Equator

We are now in the southern hemisphere having just crossed the equator on the first tarmac road we have seen for 10 days .

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Kenya day 87

At last we are now safely in Kenya and mobile email contact after 3 days on and off the road and we saw only one missionary's car and one overlander truck and no tribesmen. We now know how to use a kinetic tow rope and a winch. We also know what a beeking tow rope can do. Luckily nobody hurt.

Perhaps Treatts was here already!

Addis or Lima ?

Largest market in Africa

Hailie Selassie Cathredal, Mrs Pankhurst's (the Suffragette) Grave

in Ethiopia the churches are round with one notable exception the 1920 Addis cathedral built for Emperor Haile Selassie. Mrs Pankhurst was a notable Sufragette who was a very strong socialist and of couse a leader in the movement for women's rights and votes in the United Kingdom.She was disgusted by the League of Na ...

Buying a COMESSA Yellow card for 3 party insurance in a power cut

A tale of daily life in Africa We have travelled the last 7,000 miles with no third party insurance as it cannot be easily bought locally but there is a scheme covering many of the southern African countries. COMESSA. We found an Ethiopian insurance company called “The Ethiopian insurance company and telephoned them. W ...

Addis Abeba

Good italian Dinners at Castelli's , good value but the south African or itallian wine prices shock Isabella ! Whiskas now gone......for the moment.

Street repairs

Isabella having her ten year old boot economically repaired for less than 50 p.

Ethiopian countryside

We think it would be  water colour artists dream. Agriculture is so basic but we did see one tractor on a large farm of say 20 acres so it may not last. The very rolling countryside just north of Addis is populated with lots of Eucalypts was somewhat reminscent of Tasmania on a very hot dry day!  

The Gorge

At one kilometer deep ....it was quite some thing . Till the Japanese kindly built and paid for a new bridge and road onthe South side it would take 3 hours to drive up from the bridge on a gravel road. Luckily it took us only 30 minutes.  There were lots of warning signs but  even isabella had to over take on double ...

German Friends or why buy a Land Rover

 they spent a few days in a garage in Addis and felt we should be gratteful we were in a Toyota and not a Landrover ...... We will follow them South to Cape Town or overtake them. 

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Addis Ababa at last after 10 hours on a tarmac road

We crossed the largest canyon in Africa ..pictures will follow. We are now here in the Ghion Hotel , we have internet access in Hugos' room and so Skype (Hugobovill)but no mobile phone signals it seems!  

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Lake Tana Bahir Dar Ethiopia

We arrived here after eight hours [un]-restful drive on a very good road, apart from the fact that it was being re-surfaced by the Chinese and so it was often reduced to a single track wending across precipitous ravines where we were caught between piles of gravel on one side and a bottomless drop on the other.  ...

Lalibella 8th wonder of the world

At 11,000 feet of altitude, this small village perched on top of a hill hides the unofficial eighth wonder of the world, and is referred to as one of the holiest places in Christendom.  Every Ethiopian Christian is meant to come on pilgrimage here at least once in his lifetime. The worship is focussed on eleven church ...

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Transport / Livestock

Transport / Livestock

Once we had reached Africa the main hazard was not only goats of all shapes and sizes , but also sheep that looked like goats but the test was to drive at them and see who would move. Goats do, sheep don’t! As we progressed we found donkeys to be more hazardous - including those who jumped when hit by the herders ( ...

Simian Mountains to Aksum 150 miles : 7 hours journey in 2nd gear !

 From12,000 ft  we took the road to Aksum....we were aware it would be a long trip but ....and were told after the first twenty kilometres ( 15 miles )the road would improve....Isabella  ( not keen on heights) said she would take over as Hugo had driven for 4 hours.  She had a terrifying two hours of hairpin bends and ...

Ethiopian first Church of many

Simian Mountains to Aksum: 150 miles in 7 hours mostly in 2nd gear

   From12,000 ft  we took the road to Aksum....we were aware it would be a long trip but ....and were told after the first twenty kilometres ( 15 miles )the road would improve....Isabella  ( not keen on heights) said she would take over as Hugo had driven for 4 hours.  She had a terrifying two h ...

Ethiopia Tigray

It is such a contrast after the Sudan (why The?)for one it is more than 75 % Christian. The country is a contrast to Sudan, with rolling hills rather than flat plains and even the people look quite different! It certainly has changed since I was last here: the food is slightly more varied   and the childre ...

Ethiopia

Ethiopia

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Trip trivia and quotations (and why your postcard has not arrived yet)

  ·         Do not post postcards in letter boxes without asking if they are the correct one! Hugo posted a handful in a post box marked overseas mail outside Kharthoum main post office. He was then told it had not been used for 5 years. So if you were anticipating a card, now you know where it might be.  ·         A ...

