"The Dust Bin of Africa"

 SUDAN is  nicknamed" The Dust Bin of Africa " for many good reasons. It is also the country in sub-Sahara Africa with the largest amount of bureaucracy of any on the continent.  The Sudanese stamps in my passport that recorded the endless details that seem to serve no purpose, are also my favourite!  My interest in the desert started as a child and a grade school science project. Now many years later I am still learning. Carcasses of hundreds of camels that have perished along the road, gives "reliability" a whole new meaning when trusting a motorcycle to get me to my next destination.
This is my adventure.  Some of us may enjoy the excitement of Disneyland, or a trip to the lake fishing, but for me it's adventure of overland travel on a motorcycle.
Now after almost two years in Africa I find myself completely within my comfort zone. Negotiating with street traders for the best currency rates of the day, setting GPS coordinates for pyramids, or understanding security considerations of an area, is all part of everyday travel. The warm welcome I received from so many children in Sudan made it difficult to see the last bits of Africa fade into the horizon.

 YES:  Africa is SAFE ... My own lack of knowledge usually had me on guard for the first day or two in any given country, but I constantly learned for myself, not from the 6:00pm news, that there is nothing to fear. The best example of safety was Egypt. If you look at the numbers of murders the: US state department should have{ travel warnings} to many of our own states and not Egypt .

 In total the trip was about 30,000 miles? Lots of new Chinese parts on the BMW and tires. A counter clockwise trip of Africa..as well as several countries.. The motorcycle accidents I could always walk away from, and items lost or stolen I could easily replace !
Arrived in Turkey last week ... Garth

Egypt : tensions soar at Port Said

A recent headline in American news was : Egypt Descends into Chaos . I am stuck here for the time being,  but I would not say the country has descended into chaos . most of the killings have been very isolated to specific areas and limited to supporters of former President Morsi. The millions of protesters who came out against him far out numbered those who came out to support him. there were almost no killings until the few armed \Morsi supporters came into the streets.
 It will take some time to bring order again, but I am sure it will come and Egypt can try to find a leader who doesn't consider himself Egypt's next pharaoh , trying to give himself unlimited powers, and ignore the supreme court as Morsi did.

Fifteen days ago I arrived at the Suez Canal ( Port Said ) to board the ship Aqua Hercules to Turkey . After long waits and unlimited amounts of bureaucracy no one would ever believe,  the ship finally arrived from Turkey with 108 transport trucks and drivers on board. Only after boarding the ship did I realise it was basically being held  captive at the port by the union truck drivers. The drivers  refused to listen to there employers and leave the ship, feeling Egypt was no longer safe for them they demanded the ship take them back to Turkey. Out side the port 116 trucks and drivers wait to board the ship and leave Egypt. ! Five others and myself have been caught in the middle, and the port has been our home ever since. Expired visas , and officially stamped out of Egypt we are forced to wait in no mans land for the issue to be resolved and the ship leave. Soldiers , police, trucking company owners, union leaders ,  immigration, the shipping company, media and many government officials have all been involved in the stand off.
Although most do not understand English , I did hit the end of my rope today during one of the many screaming secessions calling them all pirates for ceasing the ship, and babies afraid to travel Egypt. I travelled Egypt solo on a motorcycle the past 30 days saw the many sites, and got to know many wonderful people, but unfortunately these union drivers have probably not made a real decision for themselves in years.
The past several days on the ship the drivers have all been very united, but slowly they have been fighting more and more. I knew it would only be time before solid lines of division were drawn and those fear full of loosing a good union job would get in their trucks and leave. Its Monday night and the first trucks have started to leave the ship !! I feel it will not be long before they are all gone. If the army needs to force the remaining few off the ship, I think they will and Turkey should be my next port of call by the end of the week !
Love Garth Anton

Egypt Coup of 2013

 The photo is my armed escort and myself in Ethiopia ... This is not something you would see in Egypt. Throughout Egypt the millions of protesters that took to the streets to voice there demands for President Morsi to step down were loud like a world cup celebration . Yesterday the army staged a coup, but did not take control of Egypt , it gave the supreme court the power of the president until elections can take place. The coup was celebrated late into the night with army helicopters flying low over the cities dragging flags of support for Egyptians. Millions of people dancing in the streets, fireworks, painted faces, horns honking, A party like nothing I can ever imagine. Egyptians vow to continue protests demanding change as long as they need to, if corruption in government continues.  

