The Nile Valley Express
This train runs infrequently and irregularly from Wadi Halfa on Lake Nasser, to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. It's a minimum 36 hour ride, and the folks who ride on top of the rounded carriages have absolutely nothing to hang onto.
Quick, Somebody Call the SPCA
Our donkey actually had a light load compared to other pack animals in the area who were used to carry goods to markets, though with three backpacks on, he did get a few stares, and more than a few laughs from the locals. We bought Homer ar a market for about US$20, and resold him later for about $12, and split the cost three ways. The donkey is not a self-motivated beast-you definitely have to hit these babies to make em go!
Camels to the Central African Border
There is absolutely no motorized transport or roads in large areas of the Sudan, and I did over 500km by a combination of camel, donkey, and walking. These camels were owned by Baba Abdullah, and Mustafa Mohammed, who transported goods for a living, and were willing to take us along with them. On the left are my two buddies, Eric and Ewald from Holland, and that's me on the right. The big round objects on Eric's camel are grinding stones for a sorghum mill. The fellow in the red cap carried a British colonial era sword, and the other two carried traditional spears. back to main page