Goodbye Sudan (2)

Goodbye Sudan

  We were sad to leave, it might have been quicker by train(!) but the last one left 50 years ago but we followed it for two days. In some places the track had been stripped but surprising not all. We had to use the railway bridges as road bridges and Yes Isabella drove across them. There were large fields of Sunflower ...

Baobab CAMPING spot last night in Sudan

El Obeeid international airport

Probably international due to the numerous UN flights.  

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Ferries etc

Noite the life rafts inthe 4th picture.

El Obeeid Gum arabic

Wednesday 52 Tarmac all the way to El Obeeid (250 miles in 3 hours!)   Passing the International airport ( see photo), probably “international” due to a large UN logistic base at El Obeeeid. We had our normal delicious lunch of goat chunks, bread, peppers tomatoes and spring onions with rocket. We found our way t ...

Sudan stuck solid

Tuesday day 51 Heading South we would try to avoid going through dusty villages, which either have mud houses or straw huts if near agriculture.  The village roads are not roads but rough and normally very dry tracks. Hugo was driving in high ratio (new words for him) and he decided to cut between two houses ...

Sudan

sudan day 52 Tarmac to El Obeeid Gum Arabic Centre

Wednesday 52 Tarmac all the way to El Obeeid (250 miles in 3 hours!)   Passing the International airport ( see photo), probably “international” due to a large UN logistic base at El Obeeeid. We had our normal delicious lunch of goat chunks, bread, peppers tomatoes and spring onions with rocket. We found our way to th ...

Sudan

  Monday day 51 Hugo read in our guide book that the dustiest place in the Sudan was El Obeid (Michelin spelling) or Al Ubayyid in our Garmin GPS. It also said to have the prettiest Catholic Church and is the city where the headquarters of the Gum Arabic company are located. Sudan is one of the world’s biggest exporte ...

UPDATE

We are now in Gondar, Ethiopia,Isabella will not be accessing email for over 3 weeks as Blackberries do not work here. Hugo will visit Internet cafes etc and fight 1980s internet speeds. lots of news to update and photos. Sudan was great! 18 days there.   best wishes to all

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Kharthoun

A cool 41 degrees on the car temperature gauge at 16.30 this afternoon.

Sudanese Pyramids at Meroe

Our last night before Kharthoum was spent camping in the sand dunes near these pyramids at Meroe. No sound and light show here as at Giza in Egypt!

The national Museum, Omdurman Souk and a wonderful tea lady making Ginger and Hibiscus tea

Nubian wrestlng

Not  a lot to do on a Friday afternoon in Kharthoum

Abu Simbel as seen from the ferry

the temple saved and moved when the Aswan dam was built otherwise it would be under water.  

not just Isabella on a camel

Blue Nile Sailing Club Kharthoum

We are now staying or should i say camping here....it is not grand but Sudan is very expensive and safe in the North. Just becuase the government is unfriendly please do not assume the people are! in fact quite the opposite, all very kind and help ful and it is a very low crime country. there is an election in Apri ...

Out of Wadi Halfa

Sudan : Out of Wadi Halfa: Day 43 January 25th We are delighted to have got out of Wadi Halfa after five days which was caused not by administration but by delay in unloading the totally impractical barge used for carrying four vehicles perched precariously, and one motorbike.  The discharge of these proved somewhat d ...

typical Nubian buidling, Wadi Halfa police training run, the group eating are the crew of the ferry whilst we passed Abu Simbel temple. The man in Whilte is the learned Sudanese we met. More pyramids in Sudan than Egypt but smaller. Ginger has a new family. Isabella on a camel! More temples with Victorian Graffiti , ...

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Daily life

Camels, 1st night in Sudan camping beside the Nile with Mosquitoes, another temples, yes Hugo Car maintenance,

Ferry UNLOADING...WELL JUST

Wadi Halfa

Aswan Ferry. photo of Mr Saleh

Aswan Ferry.                                                     ...

Wadi Halfa ( after 3 days) day 38

This northern most town of Sudan is the only border post open with Egypt . The only way to enter is  via the ferry from Aswan on Lake Nasser. The town has four cafes, numerous tea stops run by Sudanese ladies , a government immigration centre and of course a mosque. There are two weekly events that make this tow ...

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HugoIs sent only position

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Storm in Aswan (Day 35)

On our last night here there was an incredible storm and thanks goodness we were not in the hotel lift as there was a power failure for a few hours.No generators in our type of hotel. The lightning display was superb over the Nile but sadly the photographs do not really show it. Camping could have been ...

Elephantine Island

A wonderfully peaceful island in the middle of the Nile occupied by Nubian people who depend on tourism and were very friendly. Boat building and small scale farming with these wonderfully woolly Nubian goats (cashmere type) whoose wool is used to make souvenirs. The North End of the Island has been spoil ...

Aswan

Hugo waiting patiently (!), Hugo and our 15 year old Nubian friend  Mohammed, Hotel has easy parking for some,but at least we avoided the pothole that this truck found in front of our eyes.  The Nubian people are descended from those who were displaced by the building of the new Aswan dam creating La ...

