Sudan into Ethiopia

Steaming house

 After too much heat in Sudan we drove Km to Ethiopia in one go. As you get get closer to Ethiopia the scenery becomes slowly tinged with green eventually turning into rich pallete of greens I had forgotten existed.
The border was a fairly painless process here and the Ethiopians very easygoing.
Once over the boarder it the road carried on through the much cooler air before rising steeply winding up to the highlands.

Before long we had climbed to over 6500 feet and the air was damp with mist and later heavy rain. It pours out of the hillsides all over the place and rivers spring up over the roads. The ground here is already saturated from the daily downpours.

Blue Nile Falls

We camped just of the road for the night as it was getting late.  The following day we carried on some 50 odd miles down the very muddy road to Lake Tarna the source of the Blue nile and stopped at Tim & Kims campsite. A lovey  clean and tidy place by the lake with possibly the best toilets I have seen in a long time and since.

Carrying on south to Addis we made slow progress through the mass of people constantly walking the road. Its true what people say that you cant really go anywhere fast here there are always people wandering about. And of course a lot of livestock.
Added to this the roads are not great in places especially the tar ones going up and down in the mountians where the land has slipped creating big drops that are hard to spot. The old landy puffs a bit as at time we are over 10,000 feet.

People

Massive grasshopper thing

Local Canoe

Guy nearly sinking in canoe

Overloaded Donkeys

Tim & Kims

Almost all the work we saw was done by hand or animals

We are now south of Addis heading for the Omo Valley which is supposed to be spectacular. We will be glad to get out of the rain which at first refreshing is now less welcome.
In Addis we stopped for insurance and to fix the alternator which had started to whine. While staying there a lady invited us in for a coffee and showed us how they roast and prepare the coffee for their coffee ceremony. It makes delicious little coffees.
Last night we splashed out a whole £9 on a realy nice hotel it has hot water! something we have not had for a while.

Sudan

Kings Temple

Of course Sunday came and went and we eventually left on Abu Simbel on Tue. A repeat of the process before as we waitied all day again at the Sudanese border for someone to turn up. They had at least graded the road a bit more this time. It was estimated to be completed in only a few more weeks.

During the morning we got to witness a 400 - 500 strong caravan of Camels being traded through the fence, in one of the many places it had collapsed. A few were coerced into pickup trucks and the rest then headed of across the desert for Egyptian tables I presume.

Queens Temple

As 18:00 neared again there were concerns about having to camp in the bleak boarder outpost as nothing had happened all day aside from actually getting fully stamped out of Egypt and handing back our number plates. Presumably this meant we could no longer return even to the car park at Abu Simbel. Mr Mansour our fixer of dubious quality
 started making more runs in his pickup into Sudan and a 10 mins or so before the offical closing time we were hearded over the boarder to the Sudanese out post. And tyhe egyptians left. Promising that someone from Sudan would come for us maybe tomorrow or possibly tonight. We were already expecting it to be tomorrow at best!

Abu Simbel

There were a lot less sudanese soldiers but they were much more friendly and immediately produced a watermelon (possibly there only one out here) and we got a refreshing snack. The Irish boys produced some hurley sticks and had a knock about with the soldiers who proved pretty handy with the sticks.

To our suprise an old landcruiser apeared just after sundown and it turned out we would got to Wadi Halfa today after all. They loaded up the landcruiser to maximum capacity with the Camel traders saddles and gear and a few of the traders got places in our cars and then we headed of initially down the tarmac road and then across the desert to a crossing place on the Nile.

Slowly filling with more & more sand

The barge crew were woken up I think and then we were all squeezed on and ferried across in the darkness for another offroad blast before arriving in Wadi Halfa.

Camp north of Abu Hamed

Another day spent aquiring paperwork at a much higer cost than was expected. Mainly casued by the Egyptians not sorting out enough notice apparently. By mid afternoon we were all set to leave the small nothingness of assembled mud buildings and a few slightly larger structures that just about pass for a town, when it transpired that the final police registration couldnt be done as the guy had knocked off for the afternoon as it was the first day of Ramadan.