Its the noise that keeps the Peace ! it may be a man loudly shaming another man by screaming at him over an unpaid loan. Or a woman loudly screaming from her roof top how her husband cheated on her. These loud public displays of anger are often resolved without violence. Egypt has a very low crime rate as a result of there public system of justice. 260 people were killed in the city Chicago from January to  June of last year.  Compare  this to the 32 Million protesters making noise demanding Egypt's removal of its president and resulting  in  only 15 deaths. If you consider the numbers and forget about what the news is saying about Egypt you should see how and why I have always been  VERY SAFE in Egypt . The experience has been incredible in so many ways, but  I know if your relying on the news for your reporting of what its like in Egypt you probably think otherwise.. hmmmm

Las Vegas Luxor

It now seems clear to me that the owner of the Luxor Hotel in Vegas has never been to Luxor. Lots of tombs, temples, and the Nile of course, but no pyramid. Maybe he  travelled to Giza on a cheap package tour and did not known where he was,  when he decided on the name Luxor.
Its been a very long time , almost 2 years since I have seen the Mediterranean Sea. Departing Spain into Morocco in 2011 I have now completed my loop around Africa. The final week here I will follow the coast from Alexandria to Port Said where I will get on a ship to Iskenderun Turkey !

I Invite You!

      Sudan is a very relaxed country in which to travel. The people  roads, and deserts can easily be enjoyed if you take a deep breath and just go with the flow. Inshallah ("If God wills it"),  is a term used frequently, whether you are going blue in the face waiting for someone to fry two eggs, or suffering through the bureaucracy of registering with security before or after you check into a room. Nothing is ever hurried, so you learn to relax and enjoy the never ending cups of tea.

     Travel in a Muslim country is very different from other parts of the world. Representing a very specific way in which society behaves, as a tourist I always pay the same as the locals, and treated am treated no differently. I am left to enjoy my privacy when asked to be left alone, or treated like a king if looking for any type of help.

       " I INVITE YOU " are words that are spoken a lot in Sudan. The invitation shows deep honour and respect. As a guest as I am hosted in ways not experienced anywhere else. My host would be offended if I wanted to pay for anything, and stops at nothing to see that anything I could possibly need is provided.

       It's a combination of Hell and Paradise while travelling Sudan with a motorcycle. Photo sessions of people sitting on the bike, offering a ride, or answering the same questions again and again never get old where people are exceptionally helpful and friendly.  With temperatures reaching 50 degrees celsius, I questioned what I was doing here many times, but constantly made shade and water my companions and had fun,  reminding myself that no one invited me here!

There are many places worth seeing in Sudan, but never visited by tourists.

Friend Jeremy warning me not to drop my bike again!



Camel riding

 

Temperatures up to 50 degrees celcius in Sudan!


       It would not be a trip to Sudan without visiting some of the many ruins, temples, and pyramids with dates from 9th century BC. Riding into the desert for some fun, I set the GPS as best I could.   Two friends on motorcycles from France and I set out for lost temples. After dropping the bike four times in one day I was ready for bed. Bruised ribs still and the dust in my lungs make sneezing difficult.  I have a black and blue foot that has almost healed. And the feeling of a BMW landing on me after a fall is also fading. Dragging the bed from my room into the hotel courtyard to sleep communally under the stars with a cool breeze off the Nile river definitely makes it all worth it at the end of a hot day. Mornings start early with traditional bread, beans,and tea. I stock up on water and fuel reserves before starting the day's search for the next pyramids.
Although the White and Blue Nile are prominent geographical features of Sudan, the country is really just sand.  I am sure many eager students have done many PH D's on this. Now young men spend hot days in the desert with metal detectors turning rocks in search of gold. They relax at hotels for a few days in new clothes, cell phones, and big dreams before returning to their work camps.

       There currently is only one way from Sudan into Egypt. It is a 20 hour ship up the Nile to Aswan, Egypt. The shade under a life boat was a premium spot during the day, and at night, cruising the Nile under the stars was a great way for me to relax my bruised ribs.  It is now close to two years that I have been making my counter clockwise trip around Africa, along with many loops around several countries. I am filled with many thoughts as Egypt will complete the final loop. There are a lot of people, and places I hope to see again, but know it's time to start thinking about the next ship from Egypt into Turkey.


