Cape to Cairo in 26,020km and a couple of adventures

Firstly a huge thank you to all the expedition members who joined us for the 2010 Cape Town to Cairo Odyssey.  It was great having you along and believe it was a true adventure for everybody with many new friends made and amazing stories to tell. Athena our faithful expedition truck also deserves a thanks - 26,020km, two flat tyres, but other than that not a mechanical hitch, amazing considering the roads we travelled.

There are definitely quicker and easier ways to get from Cape Town to Cairo.  By plane you can do it in about 9 hours, the record for driving it is about 12 days, and as the crow flies it is only 9,000-odd kilometres.  But where is the fun in that?

After an incredible journey of 20 weeks, 15 countries, 20+ national parks, 3 car ferries, 480 new bird species for our keenest twitcher, more animals, insects and spiders than we could count, 8 birthdays celebrated, a million memories and a lot of fun, we arrived into Cairo, the biggest city in Africa, the crazy capital of Egypt and our final destination for this expedition. Even better, all the bad news we had heard about Cairo being unsafe was untrue. We were welcomed by everybody, protesters stopping their generally peaceful protests to welcome us and had the luxury of having the main tourist sites almost all to ourselves.

But back to our journey!

The ferry from Wadi Halfa in Sudan to Aswan in Egypt is always an adventure, and our trip was no exception. We arrived in the port town to be told today was the day we would sail which was two full days early, but hey this is Africa and things change. So everybody got under way with getting a day pack packed ready for the ferry and the days in Aswan where we would wait for the truck to arrive on a separate barge. But remember this is Africa and so after a couple of hours our local Mr Fixit returned to say that, no, we would not be sailing. So off into the desert again, we headed for a last bushcamp (we hoped). The following day we returned expecting just to re stock and wait for the next day and a half to sail, but hey it had all changed again and we were rushed to the port to sail, well after a bit of a wait, but in the end we set sail a day earlier than planned, you have got to love Africa at times!  An overnight ferry, many chose to sleep on deck under the stars huddled in their sleeping bags, while others chose the slightly warmer option of sleeping in the lounges below deck.  After 4 hours sailing the incredible temples of Abu Simbel came into view on the left back at the same time as the light and sound show, so they were illuminated as we passed, a wonderful sight and hint of things to come for those making the journey back down to see them.

Getting off the ferry is, as with many cross border ferries, the most painful part as they need to process everyone through immigration before allowing anyone off the ferry.  Watching our passports heading off up the ramp without us was a little unnerving, even better with some random man not even in uniform, but hey this is Africa, fortunately they returned soon after with the all important entry stamps across our visas.

Our hotel in Aswan had a fantastic location, just one block back from the river and close to the souq where anything from spices to perfume, handbags to fruit and veg was available, together with all the souvenirs you could ever need (and far more than would fit in already stretched backpacks).  Aswan town is a great place to wander around, and an even better place to take a felucca ride on the Nile exploring Elephantine Island, the First Cataract (rapids) and watching life go on.  The river is the lifeblood of Egypt, and the sand dunes sitting just behind the lush riverside cultivation provide a very impressive contrast and hint at the deserts beyond the Nile Valley.

Despite having sailed past the temples of Abu Simbel on our journey from Sudan, the only way to visit these temples is from either Aswan or Luxor.  So at silly o’clock (4am) most of the group loaded onto a chartered bus to head down to the temples.  Past issues with security mean that the journey to Abu Simbel is still conducted in convoys,  so after a corralling of the tour buses, and loading on of armed security guards, we headed off.  Three hours (and a nap or two) later we arrived at Abu Simbel.  Our local guide provided fascinating details of Egyptian history, many of the names were familiar from school history lessons, but we were all a bit rusty but after a while we all knew our Nefertitis (step mother of Tutankhamun) from our Nefertaris (Ramses II’s wife). 

The temples of Abu Simbel are often named as a highlight of a visit to Egypt’s historical sites, and seeing the incredibly impressive entrance to Ramses II’s temple, it is easy to understand why. Dominated by four massive statues of Ramses himself, inside the decoration is incredible – intricate carvings cover every wall and pillar as well as the ceiling, and some of the original colours still remain.  To preserve the inside, cameras are not allowed, so you will just have to trust us that it was truly stunning.  To the right of the main temple is a smaller temple for Ramses’ wife, Nefertari.  Much smaller in size, the decoration is no less impressive inside, awe inspiring to think of the artisans working on these temples many thousands of years before.  But perhaps the most impressive aspect of a visit to Abu Simbel is the knowledge that the temples were relocated from a site approximately 200m from their current location, as otherwise they would have been lost when the Aswan High Dam was constructed in the 1960s.  Cutting the temples into 47,000-odd blocks, they were laboriously taken apart, moved and then put back together, an incredible feat of engineering, not to mention patience and precision.