Aswan booking ferry tips of interest solely to future travellers, not for general readership!

When hoping to leave Egypt for Sudan on the ferry, which is the only way currently the following waypoints and advice should prove useful: The Nile Valley Corp. for River transportation. Mr Saleh's office. N 24.05.951 E 032.53.977 You will need to visit the following : The court office to receive a document to show ...

Aswan Ferry Booking process

Getting our ferry tickets was an interesting exercise in demographics! Having met few other independent travellers over the last month, suddenly a group of us congregated at the Nile Valley Corporation for River Transportation office and sense of unity in the face of overwhelming bureaucratic odds developed. The grou ...

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HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Sudan Communication and Location or Lack of !

We will not be updating our blog site so often or at all and nor will our position be automatically updated on the map as there is not a full GPRS or EDGE mobile phone system service in Sudan. So if it looks as though we are in Scotland or have sunk in Lake Nasser on the night of Mo ...

Aswan Cruise ( well Ferry actually) & other Overlanders?

Tomorrow we have our first meeting with the legendary Mr Saleh of the Nile Ferry company. His Sudanese colleague Mohammed Idries whose telephone no is 010 684 5201 and works at the Aswan docks end said we were to call him if we had any problems. He is very popular it seems with Overlanders as he is so ...

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Watch

Another Watch strap mender as the repair to Hugo's Swatch strap done in Alexandria did not last the distance. We hope the Toyota garage's work in Alexandria will last till Kenya..... 

Hotel and view

As the notorious Adam Camp on the West bank was closed we chose to stay at the best value 3 star hotel wwww.nilehotel-aswan.com  in Aswan $ 45 per person per night with baths, AC and Cable TV ,(CNN with very depressing news from Haiti). The views of the Nile are fantastic, with so many F ...

The Indiana Jones'

Cheap Sail....

 We choose the cheapest skipper , but his sail needed some repairs

Aswan, Cataract Hotel

In the right hand picture the large building on the side of the cliff  is the Old Cataract Hotel which was closed a couple of years ago for much needed considerable repairs and restoration for three years. It has a marvellous position and Hugo's grandmother probably stayed here for a month in ...

North of Aswan

 A temple north of Aswan

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Egyptian thoughts and memories

Hugo's thoughts: Entering Egypt from the North West introduced us gently to this land with its thousands of amazingly complex 'jigsaw puzzles'. The pieces are made from raw materials from all over this wonderfully friendly country threaded together by the Nile. The jigsaws (tombs,temples and pyramids)were roughly ta ...

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HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Geranium Egyptian

For those people interested in essential oil bearing plants,it should be noted the bedding plants between our rooms on the Red Sea was a very strong smelling Geranium variety( latin name unknown). Given Isabella grows and distills Geranium in Kenya we were somewhat amused. 

Red Sea Adventures

After a few days among the hieroglyphs and touristique pharaohnic splendour of Luxor, we retired to the Red Sea for some rest and recuperation. This entailed a dramatic drive through craggy red mountains where the road rises from sea level to 1900 feet, to two days by the pool in the Radisson Red Sea Resort commuting ...

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HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Ginger meets Egyptians

Live animals are not allowed in the majority of places but an exception was made here for Ginger.  

The Valley of the Kings

The Valley is full of Tombs. No photographs can be taken in the Tombs. Tutankhamun's was very small but it gave one a perspective on his postion considering his very short reign.The other tombs were far larger and many deeper into the rock.  Especially the first tomb Howard Carter found before Tuts. The Valley ...

The West Bank, a minor Temple

wonderful hieroglyphics.....(spelling by Isabella)

Luxor Temple

Luxurious Luxor

This is the entrance to our 5 star Camp Rezeiky with dirty showers. We tooka ride in a horse drawn carriage as it was cheaper than a taxi, the driverwas pretty fast.The city is empty at this time of year between Christmas and February.A goodtime to visit it seems and not too hot at 25 deg Centigrade.

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"Dr" Nassers waiting room etc

Waiting room also his consultation pool, the water is naturally brown as it is fresh from the hot spring.Also a picture of Isabella in front of his brother Abou Mohammed's wonderful restaurant . Nasser wanted Hugo back for another session but now the back is making very good progress thanks to his efforts and Hug ...

We needed you Bourgarel Team.....

We still do not seem to have worked out the GPS!

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HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

Happy Coptic Christmas from Luxor!

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HugoIs sent only position

Miracle cure

First soccer now spiritual healing. After 5 days of unpleasant back pain Hugo may have found an Egyptian to rival his English osteopath. Thanks to the "Rough guide" he found someone rather alternative to sort his back out as he had trapped a nerve. Turban wearing Nasser who operates from Sheik Walli near Al Qasr wa ...

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

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HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position

HugoIs sent only position