me the address as a lat and long. I don’t use co ordinates as directions. Looking on the net, Google maps led me to The University here.

It was miles from the location of the hostal.

Another website took me to 60 47 street in Khartoum 1. By now I had been in town for 3 hours or more. It was near dark. In Khartoum, I phoned Brendan. Still we could not find each other.

It turned out there are 47 streets in Kartoum1 and 2.

A group of people were asked from a NGO office block, they explained this and one of them grabbed a scooter and led me the 6 km to the youth hostel.

I was dark by the time I arrived. It had been a huge day.

At the laid back hostal were Brendan and Luaren, Josh and Will from the UK, two more overlanders, and Sho Sho and Neil from Taiwan, two touring cyclists.

A German girl Hannah was also there, she was backpacking it.

It was so nice to be in company, we chatted late into the night. They had leftover food for me.

There were no rooms available so I camped next to Neil and Sho Sho. We had heaps to talk about,they to were heading to Cape Town.

8-10/2/ 2015 Khartoum

The place was well lit, so sleeping was a little patchy.

It was so good to be here. A milestone during this African journey.

Time here was spent washing clothes, relaxing. Swapping road and route details with everyone.

Eating some good take away food was a treat.

My hard drive cannot be fixed here. It is mechanical.

My Ethiopian visa was obtained for $US60 for three months.

This was a hassle free 3 hour process. The embassy is a half hour walk from the hostal.

Best of all there were these little plastic stools here. They were brilliant. The managers said we could each have one.

So life around my camp will be easy again. The other night in the Acacia camp, the best I could do was find a rock and put a towel on it. Not to comfortable, I will say.

Sho Sho and Neil both grabbed a stool. They liked the idea of a seat.

Not many sights in town were visited, there is no need to after having spent time with so many locals on the way here.

All my foods were replenished. Semolina is being tried instead of porridge, Neil put me onto the wheat based ground ceral for breaky. It is double the weight for the samesize bag of porridge.

Hopefully it will give double the energy.

The days are getting hotter now, especially around 1300 to 1600.

Thankfully, there are big mangoes in the grounds.

My blog still can’t be updated due to restrictions on US websites.

11/2/2015 Khartoum to Takala, Abdullahs house

D102, T6, Av20, Max37, 37012, 2144

Hot windy and dusty.

Well it was time to leave Khartoum. Two people I was hoping to catch up with were not in town. The other guys had left and Oliver was still a day away.

Neil, Sho Sho and I all left with one of the small plastic seats. The guys were sold on my idea of having a seat at a camp.

Every time camping with other riders, they will always sit in my seat every chance they get.

My first task was to go and see the confluence of the White Nile with the Blue. The Blue Nile originates in Lake Tana, Ethiopia and the White in Lake Victoria, Uganda, it is the worlds longest river and 1 of only 50 that flow north to south.

The ride was along the riverside road. Photos were taken from the bridge.

Leaving town was a 20km ride. Through dusty built up areas and past some of the universities.

All the roads once wide are now fringed with sand.

Stopping for things to eat on the way out another diner drew a mud map for me to get out of town to Wad Madani.

The roads were busy and with the strong wind, when anyone was on the shoulder the dust was everywhere.

It was nice to be out of the city traffic.

There were villages much of the way. Though without the Nile providing water and other things, they were very different in nature. All incredibly dusty and not as tidy as others seen.

Riding along, a cyclist appeared from a small shop, he came out to greet me.

His name was Pedro. He had ridden here from Madrid. We got on well and headed off together.

Some 20 km up the road whilst getting water from some roadside urns, the people from the house infront of which they were located came out to greet us. Abdullah could speak good English.

He invited us to stay the night. Here we spoke at length about political topics and life in Sudan. He had a lot of friends who were artists and authors, in short he was a very interesting, knowledgeable person.

He had relations stayingwith hime who were from Uganda, the young boy spoke just the clarest, grammatically perfect English. It was enjoyable talking to him just to listen to his accent.

His wife made us a great meal and we moved the beds outside into the yard, which was surrounded by high Adobe walls.

We chatted and listened to music before getting to bed before midnight. Unbeknown to us it was going to be an unusually cold morning.

12/2/2015 Takala to Checkpoint nth of Wad Madani

D99, T6, Av21.12, Max38, 37111, 2243

Cold morning

A couple of hours were spent with Abdullah in the morning swapping music and just chatting, He enjoys Spanish so I gave him all my Spanish language info.

We had slept outside on the beds. It was a very cold morning , the coldest in weeks.

He was such a nice guy, many of his friends were artists and authors.

We got away about 0930.

It was a day of being pushed along by tail winds, easy riding.

We stopped at a reasonably flash place and shared just the best meal of fried chicken and salada.

