24 January 2011 - Travel day with ferry on Lake Nasser
We had a very short bike ride from our camp in Aswen (not great camp) to the docks from where the weekly ferry leaves for its 16 hour cruise inot Sudan. The ride was pleasant as we rode over the Aswan damn wall (great sight but not allowed to take pictures) and actually a stroll in the park compared to what we have been doing. Some riders rode in their normal clothes, but I decided to go with the cycling clothes and then I would just get dressed on the boat. Not take any chances with my bottom and no cycling shorts. We were warned before hand that the ferry loading would be a VERY long process and the fact that I know how Africa works, also made me mentally prepared - nothing happens quickly in Africa! To say the loading of people and cargo on the ferry was chaotic would be an under statement! But somehow they managed it (organized chaos)! There were lots of locals on the ferry with their goods that they would be selling (from food mixers to tv stands) and then some other travelers as well. The riders were allocated "1st class" cabins
that slept 2, but 4 had to use it. I shared with Sarge, Daniel and Sam and luckily all of us were pretty neat and packed all of our luggage in a nice area in the cabin. We loaded all of the bikes on the top deck and then it was basically a free for all on the top with riders and locals fighting for a good space (no seats and people have to make space for sleeping room on the deck). The people were building little first at the deck to hide them from the sun and later in the evening the cold (half of the riders had to sleep on the deck and alos stay there for the whole 16 hours!). We arrived at 10 am in the morning and we left the docks at 17:00 (Africa is slow, yes!). At night we had a beautiful view of the starts as the sky was so clear and pollution free. There was also almost no place to walk on the deck as every bit of space was taken. Luckily for me Daniel decided to sleep at the deck and Sam and Sage shared a bed, so I had a full bed to myself for the while night and actual got in a good sleep! We also a sea view cabin, which helped a lot! And surprisingly the food on the ferry was actually quite good. The toilet facilities left a lot to be desired though and I was just praying that I would not get a number 2 on this trip!
25 January 2011 - Travel day with ferry on Lake Nasser and arrival to Wadi Hafa (Sudan)
It was pretty chilly outside the next morning out on the lake. I had a great sleep, but eveyrone was quite keen to get off and get back on the land (not so sure about the bike though :) ). We arrived in port at 11:00 and we reached our camp in Wadi Hafi (which is 3km from the port) by 16:00 the afternoon. Like I said, nothing happens quick in Africa. But most of the riders were execting it, and also what I have lernt in Africa, do not fight these type o things. You will loose! Just chill out and be patient (although it is sometimes very difficult). What also added to the wait was that our group had till wait till last to get off - although I prefered this, because with all our gear and bikes with the size, the loadign was pain full and a mess. We also had to fill out more forms (which ask the same info over and over again). We finally entered Sudan and i was very glad and relieved that we had made it, especially with the recent events there. The trip would not have been the same if we could not pass here. We rode with our bikes to the camp site and you should have seen the locals faces with this big group of 60 riders riding through there villiage! Our new TDA trucks were also waiting for us, and they look a lot more official compared to our old trucks! Logos, more space, music etc. There were also some extra crew members that joined us, including 2 SA boytjies that are as Afrikaans as you can get. The locals appear to be very friendly (read about it plus all of the people we cycled past was waving, inluding the woman - this did not occur in Egypt). It just felt differently already. I am not sure what to expect from Sudan, but saying that, that is the theme of the trip "Expect the unexpected....". There was also a nice reminder from home as we got our ration of Energy Bars al the way from SA (before in Egypt we were using this crap stuff that is not really an energy bar), whichI love! I just need to make sure I do not eat all mine before our next batch (allowed 2 a day). Roll on Sudan......
26 January 2011 - Wadi Hafa to desert camp- 150 km
Dad's bday today so I sent him a sms to congrtulate him (phoning is VERYexpensive). Very good riding day with excellent tail wind and nice downhill or even strecth. My only problem was that my right knee was giving me problems now! It really starts playing on your mind if these probems happen to you, because your knees on a trip like this are precious! Not sure what it was, but my thinking was that I was either peddlaing in to high gears or not focussing on my pedal stroke (it should be in cicular motions). My knee was not swollen afterward, which i was relieved about, otherwise that might indicate some more serious problems. with the bike fitting and everything, which i know is right now, this is just more my knee/s having to get used to cycling for these distances in the day. Scenery was really good, lots of sand dunes and small tine remote villages. It felt a lot more like cycling in the desert than in Egypt. Also the roads are in excellent condition, as I know the Chinese have been here and doing some major road works in exchange for natural resources. The people are also so friedly here! I also suppose visitors here are a bit scarce in this side of the world. This was the second furthest cycling stage to date, but I got into camp at 1:30, which left me plenty of time to relax and also take a swim adn bactjh in the Nile. Also had my first hair wash in a week! At night when i was brushing my teeth, I saw the most amazing view of the sky and starts. It was so clear, a amazing site with starts just everywhere! Milky way etc..... so nice and I just gazed for a while to appreciate it and remembered again this is why I did this trip, to see things like this! And then you could see on the ground everyone's tents and the lights on in it as people were getting ready to go to sleep. Great sight! Also thinking that at some stage I would need to sleep outside under these stars!
27 January 2011 - desert camp to desert camp- 148 km
Great morning view with lots of stars and the moon (although not as much as the nigth before), as we woke up at 6, which is still dark outside then. Little afraid of today with the knee problem I was getting the day before.2 days in the desert for 150km is not a laugh, doign it with a sore knee not fun! But my knee held up well and I was actually surprised about how good I felt after lunch! Had a great tail wind in the morning, but after lunch, just around a corner, it all changed. Head wind and uphill. I just felt really good with this stretch and I was also taking over the Dj duties (using Sarges's speakers with an Ipod, so I played all of my more favorite songs, including some ACDC on the tough sections). You can also see the people are getting more and more bike fit, as they are getting to lunch stop quicker and also the camp site (probably more for the non-racers than the racers). Great scenery, the best one that I have seen thus far! We had this great Coke stop after lunch and then just endless sand everywhere (very flat, reminded me of Unyuni in Bolivia). I had a nice swim in the Nile again topped with a lovely hair wash (again). I was hoping that the knees would just hold up. The group also made its first bon fire, which I felt was sorely missing at this stage, as we were in Africa! I just love looking into the3 flames and just staring, glazing, thinking......So memorizing..... Some of the people including Wildcat Peter La Mond was up until "late" singing camp fire songs... I was thinking that I will start writing up some of the riders in our group on this blog as well. And then had a another wonderful night just gazing at the stars..........wow...........
