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| The only way to get into Sudan from Egypt at the moment is by Ferry and the use of a barge for the car. Now we are not talking a nice modern, multi-deck, nicely decorated and spacious boat. The ferry in use looks old and battered, stinks of overcrowding and strange food concoctions being cooked and they make use of dust rather than carpet to cushion your feet. We were lucky enough to book a private, non locking cabin that believe it or not was also air conditioned. This meant we could escape from the hoards of people sprawled throughout the boat and on the open deck. |
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| All that said we were in a group of fifteen white folk, which meant that the 18 hour journey was full of variety and laughter, making it really enjoyable. Of course the journey time does not include the 5 hours prior to sailing to put Gweneveer on the separate barge and then sit back in awe at the quantity of cargo and people that began to be crammed into every space. The highlights of the crossing was the evening prayer up on deck, something that you don’t normally get to see, and the moment Katie took to the intercom to rally all the foreigners for paperwork duties. |
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| Reaching land again was a nice relief but this meant the introduction to Sudanese life and their interpretation of a hotel. The place most people seem to stay, the Defintoad, is not what anybody would choose, but overlanders have no choice as they wait for their vehicles to arrive the following day. The rooms were basic to say the least only filled with thin rope mattress beds and a ceiling fan, though this stopped at midnight as the town lost power! The cleaning facilities were shared and consisted of a pig trough and a plastic jug to pour over you (also known as the shower!), which was outside with no where to conceal yourself from the world, unless you chose to use the incredibly smelly toilets. You soon realise the cabin on the ferry was lovely by comparison and wish you were still sailing. |
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| However the town of Wadi-Halfa is a fascinating place to just sit and observe a different culture, the town centre was scattered with different cafes, all with outside TV’s. During the evening dozens of locals simply select the café based on what is being shown, from a film, sport or the news. But you do get an instant realisation that Sudan is not the cheap country that you think it will be and that the people give you an honest price. To the point that almost all people we travelled with had got annoyed when finding out the cost of water or Pepsi and still in Egyptian mentality stormed out when he wouldn’t barter, only to return later and happily pay the initial price. Fruit and veg in the country are a lot more than Egypt, but it is not surprising when you look at the sticker on an apple and realise it is from New Zealand. |
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| It was a wonderful sensation to see Gweneveer as Steve drove it off the barge and back into our presence, it meant our journey into the real Africa could begin. After the nervous customs inspection (all alcohol is illegal, and we had some stashed in knickers!) we felt a rush of excitement to be heading south again. |
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| We had planned to be in convoy for five day journey to Khartoum, something that later would pay dividends. The group was an eclectic mix of Swiss, Dutch, French and English all in different modes of transport and now included Sam, a cyclist from UK riding to Kenya for charity who managed to match our leisurely distance for the first two nights (encouraged by a free feed each night). We are so lucky to be with such a great bunch of travellers, all adding a little something different, with us tending to be navigators. Our adventure so far has been amazing but with the added benefits of new friends and an adopted little French sister it has enhanced our experience beyond compare. |
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| After everything we were told and worried about Sudan, both with the roads and the place, it was wonderful to find out that it is all completely inaccurate and miss informed. The roads are 80% good and the people that you run into along the way are fantastically friendly, Katie normally becoming an instant hit with both kids and old ladies who simply want to show off their home to her or smile for the camera. Most of the initial days were spent driving, with the occasional side track to try and find food. |
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| However a day’s drive is worthwhile when you end up finding a remote spot, all with a Nile river view. All the spots were different; near a village, by a farmer’s field, 10km across sand and dunes and finishing simply in the open desert. Of course in most cases there would always be some locals appear to sit and watch from their Donkeys. We have come to having bush showers that involve standing naked behind the landy, with the stars glistening above, pouring one litre of cool water over you and allowing the body a glimpse feeling of coolness. |
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| We always try to buy fruit and vegetables from markets or on the side of the road. However villages tend to only have little stores, giving no clue to what is inside so they are always fun to investigate, especially as they are smaller than most kitchens but filled from floor to ceiling with the strangest collections of food. As long as you are not too fussy you will always manage to find something to eat. Our fall back options are always Pesto Pasta or our new discovery of Onion Soup (Thanks to Sandy our posh Dutch traveller). |
