Lips

Shredded lips anyone?

I won't be kissing anyone with these things. The desert took them apart. It hurts to smile.

Through the Nubian desert

We spent three days crossing the Nubian desert to get to Khartoum. The truck would get stuck in sand and we would all have to get out, dig out the tyres and lay down the sand mats to get the truck out. The words "sand mats" conjures up images of nice flax mats you put down for the tyres. No. These each weigh about twenty kilograms and are made of steel. After six hours of sand matting, moving only a kilometre in the desert, I can assure you they start to feel very heavy.

At one point we even had to chisel out a channel in some rock to allow the diff to get through. It was quite an impressive feat.

Interesting facts I found out while in the middle of the desert with the truck hopelessly jammed in sand:
1. Neither our tour helper nor our driver/mechanic had been to Sudan before.
2. Oasis Overland has never been through the Nubian desert before
3. We don't carry a Satellite phone, so if we get stuck, it is up to us.

Strangely this was quite liberating. It felt a little adventerous which I miss being on a group tour thing. There is no one responsible but yourself and it is up to you. A good feeling.

Welcome to Wadi Halfa

Finally we get to Sudan. This place is awesome. No more tar sealed roads, just sand. Welcome to the desert life again. We made it through the Western desert (too easy, had sealed roads). Now for the Nubian desert (proper style with nothing but sand).

Sudan is said to be the least visited country in all of Africa. The ferry only goes once a week and the sum total of tourists were:
1. Our oasis truck
2. Five Swedes doing an awesome trip from Sweden to Kenya in two specially modified land rovers.
3. Two Germans in a specially modified land rover.
4. A lone traveller guy with a beard and a family back in Europe. Hard core travelling on his own using the public transport. Respect!

That is it. No more tourists from the Egyptian side for a week. We are pretty much it. This place is awesome.

Lake Nasser Ferry

Woohaa! This is the Africa I was expecting. We took the lake Nasser ferry from Aswan, Egypt to Wadi Halfa, Sudan. Trucks turned up with goods piled three times their height, people threw bags through port holes. and the ferry was oversubscribed with people twice as many as the designed limit (the Captain told us this with no hint of shame or irony).

We all had to sleep on deck, well, the lucky ones at least. You couldn't move for bodies. Sixteen hours of pure entertainment.

Four guys tried to steal our bags on the sly but got scared away when they realised that Gavin and I were still awake at four in the morning and silently watching them in the dark.





The facilities:

This ferry signalled in a new low in hygiene. I've been through all sorts of shit holes around the world; I've shared a room with a rat that ate half my soap (bastard), shat in squats while little kids watched through the bamboo, had cockcroaches crawl over my face, but this ferry broke the shit mould.

People went to the toilets and came back waving their arms saying, "don't, whatever you do, don't go there. You need shoes, not flip-flops!". Heh. Harden up. So, off I went. Ha. Shit everywhere. Water/piss/dirt/sand/crap floating two inches high in the room. It slopped over my flip-flops and washed around my feet. A whole new low.

This is what I was expecting, so can't complain there. In a saying with no pun intended, "I live for this shit".

First casualty of travelling

The first casualty of travelling is always the innocent. These flip-flops took one for the team. RIP little buddies.

My Nicci

Not very manly to say it but... I ache for Nicci. Wish she was here with me. Roll on Cape Town.

Mistranslations

Check out the sign above trying to tell you not to put toilet paper in the toilet.

The other two notable mistranslations that we've seen so far are:
1. "Shredded Dolphin" (on a tin of tuna... we think)
2. "Chicken with herpes" (on a restaurant menu... we didn't eat there)

I bet I sound like that when I speak spanish.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Well, I've succumbed. After all the "socks and sandals" discoveries I've made during this trip, I have been treated with kindness by some of the wee beasties themselves.

I have been given the kind gift of some toe socks by the lovely couple "Steve and Mary" on the truck who have been kind enough to display the many and varied "sock and sandals" combos you have seen in this blog. Thanks guys!

Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em I say. And yes, I have worn them with pride for the last few days.

Aswan

I'm in Aswan and have been laid out in bed for 36 hours sick. That's how it goes. I have a few more of these coming as we go through into darker Africa.

Everyone on the truck carries special intestinal drugs called Antinal. I had the pleasure of taking one of these this morning. It is kind of like putting a small bomb in your belly that kills everything.

I guess swimming in the Nile wasn't such a good idea after all. heh.

feluccas

We hired a couple of feluccas and cruised down the Nile for a couple of days. Was supremely relaxing.

When "socks and sandals" go bad

Oh my God. What dark humour nature has. This strange beast appeared at our camp one night. I shudder at the sight of it. The humanity!

In Luxor

Call to prayer is now on. I love hearing it come through the room windows, even in the early morning. Sometimes it feels relaxing like a felucca floating along the Nile; sometimes it feels like sand scraping in between your toes. Wonder if any prayer callers become famous/infamous?

Marky

The Egyptian Police

The Egyptian police have started following our truck a lot and escorting us to places. With our own armed police escorts we feel a bit like royalty. Some people on the truck don't like it, but the police are only being protective and want us to get everywhere safely. They are quite helpful too, when they can get us to understand what they are saying in Arabic.

We had our own personal guard doing some food shopping a couple of days ago. A little over the top I think, but quite funny. We were in a group of five and kept splitting up. He would radio his mates and some of them would try to find us. An undercover guy then tried to get us to go back in a group. It was quite amusing.

Egypt seems super safe. With tourist treatment like this, it certainly should be!

Mutation

I thought that once we had headed into the desert that we would no longer spot the "socks and sandals". Not so it seems. One has stowed away on our truck and revealed itself in its full glory during an early morning start. This was while I was having my approximation of a coffee. I nearly spat it all over some unsuspecting traveller types.

The interesting thing about this particular mutation of a "socks and sandals", is that it is a very overt species. A new discovery I think. Darwin, you have done us proud here. How strange nature is!

As I approached with the camera, the animal didn't even flinch. It flaunted its mosquito repelling plumage and cavorted around as if this were appropriate. Luckily nature films don't have censorship.

So, I present to you the new mutation of the "socks and sandals", the "Full-Iindividual-toe sock and flip-flop" - shocking!

Deserts - we got 'em all

Been driving through a lot of desert. Come to the occaisonal oasis where we get lunch and try to find some beer. Been through lots of different types of desert - we have a black desert, a white desert and a duney type desert. I never knew there were so many ways to prepare sand and rocks for different effect. Well done to these Egyptians I say.

Nice in the truck listening to music, reading and relaxing. I've started to walk really slowly again. It's happening; something I like to call the true relax. After two months it will be complete. You can't get slowness of thought like this in just a two week holiday. I shall align my aura to the god of arse-all and my zen shall wibble in a fruitful way. (Apologies for this comment to anybody who believes in nonsense. Eat some garlic; you will feel better)

Marky