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-- Log 22 --
The desert run ….
![](log22/image002.jpg)
When the sand got too soft we headed for the railway track! Later on
though we found that much of the track had washed away in the recent
rains and we were not able to use this route. MR W was overheating in
the soft sand and we kept having to stay close to the railway line in
order to give her a chance to cool down. As the line deteriorated it
became evident that we would have to find another solution to the
problem.
![](log22/thumbs/image002.jpg) |
![](log22/thumbs/image004.jpg) |
![](log22/thumbs/image006.jpg) |
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Driving
on the railway tracks |
Time to dig – chat and have something to drink |
Desert Mechanics! Taking MR W’s thermostat out, and we took the seed
catcher off the front of the radiator (that made a difference). |
All hands on deck! |
![I can do this myself!](log22/image010.jpg)
Post of hope! Beautifully painted white and yellow in true
environmentally friendly style
.![](log22/image012.jpg)
Abu Hamed to Berber – typical trans Saharan piste – we kept a close eye
on those posts – they were our lifeline – no railway track this time!
![](log22/image014.jpg)
First desert camp together!
As the second day drew to a close, the sky started to look like it did
when we experienced the storm at Meroe. We decided to stop and camp at
17.00 on a small rocky outcrop next to a post. We just had time to make
supper when the wind came up. Once again it blew very hard and putting
the tent up was not an option. The boys, and ‘kids’ slept in their
vehicles and we made a plan and slept in MR W, but it was hot and very
uncomfortable. Finally at around 1.00 am the wind stopped and we were
able to get out and sleep under the stars! The next morning we were up
early with the plan to try and make it through to Khartoum.
Although on the surface the people at Berber appeared friendly it soon
became evident that some of the locals thought that we were from America
and their comments were none to friendly! Mistakenly we had chosen the
local ‘hookah’ house to have a soda and women are not welcome there! It
was good to by back in the safety of our vehicles and on our way to
Atbara.
Atbara is a small insignificant town, but one not too easy to get out
of. The locals all know that Khartoum is South and when you ask
directions they point in the general southerly direction – which could
lead you up all sorts of garden paths! We knew that there was a tarred
highway from Atbara to Khartoum because we had travelled on it when we
went to Meroe, now they kept directing us to little tracks along the
river. Eventually, we called a halt to the lunacy and cut across the
desert until we found the highway!
The trip from Atbara to Khartoum was uneventful, yet pleasant – a bit of
an anticlimax to the fun of the last two days! As we crossed the bridge
over the Blue Nile we had many of the locals very upset because we had
our headlights on – after all it was nighttime and we needed to see
where we were going! Oh no, says William, when you cross the bridge you
must switch your lights off, so that the Americans are not able to find
the location of the bridges and attack them!
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