28 January 2011 - desert camp to Dongola - 107km
It is very easy to get up in the morning for a ride if you know a rest day lies ahead. No motivation needed! Just the fact that you can chill for the following day and sleep late, wash etc is enough reason. We had a very nice and easy ride into Dongola, which is a very small little town on the Nile. I was just getting annoyed with some of the extra people that was riding in our group, which was annoying the living crap out of me. They just sit at the back of teh group and never ride in front. And then a the end of the day do not even have the decency to say than you after wards. Or new riders that ride with us, and when it is their turn to ride in front they ride so quickly that the group cannot keep up with them, because they are fresh from riding with very little resistance at the back of the goup, but then to dumb to realize that they are riding on their own in the front, because we could just see that this pace is not possible to maintain! Oh, I can see i am going to have some frustations with this! Our riding group is realy helpful towrds each other and also a lot of the sick people that are racers or fast riders ride with us when they are sick, because of our steady pace we maintain, but they should really learn to say than you after wards! They almost join the group hoping that no-one would notice them! After lunch I also decided to go with just one pair of shorts again, which i will no do again! Two for me than you - althouhg it might be a little more warmer, I am going for bub comfort! Set up camp at the zoo (with no animals), but the area is great - grass all over, which will be a first for the trip - everything thus far has just been camping on sand. I was looking to do an upgrade, but when I saw the site with facilities, decided against it. Besides, my tent is actually getting quite cosey! I did some had washing with all of my cycling gear (my mom would have been very proud) and tomorro will be cleaing my bike. We wondered around town and found a local backery with some great treats - very sweet, I think they use a lot of honey or syrup on it, but still great! Also found abut abut this local that does a chicken barbecue, and with the word spreding, the whole camp site had dinner there (I had lunch and dinne). Also we had some talk about the weight and of anyone has lost anything. I can't tell really, but one thing is for sure, I have a massive appetite and I just cannot get enough sweet things in! Later in the evening, the camp also heard about the news in Egypt, which everyone very glad that we have just managed to miss! Still people in town are super friendly, so I am just hoping that it will stay this way! Oh, and we also had Wheetbix and Pronutro for breakfast in the morning, again, a nice little reminder of home and what is lying ahead (even though it might still be far away).
29 January 2011 - rest day - Dongola
Great quote in the diary that Stephanie made for my diary that I thought is worth sharing " As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning". Sums up this trip for me. Allowed to sleep late, and woke up at 7:43 in the morning while the sun was shining, I new record for me on this trip! Also the fruit is a lot better here than in Egypt, had some great grape fruit this morning that I bought from the market yesterday fr breakfast. Also had a good look at the camp site today, four big grass areas divided by paths of rocks and a statue in the middle (of animals - still very ironic that there are no animals here - although maybe with our group you can say the zoo is in town :) ). The internet here at the computer school is SO slow, annoying the hell out of me, but at least managed to update the blog until now.Dongola is a small little vibrant city (except for on Friday's for obvious reasons - Musims, so prying, like a Sunday for Christians). Lots of tuck tucks around (little taxi's) which are all decorated in a very colourful manner. Not sure where the dogs are in the day, but boy, do they keep barking at night, just non-stop. Almost think they have some sort of dog war going on. And then the whole town was basically starring at us, which I can imagine must be pretty funny for them, because tourist these sides of the world are very scares (but the people are super friendly). Also gave my bike, ground sheet and normal clothes a good wash in the afternoon. Nice and clean.....
30 January 2011 - Dongola to dead camel camp - 141 km
Still having some problems with right knee (even annoying me to write it on here!). Had a chat to Gary (the doctor on tour) and Randy again, and I think I will make a few small adjustments to cleats (shoes). It was a nice ride into the camp, although we rode very slowly (almost a little too slowly as the heat really plays a factor here from around 11 am). The ride took us over 6 hours to complete, and a lot of it was the afternoon section where you just gradually get slower and slower. Will have to cycle quicker tomorrow morning and use the coolness in the morning and get some speed. Cycled through a lovely small town with locals waiving and some houses were delightfully painted and had blue doors (not sure why). We also drove past some desert sections were you could see the camels also find it very tough going in this heat (camel carcasses lying around in the sand). The one section actually looked like a camel grave yard, we saw so many carcasses. I swam in the Nile again at camp, but this would be my last time, as we were now cycling away from the Nile tomorrow to a short cut to Khartoum (where the Nile splits between the Blue and White Nile). Pieter also decided to ride with a quicker group today, and we picked up some new riders along the way, so our grouped looked a bit different than normal to when we completed the route (Christian, Wendy, Matt and his dad Paul also finished with us). And as the name of the camp site implies, there is a nice camel carcass lying on the camp site - someone actually stood his tent up right next to it!
