Is anybody out there?

It was hot on the day we left Khartoum and it only got hotter on the road.
Kaspuur's chassis would singe skin on contact both inside the car and out. Against all odds - the heat, the sand and the distance - our trusty companion kept going.

North of Khartoum, the merciless desert threatens to swallow the small towns that compete for resources. As it turns out there are a number of cool pyramids and temples in Sudan worth visiting. To get to some of the more interesting places we had to go off road and into the desert with dusty whirlwinds blowing away the almost nonexistent path. Other signs of life were increasingly spars and the reality of dehydration cracks at your lips. The trek is worth it and the cherry on the top was to have the entire sight to ourselves. In typical Sudanese style, a ticket collector walks out of the desert, takes his fee, proudly bestows a genuine receipt and disappears back to the mirage from whence he came.

After some sightseeing and desert camping it was on to Wadi Halfa. This one horse town is the end of Sudan (and feels like the end of the world) and the beginning of the ferry crossing to Egypt - a major milestone in the trip! The crossing went smoothly thanks to the services of a fixer (the very same used by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman!). The best part of the ferry was sleeping under the stars on the deck. No names mentioned but it is worth noting that the experience was slightly ruined by a massive puncture in our camping mattress. Sleeping on metal is not comfortable!

Here are some photo's (in no particular order) that best explain this part of the trip....

Free reign of the Pyramids of Meroe >>> The Pyramids of Meroe from our desert camp >>>

Nothing but nothing on the roads >>>

Chasing the blissful shade >>> The all consuming heat >>>
No guards or other tourists to tell you what to do >>>
I'm off to ask the goat herder if he paid his entrance fee >>>
A small breakdown in downtown desert. Our Achilles heel - corrugation - coming back to haunt us >>>
Do not pass go! Temple at Naqa >>> A small twister behind Kaspuur >>>
Another perfect African sunset >>>
First class cabin on deck >>> Kaspuur waiting to board the ferry. We had to leave it on the pier and hope it was driven safely onto the barge behind it >>> Wadi Halfa >>> Desert cooking >>>