Nubian Desert (Days 12-13)
By admin. Filed in Sudan |
Once on the road in the morning, the first thing to notice about the roads in Sudan is that they’re even better than the ones in Egypt. Thanks to intensive Chinese investment in Sudan, the road surfaces are brand new, perfectly flat, and free of debris. There isn’t a shoulder, but there is almost no traffic. Drivers are courteous and give us wide berth.
The second thing to notice is that the distances between towns are very long, and sights are few and far between. I can’t keep up with most of the riders on the tour for very long, so I end up riding on my own most of the time. I experimented with listening to music on my iPhone. It does help pass the time, but the battery isn’t cut out for our long days.
The locals we meet along the way are enthusiastically friendly, but not intrusive. Most everyone we pass smiles, waves, and shouts “Hello!” When we get to lunch or camp, a few will wander in to find out more about this strange group of brightly-colored cyclists is doing in Sudan.
Our first camp was along the Nile. It was a great camp. Some kids and their parents rolled in to our camp with their donkeys and carts. We had the opportunity to bathe in the river and cool down a bit, too. We had to watch out for crocodiles, though. One had been shot there earlier that day. A couple locals came up while I was swimming and warned me again about the crocs. One of them took Andra for a ride down the river in his small sail boat.
The next day was the same distance as the previous one: 150km, but much harder. It got very hot in the afternoon and my energy levels dropped accordingly. I was the very last one to roll into camp. I got a round of applause for finishing. About 8 people ended up in the truck that day. I was very glad to find it since I forgot to record the directions the night before. Fortunately they were typical: “Turn right out of camp. Pedal 150k. Stop.” I left my gloves at the lunch stop, which I had to buy back from the staff for two cokes. (Since Sudan is a dry country, payments are in fizzy beverages instead of beer.)
Since we are traveling along the Nile again, Nubian settlements have started to appear sporadically. I say “settlements” and not “villages” because they seem to be lacking an infrastructure. There are no shops or businesses of any sort, only a handful of homes surrounded by walled yards with a few donkeys roaming around.
Earlier in the day I had spotted a coke stop, and a man jumped up and waved to me: “Stop. I want to drink tea with you.” I stopped. He had no tea. No cokes either. It turns out that he was starting a roadside beverage stand but wasn’t opened for business yet. So over imaginary tea, this proud Nubian named “In-bed-ja” (or something similar), told me about his life and suggested I marry a Nubian wife. When Andra pulled up, he tried to convince her to marry a Nubian husband. After I left he evidently tried to steal a kiss from her.
Paul (the tour/race director) promised that the next night’s camp wouldn’t be nearly as nice, but it turned out to be quite good. Armed with firewood collected the previous night, we created a big bonfire in the evening. At the fire, I sat next to the Sudanese Tourism Minister. I find it somewhat amusing that the minister of tourism for all of Sudan is camping with us each night. He was perplexed about the fire. He was expecting a big celebration about something, not a relaxing wind-down after a long day. He told me a bit about his life. He seems quite proud of his government position and the power that it carries. He is unmarried, but wants at least two wives. Sudanese men are allowed up to four. He also hinted (unprovoked) that I shouldn’t believe the western media about Darfur and the southern region of Sudan. The northeast part of Sudan is very safe and friendly, of course, and we’ve had nothing but good experiences here. I think I’m starting to figure out why he’s traveling with us.