Buses were again the fasted moving vehicles on the road though down here they were a bit more considerate. People were now greeting us the whole way. It was busy riding and returning all the greetings.

At one point, a whole herd of goats was dead alongside the road. They must have crossed infront of a truck.

The smell in the hot air was very rich though was soon behind us.

We are unable to ride and talk very often because of traffic and the narrow road.

Near the towns, there were many children on Chinese built bikes, who would follow us. They were all very interested to know where we were from and going.

It is nice to be riding with someone. Pedro is 45 and has travelled for some time since losing his job. We ride at the same pace.

He speaks reasonable English, though often we will speak in Español. It is good practise for me.

Late in the day at a check point near Wad Medani, we asked if we could sleep at a gas station, that was ok. It turned out to be too noisy so we rode over the flats to near the Nile here an abandoned house was found and a little piece of concrete to camp on out of the still strong wind.

Riding in I fell off in a small boggy patch.

Once set up .The mud had to be cleaned from my wheel guards. Doing this it was noticed that the cassette was loose.

This was very lucky to have noticed this, without the mud there would be no reason to check this.

When the spoke broke near Halfa I had not tightened the cassette nut enough. The spline was still ok thankfully.

The cassette was removed , cleaned and replaced. This time the small cog was done up alot tighter.

Later two guys came by to see what we were doing, they had seen the lights. They were happy to have us camp there.

Pedro cooked up a great pasta dish and we chatted for awhile before climbing into our tents and sleeping within no time.

1232/2015 Checkpoint nth of Wad Madani to Al fau

D106, T6, Av18.25, Max32, 37217, 2349

Cold morning, strong NNE

Last night we had eaten well. It was another not so warm morning. The semolina is proving a great alternative to porridge, especially with the raisins, milk powder and liquid cane sugar.

We were on the road by 0830 and straight into strong cross winds.

The traffic was not so heavy. We pulled into Wad Medani for fruit and a few other supplies.

From here we crossed the Nile again, it is now a very brown flow.

Outside our camp this morning in the light, it could be seen just how much silt the river carries. There were huge sand banks either side of the river.

The country now has dark soils and much of it has been tilled waiting for the rains.

There are small trees present almost all species have thorns. We stopped at Hufiera for lunch. Pedro hadcan offal dish I chose lentils. He said they eat alot of offal in Spain.

Here we stopped for an hour or more, most places we can find at least one person who can speak and understand some English.

A Bedford truck come bus pulled in loaded with passengers. Many got off to clean their feet and hands before praying on a mat layed out on the sand infront of the cafe.

From here we had 16km to Al Fau. On the way here, people were cutting down small trees by their hundreds on the roadside with axes and stacked metre long piles of firewood as they went. It was a big job as every tree had thorns in the canopy. The people lived in small camps along the way.

We then stopped at an irrigation canal for a look, here were many acres that had been under cultivation.

Al Fau was just down the road. For the first time It really felt like we were in Africa, we both commented on this. The people now are very dark skinned and crowd around us when we stop. The village was set among bare ochre coloured rocky hills, no streets were paved and the round grass roofed African huts were quite common. Here we had a drink and bought potatoes for dinner.

Kids were playing football on the large open area infront of the village.

Down the road a few km was a roadhouse come everything. We had Chai and hired two beds for three pound each.

They put them in a grass shelter at the back of the premises. I fried potatoes and Pedro bought Fuol, salada and meat to share.

There were many people here just sleeping outside on the hire beds.

It had been a big day in the cross winds.

14/2/2015   Al Fau to 65km from Gedaref

D80, T7, Av16.31, Max29, 37297, 2429

Cross winds all day, not too uncomfortable, 30

A comfortable night had been spent in the hut at the roadhouse. The hill behind was the local ablutions area. Heading that way, one had to tread carefully and keep an eye out for other users in the early morning light.

Breakfast was semolina. This stuff is great, it really bulks up when water is added.

We were on the road by 0830.

Pedro likes to start early and rest during the heat of the day. In that respect we are a little different. Often my blog will be updated in the morning. My riding will continue till I get tired or hungry.

I am riding faster than he does, though we are never that far apart.

As soon as we left the accommodation we came across more villages with Cartatis everywhere. They are the typical circular thatched roofed and adode walled huts of Africa. We really felt we were here now.

Pulling into the community of Wada Mada, we soon had quite an audience.

They were incredibly friendly and inquisitive. Everyone likes to shake hands. The men have firm handshakes and will always look you in the eye. I was was bought up do exactly this.

As usual, a big group of girls were just a little further away. Any motions towards them and they would run. It was quite amusing.

The men were in the process of constructing the roof of a Cartati. This was done using cane as the circular base and Eucalypt uprights forming the apex. I helped one fashion a point on the base of one pole.

