Sudan

7 – 9 June 2011Welcome to The Soudan, the ‘land of the blacks.’ The present-day country of Sudan, while still massive, is only a fraction of the area that was referred to as The Soudan in centuries past. The name was a catch-all phrase for lands south of the Sahara that harbored black Africans. It…

9 – 11 June 2011Sudan is one of those paradox countries, where the external, political image is in stark contrast to the everyday reality on the ground. The news would have us believe that it’s a dangerous country, and whilst recognizing that there are dangerous parts of the country, such as the conflicts in the…

11 – 14 June 2011 This journey, for me, becomes magical when I meet strangers whom I have a great connection with. My decision to camp by the Nile opened up a wonderful experience of getting to know some fishermen of the Sudanese Nile. Saleh invited me to stay for as long as I would’ve…

14 – 17 June 2011After being filled with wonderful impressions of the Sudanese people from my stay in Quikkah, it was time to cover some miles and cut across northern Sudan. The roads were all paved and the landscape was flat through this part of the Sahara. The intense heat dictated my riding schedule and…

17 – 21 June 2011I had toured all through northern Sudan and as all roads in this desert state lead to Khartoum, it was time to see the capital billed as the hottest major city in the world. Khartoum sits at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile and is relatively modern compared to…

21 June 2011Sudan was super hot and while I enjoyed the friendly populace of this desert state, I was ready to escape from the heat to the cool mountains of Ethiopia. Khartoum marks the southern edge of the Sahara and I rode through the transitional region of the Sahel before seeing green as I neared…