Home » Sudan » Cycle to the Summit Part 12 - Khartoum to Galabatt

Sudan - The Facts

Total distance covered in Sudan = 1559km
Total distance covered on 'non tarmac' roads = 793km

Punctures prior to Sudan = 3
Punctures in Sudan = more than 45 (we lost count!)

Sudan is the tenth largest country in the world with a population of 29 million. (Population of Britain approx 57 million)

Most memorable moments from Sudan

Toby - Reaching tarmac after cycling through the desert for 22 days
Owy - Sleeping under the stars in the desert near Akasha, Northern Sudan
Paul - Reaching the hilltop to see the first sight of civilisation after three days of seeing little other than sand!
Ruth - Having my (very knotted) hair brushed by a lady named Affaf in a Sudanese house

Cycle to the Summit Part 12 - Khartoum to Galabatt

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 19:32:15

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day and both Owy and Paul made good speed to our lunchtime stop as they were sucked along by a couple of oil trucks. As we ate fuul, we watched barefooted children walk around us seemingly oblivious to the broken glass beneath their feet.

However, an incident that I will remember for a long time was watching a Sudanese house burn down before my eyes. At first I wondered why lots of people were running past and as my eyes followed the trail of adults and children, I could see smoke rising and flames licking above the roofs of the other round mud houses. I joked 'Oh look, there's the fire truck' as a donkey cart, similar to the ones we had seen the previous day sped to the scene, but was soon angry at myself when I realised the severity of the situation. When I got to the scene (along with Toby, Owy and most of the village), all that was visible was the smouldering debris that had once been a house. Several men continued to pour water on what remained of the house. I felt tears welling in my eyes and turned away, conscious that I was going to cry. I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my t-shirt and noticed the dirt that had been loosened by my tears - not that I cared about my t-shirt or the dirt. A man dressed in white noticed me and explained in broken English "gas, cooking, fire". I asked if anyone had been hurt and he shook his head and smiled in a reassuring manner. I asked if the house could be rebuilt and if everything would be ok. I don't think he fully understood but said yes everything would be fine - the eternal optimism that I love about the Sudanese.

Within ten minutes, the crowd had dispersed, and as children played and adults carried on as if nothing had ever happened, I reflected on the resilience of these people. The fire preoccupied my thoughts all the way to Gedaref where we stocked up on food to prepare for the final 'tarmacless' stretch to the Ethiopian border. As we searched for a camp spot in the dark, ...