On the Sudanese side I started proceedings by offloading all bags on the bike for screening. On to passport control which took about half an hour. I also tried to contact the person that Osama at Hotel Tuya had told me about. After a while a man turned up and asked for the various documents, and he would get me through the system. He asked me to sit down and grab a cup of coffee while he did the running around. Twice he came back and told me how far he had gotten in the proceedings. After about two hours he confirmed that I now had all the papers that were needed, including Sudanese insurance. He sat down, and I quickly realized that this wasn’t a “friendly favor”. Contrary to the Egyptians who always know how much they want to be paid, the Sudanese simply ask you to pay them what you feel, and that they will be happy with whatever they get. I suggested an amount and he seemed happy. I still have no idea if he was the man I was supposed to meet, but he was certainly a so-called fixer. Apparently it is considered a legitimate job to be a fixer. I hate to think how many hours it would have taken me to sort things out, when it took him two.

He then explained how to get to Osama’s friends house in Wadi Halfa, where I was staying the night. About 20 minutes later I drove along some dusty tracks, past a minaret and along a long green fence at a sandy soccer field, just like I had been told and there was Hussein, a retired school teacher standing waving at me. His house was around the corner, and I drove the bike right into the enclosed and gated courtyard.

There is a great respect towards teachers in Sudan. They even use the Arabic word for teacher when they address him. Like doctor or professor. Hussein had been a teacher for 39 years, and was now retired at 66. He certainly spoke great English and turned out to be a goldmine of information on everything Sudanese and particularly Nubian. He loved sharing all this knowledge. We spoke for several hours, while drinking tea and enjoying an excellent evening meal. I also got a chance to meet his daughter, son in law, and lovely grandchildren. At one point he had a hammam prepared, a simple bucket of water and a jug to pour the water over your body. Great to get all the desert sand washed off! 

 He had pulled two simple beds out in the open courtyard so I could experience what it was like to sleep under the open starry Nubian sky. I invited him to sleep in the courtyard as well, and in the end he agreed. With a lovely breeze on my face I soon nodded off to “dreamland” and a great night’s sleep. Early the next morning I was served breakfast Nubian style (see pic). 

Sudan requires you to register at a police station within 3 days of crossing the border. Failing to do so will result in a substantial fine when you exit the country. Hussein ordered a rickshaw (motorized) and 15 minutes later we arrived at Wadi Halfa police station. Half an hour and 550 Sudanese Pounds later I was good to go. Hussein also arranged for me to go to a money-changer and change some dollars to pounds. I really wanted to get going, as I had a long distance to cover that day, but Hussein insisted that we stop at a library along the way. He did some voluntary work there, and he showed me a lot of pictures of the Nubian settlements along the Nile, from the time before it was all under water. I said goodbye to this wonderful man - I could not have wished for a better start and introduction to Sudan. I will miss your kindness, Hussein.

After 7 hours in the saddle, I arrived in Karima as darkness fell. I stopped and asked for a hotel. The young man turned around and pointed at a building 50 meters away. No real signs of any kind, but I went and knocked on the door. In the reception area the TV was going, and the owner was laying on a bed in front of the reception desk checking his phone. A very, very basic place - squat toilet only, simple shower next to the toilet and a room with two beds. When I walked in a big lizard moved across the ceiling. Great, I thought, no mosquitoes in this room! I took the room for one night, and it turned out to be a nice quiet place to sleep. But before the owner could book me in I had to register yet again. This time with security, and not the police. In the smaller towns you are required to register with security, I learned later. 15 minutes walk to their office, registration and back to the hotel. Not what you feel like at the end of a long day. I made some noodles on my Trangia stove, for supper and was soon gone - lizards a distant memory.

Tomorrow Monday, I would head for the capital Khartoum.