Home » Sudan » Khartoum, Sudan - 12 Feb 2001

We've made it to Sudan after a drive from Ghana which would put competitors in the Paris-Dakar rally to shame. It took us just two weks to drive through 5 countries and cover thousands of km's. We also passed a very important milestone - we've survived (just)
15,000 km's on african roads.

Khartoum, Sudan - 12 Feb 2001

Pam.tom
2005-10-15 19:25:21

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to locust committing mass suicide against Russell - a terrifying experience which even now induces somewhat forced laughter when we recall it.
You need an exit stamp at Adre and we had to wait until the next morning for the police chief to turn up. We had the worst meal ever - consisting of sheep kidney stew (lukewarm) and gritty bread. They gave us some grey, greasy water which we both agreeded we wouldn't wash our hands in - the next minute a man came up and drank the lot of it - two stomachs turned!
Next morning the customary cadeaux or no go exchange took place - we refused and after a couple of hours started to cook choclate pancakes in the police compound - they realised we were in for the long haul and the passports were back within 10 minutes - complete with stamp.
Sudan customs/police/security was a breeze although you have to pay a hefy 3,400dinar for 'registration'. Make sure you put down every town you can think of when you list your route for security - otherwise it's a nightmare trying to get a new travel permit.
Set off for Jebel Marra - Sudan's second highest mountain. We travelled through some amazing mountanious countryside and saw hundreds of monkeys. However we didn't linger too much - firstly because of the bad roads and secondly there has been a lot of bandit trouble in the area and all the buses travel with armed guards. People in El Genina warned us not to stop at any roadblock that wasn't offical - and we didn't. We we're also advised not to go via El Fashar so we took the southern route via Nyala, Babanusa, An Nahud, El Obeid and Kosti to Khartoum. A very hard drive through heavly rutted sand tracks - much the worst drive we've had so far.
A fair bit of that may well be due to Russell going on strike - after 15 thousand km's he said enough was enough and we broke a front spring, cracked the chassis, bust a shock absorber, smashed a mirror and had two puntures all in 4 days! Just when we thought our problems couldn't get anyworse they did - we joined a lovely brand new tarmac road 50km west of El Obeid and within 2 mintues a stone from a passing truck smashed the windscreen into a millon pieces (tip bring a spare perspex one - getting a new one took 3 days and we had to drive to Khartoum without one - not nice!)
Finally traced one in the industrial area in Khartoum - a proper Land Rover parts dealer (between the road over the new bridge over the white nile and the railway line - next to the mercedes dealer).
After the manic pace of the last few weeks we're now relaxing at the Blue Nile Sailing club waiting for our Ethopian visas (they only take applications on tues and sun and they cost $63 - plus you need a letter of recommendation which the British government kindly charges you 35 pounds for). From where we're camping we can see where the Blue and White Nile's join! While it's expensive at $11 per night (the other campsite 10km out of town is still $9) the people and food are great.
Today we we're invited to join them in a sail-by for 16 African presidents who are in the city discussing Africa's problems (they'll be here for a long time then!). We roared past Gaddafi and the like in the club's speedboat - accompanied by the secret service and a hovering helicopter - it was just like out of Miami Vice...the African version!

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