22 Apr 2012

Carry on camping!

Shortly after the occupation of Heglig by South Sudan, it was suggested that I should leave North Kordofan for Khartoum, at least for the interim anyway.  It was very sad not being able to say goodbye to my many students and friends in El Obeid, and frustrating not being able to continue to do my job in the town that I had come to love and call my home.

However, if I had to pick a week in which to return to Khartoum I couldn't have chosen a better one!  Not only was I welcomed with open arms by my fantastic SVP friends; who made sure I didn't want for anything; I was also now able to go on the surprise camping trip planned by Billie and Omer for Christine's 21st birthday.

A stroke of luck enabled us to borrow a photo copy of Christine's passport, which we used to get a travel permit to Bagrawia without her knowing!  So it was all systems go.

Around 2pm on Friday, Omer, Moneer, Bob and Suleman arrived at our apartment in a large air-conditioned van that was already packed to the gunnel's before we added our luggage into the mix!  Christine; who'd already been told not to make plans for the weekend; was given 10 minutes notice to be ready and pack a small bag.

So off we set in the searing afternoon heat, for the desert - mad dogs and Englishmen certainly sprung to mind at this point!

After about 3 hours we arrive at our destination, Bagrawia where there is a group of pyramids in the desert!  They were amazing to see amongst great hills of sand, where they have stood for thousands of years.Sadly many of them are now damaged and were looted long ago for their treasures that lay within, but some have been restored and recreated thanks to a charitable project.  

We found a nice spot to make our camp, just the other side of the pyramids - we didn't realise just how close we were until the following morning!

  
Putting up the tents proved to be quite a challenge as it was very windy and there was little shelter, but we managed to get them all up before settling down to create something to eat, by which time the light was fading fast.

After we ate our sumptuous meal we smoked sheesha and lay looking at the amazing star filled sky, until settling into our tents for the night.

In the morning just as we were finishing our breakfast some Bedouins came along on their camels and a group of small boys set up an "instant market" just for our benefit. Before we knew it we were off across the desert in a camel train - such an amazing experience!  

Getting on was surprisingly easy, and you just hang on for dear life as the camel raises itself from being on it's knees up onto it's feet.  I was quite pleasantly surprised how safe I felt up there, despite my pathological fear of the creatures!  My camel had a mind of it's own and when the rest had slowed almost to a stop, mine drove through them barging the others out of the way, seemingly happiest when moving, preferably at speed.

The boys at the "instant market" waited patiently whilst we broke camp, and were justly rewarded as we shopped for our souvenirs before setting off for our next stop.

Overnight we'd managed to completely deplete our drinking water supplies, and were thrilled to stop at literally an oasis in the desert for drinks and to fill water bottles. 

We arrive at what our guide, Moneer describes as a small farm in Sabaloka, from where we are to visit the 6th Cataract of the Nile. The small farm turns out to be a thriving tourist spot, with a small zoo and plenty of seats and beds where you can take your rest. Moneer negotiates a very reasonable 300SDP for the 10 of us to take a boat trip to see the Cataract and camp by the Nile for the night. The scenery on the boat trip is simpley incredible; mountains, greenery and a small goat inhabited island, and of course the cataract itself, where suddenly the serene river broke into small rapids with very strong current.

Saddiq, the owner of the farm is a charming man, who has put a lot of thought and effort into his business. There is everything we need there and after sunset we have the place to ourselves for the night. The 6 of us set about preparing a meal, whilst the menfolk take their rest. Whilst our cooking skills are more than adequate, we have nothing but admiration for the Sudanese ladies ability to create amazing dishes from scratch in what seems like a relatively short space of time! We are concerned that the men will be disappointed with our efforts, especially as the meat part of the meal needs a lot more cooking so we elect to have it as supper! If they are disappointed they are too polite to say.

After our struggles with the tents the previous night, we decide to put our tents up before the daylight starts to fade. It turns out to be a simple task, having practice in severe weather conditions the night before, so we are soon settling down for tea, coffee and sheesha relaxing by the Nile before bed. The bathroom facilities are amazing - fully plumbed in toilets with showers in little bamboo huts, a big step up from the "over that sand dune to your left and you're there" facilities of the previous night!

Needless to say I wake up in the morning thoroughly looking forward to a shower - not to be disappointed!

We break camp, pack up the van and head back to Khartoum, arriving around midday, thoroughly exhausted but elated from such an incredible experience.   Hats off to tour guide Moneer Salih (moneerkush@yahoo.com), for organising the agenda, Suleman our tour bus driver, Omar for making it all happen and Billie for coming up with the idea in the first place. I think I can safely say that Christine had a 21st birthday celebration that she'll never forget.

No comments:

Post a Comment