 We broke the fast (well I think we broke it at lunch time) with our helper who treated us to a good spread at his house. Our first introduction to Sudanese food and a Ramadan breakfast. Later the offending policeman was found and we were registered. By now it was nearly 10:00 I think and a few of us who wanted to cross the Nubian dessert set of to get a few miles out of town and camp up. We were desperate to move somewhere after so much sitting around.

Possibly the hottest way to cross the desert

Following the railway out of town we ran a police check point by accident. The guy must have been sleeping and only came out to blow his whistle at the last car as it past and didnt stop either.
With that in mind and some warings about not camping to close to the gold miners prospecting in various places we headed a bit further out before stopping for the night.

Up with the sun before it got to hot and then of across the desert 180 odd miles to Abu Hamad.

Landrover Train

There is a railway running the whole way which was laid by the british in 18...something. Apparently during the summer and averaging 2km a day although as many as 5 on somedays.

It is dotted with small stations along the way which provided water for the trains. They act as a good indicator of your progress and you can veer off into th sand and rock with the confidence that as long as you head back roughly that way you will pick up the railway line. Of course we have a gps as well enabling us to cut a few of the corners where the track went around the terrain.

One of the Stations

Riding the rails across Nubian Desert

Marc in a truck waiting for a new engine.

A local said it could be crossed in 5 hours, it took us the day but then we did stop a lot more and I suspect they have better sand driving skills. Although reports had said it could be very soft in places but none of our group got seriously stuck.

Arriving in Abu Hamad the Scottish guys had spilt that much fuel it was leaking through the floor and looked a bit like a fuel leak under the car. Whilst having a quick look I also pointed out their rear shock had broken and a trip around town ensued to see if a suitable spare could be located. The light was going and everyone was shutting up for their ramadan breafasts so the search had to be ended and cautious driving advised.

The following day we continued our desert

Im in there somewhere giving the locals a push

adventure another 120 miles to Karima again vaguely following the path of the railway. This time the track was a little harder and the sand a little softer. Somewhere we past the Scots who had headed out before us to take it a bit easier on their suspension. Apparently digging themselves out of the sand, seeing us coming they had hopes of a swifter recovery but despite keeping an eye out for them we cruised past in the distance. Sorry guys, although it was rather hot to be doing any digging.

Helping pull a Toyota through the sand

Further on we did help push the only other vehicle to be seen out of the sand. It was deep sand and heavily loaded plus a cargo of people on top. How they make it across is impressive, im not even sure it was 4 wheel drive.

Further on we decided to take a detour via the dam. It was the toughest yet and required us to stay on the rails to get through some of the rocky terrain. Unfortunately som of the ballast had gone in places and made it a bit hairy in places. And after all of that not long before the dam the way was blocked with rocks and soldiers with AK's turned us around.
Determined not to have to backtrack down the rails we spent some time negotiaing the rocky terrain before picking up a rough track heading for Karima and hopefully now far enough away from cutting through what I suspected may have been a military area of some sort.

 

 

Karima Pyramids

Then digging the Landy out, doh!

We pulled into Karima and had a well deserved in this heat bottle of ice cold pepsi. A beer would have been nice but hey its Sudan.


The only time we have got seriously stuck was pulling of a tar road south of Karima to a nice little camp spot less than a mile from the road. We drove up fine but then Marc following us got stuck in the soft sand with his now road pressures. We turned around and help pull him through only to then get ourselfs stuck. After much digging and grinding slowly through it we got out the sand tracks and were out in an instant. Well at least they have been used once.

We have travelled on now on good tar roads to Khartoum and been overwhelmed by the Sudanese hospitality. Apart from inviting us for more meals, through a very vauge connection of Marcs we have been lent a house to stay in for the next month if we wish and were not allowed to pay for our own shopping at the markets.

We have spent 3 days here now and have visas for Ethiopia and Kenya. Tomorrow we will head on for Ethiopia and hopefully some cooler weather and even rain, I never thought I would be glad to see rain. Its so hot here, 50 degrees in the car today.

