So much for the early start, not one, not two, but three punctures put and end to that! An important and frustrating lesson was learned about camping under acacia trees.
Instead of the 6:30am and on the road, we didn't get going until about 8am. Fortunately it was still relatively cool as we only had a limited amount of water with us.
Once again the road was flat and we were helped along by a nice tailwind, which was just as well as I had slightly miscalculated how far it was to the Nile. After about 40km we passed the first of the Nubian villages that line the banks of the river. A further 20km and we were heading into Abri, no thanks to the non existent signposts!
Finding a small shop to buy a drink and then spotting some of the clay pots that contain water came as a relief. The cleanliness and safety of the water within the pots is questionable, but thanks to the way the terracotta allows some water to seep through and then evaporate means that it is cool. So far we have had no ill effects from the water so fingers crossed, or possibly we have built up enough of a tolerance.
Abri is a bustling little town. We had a big lunch of Fuul (mashed beans with garlic, spices and a lot of oil), eggs and bread and then bought some vegetables. We had a look at the small hotel in town but it was a bit grim and a little expensive. Plus it was still early, although very hot, and finding a camp spot in the desert isn't exactly difficult. What we really wanted was somewhere to have a nap for a few hours and then head back out when it got cooler. While talking to some of the very friendly locals they told us that we would be able to find a shady tree down by the Nile that we could rest under.
Heading out of the town we passed a small village and then spotted a track towards the river between two houses. What followed was one of those experiences that makes the travelling worthwhile. We were greeted first by several children and then their mothers. A reed mat was laid out under a tree for us and we had the company of several very exited children. I quickly asked the women if I could take pictures of the children and was told yes. At the sight of the camera they got more excited and happily posed.
When more people arrived to say hello, it looked like we were going to meet everyone in the village. Eventually some lads arrived and asked if I wanted to go for a swim. The chance to cool off seemed like a good idea so I was soon swimming in the Nile. There didn't appear to be any crocodiles although the lads seemed keen on trying to tease me about them. Having seen how well they swam I was quietly confident, even with my limited swimming skills, that I could out swim them. Which is all you need to do, right?!
While I was swimming, Debs was entertaining the children. It was all a great experience but not as restful as we had planned. Eventually the adults, realising we wanted to have a rest, rounded up the children and we were left in peace. Debs managed to sleep for a while and by the time it was 4pm we decided to head back out and cover a bit more distance. It was sad to wave goodbye, but we needed to go and find a camping spot.
Any ideas that the temperature would have dropped were quickly quashed. It looks like we only have the early morning to make any serious distance. We had planned to go further but a decent spot presented itself, so we set up camp. A little sadly, while I was sorting our gear I spotted two of the overlanders we met on the ferry going past. They had obviously not got their cars back until today, plus they had told us they were taking a different route. Had we of been on the road 20 minutes longer they would have seen us.
A note on desert camping: people get very excited about the prospect, quoting the quiet,
solitude and clear skies. While all these things are true, they forget about the flies, sand, temperature, utter lack of shade, scorpions, snakes and oh did I mention the flies. Actually we haven't seen any scorpions or snakes yet but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. If the flies aren't heading for your mouth, they are up your nose, in your ears or trying to drink from your eyes. If I knew that scorpions dined on flies I would rather have the scorpion!
On a more serious note, the zip on our very expensive Hilberg tent is failing. The sand is certainly not helping but this is potentially a major problem and one we would not expect. Fortunately we can use the other entrance, but I am not convinced about that zip either. I will email Hilberg when we get the chance, but that doesn't do us much good in the meantime.
Problems aside, we will be having an early night, if it ever cools down, and an early start tomorrow.
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