31 January 2011 - dead camel camp to desert camp - 143 km
I was a bit skeptical of my knee today, with the problems form yesterday, but I went for broke on this one and decided to start off with a bang, Marelie, Pieter and myself leaving camp 15 minutes earlier than normal in order to catch up with the racer group for a while. We actually hauled them in and it was like being on another planet! But these guys do not mess around and do some serious speed. We went for the quicker ride as the people riding with us in our group were going to slow and not all of them were pulling their weight. The riding group caught up with some other groups as well and at one stage I counted 24 riders riding 2 2 next to eacth other - quite a sight and nice being in it. Group riding in an effecient group makes such a difference. But after a while the racing group pulled away (anoyed with some of the speeds the front people were doing which was not quick enough for them) and Marelie and myself ended up in Terry goup's (the grand pa group, but these guys can still give it a kick - only one of them is a grand pa, but all of them are the older people nin the TDA riding group). But the pace was very good, all the riders doing their bit and we rode together for the whole day. Also nice being in a new group, specifically with "uncle" Terry and "uncle" Rodney around. Quite a good laugh and we had a few nice Coke stops along the way. And the funny moments from the day was every time we got a bit to quick for Rodney, he would just yell "terry, I am on holiday" and then the group would slow down. At one stage the heat was 35 degrees, so it was getting hot and the quicker start the morning helped us a lot. The end result was that I got into camp at 13\;20, which was about an hour off my time from yesterday! I felt pretty good and a very nice SMS from Stephanie made me feel even better! Average speed for the day was 30km/h, and we did 5\;30 hours o\f cycling. Camp was very windy and it was not easy to set up tent. Great day of riding, but was in bed pretty early to get a good rest!
1 February 2011 - desert camp to desert camp - 148 km
Got mielie pap for breakfast - man, it is nice having a SA company providing the breakfast!! Again, a long day and 3rd +140km in a row in this heat - not fun, but motivation was that this was the last one (for now). It was quite a big group on the morning, as everyone now was ju,ping o the early start at 7\;15 instead of 7;30. Some people stopped at the first Coke stop at 16km, but we rode on and was very luck when we stopped at 25km (which was a good time to stop) and these was a herd of camels and some locals, which ended up doing very cool poses for us and I think all of us got some great FB pics.In the afternoon after lunch we ended up riding with another group, but this turned into one of those annoying group rides, where it wold probably have been better to ride on your own. A few selfish people in the group was causing me a lot of very hard riding, and it really worked on my nervous (had to bite my lip a few times from saying something). I think after this trip I am going to write a book about group riding and how to do it and good ethics on riding! Also realized that there are some people that just do not get it an also some people that are just looking after their own needs - not cool! Had a bad head wind the past part and it was very tough final section (different to the last 2 days before, which had great head winds). Still some lovely scenery on both sides with olden brown sand just everywhere, and the desert looking you on as you ride into the nothingness. Just you, your bike and some other crazy riders!Traffic is also getting busier as we are getting into Khartoum.
2 February 2011 - desert camp to Khartoum - 101km
3 February 2011 – Rest day – KhartoumMe and Stephanie’s 9 month anniversary – yay!!! Started morning with some sightseeing of down town Khartoum (which also included an internet session and me uploading some pics on FB). Had my best coffee
at this lady across our hotel, just had a great taste to it and she also puts some cinnamon in it, which gives it a great flavor. There are various locals on the streets just brewing and making these coffee’s, Sudan’s version of Starbucks. It is also a great way to interact with the locals, as they are always willing to let you sit
down and interested in where you are from. Also saw the split of the Nile into the Blue and White Nile (you can very visibly see the difference in colors at the split and the one section does look white, so I am imagine that is where it got it’s name from). Also stopped at the local street markets they have, where I bought myself a new flashlight, shoes and cool cap for 40 Sudanese pounds. We also went to Agfa shopping mall just to stock up on some food and eat lunch and dinner there. It is like a normal mall in SA, but because we have been living in the bush for a few weeks now, this seemed like heaven! Also had my first ice cream in 3 weeks (must be a record)! It really felt like a different world in the mall, aircon, clean, lots of shops
etc….Khartoum is busy city, more modern that you would imagine, but also quite dusty and some areas are run down and some very new (they were also getting ready to host the African Cup of nations football).
Must admit, I prefer the desert section more.
4 February 2011 – Khartoum to Rufasa – 145kmStart of a 8 day continuous riding schedule! Surita had sounded out the warning in the morning, the “warm up ” section was over now and the serious and more difficult one to start (this Stage is known as
“the Gorge”). She also stated that a lot of the riders would lose their EFI status in this session (some that rides “Every freaking Inch” of the route and for some riders a very big deal). She turned out to be right as well. Very touch first day, with over 35 degrees Celcius and big head wind to start most of the morning with. Luke lost his EFI because he was hungover and so dehydrated, he could not make 30km! He met up with a friend that works at the UK embassy, so they have beer and the two of them drank quite a bit the night before! Very funny, considering that alcohol is not allowed in Sudan! There was a great gas station stop at 114km, where I think every rider stopped to refill on liquids, it was just so hot. I was riding in our normal
group of 4, which was great. Pieter had a great section where he took the anchor role in the head wind from after 25km all the way to lunch, very good riding! At camp, Luke handed his left over beers to me, so
guess who was the most popular guy then! I handed all of the beers to some of the guys and had my first and only beer in Sudan (the beer was actually cooler than the water). A lot of the people were also
changing their tires for the off rode section that would start tomorrow – I am keeping my 1.75 tires on. Learnt today that head wind combined with hot weather is a deadly combo and very tough on a rider.
There was a lot of the people that took the bus from lunch or had to picked up on the road.
5 February 2011 – Rufasa to Sewar – 155km
Another tough day at the office and people are loosing their EFI’s status like nothing. The heat is getting to a lot of the people or they are just getting sick (generally some good riders have been
getting sick and they have been forced to sit out a day – Megan, Andre, Daniel – all of them looked very good at the first few stages). The temperature was again over 35degrees Celcius and this just zaps
your energy. I felt pretty good the last stretch of today though, and could almost do a sprint to the finish! I think the drinking more water on a very regular basis is helping a lot. The first session was offrode, and you could see some of the riders struggling to adapt to their new bigger tires. The area is also getting more “bushie”, somehow getting the feeling that Ethiopia is close by….moving away from the desert stretch of the tour.. Chris was also with me on the last stretch and we really had a very nice ride in. We camped next to
a small river, so all the riders had a good swim and cooling off session (some naked as well, with Pieter La Mond taking the lead again…). The liters of liquids I am drinking is crazy, well over 6 liters a day. My body is just absorbing the liquids like a sponge. I am also trying to drink some soup and lots of tea after the ride, to
keep me hydrated. There were some very friendly kids along the road, and they love having their pictures taken and seeing it. It is alos so hot in the evenings now, I am not even sleeping with my wind sail on.
