Khartoum Arrival!!

WOW!!! What a strong four days. We crunched five days into four to get two rest days in this city. The past days took us through the Nubian Desert which I absolutely fenll in love with. We lucked out with tail winds most days and were able to make it into camp by 2 or so..after a start at 7:30. Day two was the hardest as we had a sandtsorm the whole way and everything was covered with sand....we were unable to keep it out of our tents so we all slept with sand coming into the tent all night. In the morning we just shook it all off and packed our red boxes. The worst part is that all the food we get for meals has sand in it and no matter how you try to keep it out it keeps getting on the plate. The word paenut butter "sand"wich comes to mind!!! All in all we are in good spirits.

The past three weeks has been the coldest it has been in 30 years here in Sudan. Last year the tour people slept without putting up tents because it was so hot. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will warm up. The mornings we have hard bolied eggs we all stick them in our pockets as hand warmers!!!

Khartoum brings to a close the first section of the tour...the Pharohs Delight. We begin the second of seven sections when we leave here in two days...only three or four days to the Ethiopian Border and green vegetation. It will be bittersweet to leave the sand and desert behind....and climb mountains.

We heard today that we will not be able to go through Kenya as the situation is not good. We will instead ride to the border and then bus back to the capital to fly to Tanzania. That will give us about 13 days to kill so many of us are going to go to Zanzibar...and lay on a sand beach...was 91 there today..such is life. We will restart the tour as per the plan. The trucks still need to make it through as they will be carrying all the bikes and gear. They plan to drive by night and take a northern route to avoid Narobi.

All the bikes are showing the wear and tear of days of sand and wind. We are using a wax based lubricant and need to apply it each morning. It flakes off by the end of the day but at least it does not collect sand like a wet lube. We also have to check that all the nuts and bolts are tight each day. The other day I heard rattling coming from my tool box. My allan wrench set had vibrated to pieces and the top had come off my sunblock so it was a lovely mess all mixed in with sand...hard to clean in the desert with no water. I must admit I do take a bottle of water each night and have a face wash as the sand is not great to sleep with.

The food is great but consists of a lot of beans which makes for a lovely symphony of sounds all night long. We are still in bed by 7:30pm and are sleeping within minutes. The cold desert nights are so clear and beautiful...very spiritual as you look at the stars and sand.

I am at the Acropole Hotel in Cairo. It is 150 US a night but incudes all meals and free internet....and I am worth it!!! I have a BED and hot water. I showered as soon as I was in and the sand in the tub just from my hair alone was amazing. It took three scrubings to get clean and yet I still have found a few patches I must have missed. I can tell you I will be having a shower before bed as well. I plan on staying here and relaxing in preparation for the next days of riding.

I do miss the man of my life Randi. Not only because it would make for a warmer night of sleep but also because he is an amazing person. I know that he keeps me in his prayers each night as I do with him. Relationships are part of our human experience and by not being in mine for four months it will bring much time to reflect and connect with all the great things that I have in mine.

Geoff Roberts, the Headmaster of Crescent, asked me once in the meetings we had as I planned to do this tour if I was a cyclist...out of concern I am sure. I can safely say to him and all of you that I am a cyclist having just completed over 1900km of desert riding. It feels so strange to know there are still over three months of riding ahead...oh and the trip to Zanzibar as well.

Sudan is a very Muslim country and the women on the trip really notice it as they need to cover up when they come off a bike or go out to town. They also do not sell toilet paper as all the washrooms here are "squatters"...an expereince to have. In the desert we need to dig a hole with a spade...it has become known as the "spade of shame" as everybody knows why you are carrying it. It is strange how we have all adapted to desert and camp life..."oh there goes the spade again".

I had dish duty the other day. If you can imagine a HUGE pot each morning of porridge and all the stuff to cook food with..all having to be washed in three small buckets of water after all have washed their own dishes. Not an easy job and it means you leave camp last and get into camp last...and if the tent sites are few and far between you may end up with the rock site. Thank goodness for thermarests!!!!

Spirits are running high. Today we did time trials for those who wanted them. I declined as it meant we would have to line up and racers are first. Besides the cold this morning meant I wanted to ride as soon as possible to keep warm. We rode 66k in headwinds and tailwinds and cross winds and had lunch as a group. We then needed to ride as a convoy for 30k through Khartoum with a police escort to the camp site. It was fascinating to see so many people cheering us on with the ocassional shouting of "down with the USA!"...and there are only a few US on the tour.

After we had collected our stuff to take to the hotel we needed a taxi to so we walked to the main road and hailed a "taxi". Turned out it was a family with their mother on board. We negotiated a price of 30 lbs...15 US..they loaded our luggage on board and they we climbed in. The doors where closed and mother was left by the side of the road. We all shouted "WAIT"..."Mother is not in"...the driver laughed and said that she would walk to their home a short distance away. We all sent her our best. The power of money in Egypt and Sudan is everything. Prices can climb as you have a second cup of coffee..turkish...and by the time more arrive it may be two. You need to barter for everything. The only places where prices are marked is in a Pharmacy...an there are many to be had.

The riders continue to build community as we get to know each other. It is also important to get away from the community for a break as we have so much time when we are together. One relationship has started which means we have one less tent in our group. Many of the couples are being tested as well living in such tight quarters. Living in a two person tent for four months is bound to bring out patterns.

I will update this blog over the next few days as I go over in my mind the past three weeks. I trust you are all keeping warm and enjoying your beds and other things I use to take for granted. I have become very aware of what a privilaged life I live in Canada. So far we have experienced millions who will never get anywhere near to what we have. As I look at it from here it is like North America is a bubble that is changing at such a great pace, while much of the rest of the world is growing so slowly. No wonder so many have negative feelings for us. I keep saying peace, love and positive energy to all when I think of it.

Bless you all:-)