Robin, Ken, Jeanne, Jake and Rogan at Abu Simbel

Ramses II and, of course, Ramses II (he was certainly fond of his own image!)

Nefertari's Temple

The impressive entry to Ramses II Temple

While we were all now in Egypt, alas Athena was still languishing in the port at Wadi Halfa, loaded onto a barge that we were assured would be with us soon (Egypt time, of course…) and so we hired a bus to take everyone up to Luxor.  The airconditioning was a welcome luxury, but everyone agreed that Athena was far more comfortable and spacious!

Luxor is home to some of Egypt’s most famous historical monuments – Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut Temple (aka Hot Chicken Soup temple, even the taxi drivers know it as this) and the Valley of the Kings.  A visit to all three was on the cards for most of the group, even those who had seen them on previous visits to Egypt which gives an idea of how impressive they are.  Our visit to Luxor coincided with the referendum in Egypt to decide what would happen now given the overthrow of former president, Mubarek.  It was exciting to see queues of people outside polling booths, and there was a real feeling of hope amongst local residents that Egypt’s future was heading in the right direction.  And for us, it meant even fewer crowds at the historical sights.

Luxor was the site of many of the protests in the days and weeks after the “revolution” in January, and tourism has been hit very hard in the town.  We had the privilege of being able to walk around the Luxor and Karnak temples almost alone, and even the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temples were much less crowded than usual.  Some of the group chose to explore the temples accompanied by a local guide, with so much history and such intricate symbols everywhere, it gives you a chance to try to understand!  Even without any knowledge of Ancient Egypt, the temples are undoubtedly an incredibly impressive sight.

Nigel and Simon at Karnak Temple

Local guides help explain the history

When was the last time you spent a whole day with a hot bird?  Ah ha ha ha (thanks to the King of Puns, Nigel for this "joke")

Tanks on the streets were the only signs (other than lack of tourists) that hinted at recent unrest

With the Nile beckoning, many of the group headed out for a sunset felucca cruise, well, due to lack of wind the sail was never hoisted, and most of the time we were towed by a diesel-smoke spewing tugboat, but it was an hilarious afternoon and a great way to experience the Nile.  Nigel demonstrated his rowing skills, Lesley showed how not to open a bottle of tonic water, and after dinner, Kirsten raced to victory at the bowling alley.

Heave ho

Cheers - Pete, Robin, Terry, Lesley and Jeanne

More cheers - Jake, Ken, Lynley, Dave and Zan

Breaking horses on the banks of the Nile

"Sailing" along behind a tug boat

With Athena finally joining us in Luxor, our final drive was to Cairo.  An early departure helped us to cover the nearly 700kms in one day, travelling alongside the Gulf of Suez for much of the journey.

And so, after 26,020km, we finally arrived at our final destination, Cairo.  Arriving in Cairo brought out mixed emotions – joy at completing the journey, and sadness that it was now over and everyone would be heading their separate ways.  We had a final group meal out at a great Lebanese restaurant, and reminisced about some of the amazing sights we had all seen along the way, the scenery, the wildlife, the truck food, the parties...  stories to dine out on for many many years to come.  After dinner, we all gathered in the hotel to see the 2010 Cape to Cairo slideshow which Kirsten and Pete had put together - plenty of laughs, the occasional groans and so many fantastic memories.  If you know any of our expedition members you will be sure to see it too!

As we have all been travelling together for 5 months now, our time in Cairo was largely about saying farewell, but of course there were a few sights to explore as well!

The Pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum are two of Cairo's main attractions, and accompanied by a local guide, the group headed off to explore.

Odyssey - 2010 Cape to Cairo as modelled by Robin, Simon and Jake!

So, how to sum up the whole journey?  Well, it is impossible really, but we will put together some of our favourite photos from the expedition and add them to Odyssey’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/OdysseyOverland.

We would like to thank all the 2010 Cape to Cairo expedition members who made this expedition a success, wish them all the best for their future travels and hope to see them on an Odyssey again in the future!

