I left Karima early in the morning as I wanted to see if I could reach Khartoum before evening. It was a trip of some 500 km, through desolate desert most of the way. I filled both fuel bladders to the brim, when I finally - on my third attempt - found a fuel station with fuel. It would turn out to be a good decision, as there was no fuel available on the few stations along the way, and I had to empty both bladders into the tank, to reach my destination.

Before leaving Karima, I drove out to the famous Jebel Barkal pyramids - a UNESCO site. The pyramids are much smaller than the pyramids of Giza, but apparently older. There are far more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt. You need a 4x4 car, or off-road type motorcycle to get close to the site. I struggled through the desert sand to get to the pyramids. There are no signs pointing the way, except one close to the pyramids which reads “ emple site”. There are no tickets to be bought or official entrance, and you are free to walk around as you please. During the time I was there I did not see a single visitor, tour guide or other person.

Khartoum is a city of some 7 million people. Once again I arrived late, and was caught in unbelievable traffic jams, gridlocked. I found myself locked in by a bus and a truck, spewing black exhaust fumes into the air. I later washed my clothes at the hotel, and the water was black from dirt and smoke. Hate to think what my lungs looked like. I drove through Khartoum and by some miracle ended up at the German Guest House, where I wanted to spend two nights. I would be going to the Ethiopian Embassy the following morning to apply for my visa.

The place is owned and managed by Norbert, a German who purchased the place about 7 years ago. It is a haven for overlanders. Walking straight off the dusty road where the guest house is situated, the first thing that greats you is a huge swimming pool. The concept is: you get an airconditioned room, free WiFi, breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the bottled water from the fridge you can drink. Apart from Norbert, who is always around, and more than prepared to answer any questions you might have, you are sure to meet some very interesting people. I met Don from South Africa who worked for the UNDP and was busy putting up solar operated pumps for the irrigation of agricultural land. Then there was Karly, a young lady from California, sent out by the UN to help solving the problem of human trafficking.

On arrival, I had noticed a beautiful Scania truck, rebuilt to a serious 4x4 Overland vehicle, and with Norwegian number plates, parked outside the German Guest House. I was soon to meet the owners of this vehicle, a wonderful couple from Oslo - John and  Oddrun. They had been on the road for many months and had travelled the approximate route from Cape Town to Khartoum that I would be taking. They were seasoned travelers and gave me a lot of valuable information regarding my route further south.They were waiting for the result of their visa application to Saudi Arabia, before leaving Sudan via Port Sudan, and continuing their trip back home via Jordan and Israel, shipping their camper from Haifa, Israel to Piraeus in Greece. I was applying for my Ethiopian visa, so we all had time to spare, and spent several hours chatting away! They really made my stay at the German Guest House such a pleasure. I will miss them both on my trip further south. I sincerely hope we will meet again one day in Denmark or Norway. They have certainly been a great encouragement to me, and a fantastic couple that I will not forget in a hurry.

My Ethiopian visa application has turned out to be more time consuming than first anticipated. I had been reading up on the net about the application procedure. Turn up at the embassy when they open at 08.30, get an application form, fetch your visa later the same day or latest the following day. I arrived early at 08.15 to be told that the 70 applications they handle each day had been reached, and that I would have to come back the following morning. None of my begging and pleading had any effect. I would have to come back. The next morning I was there at 06.15, and already many people were waiting. Someone made a list of names, more or less in the order we had arrived, and an hour later an Embassy official started at the front numbering the form of the first person with a “1”. I was starting to worry whether I was too far back in the queue, meaning I would have to come back the following day. Eventually I got my form numbered as “54”. I would strongly advise any future applicants to be at the embassy already at 05.30 in the morning. You would then be sure to be part of the 70 applications they handle in a day.

Something good did come out of the delay. Waiting in the queue at the Embassy the day before, a well dressed young man approached me, and started asking me the usual questions - where are you from? What is your name? His name was - yes, you guessed it - Mohamed. He was Sudanese, but worked on a two year contract in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as a clerk in an accounting firm. His English wasn’t great, and he told me that he really wanted to improve it by talking to people like myself. He was also applying to go to Ethiopia, before returning to Jeddah. This morning he was in the queue again, like myself, and asked me if I wouldn’t like to spend a few hours in his company. He had the use of his brothers car, and would like to show me Omdurman and Khartoum, or whatever I wanted to see. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass, as I would like to go to the confluence of the White and the Blue Nile. I first invited him for breakfast at the German Guest House, and after that we spent a wonderful morning sightseeing Khartoum, visiting the confluence as well as a trip to Tuti Island in the middle of the two rivers. He then took me to the 16th floor of the impressive Corinthia Hotel building for a perfect view over the Nile. Dropping me off later, I was curious to see whether he would ask for money. He didn’t and I had to insist that I at least contributed towards the fuel cost, which he reluctantly accepted. What a difference to Egypt, where I would have been arguing about the payment for the trip. It really does look like the Sudanese people rank top of the list when it comes to “friendliest people in the world”.

Tomorrow I should be heading for Ethiopia!