Slow boat to Egypt

Well, here we are on the ferry Sina en route for Aswan on Lake Nasser and the QE II it most definitely is not. It is a dump.
We have had a fun few days in Wadi Halfa (WH). After arriving on the Thursday we were dreading spending the next 72 hours here as most guide books just refer to it as a “hole”.
Well it certainly wasn’t that bad thanks to the typical generosity and hospitality of the Sudanese. After meeting Mazar, we went to recce a camp site just out of town where the Aussies (our route advisors from their website) had stayed a year previously. It seemed fine. It was on the banks of the lake a couple of kays southwest of WH between 2 fishing shacks. There was no shade but a cooling breeze and a great vista. We made shade with Tom Cruiser and wiled the afternoon away reading and doing Soduko. That evening as it got dark we had visitors, hundreds upon thousands of midges or miggies or as Rebecca calls them “midgets” descended on us as we were the only light source around. We lit a candle and their sheer weight of numbers soon extinguished the flame, talk about kamikaze bugs! Cooking was a challenge and we were soon driven into the tent. No escaping them there either so no Uno game or journalling that night The next day being Friday, we relaxed around our camp and in the afternoon we drove to Mazar’s house to upload our blog and check for emails regarding our Libya crossing. The morning sandstorm that had engulfed the town but not our camping spot had deposited buckets of dust on their shade cloth above the computers. As I was typing the keyboard periodically got clogged with fine sand. Aish!
While we were there, Andy and Edie arrived (first met in Marsabit, Kenya, last seen in Addis fighting the good visa fight). They had also been given the not-so-good news about the ferry and had got moving to make it.

We declined Mazar’s kind offer of dinner and, with Andy & Edie in tow, we headed off to reclaim our spot, pitch tents and eat quickly before the midget onslaught which luckily never materialised.
Saturday, hooray, only one more sleep and we’re off to Egypt. We were to meet Mazar at 9 o clock to go to the local garage for Tom’s oil change. I had dug out my South African 5 l oil bottle to use and would only do the filters in Cairo so it was an easy job really. We needed another 5l can of oil. Of course they only sell 4l canisters here so we needed a further 1 litre. (Things are just never simple) The oil was a good price but the labour was an exhorbitant R40! For all our questioning and probing, we were no closer knowing how or when Tom Cruiser would leave Wadi Halfa and when we would be able to collect him from Customs at Aswan. In fact, as I type this on the high seas, (it’s a lake, dad, not a sea!) we still don’t have a clue. There is a barge having cement offloaded (holidays permitting), which may or may not be the one our vehicles will be loaded onto (also holidays permitting). That’s another thing…no-one can actually tell us when the holidays are. They may start on the Monday or Tuesday and they may continue for 3 or 4 days. Of course then it’s weekend (Friday and Saturday) so it appears, as far as we can deduce, that the earliest Tom will leave Wadi Halfa is next Sunday or is that arrive in Aswan? What we do know is that we are on the ferry while our trusty steed is still in Wadi Halfa.