The 2010 Cape to Cairo Odyssey-ers in Cape Town - nervous, and oh so clean!

Guess where?

If you want to follow the blogs of our upcoming expeditions, click on the links which will be on the website on the Blogs page soon.  Our 2011 London to Australia expedition departs on 17th April, and our 2011 Cairo to Cape Town expedition departs on 12th May.

Su-dan-easy

Immediately upon crossing into Sudan, the differences from Ethiopia were evident.  Another country with a troubled past and present, but with a different culture and approach, the results seem to be so very different.  Where Ethiopia is mountainous and the majority is at a fairly high altitude, Sudan is predominantly flat and sits only a few hundred metres above sea level.  Where we were constantly approached and at times hassled by touts in Ethiopia, even in the border town we were regarded with curiosity in Sudan, then people continued on their way.  Begging disappeared almost completely, and the friendliness of the people in Sudan cannot be overstated.  Just crossing a road you will be greeted with someone leaning out of their car yelling “Hello, welcome to Sudan”.  Even the policemen were friendly “Where are you from?  England?  I love England!  Welcome to Sudan, I hope you enjoy my country.”  After the challenges in Ethiopia which had worn everyone down to varying extents, Sudan presented a breath of fresh air and gave the group renewed energy and enthusiasm.

The recent referendum to split the country into two (roughly north and south, but obviously a little more complex than that), is effectively formalising arrangements that are already in place.  In order to visit Southern Sudan, a separate visa is required, and they keep separate consul offices in various neighbouring countries.  In time, southern Sudan will again be a safe destination, but for the meantime, we would be spending all our time in “northern” Sudan, well away from troubled areas such as Juba and Darfur.     

Mosque on the shores of the Nile

Nice spot for lunch

Our first stop in Sudan was a bushcamp en route to Khartoum.  Bushcamping, or wild camping, is rated as a highlight of any of our expeditions, and this particular bushcamp was spectacular, and a fantastic start to our time in Sudan.

Next stop – Khartoum.  The capital of Sudan, this is a bustling metropolis.  On the drive into the city, the road is flanked on both sides by huge factories, and as we got closer, by luxury car garages and fancy shops.  Oil money has flowed into the city, and brought with it the trappings of wealth, but underneath it all, Khartoum remains a fairly sleepy, friendly and safe capital, and a great place to spend a couple of days.  We camped at The Blue Nile Sailing Club on the banks of the Blue Nile – an incredible location to watch the river flow by, accompanied by a cold mango juice (well, a G&T would probably have been better, but Sudan is a dry country, with the penalty for possession of alcohol being 40 lashes, something none of us were keen to risk!).  Khartoum has a couple of interesting sights, but for many it was a nice chance to catch up on washing, journals or internet, or to have a wander around.  A taxi ride away from the campsite is the Omdurman Souq, Sudan’s largest market.  With virtually anything you want on sale there, it is fascinating to wander around and chat to the stallholders.  Terry and Robin went one further, purchasing the traditional gallabaya and caps worn by the local men, perfect attire for Robin’s birthday dinner of burgers and potato salad that went down a treat!

Leaving Khartoum behind, we headed north to the Temples of Naqa.  There are tar roads throughout most of Sudan, but where is the fun in that?  Athena isn’t afraid of the sand, so we headed off through the desert towards the temples.   

Dating from the first century AD, the purpose of the temples at Naqa is unknown.  They are some of the best preserved examples of Kushite buildings in Sudan, and while the sand is slowly reclaiming them, many of the carvings and statues are still in very good condition.  Much of the symbolism is similar to that found in Egyptian temples, with the avenue of rams leading to the Temple of Amun being similar to those found in Karnak in Egypt, and there are also influences from Greek, Roman and Persian cultures.  Tourism is still relatively rare in Sudan, so we were the only visitors to the temples while we were there and we were free to wander around accompanied by the silent ghaffir who had collected our entrance fees. 

Is it a dog?  No, it's a long-tailed sheep!

Situated between the two temples at Naqa was a fascinating insight into one of the hardships of desert life.  Located far from the Nile, water is an even more precious commodity out in the desert, so the well provides water for people and their livestock.  Surrounded by herds of cattle, sheep and camels, it is the role of the donkeys to pull the water up out of the well.  Each person brings their donkeys and rigs them up to a crude rope and pulley system, and then walks the donkeys back and forth for about 100m, pulling water up in goat skin bags.

