Friday 4 April (day 35)

Our first day in Aswan after a good night of rest. Julia was feeling a little better after having started some antibiotics. As Friday is a weekend day in Muslim countries, there was no way we could process any of the paperwork to get the car from the boat. Therefore, we didn't do much and walked around town a little. It was very clear that we have left Africa and entered a different world of shops, luxury, fast cars and stress. Luckily, the (rare) availability of beer to counter the stress was an advantage. Aswan has a large Souq (market) with millions of tourist-curios and an equal amount of tourists. The hassles the Egyptian salesmen gave us while strolling the streets seemed endless. A brief "no thanks" did not stop the taximen to explain all the places he could bring you too, or the sailor to tell you that he can give you a cheaper price per hour. If that would be all, Aswan would be a lovely place, but the shameless attitude seemed everywhere and all the time. It was not possible to buy a bottle of water, a cup of tea, a shoarma (very nice!) without having to strongly negotiate before during or after the purchase.

Tuesday 1 April (day 32)

Disaster!!  The car is leaking oil.  There is no way we can push on.  Because we are in a lone desert site there isn't any way to get oil and we won't make it t Halfa in time to get the weekly ferry! 

Ha, ha.  April fools.  We pack up the car and drive the final stretch into Halfa.  There isn't much to the town and as we pull over and are wondering how to find our contact – he finds us.  All immigration and customs for Sudan to be done here and arrangements for the ferry to Aswan as well.  We meet up again with Carlo, do some paperwork, get some provisions and head back out into the desert for a last night of camping in Sudan.

Monday 31 March (day 31)

We stopped in Abri – the largest market town north of Dongola in search of brunch.  We are befriended by a local Nubian (who now lives in Khartoum but is home for the wek).  He speaks excellent English and guides us around.  Firt to a small place that serves us coffee, tea, ful (beans) and fried fish for breakfast.  And then to the butcher, baker and a secret sour to get some Nubian cheese (like soft feta).  With our provisions in hand we head off agin winding thorugh the small villages along the Nile.  We stop at the 3^rd cataract.  The lookout point is a steap, rocky climb, and we put the Landie in low diff lock and drive up the slope.  We love this car!  As the afternoon wears on we pick a site on a bluff overlooking the Nile and make camp.  We will do the final kilometers to Wadi Halfa tomorrow.

Sunday 30 March (day 30)

We left our campsite driving on the east side of the Nile going North to Kerma.  5 Km before Kerma we wanted to see the Deffufa a huge mudbrick building thought to be one of he oldest remaining man-made structures in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The guide book makes it sound as if you can't miss it!  Well, you can.  After driving around the narrow "roads" (more like spaces) between houses we stop and ask for directions.  We get them.. in Arabic… but always with a smile, and we head in that general direction.  We stop and ask a couple of more times and luckily stumble (by almost driving into his yard) a man who speaks some English.  He tells us to drive back to the school, take a left to the river and take another left, then really, we can't miss it.  All the buildings and houses are surrounded by high mud brick walls and we can't tell where the school is.  We take a guess and turn left and a car starts honking behind us and the man gets out and shouts – "that's not the school! Keep going" and he takes us to where the school is and directs us left.  We manage to find the Deffufa!  They are in the process of excavating the site and constructing a museum.  We pay the standard Sudan historical site fee of 20 NSP per person and have a look around.  It is amazing to know that such an ancient structure is still standing but there is no info and not guide so we have to guess a lot at the history.  We move on to the Kerma market.  We park the car and take a wonder around in search of lunch and some oranges.  It is busy with spices, meat, coffee, plastic toys, shoes, clothing on sale.  It is packed with people an donkey carts.  We find a falafel stand and a baklava stand and place an order take away.  The baklava is sold by the KILO not by the piece!  At first this seemed extravagant but we have adapted to it and there is never any left over… sooo good!.  The guy selling oranges finds us and then we are ready to move on.  The baklava is gone before we make it out of town and we start on the falafel sandwich.  The road is winding along the Nile through small villages.  Multiple houses are within large walled compounds and swept clean.  The houses and walls are mud brick the color of the earth except for brightly colored and patterned entry gates to each compound.