Sudan II: Dongola-Karthoum

From Dongola the road takes us south. At the beginning we follow the Nile. After some 150 km, the road turns into the desert, cutting short to Khartoum. From this point on, there is only desert, wind, road and sun. Luckily, there are some simple cafeterias every 50-60 km where we can fill up water. Matt from tomandmattcycle.com cycles with us.  

On the way down we experience the most friendly and hospital people we have met so far. Sudanese people are very welcoming and generous: ask for water and you will be fed with a meal specially made for you! It's hard to refuse!

   

Invitation to tea with a Sudanese family....

everyone wants to be on a picture.

Observing Chantal, loading her bike.

Ah, yes the flies are still here. 

getting water from the mighty Nile.

tea at the baker's house; baking seems to be a good business: he has a very big and beautiful house.

Where is the market?

Butchers stall at the market...

...with assistant!

Not yet in the soup....

There are is food for vegetarians, although only if you leave out the flys.

Some like it hot...

Recycling...

Our hosts for two nights. the palm garden gave us welcome shade. 

A stunning mosque and a not so stunning sand road. Luckily only until we were back on the main road again. 

strange kawatschis....

What does this number stand for?

Desert: Sand, heat, wind and sand.....

Beautiful landscapes and from time to time even trees. 

A school for boys. We where invited to sleep here. And a real school has of course its own mosque and two Koran teachers for some 40 kids... but only one English-Geography-History-Mathematics teacher. 

school compound with one of the teachers. 

....the kitchen...

In the afternoon, when the peak of the heat is subsidizing, the kids are playing soccer. Here the team was completed by Yann and Matt. 

Campsite: it was so hot we decided to sleep under the stars 

Watertanks along the road, they belong to tiny villages. 

During the heat of midday we tried to find places where we could wait in the shadow . Usually we only started cycling again after 5 pm. On this desert stretch the wind and the sun did its best to eat up all our courage and reserves. The temperatures are searingly hot and the wind feels sometimes like a hairdryer on maximum speed and heat. 

In one of the cafeterias. These men are waiting for a transport to Libya. It will take them 5 days through the desert to reach their destination. They go for work and business to Lybia. These men are all from different places, some are from Darfur others from Ethiopia and some even from Pakistan. 

Goatskin water bottles, keeps the water very cool and fresh.

The first real cyclist we meet on the road. 

6666 km!!!!

Finally we reach Karthoum, it was a hard stretch and we are looking forward to a nice shower and some good food. 

Two kids trying to get a glimpse on the TV behind the fence.

The tea ladies are greeting us with a warm smile. Marhaba , welcome in Karthoum!

Sudan: Wadi Halfa to Dongola along the Nile and through the desert

Wadi-Halfa: not so glorious port into one of the biggest countries in Africa. 

Although it has grown since the last time we have been here, it is still very small and provincial. There are some shops for food, some for mobile phone cards and not to forget many stalls to have a cup of tea and the fabulous Zalabiya! As there is not so much to do, most people use the tea stall to lay back and watch the world go by. 

Of cours there is the bureaucracy! All foreigners have to register, luckily you can get through within one morning. 

We fill up, get ready and hit the road to Dongola.

Where is he going in the middle of the desert with his boat?

Almost a bit scary, maybe we should give her some of our chicken....

Having tea, shisha and relax...

Yes, there is a lot of dust in this town.

Apparently the best hotel in town. It was fully booked by the time we arrived, but they gave us a place to sleep on the floor. Luckily we are self-sufficient. 

The DOMAIN of this tea-lady.

Fuul, bean-stew, of course Yann couldn't resist the temptation.

not so many kilometers anymore...

Along the road we found hundreds of miner-camps. Everyone is looking for gold and the hope of a new, better, richer future.

No breaks, but come and have tea with us, it's only 5 km from here...

Want to keep the flies away? give them something to eat and drink!

Paper- recycling?

Colorful lady in Sudan.

Beautiful campsite along the Nile.

Working on the water-channels to irrigate the fields.

Enjoying the shisha after a hard day of work.

Some have dragons as pest, here it is worse: there are these very small, bloodsucking flies, and we are sure there must be trillions of them.  (How to train your dragon)

Having a very relaxing lunch- break: it is over 30°,  we're eating sandwiches and the flies are feeding on us. 

So many different people live in the Nubian area of Sudan.

Ancient mosque.

We find the landscape and the culture attractive and the people here find us equally attractive. 

Luckily, we have a lot of tailwind.

Some even find gold....

Lonely, lovely campsites.

Different means of transport.

Maybe not hospital standard, but still...

Street-view pictures of Dongola.

where did the electrician got his training??

beautiful sign