The other benefit is that you can lie on your back and look at the starts while trying to sleep! Full offroad section tomorrow. Also some o fthe riders had a very long day out, only getting in at at 5pm,
which meant they were exposed to the sun for most of the day. But respect to them, as most of them had already lost their EF, so it is easy to quit during th section, but they decided to fight it out (Alice, Ruth etc).
6 February 2011 – Sewar to Dinour – 100kmFul offroad section and boy, did it have some dramas with tires and flats! The people are still loosing EFI like crazy, and some of it was just because they got too many flats and did not have enough time or spare tubes to fix them. They had no choice, they had to get on the truck. The records number of flats by one rider for the day was 10! Offroad section was tough, but not hard core off-road stuff. Actually very enjoyable because you have to concentrate the whole time about your cycling and the scenery also changes. My bike choice was great, with the front suspension come in very handy for this section. Our route was basically to follow the rail way tracks the whole day, and we cycled past a great little town that we stopped at, interacted with the locals and took some great pictures. After lunch the section was very tough, again with dry hot heat and some head winds causing havoc. So grateful when we got into the town for a coke stop, although it was
quite funny, as the whole town gathered when we stopped for cokes and just looked at us like we were men from Mars! Now I know how a celebrity feels like! Crazy and very weird….I was very lucky and had
no punctures. I probably also had one of my bets riding days and got into campo just after 13:00, with the support staff wondering how I got there so quickly with a lot of the riders still out there! Also had the local tribal leader come out and had a small little speech and gave us some drinking water and juice (people here are so hospital and they felt extremely proud to be “hosting” us).
7 February 2011 – Dinour to Village – 100km
Again, another full offrode day and again, a lot of casualties with the road and heat. It was at one stage over 40degrees Celcius and after lunch, you could only do stretches of 10km each before you had
to get some shade and cool down and take a waterbreak.There was no coke stops today unfortunately, so it meant we just had to use the drinking water supplied by TDA (which is not always ideal, as it also
get’s very hot late in the day, so buying a nice cold drink from a local is very refreshing). Today definitely relaised that my bike and parts choice was spot on for the trip. The road was very rough and the
people with speed bikes and no suspension had a dreadful day, and you could see how the riders were very frustrated by it (they are going a lot slower now than they are used to). There is also no more peleton
riding, so it means there is no place to hide! This one you have to do on your own strength and you cannot sit behind people and get covered. Rode by myself in the morning and afternoon I rode with Terry, which
was a lot of fun and we had a good talk, in between sweating like mad! The sunsets are now getting more African, where you see the sun setting against the bush and trees….Also during the ride, Terry, Scot
and myself got invited to a hut from one of the locals where the offered to make us some tea and gave us some drinking water (the locals are super friendly here). Still funny at camp in the evenings, which is mostly very close to next to a small village, the locals storm around our camp site to see the “men from Mars” do their thing…..
8 February 2011 – Village to Doka – 85kmGreat day of good old fashion cycling. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth now, feel like I am deserving my dinner in th evenings after a hard day’s ride. The rides are challenging, but not impossible. I am starting to feel pretty confident on the bike now and it is also nice to get some comments from the fellow riders on how
much I have improved and how much stronger I am getting. Most of the people know that I am not a cyclist and also where I finished the first week of cycling! I was feeling great this morning and felt like
I was flying over the gravel road (doing well over 20km/h). Unfortauntely the one point was very poorly marked and me and 3 other riders ended up doing an additional 8km! Not happy about it, but at
least it happened to me on a good daywhere I was feeling pretty strong. The celebrity feeling is still not going away, as we are treated like celebrities when we cycle through the villages. Pieter, Kim and myself had a great stop at a village just 6km from camp, where we had some ice colds cokes (I had 4!), also some tea and a nice watermelon to top it off. A lot of the sections today was on this gravel road that was through drie dout corn fields and it felt at some stages like we were just going in circles. Glad that we had those
orange markers to show us the way, otherwise ne can get lost very easily in this section. The road was also so bumpy that my saddle bag zip opened and some of my gear fell out, including my spare tube,
multi tool and some of my tire levers. Everything was picked up by riders following me expect for my multi tool, which I was not very happy about. Also a very nice feeling to not have knees that are
hurting and I now finally feel like I am on level playing field with the other riders. Again, no flats today, so very lucky that my tires had no flats in 3 days of off road (where most of the riders had at least one or two).
9 February 2011 – Doka to Matema – 96kmBqck on tar again today and I think it is a fair comment to say that most of the riders are very glad! It was a tough first 10k, but after that a pretty nice day of riding onto the border post of Ethiopia. I
was riding by myself for most of the day and just felt very good on the bike. Sometime nice to ride by yourself and juts put on some good music on the Itouch. You, music, the road……I think I am in pretty good
shape now and spirits are very high – I have also been fortunate that I have avoided getting sick, as some people have had some bad cases. Sad to be leaving Sudan today, as I really enjoyed my trip here. The
people are so friendly and hospitable, sad that more people cannot experience it, as they government makes it really a pain in the back to gte into the country (and it is very expensive to come). Border crossing on Sudan side was quick. Border crossing on Ethiopia side was painfully slow! It did however give us time to buy our first beer at the border and enjoy it! I was very tired when I got into camp and felt like I had no energy. Not sure if it was the two beers I have had, or just some tough riding days that have gone past. I know at some stages I was pushing it today as well, maybe going quicker than I was supposed to. Decided that getting into bed early would be the best solution. So 2 countries down and 8 to go! Wow, can’t believe that time has gone by so quickly! Also funny incident with one of the riders, Francis at the border post. When he was about to leave, he was looking for his red cycle helmet, although it was actually blue. He though that everyone in the room was playing a trick and hiding his helmet, so he juts goit more and more annoyed, as he could not find his “red” helmet and we were just laughing more and more as we saw how worked up he got!