They then took me into the communial Cartati. What a fantastic little space. The walls were white washed and the floor was fine red gravel. There was a shelf full of glasses for chai.

In hindsight, without thinking I let a boy have a ride on my bike, yeah, he fell off and in doing so stretched my steering dampener spring.

The bearings at the aheadset are also sloppy. This needs to be looked at.

We spent half an hour here.

Riding on, the granite rock hills were explored to see if we could see one of the infamous scorpions here. Many rocks were turned but none seen.

The road, being Saturday was reasonably quiet, except for a few buses and the odd truck.

Some UN vehicles were seen.

To our right further on was a large herd of goats sheep and camels, they were drinking from a muddy waterhole.

There were what appeared to be 3 groups of herders here with their stock.

They were keeping them separated. The sheep here have swollen tails, possible a fat storage for dry times.

Off in the distance across the yellow plains more shepherds were heading in this direction.

As they got closer these groups already here were beginning to move on. This water hole was obviously part of a well worn route.

They were good size flocks, most animals looked well nourished.

The people as usual were very friendly. Young boys on donkeys rode them with skill way beyond their years.

They were in training for this their life on the plains of Sudan. With their animals.

From here we just plodded along. Both of us have slight colds so our mouths are dry most of the time, even after drinking.

Pedro was stopped by a guy wanting water, we gave him a little. Sometime after we arrived at the village of Migreh. Here we had lunch and rested from about 1400 to 1630.

Here was coke in glass, so a few were enjoyed, along with fruit and bread with tomatoes and sardines. We had a good rest here.

All my phone batteries are now flat, so instagramming is out.

It is enjoyable posting these photos, as friends and family are taking a trip through Africa with me.

The only water in the village was very cloudy and light brown, so we filled the bladder and bought a large bottle each.

We rode for about an hour and a half after this and found a camp among thorny trees back from the roads edge.

Pasta and a cous cous dish Pedro made were enjoyed for dinner.

Finding an area free of thorns was difficult, though eventually we did.

15/2/2015 Camp 65km from Gedaref to Gedaref

D69, T6, Av15.58, Max30, 37,366, 2498

Winds not far off head winds all day, hard work, 30

We had not been disturbed all night. I was up and about at 0530. My blog was updated. Arising early also meant there was a chance of being ready when Pedro was.

We had the leftover pasta for breakfast. Pedro as usual was ready before me. Not wanting him waiting we decided he should head off and stop to wait for me in 1 hour.

Sure enough, an hour down the road he was in sight and we rejoined minutes later.

He rides about 15-16km/hr and myself often 3 to 4km/hr faster.

The wind made the riding hard work, it was just forward of our left shoulders.

The countryside now is still very flat with trees along the roadside. There are no significant species just dozens of smallish thorny specimens. Often people were seen in groups cutting them down with axes for firewood.

The paddocks were a light yellow colour from the endless plantings of Alfalfa. Sasame is also widley grown here. We passed a large sesame processing plant.

Again, UN vehicles were seen followed by trucks packed with blue uniformed police. The trucks had high sides which were lined with officers sitting shoulder to shoulder, whist the interior of the tray was packed with more officers.

A lunch of sorts was had at a small group of huts on the roadside. Here Foul was enjoyed and a few drinks.

Many donkey drawn carts were seen loaded with dry alfalfa storks to be used as stock feed.

The day was getting hotter. We soon arrived at a tollgate. Here some women were selling peanuts and sesame bars. A gust of wind blew one of the trays from a womans head. The small bags went everywhere and her money started blowing down the road. An officer and I took chase and got it all we thought.

We pulled in at an area where many hessian bags were stacked. These bags were full of Alfalfa to be trucked to Khartoum and other places. Whilst here a man rode past on a camel with another tethered behind, he was on his way to Wad Medani some 200km up the road.

Women were seen regularly in the fields cutting Alfalfa or carrying firewood on their heads. The garments are always a great colourful contrast against the browns of this country we are riding through.

From here, Gedaref was about 18km. It was great to get into town, we were both worn out.

A cold is afflicting us, nothing serious just a niggly throat cold. Pedro is battling a rash on his back side, so at times he was riding out of the saddle.

In town we headed to the Ahmir Hotel. Though the room was upstairs, it was easy with two of us getting our gear up.

The room was large and airy, overlooking a market. Pedros rash was quite bad so we decided to spend two nights here.

A spring was bought for the dampener on my steering and the zip on my little purse from Bolivia was replaced.

People here are so friendly, offering us chai and helping us find things like alcohol to prime my stove.

A young guy showed us were to get my purse repaired he had studied English at the Gedaref uni. They must do 18 months at a school after this. He is now without a job and has a small stall in the markets.

