The Agony and the Ecstasy

We entered the Sudan at Wadi Halfa and left the paved roads of Egypt behind. The first three days were provided some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. They also provided the most demanding physical/mental challenge I’ve faced. The first day out of Wadi Halfa I felt as if we were on a different planet. The soil/sand was bright red and the hills were made of jagged rocks. In the morning both the sun and the moon were in the sky. Truly spectacular. Parts of the way were paved (I’m told by the Chinese who have made a large investment in Sudan), but most were unpaved. Worse than unpaved roads was the sand. Riders were wiping out constantly. Yours truly ate it about four times a day. Many of the parts were simply not rideable and therefore we would just walk our bikes in the desert sun. The toughest part was not knowing how much of the day is left. 30k could take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. I’m really stoked that I finished every day. Just to give you a sense of the difficulty about 12 riders each of those days did not finish. The sand has also taken its toll on electronic equipment. At least 8 cameras have taken their last photos due to the sand.
The people of Sudan have been, in general, very very nice. I don’t miss Egypt one bit. The Sudanese are much less pushy, and much more hospitable.

Today I’m in Khartoum. We've cycled 1,225 miles so far (hold the applause till the end of the show). Khartoum definitely has a different vibe than the few smaller villages we’ve passed through in Sudan. It’s strange that the large metropolitan area feels much less tolerant than the smaller villages, but that is certainly the feeling I get about Khartoum. Also strange is that I have not seen the mass poverty that I’ve seen in India. At first, I thought that perhaps we were just not going through the poor neighborhoods, but after spending 2.5 days in Khartoum, I don’t think the slums exist to the extent they do in India. I want to be careful not to paint the picture of Khartoum as a thriving western city. It is not. But I have not seen any starving, and very few beggars and disabled persons. There also is much more foreign investment and wealth than I expected. Unlike Egypt, most of the privately owned cars are very new. There are Toyota, Tata, Mercedes dealerships that rival those of NJ.
The group is really starting to gel. Most riders are slowing relaxing and learning to take it one day at a time (I’m still not quite there, but am making progress). People are also feeling much more comfortable around each other, which for the most part has been great. Some have taken the comfort to unwanted levels by dropping trow 10 yards away from the campsite and pinching off a freshly baked loaf (so far this phenomenon has been limited to the Dutch, who are very nice but still mostly segregated from the main group). Yes, much of our day is consumed with talking or thinking about poop. . . and to think that I thought this trip would help me mature. We only have 5 more days until Ethiopia and the rock throwing children. I’m looking forward to the food. Hope it is as good as the Ethiopian restaurants on 10th ave. mmmmmm . . . .10th ave.