We had a very short bike ride from our camp in Aswen (not great camp) to the docks from where the weekly ferry leaves for its 16 hour cruise inot Sudan. The ride was pleasant as we rode over the Aswan damn wall (great sight but not allowed to take pictures) and actually a stroll in the park compared to what we have been doing. Some riders rode in their normal clothes, but I decided to go with the cycling clothes and then I would just get dressed on the boat. Not take any chances with my bottom and no cycling shorts. We were warned before hand that the ferry loading would be a VERY long process and the fact that I know how Africa works, also made me mentally prepared - nothing happens quickly in Africa! To say the loading of people and cargo on the ferry was chaotic would be an under statement! But somehow they managed it (organized chaos)! There were lots of locals on the ferry with their goods that they would be selling (from food mixers to tv stands) and then some other travelers as well. The riders were allocated "1st class" cabins
that slept 2, but 4 had to use it. I shared with Sarge, Daniel and Sam and luckily all of us were pretty neat and packed all of our luggage in a nice area in the cabin. We loaded all of the bikes on the top deck and then it was basically a free for all on the top with riders and locals fighting for a good space (no seats and people have to make space for sleeping room on the deck). The people were building little first at the deck to hide them from the sun and later in the evening the cold (half of the riders had to sleep on the deck and alos stay there for the whole 16 hours!). We arrived at 10 am in the morning and we left the docks at 17:00 (Africa is slow, yes!). At night we had a beautiful view of the starts as the sky was so clear and pollution free. There was also almost no place to walk on the deck as every bit of space was taken. Luckily for me Daniel decided to sleep at the deck and Sam and Sage shared a bed, so I had a full bed to myself for the while night and actual got in a good sleep! We also a sea view cabin, which helped a lot! And surprisingly the food on the ferry was actually quite good. The toilet facilities left a lot to be desired though and I was just praying that I would not get a number 2 on this trip!
25 January 2011 - Travel day with ferry on Lake Nasser and arrival to Wadi Hafa (Sudan)
It was pretty chilly outside the next morning out on the lake. I had a great sleep, but eveyrone was quite keen to get off and get back on the land (not so sure about the bike though :) ). We arrived in port at 11:00 and we reached our camp in Wadi Hafi (which is 3km from the port) by 16:00 the afternoon. Like I said, nothing happens quick in Africa. But most of the riders were execting it, and also what I have lernt in Africa, do not fight these type o things. You will loose! Just chill out and be patient (although it is sometimes very difficult). What also added to the wait was that our group had till wait till last to get off - although I prefered this, because with all our gear and bikes with the size, the loadign was pain full and a mess. We also had to fill out more forms (which ask the same info over and over again). We finally entered Sudan and i was very glad and relieved that we had made it, especially with the recent events there. The trip would not have been the same if we could not pass here. We rode with our bikes to the camp site and you should have seen the locals faces with this big group of 60 riders riding through there villiage! Our new TDA trucks were also waiting for us, and they look a lot more official compared to our old trucks! Logos, more space, music etc. There were also some extra crew members that joined us, including 2 SA boytjies that are as Afrikaans as you can get. The locals appear to be very friendly (read about it plus all of the people we cycled past was waving, inluding the woman - this did not occur in Egypt). It just felt differently already. I am not sure what to expect from Sudan, but saying that, that is the theme of the trip "Expect the unexpected....". There was also a nice reminder from home as we got our ration of Energy Bars al the way from SA (before in Egypt we were using this crap stuff that is not really an energy bar), whichI love! I just need to make sure I do not eat all mine before our next batch (allowed 2 a day). Roll on Sudan......
26 January 2011 - Wadi Hafa to desert camp- 150 km
Dad's bday today so I sent him a sms to congrtulate him (phoning is VERYexpensive). Very good riding day with excellent tail wind and nice downhill or even strecth. My only problem was that my right knee was giving me problems now! It really starts playing on your mind if these probems happen to you, because your knees on a trip like this are precious! Not sure what it was, but my thinking was that I was either peddlaing in to high gears or not focussing on my pedal stroke (it should be in cicular motions). My knee was not swollen afterward, which i was relieved about, otherwise that might indicate some more serious problems. with the bike fitting and everything, which i know is right now, this is just more my knee/s having to get used to cycling for these distances in the day. Scenery was really good, lots of sand dunes and small tine remote villages. It felt a lot more like cycling in the desert than in Egypt. Also the roads are in excellent condition, as I know the Chinese have been here and doing some major road works in exchange for natural resources. The people are also so friedly here! I also suppose visitors here are a bit scarce in this side of the world. This was the second furthest cycling stage to date, but I got into camp at 1:30, which left me plenty of time to relax and also take a swim adn bactjh in the Nile. Also had my first hair wash in a week! At night when i was brushing my teeth, I saw the most amazing view of the sky and starts. It was so clear, a amazing site with starts just everywhere! Milky way etc..... so nice and I just gazed for a while to appreciate it and remembered again this is why I did this trip, to see things like this! And then you could see on the ground everyone's tents and the lights on in it as people were getting ready to go to sleep. Great sight! Also thinking that at some stage I would need to sleep outside under these stars!
27 January 2011 - desert camp to desert camp- 148 km
Great morning view with lots of stars and the moon (although not as much as the nigth before), as we woke up at 6, which is still dark outside then. Little afraid of today with the knee problem I was getting the day before.2 days in the desert for 150km is not a laugh, doign it with a sore knee not fun! But my knee held up well and I was actually surprised about how good I felt after lunch! Had a great tail wind in the morning, but after lunch, just around a corner, it all changed. Head wind and uphill. I just felt really good with this stretch and I was also taking over the Dj duties (using Sarges's speakers with an Ipod, so I played all of my more favorite songs, including some ACDC on the tough sections). You can also see the people are getting more and more bike fit, as they are getting to lunch stop quicker and also the camp site (probably more for the non-racers than the racers). Great scenery, the best one that I have seen thus far! We had this great Coke stop after lunch and then just endless sand everywhere (very flat, reminded me of Unyuni in Bolivia). I had a nice swim in the Nile again topped with a lovely hair wash (again). I was hoping that the knees would just hold up. The group also made its first bon fire, which I felt was sorely missing at this stage, as we were in Africa! I just love looking into the3 flames and just staring, glazing, thinking......So memorizing..... Some of the people including Wildcat Peter La Mond was up until "late" singing camp fire songs... I was thinking that I will start writing up some of the riders in our group on this blog as well. And then had a another wonderful night just gazing at the stars..........wow...........
