From Germany to South Africa-Part 4

Sudan: Oasis of hospitality in Nubian Desert

Signalling the warming up of relations between Egypt and Sudan, a land border crossing between the two nations was opened in 2014. Three years prior, however, when we did our motorcycle trip through Africa, the only way to get from Egypt to Sudan was by ferry.
The ferry starts from Aswan, where we left off last time, and takes about 18 hours to reach the remote Sudanese town of Wadi Halfa on the shores of Lake Nubia. To get an idea of the conditions on the ferry, imagine a ferry in Bangladesh during Eid. We arrived in Wadi Halfa on May 31, 2011, but we had to wait for our motorcycles for five days, as they were transported on a separate ship.
Life in Wadi Halfa is slow, houses are simple yet incredibly beautiful, and people are friendly and open-hearted. Water and desert, create a peaceful ambience for weary souls, and I have been dreaming of going back ever since.
Once we had been reunited with our motorcycles, we rode through the Nubian Desert, where temperatures during the day often go significantly above 40 degrees Celsius, to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. The road, about 1,000 kilometres long, was in perfect shape. That, however, does not help much, if you are ‘lucky’ enough to hit the only stone on hundreds of kilometres of asphalt. My front tire was damaged internally, resulting in a scary tire bulge. It took us more than 2,000 kilometres of slow and careful riding until we found a new tire, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In Khartoum, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, a Sudanese friend introduced us to the local cuisine. The national dish of Sudan is ful, which we already knew from Egypt, where it is popular, too. Ful is a dish of cooked fava beans served with vegetable oil and cumin, and optionally added onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and chili pepper.
Our next stop in Sudan was Al Qadarif, which is located about 160 km from the Ethiopian border at Metema. Finding an affordable hotel there proved harder than one might expect. The night began to set in, and we were still searching. We were about to give up, and prepared ourselves to sleep on the ground in front of a gas station on the outskirts of the city, when a local family invited us to spend the night with them. They took us to their sparsely furnished home, two or three huts with walls made of mud, and prepared ful for us. After food, they took us along to a wedding. Looking back, this was one of our most memorable nights in Africa.
Before we left for Ethiopia the next morning, we offered them some money, in an attempt to express our gratitude. They refused.
Sudan is still widely untainted by tourism and, in my estimation, one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. Its people are incredibly friendly, warm, and generous, and their hospitality is truly humbling. Go there before the tourists do!

To be continued.

The writer is a moral philosopher at Rice University in Texas, USA.

From Germany to South Africa-Part 4

Sudan: Oasis of hospitality in Nubian Desert

Signalling the warming up of relations between Egypt and Sudan, a land border crossing between the two nations was opened in 2014. Three years prior, however, when we did our motorcycle trip through Africa, the only way to get from Egypt to Sudan was by ferry. The ferry starts from Aswan, where we left off last time, and takes about 18 hours to reach the remote Sudanese town of Wadi Halfa on the shores of Lake Nubia. To get an idea of the conditions on the ferry, imagine a ferry in Bangladesh during Eid. We arrived in Wadi Halfa on May 31, 2011, but we had to wait for our motorcycles for five days, as they were transported on a separate ship. Life in Wadi Halfa is slow, houses are simple yet incredibly beautiful, and people are friendly and open-hearted. Water and desert, create a peaceful ambience for weary souls, and I have been dreaming of going back ever since. Once we had been reunited with our motorcycles, we rode through the Nubian Desert, where temperatures during the day often go significantly above 40 degrees Celsius, to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. The road, about 1,000 kilometres long, was in perfect shape. That, however, does not help much, if you are lucky enough to hit the only stone on hundreds of kilometres of asphalt. My front tire was damaged internally, resulting in a scary tire bulge. It took us more than 2,000 kilometres of slow and careful riding until we found a new tire, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In Khartoum, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, a Sudanese friend introduced us to the local cuisine. The national dish of Sudan is ful, which we already knew from Egypt, where it is popular, too. Ful is a dish of cooked fava beans served with vegetable oil and cumin, and optionally added onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and chili pepper. Our next stop in Sudan was Al Qadarif, which is located about 160 km from the Ethiopian border at Metema. Finding an affordable hotel there proved harder than one might expect. The night began to set in, and we were still searching. We were about to give up, and prepared ourselves to sleep on the ground in front of a gas station on the outskirts of the city, when a local family invited us to spend the night with them. They took us to their sparsely furnished home, two or three huts with walls made of mud, and prepared ful for us. After food, they took us along to a wedding. Looking back, this was one of our most memorable nights in Africa. Before we left for Ethiopia the next morning, we offered them some money, in an attempt to express our gratitude. They refused. Sudan is still widely untainted by tourism and, in my estimation, one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. Its people are incredibly friendly, warm, and generous, and their hospitality is truly humbling. Go there before the tourists do! To be continued. The writer is a moral philosopher at Rice University in Texas, USA.