We have been told by both the Italian and the German couple that, Sudan is beyond hot. They said that, the day time temp is about 45 degrees in the shade, and at night,it drops to only 38. Not one for hot or humid weather, I am not looking forward to it. We make a relatively late start, and need to back track to Gondar before heading towards the border. The road to the border winds its way through some relatively pristine, un farmed lands towards the border at Metema. The altitude slowly drops from over 2000 m down to about 600 m. With the change in altitude, comes a corresponding change in climate. Cool wet weather, slowly gives way to hot dry weather. Not the kind of stuff you like when you have to wear loads of biking gear, and have to spend time running between offices at a border post! The Ethiopian side of the border post is quick and easy however theSudanese side talked for ever! The fact that,it is a Friday afternoon,is perhaps to explain for it. The people are all at Mosque, and we are forced to wait for different people at various stages of the process. Needless to say, the ordeal become a four hour one! In that heat, and with the biking gear on, it is not pleasant. As a result of the our late start, and combined with the delay at the border, we soon realize that, we have no other option but to bush camp. 30 km from the border, with a setting sun on the horizon, we eventually decide to leave the road. We are lucky and find what appears to be a disused gravel pit. With the sand dumps obscuring us from the road we proceed to setup camp.
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| Day 75, 2011/07/15 |
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