Rik: Soedan

As Salam Alaikum
After one and a half week of traveling in Sudan we are headed for Ethiopia.
Sudan? You must be mad, bonkers or do you have a death wish? All reactions which come to mind if you think of traveling to Sudan. But traveling through Sudan is everything but suicidal, scary and all the other negative thoughts you could might think of.
Sudan on the contrary is a welcome, friendly and open minded country. The people of this country are welcoming you to their country, inviting you to have a coffee or tea with them or are willing to let a group of 20 use there toilet and shower for free.
We left Egypt the day after my birthday in Abu Simbel. Here we had a good diner with a chocolate cake and I got some local clothing to wear that night. The following morning we left to Wadi Halfa, Sudan.
The ferry would take us to the other side of lake Nasser, and after an hour drive we arrived at the border. This is where the most difficult part of traveling between Egypt and Sudan is. The border.
First we had to exit Egypt and with all the paperwork this took us about an hour or 3-4.
Around noon we were at the border of Sudan. Ready to get in, but also this country loved paper so another 4 hours later we were ready to enter Sudan. (One of the group decided to put an page of the old passport in the new one. Because in case she would go to the states she would not be allowed in. Which is probably a bit exaggerated. )
In Wadi Halfa we started and stayed in a guesthouse and from the days forward to khartoum we would stay in the tents during bush camps. Except one night where we had another guesthouse to stay in.
We visited many of the Nubian sights scattered along the Nile. So we've seen some sights that are from 600 bc to 600 ad which are from either the period that the Egyptians were ruling over parts of Sudan or the Nubians (an ethnic group of Sudanese people).
This meant that there are pyramids and temples dedicated to either the Egyptian gods or to the Nubian god, or both. In the first case this meant that all hieroglyphs are in Egyptian and that all texts are translated. While the other is in Nubian hieroglyphs and the archeologists are still busy translating these texts.
Difference with the drawings in the temples with the Nubian compared to the Egyptian is that these are more realistic. Where Egyptians pharaohs are displayed as almost superheroes with strong arms, perfect face etc etc. the Nubians kings show more how people really were, African, this means big belly, big lips, breaded hair.
Camping the first few nights were great, besides from the warm nights. The day temperature from 45degrees go to a 25degrees during the night. So it's a bit sweaty at the day but also at the night.
Camping with Lotte is also no big problem, setting up camp cooking and the bush pees are all a pease of cake. Which is a good thing while we have a lot of camping towards Cape Town.
Tomorrow we are going towards Ethiopia to the border and then we will be in Gondor by this weekend.
And there's beer in Ethiopia !!!! And a brewery in Gondor !!!! Sudan has an Islamic law (not Sharia, like in Saudi), so this means that there is no beer in Sudan.
We will see how Ethiopia will be, but if its the same as Sudan than we will have a great time Ethiopia.
Keep you posted!!!
Ma'is Salama