Sudan Jan 21

Sudan is HOT!! Um yeah that pretty much sums up these last few days in this extremely harsh, yet beautiful country. The ferry crossing although chaotic was not near as bad as what has been made out in previous blogs. We were told that the ferry was really quiet but in my opinion you just need to have patience as slowly but surely every single inch of space is taken up by luggage and people. Amidst all this chaos I lost my spoon and knife, and somehow my camera lens was broken along the joint connecting to the body so that the lens only stays connected on one side. I think I will attempt to tape it somehow but that was really quite frustrating as now I can only eat with a fork and pictures are just not happening. These last 3 rides were all very long, the first two being 145km+ and the third being 113km. On the pavement we estimate it is sitting at a steady temp of about 40 – 45*C. I am drinking over 7L daily with salt replenishing packages and am still left dehydrated. Coke stops have really become necessary after lunch in order to get something cold in the system and to allow your body to actually refresh. Many of us have found that without this break you actually cannot drink enough water to replenish your sweat. The landscape of Sudan is likely to rival that of Mordor as all that can be seen is rocky, sandy hills that are literally blackened- seemingly by the sun. It is a wonder that anyone lives anywhere far from the Nile, but somehow they do. The Nile really is the river of life in these countries. As you slowly climb up the last hills before camp you are met with a winding path of greenery and palm trees that encircle the Nile for a couple hundred meters. Two nights in a row we have arrived at camp settled, gotten changed and swam for a long time just cooling off. (only a few people from camp have been attacked by crocs so it’s all safe)
The people of Sudan are a welcome change from those of Egypt. Where the Egyptians will not take ‘no’ for an answer and are constantly in your face, those of Sudan are very withdrawn, yet with any sign of a wave are happily smiling ear to ear, calling greetings, and when we are stopped, trying to exchange facebook accounts. (they all seem to have Gmail accounts and facebook accounts). I’m not sure when I will be able to post again as things are getting much more remote day by day, but I am still here, trying to keep a smile on my face and just pedaling one day at a time ☺