When the high dam was built at As-
wan around 1960, and the vast Lake
Nasser freshwater reservoir created,
many monuments were flooded. The
two temples at Abu Simbel were cut
into huge blocks, moved to higher
ground then re-assembled. A ma-
jor engineering feat that saved the
temples for all posterity. Sadly, some
50,000 Nubians had to be relocated to
Aswan, their villages forever lost.
A recommendation to stay with
a retired Nubian school teacher in
Wadi Halfa was welcomed. Just
before dark, and following a hand-
drawn map, I wound my way along
sandy tracks, across a soccer field,
past a minaret and soon found Hus-
sein´s half-finished house.
Hussein, a small gentle man and
former English and history teacher,
turned out to be a goldmine of infor-
mation. I had a wonderful time with
him, speaking non-stop about life in
Sudan and the Nubian people. The
night was spent in the courtyard on
simple beds, under an open, starry
sky with Hussein and of course my
X-Country within arm’s length. I was
served delicious food for dinner and
breakfast. Certainly, a highlight of
my trip.
On the way to Khartoum, I stopped
at the Jebel Barkal pyramids in Kari-
ma. Sudan has more pyramids than
Egypt, just not as well preserved. I
was the only person visiting the pyra-
mids so early in the morning, making
my way through the desert sand to
get there.
Before leaving Denmark, I had
promised myself never to ride after
dark. It didn´t quite work out. One
night in Sudan I was caught in the
middle of nowhere just as night fell
and ended up sleeping in the open on
a steel stretcher in front of a deserted
roadside restaurant.
Shortly after crawling into my
sleeping bag, half asleep, a huge
moth flew straight into my left ear.
Lodging itself there, it made a heck
of a racket, sounding like a jet had
landed in my ear.
Desperately trying to pull the
insect out, I only managed to push it
further in. A pincher forms part of
my Leatherman and as I was getting
up to get it from my tank bag, the
moth miraculously escaped from my
ear. What a relief!
At around 2.30am I awoke to find
that a group of stray dogs hunting
for scraps of food right next to my
bed. Uncomfortable with the dogs
around I quickly got into my riding
pants, boots and jacket, ready to take
off if the situation got out of hand. I
did leave before sunrise, heading for
Khartoum, where I stayed at a Ger-
TRAVERSE 42
man Guest House, run by Norbert. A
true oasis in this frantic city.
Waiting in line at the Ethiopian
Embassy, I was approached by an
immaculately dressed young man,
named Mohamad. Wanting to prac-
tice his English, Mohamad asked
whether he could show me the sights
of the city in his car.
A wonderful afternoon was spent
with him; visiting the confluence of
the White and Blue Nile in Khartoum.
Mohamad also took me to the top of
the highest building in the city, for a
perfect view over the area.
Conversations with several peo-
ple, made it clear that they were not