The Travel Hole

The sign at aswans port

An 03:00 start on thurs had us head into town to form up a convoy. Aswan now has a lot more military presence since the revolution/coup. Although it feels safe enough there.
After some waiting about for all 4x4's we headed out of town with out egyptian customs guy into the desert for the sudan border. The cool moring air made it a plesant drive and the check points posed no real hold ups as we headed into the military controled road past Abel Simbul.
Reaching the boarder by 10:00 we had high hopes of swifty passing the boarder into Sudan and on.

Forming up for the convoy - 1 English, 1 Scots, 1 Irish & 2 Dutch

As the hours ticked away it soon became clear theis wasnt going to be the case. The was border due to close at 18:00 and not reopen until Sat being the weekend. I say close but in reality the two old gates breaking the delapadated wire fence were firmly entrenched in the mud and showed no sign of having been closed in a long time. The small army posts on either side look like a bleak place to spend their month long duty with only 8 days home before they are out here again. Its a long way from any where and nothing but rock and sand surround the 6 or so guys there.
By mid afternoon I decided to enter Sudan on foot at least, it was very simlilar to the egyptian side. The soliders from either side went back and forth freely as they came to see probanbly the only mild intrest in their day. And did at least keep give us a few cups of tea after they had relaxed and put most of the guns away from their intial stance of trying to look busy and authoritve when we first rolled in.

They did also promis some food and said we could camp there if we were delayed there long enough. Which i though was prety good of them.

The passeger ferry

Eventually as the clock approached 18:00 it became clear we werent going to see the Sudanese officals we were waitng for to get over the border. The egyptian officials had come down with us from aswan to stamp us out but we wouldnt be allowed over the fence until Sudanese officals were present to recive us. After a few people had vented their frustrations, we were informed we could stay at Abu Simbel or at the border but must go as a group as our paper work for the military road onlt allowed all of the group to travel or something similar. Faced with the prosepect of 3 days + in a desolate desert out post we headed for Abu Simbel some 90/100 miles back.

Camping up in the car park to the famous monument at least give us lovely views across the lake for the next few days.  Where we could watch the ferry we arnt on go south to Wadi Halfa and a the big barge we think head north. At least we havent seen a barge go south yet or we would be kicking ourselfs!

The Barge (big we think)

Exploring the town for supplies has proved fruitful tracking down transmission oil and meeting a nice guy who got us a local price on our shopping needs and sold us lovely fresh pressed mango juice for only £15 EGP for 1.5ltrs thats £1.50 uk. Its so delicious we will be back for more.
Most of the convoy took the chance to fuel up at uk £0.11 a litre and were almost shocked at being able to use a fuel station withouth having to queue, fight for a place or a black market transaction from dubious barrels. There are some benifits from being all the way down here. And of course some beer was tracked down!
The othe big bonus is we get to see the temples at Abu Simbel  that we would have otherwise missed. We are now waitng for a call to confim the new departue date when the Sudanease officails have been arranged for definate (we hope) this should be Sunday but who knows. We are just sweating it out in the heat waitng and doing what jobs we can find the energy for. Have givin our spare water pump to the Irish boys as this is hopefully whats causing their overheating problems, aside from running about in 4th at high speeds. They have removed their bonnet for extra cooling! I like the way no one bats an eyelid at them driving about with no bonnet and pusing it back everywhere. (they have lost reverse)

So sunday, inshallah.

Welcome to Alaska

Its something the locals seem to love saying. I presume the joke is based on the massive temperature diffence. Its a around +40 here  but was pushing 45+ in the desert.
Anyway tue has come and gone and we still wait to get moving for sudan. Its seems almost positve it will be by the road now but not before thurs. For us its coming up on a week here, for the Irish its getting nearer 2!
Still we have had time to sample what Aswan has to offer and filled up with black market fuel in anticipation. Also tinkered with the land rover doing small jobs. In this heat its hard to work for long though.
The last few days we have been glad of our out of town location as there have been demonstrations every eve. They all seem good natured enough, but I think its wise to stay away just in case.
Hoefully tomorrow will bring news of our etd.