28 January 2011 - desert camp to Dongola - 107km
It is very easy to get up in the morning for a ride if you know a rest day lies ahead. No motivation needed! Just the fact that you can chill for the following day and sleep late, wash etc is enough reason. We had a very nice and easy ride into Dongola, which is a very small little town on the Nile. I was just getting annoyed with some of the extra people that was riding in our group, which was annoying the living crap out of me. They just sit at the back of teh group and never ride in front. And then a the end of the day do not even have the decency to say than you after wards. Or new riders that ride with us, and when it is their turn to ride in front they ride so quickly that the group cannot keep up with them, because they are fresh from riding with very little resistance at the back of the goup, but then to dumb to realize that they are riding on their own in the front, because we could just see that this pace is not possible to maintain! Oh, I can see i am going to have some frustations with this! Our riding group is realy helpful towrds each other and also a lot of the sick people that are racers or fast riders ride with us when they are sick, because of our steady pace we maintain, but they should really learn to say than you after wards! They almost join the group hoping that no-one would notice them! After lunch I also decided to go with just one pair of shorts again, which i will no do again! Two for me than you - althouhg it might be a little more warmer, I am going for bub comfort! Set up camp at the zoo (with no animals), but the area is great - grass all over, which will be a first for the trip - everything thus far has just been camping on sand. I was looking to do an upgrade, but when I saw the site with facilities, decided against it. Besides, my tent is actually getting quite cosey! I did some had washing with all of my cycling gear (my mom would have been very proud) and tomorro will be cleaing my bike. We wondered around town and found a local backery with some great treats - very sweet, I think they use a lot of honey or syrup on it, but still great! Also found abut abut this local that does a chicken barbecue, and with the word spreding, the whole camp site had dinner there (I had lunch and dinne). Also we had some talk about the weight and of anyone has lost anything. I can't tell really, but one thing is for sure, I have a massive appetite and I just cannot get enough sweet things in! Later in the evening, the camp also heard about the news in Egypt, which everyone very glad that we have just managed to miss! Still people in town are super friendly, so I am just hoping that it will stay this way! Oh, and we also had Wheetbix and Pronutro for breakfast in the morning, again, a nice little reminder of home and what is lying ahead (even though it might still be far away).
29 January 2011 - rest day - Dongola
Great quote in the diary that Stephanie made for my diary that I thought is worth sharing " As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning". Sums up this trip for me. Allowed to sleep late, and woke up at 7:43 in the morning while the sun was shining, I new record for me on this trip! Also the fruit is a lot better here than in Egypt, had some great grape fruit this morning that I bought from the market yesterday fr breakfast. Also had a good look at the camp site today, four big grass areas divided by paths of rocks and a statue in the middle (of animals - still very ironic that there are no animals here - although maybe with our group you can say the zoo is in town :) ). The internet here at the computer school is SO slow, annoying the hell out of me, but at least managed to update the blog until now.Dongola is a small little vibrant city (except for on Friday's for obvious reasons - Musims, so prying, like a Sunday for Christians). Lots of tuck tucks around (little taxi's) which are all decorated in a very colourful manner. Not sure where the dogs are in the day, but boy, do they keep barking at night, just non-stop. Almost think they have some sort of dog war going on. And then the whole town was basically starring at us, which I can imagine must be pretty funny for them, because tourist these sides of the world are very scares (but the people are super friendly). Also gave my bike, ground sheet and normal clothes a good wash in the afternoon. Nice and clean.....
30 January 2011 - Dongola to dead camel camp - 141 km
Still having some problems with right knee (even annoying me to write it on here!). Had a chat to Gary (the doctor on tour) and Randy again, and I think I will make a few small adjustments to cleats (shoes). It was a nice ride into the camp, although we rode very slowly (almost a little too slowly as the heat really plays a factor here from around 11 am). The ride took us over 6 hours to complete, and a lot of it was the afternoon section where you just gradually get slower and slower. Will have to cycle quicker tomorrow morning and use the coolness in the morning and get some speed. Cycled through a lovely small town with locals waiving and some houses were delightfully painted and had blue doors (not sure why). We also drove past some desert sections were you could see the camels also find it very tough going in this heat (camel carcasses lying around in the sand). The one section actually looked like a camel grave yard, we saw so many carcasses. I swam in the Nile again at camp, but this would be my last time, as we were now cycling away from the Nile tomorrow to a short cut to Khartoum (where the Nile splits between the Blue and White Nile). Pieter also decided to ride with a quicker group today, and we picked up some new riders along the way, so our grouped looked a bit different than normal to when we completed the route (Christian, Wendy, Matt and his dad Paul also finished with us). And as the name of the camp site implies, there is a nice camel carcass lying on the camp site - someone actually stood his tent up right next to it!