Filthy Ferry across Lake Nasser
The road into Egypt is heavily mined so the only alternative is the ferry. We bought First Class (term used extremely loosely) tickets which meant we had a private cabin with 2 bunks, air conditioner and a porthole. The beautiful burgundy sheets hadn’t been changed for a while so your skin crawled every time you came into contact with the bunk. We shook the top one out as well as we could and tried not to think about what was underneath. We had access to the top deck which was nice for some fresh air.
The immigration and customs formalities were dealt with by Mazar and went fairly smoothly except for the hanging around all day. We said goodbye to Tom Cruiser and were aboard just after 4pm, and after helping the boys with their bike stuff, we were amazed that the ferry cast off a couple of minutes before 5pm. The quay at Wadi Halfa was interesting as there are roads, complete with street lights, that just disappear into the water. We presume as a result of them raising the dam wall at some stage.
Wadi Halfa faded into the distance and we settled down on board. The toilets were a dreadful mess and only used in an emergency! This boat has not seen any Handy Andy since it was launched, that’s for sure.
At 7pm we went to check out the dinner story as we had meal vouchers. We got roast chicken, macaroni, salad, bread, cheese and jam on a metal tray. Best thing on board so far and Rebecca devoured the chicken. They actually brought free cokes around later, which was nice of them and resonant of the hospitality we received all through Sudan.
We passed the Abu Simbel Temple around 8:30pm and it looked very impressive which huge carved figures on the outside.
Back in the cabin we lay towels on the bunks and covered BW with a kikoi on the top bunk and she was soon asleep. She had played with 3 kittens at Mazar’s house and was heartbroken to leave them. We think we’ll have to get her one when we get home. (She’s expecting a cat & a kitten & already has names for them!!)
The ferry trip was about 300kms and we arrived outside Aswan around 9:30am. With our last meal voucher, we had managed to rustle up an omelette and some bread, tomato and jam for breakfast which was quite tasty. The boat then stopped while a tender came alongside and some people transferred to it. After a longish wait we got moving again and got moored about 12:30. The mighty Egyptian bureaucracy kicked in and after getting our passports stamped on board, we waited an age before we were allowed off the boat, having had to show our passports yet again. Through customs and then into a holding area and then finally, after another show of a passport, we were allowed to walk along the train platform to the outside world. We caught a taxi with Andy & Edie to the Hathor Hotel. The boys stayed with their bikes hoping to clear them through customs same day. Unfortunately it was not to be and they are also playing the waiting game.

Twiddling our thumbs in Aswan
Aswan is a real eye opener. It is the first time this trip we are in such a touristy place. There are souvenir shops galore and all sorts of touts, offering felucca trips on the river, carriage rides, taxis, tours, you name it. But then when you see how many of these massive Nile Cruise ships (we counted around 40 on one of our walks) there are, it is no surprise at all. We are just so not used to it and find it horrendous having to share space with package tourists!
Our hotel, the Hathor, is a winner, Thanks Gideon and Jorien for the advice. We have a river facing room with three beds and air con. The swimming pool is one floor up on the roof with a magical view over the river and the west bank.
The market is one street away and there are loads of restaurants around. The McDonald’s is a short walk up the river. Yes, confession time I’m afraid. Not only have we been into McDonald’s, generally a James’s no-go zone, we’ve even had a meal there and loads of ice cream and coffee!! The reason - free wi-fi network access. It is a pleasure. We are able to keep in touch, sort emails, upload blogs and generally get our lives in order. We believe this access also exists in the Luxor and Cairo branches so, as much as we are not fans, we’ll be there!
The Ramadan holidays have really messed up our timing. Tom Cruiser is still in Sudan. Ramadan ended on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were holidays, today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) is weekend so the earliest things start happening is Sunday, and we are still none the wiser as to an arrival time for Tom. Frustrating to say the least.
We have visited Elephantine Island and walked all around the East Bank and will probably go to the Botanic Gardens on Kitchener Island when everyone is back at work after the holidays and the weekend. Together with Andy & Edie, and a German couple and their 2 kids, we took a felucca (like a dhow) cruise around the islands for a couple of hours. Once we got past the haggling over the price and the state of the first boat they wanted us to go on, we had a really nice time seeing the sights from the river.

Our routine at the moment is as follows: Early morning swim before breakfast, breakfast, a walk around or a trip to the office (McD), some lunch, a siesta, a swim and sundowners on the pool deck, find street food (schwarmas are yummy) or a restaurant, back to the hotel and bed. Nice for a while but now we need to move on.
Having said that, we are very lucky to be in a place where the ATMs work, accommodation is good and food is accessible and tasty. The thought of having to stay in Wadi Halfa without a car is not so appealing, so we do sympathise with travellers going south who get caught there without their vehicle.
Now that Ramadan is over, all the shops are open and food is available during the day.