Desert + Breakdowns = hot and bothered

Once we arrived in Wadi Halfa, Sudan, we had to wait another day for the car. As soon as we stepped off the ferry, the heat was just relentless, at a novel 46 degrees, and the crush to get on a bus to passport control was just splendid. Eventually we got to town, and after finding the first three hotels to be full, we eventually managed to get rooms at what can only be described as a basic little place, next door to a juice bar, which is where we would spend the majority of the next two days. Not having the car with us was actually a welcome relief, and although we had managed to get it on the barge, I still had concerns that all was not quite right.

Juice bar kid in Halfa

The next day, the eight of us, four groups of two, headed to the ferry port to be reunited with our cars (and in Ferdy and Katherina's case, their dog), and although we had prepared for a frustrating day, it really did go beyond our already low levels of expectations. First we sat in the heat for several hours, as the barge, and our cars sat just out of reach, and then we had to join in the cargo clearing operation to access them. Unpaid manual labour in 46 degrees heat in the North Sudanese desert is not in any way shape or form advisable. We did, however, eventually manage to get all of our vehicles off the ferry, and after a juice and some falafel we decided to head to the relative calm of the desert for the night.

Desert Camp

The next morning at around 7am, Arno, Andre, Phil and myself agreed to begin making tracks towards Dongola. Both teams were in a bit of a rush to get to Khartoum, and so we left the others behind, and hit the nice, new, Chinese produced road down to Dongola, a small town approximately midway between Wadi Halfa and Khartoum. It wasn't long, however, until my worst concerns proved true, and not only did the car overheat again, but this time it was a complete blow out, with 'mayonnaise' dripping everywhere. 'It's a goner' was quoted by both our Dutch travel companions, and as I stared into the milky abyss, I felt my back begin to rupture, and it just seemed that we were being given no room to rest, to enjoy, to appreciate our journey. As me and Phil sat and ate cereal on the car bonnet waiting for Ferdy and Katherina to come to our rescue, I shed a little tear. It was hurting, what can I say? Relatively it is nothing, but right there and then it was hurting.

Engine Blows!!!

Once more, however, we were blessed, and not only did we receive a tow back into Halfa, but also Halfa just happens to be full of old Land Rovers, and thus was one of the only places on the planet that had a spare cylinder head ready to be dropped straight into our car, and be ready to leave the same day. It was a long day, and both Phil and myself were feeling drained from the last few weeks, but still we had to be thankful. Initially we had expected a two or three week wait, and rather it was 7 or 8 hours.

Phil having a snooze at garage

Our saviour

Eventually we were ready to hit the road once more, and after a quick visit to the local market for water and fruit, we were off on our way, once more down towards Dongola. We managed to get in a good three or four hours driving, and after deciding that the banks of the Nile were home to a few too many insects, we opted instead for a bed outside a truck stop approximately 200 km short of Dongola. It was nice to lie down and see so many stars above us, and again be thankful that somehow are car was still in one piece, and that our journey could continue.