He told us of the governments killing of many people in Darfur and other atrocities. These stories were told with tears in his eyes.

There are elections coming up in a few months. He said they were supposed to be democratic but said they are not. There is a party here called the democratic party who is the “opposition party”?. There is also a communist party. The government here he said rule with Islamic values. Those not so strict in their beliefs do not have choices.

This story made me realise just how very very lucky we are.

The town of Gedaref is like one huge market, in the early evening the centre is full of smoke as people start cooking over charcoal.

Mangos are three dollars each, so these little treats are out, even bananas are a pound each at some stalls.

Golden syrup is being used to sweeten my semolina and coffee, honey is just too expensive.

We ate well and rested.

I had a haircut, the barber used kitchen scissors and did a great job. My few remaining locks are probably full of split ends!!

All our clothes were washed, as usual the washing water is very brown from all the dust gathered over the days.

On the way here there were large washouts in some paddocks. The soil profiles were deep rich dark loamy soils. A farmer here at the hotel told me rain can be such a problem here when it falls to heavily.

It is easy to see how famine could take hold here.

The terrain is just so dry, the 4 months of rain are a must, without it the heat of the sun just parches everything.

17/2/2015 Gedaref to 60 km from Qallabat

D102, T7, Av16.95, Max57, 37,468, 2600

Close to tailwinds but hot, 37

Last night I slept out on the balcony in the tent in an effort to be free of mosquitos. Pedro chose to sleep in the room.

In an effort to get away early I arose at 0530 and in doing so was actually ready before Pedro.

Leaving town we got fruit and bread.

The town was somewhat elevated with a small downhill run onto the plains. Once at the bottom of the hill we took a right turn instead of a left.

We soon were turning around and off in the right direction.

The riding was easy in the wind blowing just behind our left shoulder.

Traffic was light for the first time in days. We could ride abreast and talk.

We talk in Spanish occasionally with me asking questions when I get stuck for words.

Most traffic is the old Bedfords moving people and goods between villages.

All along the road, people were waving and yelling out greetings. The Sudanese do this with such warmth and a smile is never far away. They truly are wonderful people.

Many woman were seen moving cattle. Some large herdswere seen along the way. Most just resting in shady areas.

The young calves are corralled in pens made of thorny branches.

The most common plant along the way has been the Tombo, a large leafed plant best described as a large shrub, it has oval fruit about the size of mango. These are inedible. It grows along much of the roadside.

Lunch and a stop was made in a village, here the local police depot was in a Cartati.

We left here with a full load of water and around 1800 found a great camp on the edge of a watering hole.

Pasta was enjoyed. I have an upset stomach and have little appetite. Hot chocolate pretty much sufficed for my dinner.

Only a small amount of pasta was eaten.

The site was free of mosquitos. The internet out here was faster than in Gedaref.

The internet throughout Sudan is a victim of overloading. When so it slows down to a frustrating speed.

Even in Khartoum this happened.

It was a balmy dead still evening. Once again, our flys were not used on the tents.

18/2/2015 60 km from Qallabat to 16km into Ethiopia

D76, T5, Av16.05, Max41, 37,544, 2676

Close to tailwinds but hot, 37

The campsite was a fitting location for our last night in Sudan. As usual Pedro got away 20 minutes early while I slowly packed.

As arranged he waited on the roadside an hour later, we joined company 5 minutes later, this system works well for us.

Soon we came to a small village, here was a large charcoal transfer station. The sacks were on their way by truck to Khartoums at $11 a sack.

The wood was derived from trees in this area.

Drinks were had at most villages we passed thorough it was such a hot day. For me it was a few small glass bottles of coke followed by water.

At about 1300 we arrived at Qallabat, a guy came out on to the road and directed to the office to be stamped out of Sudan, here were some 100 people all crouched in aline by a truck.

They were probably Ethiopians trying to get into Sudan. They were being counted by officials, no in any kind of uniform. The countingwas done with a long stick.

It as all very inhumane.

We got this formality done with no problems and headed off to have some lunch. A pesty money changer had followed us to the cafe, here we changed $US55 into Ethiopian Burr at 1 dollar for 20 burr.

Lunch was half a large fried fish and a couple of after dinner chais.

My chain had been giving me problems all day, just slipping off and back onto the adjacent fear cog.

Riding out of the cafe onto the road it broke and peeled off onto the ground. Inpsection revealed it had broken in a place other than the joiner.

We walked to the Ethiopian immigration and did formalities here. They were quite high tech with electronic finger print scanners and modern computers, from here we went to customs. They asked to check all our panniers. When they saw the time it was taking me to remove all my cargo nets and straps they said don’t worry about it.

We were in Ethiopia.