31 January 2011 - dead camel camp to desert camp - 143 km
I was a bit skeptical of my knee today, with the problems form yesterday, but I went for broke on this one and decided to start off with a bang, Marelie, Pieter and myself leaving camp 15 minutes earlier than normal in order to catch up with the racer group for a while. We actually hauled them in and it was like being on another planet! But these guys do not mess around and do some serious speed. We went for the quicker ride as the people riding with us in our group were going to slow and not all of them were pulling their weight. The riding group caught up with some other groups as well and at one stage I counted 24 riders riding 2 2 next to eacth other - quite a sight and nice being in it. Group riding in an effecient group makes such a difference. But after a while the racing group pulled away (anoyed with some of the speeds the front people were doing which was not quick enough for them) and Marelie and myself ended up in Terry goup's (the grand pa group, but these guys can still give it a kick - only one of them is a grand pa, but all of them are the older people nin the TDA riding group). But the pace was very good, all the riders doing their bit and we rode together for the whole day. Also nice being in a new group, specifically with "uncle" Terry and "uncle" Rodney around. Quite a good laugh and we had a few nice Coke stops along the way. And the funny moments from the day was every time we got a bit to quick for Rodney, he would just yell "terry, I am on holiday" and then the group would slow down. At one stage the heat was 35 degrees, so it was getting hot and the quicker start the morning helped us a lot. The end result was that I got into camp at 13\;20, which was about an hour off my time from yesterday! I felt pretty good and a very nice SMS from Stephanie made me feel even better! Average speed for the day was 30km/h, and we did 5\;30 hours o\f cycling. Camp was very windy and it was not easy to set up tent. Great day of riding, but was in bed pretty early to get a good rest!
1 February 2011 - desert camp to desert camp - 148 km
Got mielie pap for breakfast - man, it is nice having a SA company providing the breakfast!! Again, a long day and 3rd +140km in a row in this heat - not fun, but motivation was that this was the last one (for now). It was quite a big group on the morning, as everyone now was ju,ping o the early start at 7\;15 instead of 7;30. Some people stopped at the first Coke stop at 16km, but we rode on and was very luck when we stopped at 25km (which was a good time to stop) and these was a herd of camels and some locals, which ended up doing very cool poses for us and I think all of us got some great FB pics.In the afternoon after lunch we ended up riding with another group, but this turned into one of those annoying group rides, where it wold probably have been better to ride on your own. A few selfish people in the group was causing me a lot of very hard riding, and it really worked on my nervous (had to bite my lip a few times from saying something). I think after this trip I am going to write a book about group riding and how to do it and good ethics on riding! Also realized that there are some people that just do not get it an also some people that are just looking after their own needs - not cool! Had a bad head wind the past part and it was very tough final section (different to the last 2 days before, which had great head winds). Still some lovely scenery on both sides with olden brown sand just everywhere, and the desert looking you on as you ride into the nothingness. Just you, your bike and some other crazy riders!Traffic is also getting busier as we are getting into Khartoum.
2 February 2011 - desert camp to Khartoum - 101km
3 February 2011 – Rest day – KhartoumMe and Stephanie’s 9 month anniversary – yay!!! Started morning with some sightseeing of down town Khartoum (which also included an internet session and me uploading some pics on FB). Had my best coffee
at this lady across our hotel, just had a great taste to it and she also puts some cinnamon in it, which gives it a great flavor. There are various locals on the streets just brewing and making these coffee’s, Sudan’s version of Starbucks. It is also a great way to interact with the locals, as they are always willing to let you sit
down and interested in where you are from. Also saw the split of the Nile into the Blue and White Nile (you can very visibly see the difference in colors at the split and the one section does look white, so I am imagine that is where it got it’s name from). Also stopped at the local street markets they have, where I bought myself a new flashlight, shoes and cool cap for 40 Sudanese pounds. We also went to Agfa shopping mall just to stock up on some food and eat lunch and dinner there. It is like a normal mall in SA, but because we have been living in the bush for a few weeks now, this seemed like heaven! Also had my first ice cream in 3 weeks (must be a record)! It really felt like a different world in the mall, aircon, clean, lots of shops
etc….Khartoum is busy city, more modern that you would imagine, but also quite dusty and some areas are run down and some very new (they were also getting ready to host the African Cup of nations football).
Must admit, I prefer the desert section more.
4 February 2011 – Khartoum to Rufasa – 145kmStart of a 8 day continuous riding schedule! Surita had sounded out the warning in the morning, the “warm up ” section was over now and the serious and more difficult one to start (this Stage is known as
“the Gorge”). She also stated that a lot of the riders would lose their EFI status in this session (some that rides “Every freaking Inch” of the route and for some riders a very big deal). She turned out to be right as well. Very touch first day, with over 35 degrees Celcius and big head wind to start most of the morning with. Luke lost his EFI because he was hungover and so dehydrated, he could not make 30km! He met up with a friend that works at the UK embassy, so they have beer and the two of them drank quite a bit the night before! Very funny, considering that alcohol is not allowed in Sudan! There was a great gas station stop at 114km, where I think every rider stopped to refill on liquids, it was just so hot. I was riding in our normal
group of 4, which was great. Pieter had a great section where he took the anchor role in the head wind from after 25km all the way to lunch, very good riding! At camp, Luke handed his left over beers to me, so
guess who was the most popular guy then! I handed all of the beers to some of the guys and had my first and only beer in Sudan (the beer was actually cooler than the water). A lot of the people were also
changing their tires for the off rode section that would start tomorrow – I am keeping my 1.75 tires on. Learnt today that head wind combined with hot weather is a deadly combo and very tough on a rider.
There was a lot of the people that took the bus from lunch or had to picked up on the road.
5 February 2011 – Rufasa to Sewar – 155km
Another tough day at the office and people are loosing their EFI’s status like nothing. The heat is getting to a lot of the people or they are just getting sick (generally some good riders have been
getting sick and they have been forced to sit out a day – Megan, Andre, Daniel – all of them looked very good at the first few stages). The temperature was again over 35degrees Celcius and this just zaps
your energy. I felt pretty good the last stretch of today though, and could almost do a sprint to the finish! I think the drinking more water on a very regular basis is helping a lot. The first session was offrode, and you could see some of the riders struggling to adapt to their new bigger tires. The area is also getting more “bushie”, somehow getting the feeling that Ethiopia is close by….moving away from the desert stretch of the tour.. Chris was also with me on the last stretch and we really had a very nice ride in. We camped next to
a small river, so all the riders had a good swim and cooling off session (some naked as well, with Pieter La Mond taking the lead again…). The liters of liquids I am drinking is crazy, well over 6 liters a day. My body is just absorbing the liquids like a sponge. I am also trying to drink some soup and lots of tea after the ride, to
keep me hydrated. There were some very friendly kids along the road, and they love having their pictures taken and seeing it. It is alos so hot in the evenings now, I am not even sleeping with my wind sail on.