Cruising to Aswan



From the ship to Egypt



The Road To The Sun

"The Road To The Sun"  in Glacier National Park is a breathtaking drive for the million or more visitors to the park every year. Riding over several mountain passes of Ethiopia, reaching 10,000 feet, have been incredible, equalling Glacier each time. The good gravel roads are far from the transport trucks or tourists, but are worth every effort it takes to get a motorcycle from Seattle to Ethiopia.

The Afar region of Ethiopia is equally interesting. Planet Of the Apes and the Apollo Moon Landings :) were filmed in the area. I find the topography of Ethiopia truly amazing: elevations in the range of  4500 meters, the famous Blue Nile River, and one of Earth's lowest points below sea level. I also journeyed to the National Museum to see " Lucy " as well as the area where she was found.

When in Addis promoting tourism, I was on local TV and radio. This was after a day trip to Ethiopia's crater lakes, a coffee ceremony, dancing, music, and of course lots of local brewed spirits...
In Addis I also put on another fuel pump and waited for DHL and my new GPS. Next it was on to Lalibela, famous for the rock hewn Churches. These cave churches date back to the 13th century. Medieval and monolithic, they are still places of devotion and pilgrimage. Now a world heritage site, the nine churches draw visitors from all over the world.


Addis



Dancing



These women are cooking delicious food.




The coffee ceremony is 3 cups of coffee starting with really strong !!! It is usually served with some popcorn!


Parts and repairs for the BMW have been very extensive. The exhausting search for parts and being stranded in the "Middle of Nowhere," with a motorcycle I cannot trust, has not helped my travels. Now on my 3rd fuel pump, I keep an extra one in my parts supply. Toyota (Japan) makes a fuel pump at $480.00US. Germany / Bosch,  as well as China are making the fuel pumps...None have lasted and I now have to put my trust in the high quality Chinese fuel pump made for my BMW .... ugh!

At the border, visa issues did not allow me into Djibouti, and on June 1st I will have exhausted my visa for Ethiopia and enter Sudan, travelling to Egypt via Khartoum. I still want to hike Ethiopian's Simen Mountains, see Lake Tana, and visit the ancient city of Axum with ruins dating back from the 1st and 13th century before I leave, as well as view Gondar's, the walled city of palaces and churches from the 17th century.

Ian is one of 3 south Africans riding scooters to Ireland from Cape Town South Africa.

Today's Ethiopia continues to be blessed with astonishing beauty. Some 84 languages are spoken among its 92 million people, compared to 1935 when Ethiopia was just 15 million people. Home to its own calendar, Ethiopians are very proud!  It's 2005 here.  The day starts at sunrise (6:00 am) for us, but for them its 12 o'clock. One hour past sunrise its 1 o'clock and so on. The days are spent in the fields where everyone is involved, even 4 year- olds are responsible for herding the families' live stock. The cities are filled with coffee shops, night clubs, markets, business men, prostitutes, and traffic. Its a stark contrast to the rural areas, but the city is also a place where you can see farmers walking there heard along a main street to a market.

I have less than two weeks before leaving for Sudan and already wish I could stay longer.
Love Garth

Ethiopia

       I hope you enjoy the pictures; they probably say more than I can. I had a difficult time getting into Ethiopia. Kenya is working on the roads but it's going to be a few more years before I would make a recommendation . The road is called "The Bandit Highway." If you want details, just google it, it's in Kenya.
       After a long truck ride with the bike in the back, I stayed at a VERY NICE hotel in Nairobi, the Nomad Palace Hotel,  complete with a glass elevator, and balcony over the slums . At
$20.00 it seemed odd for such a place to be there. I found out that it is how pirates off the coast of Somalia invest their money... not wanting to support them I left the next day.
I am staying healthy , and will blog more when I have internet and not worried about the rain  coming down on me... It rains a LOT here, and drivers are coming into the place I am at and telling me to hurry before the road washes out again.. I have 80 miles to try and cover today... :)



This photo is of a Mersee woman in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. Women start cutting their lips at the age of 14 and they remove their two lower teeth to help support the clay plate.