Only about 20km further through the desert are the Temples of Musawwarat.  But with some deep sand drifts and a dry river bed to cross, sand mats were required!  There are no passengers on an overland truck, everyone is a member of the expedition and must work together.  Sand matting is a great example of this – the more you get involved, the greater your sense of achievement when Athena pops up out of the sand!  Dig a bit, put down the mats, drive a bit further, dig a bit, put down the mats, drive a bit further – all good fun, and all part of the adventure.

A bit stuck

With Athena released from the sand, we found another lovely bushcamp.  Far away from the nearest lights, the night sky is carpeted with stars.  When to go to bed?  After the next shooting star?  Ok, just one more...

The Temples at Musawwarat es Sufra are the largest set of Meroitic remains in Sudan.  Again, the purpose of these temples are unknown (the Meroitic language has never been deciphered), but it is suggested that this was a pilgrimage site.  The Great Enclosure, although largely ruined now, was a huge complex of temples and other buildings such as throne rooms.  Intricate carvings remain, and there is also a museum with, unusually, some explanations of symbols and the buildings themselves, in English!  A short walk from the Great Enclosure is the Lion Temple, better preserved and in part restored, it is a striking building with wonderful internal and external carvings.

Another short drive through the desert brought us back to tar roads as we continued north to the most visited historical site in Sudan.  Formerly the capital of the Kushite Kingdom, Meroe is home to the pyramids of the Royal Cemetery.  Unfortunately defiled by early Italian explorers in search of treasures, these mainly top-less pyramids are very different from their Egyptian counterparts.  Smaller in size and steeper in angle, they were built on top of the graves of kings and nobles, not encompassing the graves as in Egypt.  Again, we were the only visitors to the site when we first arrived, and so we were free to wander the site, free also of the touts that are awaiting us in Giza in Egypt!  Jeanne, Lynley and Rogan took the opportunity to take a camel ride around the pyramids, while others braved the hot sand and explored on foot. 

Robin and Ken exploring the pyramids

Just around the corner from the pyramids we camped up next to a sand dune, spectacular views and great photo opportunities!

Jake

Leigh

Continuing across the desert on what used to be a sandy track but is now one of the smoothest tar roads we have been on, we arrived at Jebel Barkal ("holy mountain" in Arabic).  Climbing to the top took a bit of effort in the hot afternoon sun, but the views at the top were spectacular and the best way to appreciate the ruins below.  Jebel Barkal is also home to the best preserved of Sudan's pyramids, fortunately no Italian explorer chopped the top off these ones!

Jebel Barkal

Turning off the tar road we headed into the sand dunes to find a bushcamp for the evening.  What looked like nice hard sand proved to be a little too soft for Athena and after she sunk down a little - normally nothing that a few sandmats won't fix, unfortunately this time the sandmats conspired against us to rip off the bracket holding the air tanks - an almighty hiss ensued, but what sounded like disaster to begin with just required a bit of handiwork from Pete and Rogan to fix, while Kirsten and Cook Group 2 sorted out a lamb roast feast!

Oops, quite a bit stuck...

Continuing further north, we had one more amazing bushcamp before reaching Wadi Halfa where the ferry would take us to Egypt (the ferry is an adventure in itself, sure to be the source of many stories told back home!).  Camping on the shores of Lake Nasser gave those who were willing to brave the cold water the chance to have a bath, quite an exciting prospect as our last showers were in Khartoum!

Wadi Halfa is often described as somewhere that you only go to to get to or from Egypt, but we think that is a bit harsh as the town has a lovely souq (market), great fish and chicken is served in the restaurants, the fastest internet we have had since Kenya, and of course, the friendly people that we have experienced all through our time in Sudan.  Despite being a border town, it doesn't even suffer from the pushy touts that seem to plague border towns the world around!  We scheduled our arrival into Wadi Halfa for a couple of days before the ferry was due to leave for Egypt to give us time to sort out truck paperwork etc and it was a good job we did.  Due to mass evacuations of Sudanese and Ethiopian citizens from Libya and Tunisia via Egypt, the ferry which normally only runs once a week is currently running back and forth as often as it can as they move an estimated 250,000 people south.  For us this meant that we were able to get into Egypt a day early, giving everyone a bit more time to explore the ancient treasures of the final country on our Odyssey.

Re-packing for the ferry as Athena travels on a separate barge

The Stubble Brothers - Ken and Simon

Temples along the Nile

Rogan and Pete on the deck of the ferry