The other benefit is that you can lie on your back and look at the starts while trying to sleep! Full offroad section tomorrow. Also some o fthe riders had a very long day out, only getting in at at 5pm,
which meant they were exposed to the sun for most of the day. But respect to them, as most of them had already lost their EF, so it is easy to quit during th section, but they decided to fight it out (Alice, Ruth etc).
6 February 2011 – Sewar to Dinour – 100kmFul offroad section and boy, did it have some dramas with tires and flats! The people are still loosing EFI like crazy, and some of it was just because they got too many flats and did not have enough time or spare tubes to fix them. They had no choice, they had to get on the truck. The records number of flats by one rider for the day was 10! Offroad section was tough, but not hard core off-road stuff. Actually very enjoyable because you have to concentrate the whole time about your cycling and the scenery also changes. My bike choice was great, with the front suspension come in very handy for this section. Our route was basically to follow the rail way tracks the whole day, and we cycled past a great little town that we stopped at, interacted with the locals and took some great pictures. After lunch the section was very tough, again with dry hot heat and some head winds causing havoc. So grateful when we got into the town for a coke stop, although it was
quite funny, as the whole town gathered when we stopped for cokes and just looked at us like we were men from Mars! Now I know how a celebrity feels like! Crazy and very weird….I was very lucky and had
no punctures. I probably also had one of my bets riding days and got into campo just after 13:00, with the support staff wondering how I got there so quickly with a lot of the riders still out there! Also had the local tribal leader come out and had a small little speech and gave us some drinking water and juice (people here are so hospital and they felt extremely proud to be “hosting” us).
7 February 2011 – Dinour to Village – 100km
Again, another full offrode day and again, a lot of casualties with the road and heat. It was at one stage over 40degrees Celcius and after lunch, you could only do stretches of 10km each before you had
to get some shade and cool down and take a waterbreak.There was no coke stops today unfortunately, so it meant we just had to use the drinking water supplied by TDA (which is not always ideal, as it also
get’s very hot late in the day, so buying a nice cold drink from a local is very refreshing). Today definitely relaised that my bike and parts choice was spot on for the trip. The road was very rough and the
people with speed bikes and no suspension had a dreadful day, and you could see how the riders were very frustrated by it (they are going a lot slower now than they are used to). There is also no more peleton
riding, so it means there is no place to hide! This one you have to do on your own strength and you cannot sit behind people and get covered. Rode by myself in the morning and afternoon I rode with Terry, which
was a lot of fun and we had a good talk, in between sweating like mad! The sunsets are now getting more African, where you see the sun setting against the bush and trees….Also during the ride, Terry, Scot
and myself got invited to a hut from one of the locals where the offered to make us some tea and gave us some drinking water (the locals are super friendly here). Still funny at camp in the evenings, which is mostly very close to next to a small village, the locals storm around our camp site to see the “men from Mars” do their thing…..
8 February 2011 – Village to Doka – 85kmGreat day of good old fashion cycling. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth now, feel like I am deserving my dinner in th evenings after a hard day’s ride. The rides are challenging, but not impossible. I am starting to feel pretty confident on the bike now and it is also nice to get some comments from the fellow riders on how
much I have improved and how much stronger I am getting. Most of the people know that I am not a cyclist and also where I finished the first week of cycling! I was feeling great this morning and felt like
I was flying over the gravel road (doing well over 20km/h). Unfortauntely the one point was very poorly marked and me and 3 other riders ended up doing an additional 8km! Not happy about it, but at
least it happened to me on a good daywhere I was feeling pretty strong. The celebrity feeling is still not going away, as we are treated like celebrities when we cycle through the villages. Pieter, Kim and myself had a great stop at a village just 6km from camp, where we had some ice colds cokes (I had 4!), also some tea and a nice watermelon to top it off. A lot of the sections today was on this gravel road that was through drie dout corn fields and it felt at some stages like we were just going in circles. Glad that we had those
orange markers to show us the way, otherwise ne can get lost very easily in this section. The road was also so bumpy that my saddle bag zip opened and some of my gear fell out, including my spare tube,
multi tool and some of my tire levers. Everything was picked up by riders following me expect for my multi tool, which I was not very happy about. Also a very nice feeling to not have knees that are
hurting and I now finally feel like I am on level playing field with the other riders. Again, no flats today, so very lucky that my tires had no flats in 3 days of off road (where most of the riders had at least one or two).
9 February 2011 – Doka to Matema – 96kmBqck on tar again today and I think it is a fair comment to say that most of the riders are very glad! It was a tough first 10k, but after that a pretty nice day of riding onto the border post of Ethiopia. I
was riding by myself for most of the day and just felt very good on the bike. Sometime nice to ride by yourself and juts put on some good music on the Itouch. You, music, the road……I think I am in pretty good
shape now and spirits are very high – I have also been fortunate that I have avoided getting sick, as some people have had some bad cases. Sad to be leaving Sudan today, as I really enjoyed my trip here. The
people are so friendly and hospitable, sad that more people cannot experience it, as they government makes it really a pain in the back to gte into the country (and it is very expensive to come). Border crossing on Sudan side was quick. Border crossing on Ethiopia side was painfully slow! It did however give us time to buy our first beer at the border and enjoy it! I was very tired when I got into camp and felt like I had no energy. Not sure if it was the two beers I have had, or just some tough riding days that have gone past. I know at some stages I was pushing it today as well, maybe going quicker than I was supposed to. Decided that getting into bed early would be the best solution. So 2 countries down and 8 to go! Wow, can’t believe that time has gone by so quickly! Also funny incident with one of the riders, Francis at the border post. When he was about to leave, he was looking for his red cycle helmet, although it was actually blue. He though that everyone in the room was playing a trick and hiding his helmet, so he juts goit more and more annoyed, as he could not find his “red” helmet and we were just laughing more and more as we saw how worked up he got!
