6th May Wadi Halfa Sudan

M/V Saad Naam was a new boat. A word that needs to be in context: I guess when one remembers just how old the civilizations are that have risen and fallen in this area it is new and replaced an older boat some years ago.
We turned up at the port at about 10am to be greeted by a horde of passengers each with a vast supply of goods. Things must be cheaper in Egypt. Mt Eezah helped us through the formalities quite quickly with little baksheesh needing to change hands. Then it was down to the motorised barge in which the vehicles were to travel. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It seemed that as there were only 2 vehicles less than 5 metres in length the smaller barge would be used. The bigger one is used for larger vehicles like the overland trucks. I thought there would be a roll on arrangement and there was of sorts: a ramp was put in place along the side of the barge and I had to drive the van up the ramp and fit it between the superstructure and a hold cover. I wasn’t aware exactly what they wanted me to do and had the back left wheel caught horribly on the corner of the hold cover. A lot of manoeuvring later I was still caught high and dry. Once I got out and looked for myself then realized the problem which eventually was easily solved. Hope I didn’t damage the tyre.
Raider had no trouble with his Landcruiser. His is higher and a winch to hold it in place.
The boat itself wasn’t too bad. We had booked a first class cabin. This consisted of 2 bunks, a chair and a large air conditioner. There were no sheets, the door wouldn’t lock, but at least we had a port hole. The grime in the cabin gave us the impression the last time it had been cleaned was when it was commissioned. It was pretty bad. After lying on the top bunk for a while looking at the foot prints on the end wall and the layers of dirt on the ceiling I said ‘Enough!’ I grabbed the flannel we had brought with us, filled up an empty beer can with water from the communal basins then got to work. Thirty minutes later I was able to lie back and relax a little.
Non first class passengers had a choice: either in a communal sauna in chairs or up on deck. The latter very hot when the sun was up but lovely after dark I believe.
The highlight of the voyage was sailing past the great temple of Abbu Simbel in the early morning. We were about 500 metres from the statues. They were magnificent.
Wadi Halfa is hot, dusty and a bit of a dive. We are staying at the Deffintoad Hotel. The room has three beds in it, no sheets but stained covers. No fan or A/C of course but there is a plug with which we can heat up a cup of tea. It is very basic. All going well we will have the vehicles early tomorrow and be able to hit the road. Mark, a South African, was waiting at the High Dam ready to load his motor bike, he is going to join us on the next leg of the trip.
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