Khartoum to Ethiopia:

Khartoum to Ethiopia:

We left Khartoum bound for the Ethiopian border at Gallabat on the evening of the 10^th July. Having pulled off the road just before dark, somewhere just West of Wad Medani, and spent the night within the mud walled compound of some friendly locals. During the night it began to spit with rain, the first we’d encountered since leaving the UK; the wind blew hard and the temperature was at a bearable level, so already the climate was changing. The next day we drove beyond Gedaref, now within just three hours of the border. It was an interesting day of driving as we witnessed a complete transition from arid desert plains to wet and muddy green hills. We pulled off the road in search of a suitable camp and within 30 seconds were deeply stuck in oozing, black, glue-like mud. As we’d attempted to cross a six foot wide strip of smooth muddy ground the front wheels broke through the thin crust-like surface and the vehicle literally nose dived into a narrow boggy ravine. A passing Tata truck kindly pulled us out and so we were able to set up camp on the drier ground of the hill.

Certainly it was a night to remember…After supper, during which I was stung by what we could only just identify as a tiny squashed scorpion in my boot, the four of us swept the area around our camp with torches and, within 30 metres or so, we discovered two puff adders, an unidentifiable black snake, several 8 inch millipedes as thick as your finger, and so many scorpions that we lost count. In fact there was a worried squeal from Toby’s tent soon after he retired for the night – a scorpion was attempting to snuggle down with him, and it later became evident that they found him particularly attractive – perhaps they thought he was one of them?! As I opened my tent in the morning to crawl out a large scorpion instantly scuttled in and hung to the roof, some 8 inches above my head…We were not sorry to see the back of the place!

Afternoon saw us clear Sudanese Customs at the border, only to be told by the Ethiopians that we’d need to drive the 8 hours back to Khartoum to get the right visas. Our patience was wearing thin but there was no choice but to about turn and drive through the night – all too aware of the warning we’d received to “be out of the country by Monday…” We’d been driving for little over an hour when the engine began to decelerate and lose power of its own accord. My instant reaction was that we had a likely fuel problem but, inexperienced with these particular symptoms and unwilling to cause any avoidable damage, I telephoned my half-brother, Peter, back in the UK. Amazingly my mobile had reception while the Sat phone was being stroppy about satellites. Peter, an avid Land Rover man with huge experience was able to guide me through the diagnosis and solve the simple problem of a gunked up fuel filter. It’s amazing to have that sort of help – you can be stranded on a dark desert road in remote Sudan and have instant advice from an armchair across the world! Little did we know this was only the beginning of the problem…..

Harry