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| Leaving camp on our fifth day from our remote spot by the Nile we ventured back across the sand and dunes in search of the tarmac. Unfortunately we encountered some difficulty once we got back to the road. When removing the Diff Lock and making it suitable for tarmac we lost all forward momentum and the car just revved lots. With all the men out of the cars and scratching heads we realised there was a problem with the front axle. |
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| Then our biggest mistake, instead of removing the front propshaft there and then and making Gweneveer two wheel drive, we decided to do it in the next town. 6km further saw us both getting rapid heart beats as the rear wheels locked, pitching the rear towards the centre of the road and the front aiming for the large drop of the road. A little good fortune managed to keep us sliding straight and we came to a stop safely, but with a lot of panic and worry. |
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| What came next was the wonderful support and help of those around us who demanded that they take it in turns to tow us to Khartoum and the 400km that was involved. After some minutes of Steve tinkering underneath we were ready to be towed. Our first test came just a few kilometres further when we had to board the barge to take us over the Nile. The complication of such a task was that you reverse on and drive off! To add to the problem there was a slope down and then another slope up to get the vehicle on. We failed on our first attempt and what resulted was a tribute to the friendliness of the Sudanese, around a dozen men all joined the European force to push our little steed onto the ferry. |
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| After initial problems with breaking the tow bar leaving the ferry and some roadside repairs to fix it, we proceeded into town in order to pickup supplies. The following 36 hours was by far the toughest driving and emotional of the trip so far. Not knowing how much it would cost and setting ourselves up for the worst case. It was also exaggerated by the worry about making a mistake being towed and ruining somebody else’s trip. The day was so tough that we decided to treat ourselves to a two litre shower rather than the normal one. Thanks go to everybody as we arrived in Khartoum in one piece, but unfortunately with many photos of us behind each vehicle! |
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| We eventually found a garage in the old industrial area of Khartoum, a vast sprawling mess of garage after parts dealer after garage, and got the Land Rover collected. Now it is typical that the first country we have problems, it is the only one where Land Rover Dealerships are banned (a Darfur and American thing). Instead we had to use a more local style garage, where no pit or modern tools exist and the term specialist has never been uttered. Thankfully another hero, Emad helped with all the translations and even bartering on costs for me. |
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| It was amazing to see how clean Land Rover parts can be, after one guy spent hours with his bare hands in diesel cleaning them all. It isn’t somewhere that you would normally choose to tinker with your pride and joy but after an overnight and a full day’s work Steve got to drive it away, much to the delight and excitement of Katie who had remained at the Blue Nile Sailing Club (campsite) all day not knowing the progress. |
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| In order to check everything was ok we headed off for the Royal Pyramids of Meroe, a round trip of over 500km simply to see Sudan’s main, if not only real tourist site. With the heat soaring over 50 degrees and the sand burning our feet we only managed a slow plod around the site amongst around twenty small pyramids. The evening was then spent sat in what felt like a powerful hair dyer on full blast. However nothing was going to dampen our mood of happiness that the travelling team were back together. |
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| Sudan has been a testing time due to the extreme daily temperatures, they hang around 45 degrees and don’t drop below 32 at night and we have all felt slightly battered by the harsh conditions especially Gweneveer. Not only did our front diff break but our awning pole bent due to the wind, a store box clip broke and a plastic bowl has been smashed (we only had two). |
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| Then on our last night in Sudan Geraldine, the French Mum, was stung by a scorpion as she stepped out of their truck, meaning a quick pack up of camp in the dark and a swift drive towards a local hospital. Thankfully she was fine just in a lot of pain and they let us camp in the hospital grounds. Unfortunately this ordeal was also painful for Gweneveer as in the frantic rush to pack up Katie ripped off the combination lock from the back door and then when we left the hospital the metal gate banged back into the back of the Landy, chipping the sticker and paint work!!! |
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| Even with our breakdown we have enjoyed the experience and the northern part of the country does not deserve the reputation of being a dangerous place. Even in the capital a guy took over twenty five minutes simply to find an open internet café for us, without questioning or asking for a reward. The limited section and people we have met have been amazing and we just wish that this country could resolve its difficulties. Although the people are fantastic the country is a little empty, we just wish that a new country could be formed with the sites of Egypt and the people of Sudan. |
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| Photos will be along as soon as we get quicker internet in Ethiopia, that is if they have electricity! |