Done and Dusted

I've arrived! After about 4 months and over 7000km on the bike i've finally made it to Muscat.

The last stretch actually turned out to be one of the toughest - 8 days cycling through strong headwinds and the incredibly monotonous Omani desert with precious little shade.

Oman is quite different from the other arab countries i've visited. It's instantly cleaner, more developed - wealthier i guess but still the locals seem as kind and friendly as ever.

It's not quite hit home yet exactly what i've done or even why i've done it but it's good to be here. Post match analysis to follow...

Pasta Del Sol

It's pretty hot around lunchtime in Oman so i wondered if i could save some of my precious cooking fuel and instead harness the power of the sun. Here goes..

Ingredients:

1 black pot (colour important)

1 bag pasta

2 tomatoes - chopped

1 onion - chopped

1 clove garlic - chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 packet tomato paste

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp mixed herbs

1 tin tuna in oil (optional)

1 litre of water

Over a flame fry the onions in the oil until soft.

Add tomatoes and reduce them down before adding the garlic and tomato paste.

Fry for one minute more and then add sugar, herbs and mix in the tin of tuna including oil.

Pour in water (preferably pre-warmed on back of bike), season, stir and then turn off the heat.

Place lid on pan and leave out in the midday sun.

45 minutes later...

Last Legs

I'm now in Oman about to attempt the last section from Salalah in the south west of the country up to Muscat in the North East.
After the recent kidnapping near the Eritrean border i decided to give the country a miss and take a flight from Khartoum directly to the capital of Yemen, Sana'a.
Sadly bicycle travel in Yemen is also highly restricted because of kidnapping issues and as it's only possible for me to cycle in a small fraction of the country I've 'hotfooted' (actually cycling may have been quicker!) it by bus straight up to the Omani border.

Bit of a shame but kidnapping may not have been that pleasant and Yemeni men seem to have an unhealthy obsession with carrying AK47's coupled with chewing Qat all afternoon (a mild stimulant) - maybe not the best combination!

The Road to Khartoum - Part 2

Arriving in Abu Hamed was not quite the promised land we had hoped for. The only hotel was fully booked so no chance of a much needed shower but we soon found a makeshift space at the Railway workers digs and after a quick dip in the Nile and some nosh felt decidely refreshed.

Not much time to hang around as we wanted to get off to Khartoum the following morning but we did did spend a pleasant evening with the very helpful Billy and Christie who were en Route from Tunis to Capetown on horseback! Very impressive i thought if a bit slower than cycling - it has already taken them 15 months to get this far.

Leaving late the next morning we had only ventured about 2 hours out of town before the Sudan heat really hit us. The midday sun was now hotter than ever at 42 degrees in the shade and we cowered inside Craig's tent wondering if we would have enough water to last til the next day. A passing motorist suggested there was a camp around 10km up the road so once the sun had subsided we quickly made our way up ahead.
More Sudanese hospitality awaited as we were 'showered' with mountains of tea and food and even offered a place to rest our heads. Tempted to stay we dragged ourselves away just before sunset and cycled into the dark, keen to reach Khatoum inside 5 days.

The next four days followed a similar pattern and whilst there was little sign of towns along the route we found a regular supply of truck stops and water points along the route where we could stock up and chill out during the midday sun. Each day brought yet more great hospitality including a telling off by one local as we failed to knock on his door one night whilst camping nearby - he felt told us a felt ashamed!

The 5th day and we were determined to reach Khartoum putting in 160km before finally having the chance to shower and do some much needed washing!


Craig trying to buy yet more food











Pyramids of Meroe











Water stop














Crusty Shambles - arriving in Khartoum

The Road to Khartoum - Part 1

That's Craig and Simon up ahead (as usual) , two London based South Africans who i met on the ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halfa. They've just started a tour from Cairo to Capetown http://www.cairo2capetown.org/ . Great guys and together we formed a good team for the Sudanese stretch of my journey.

From Wadi Halfa there are two 'roads' to Khartoum.The first tracks the nile for 400km to Dongola before continuing on to the capital. The second follows the railway line through the Nubian desert for about 400km and then onto Khartoum. I'd done a bit of reading up before hand and was a bit nervous about both. Both involved sandy roads which would require some difficult cycling and potentially even some pushing. Dongola seemed the safer option with some towns along the way whereas the route tracking the railway maybe looked a little quicker.After a small amount of debate we decided on the rail route as Simon's map showed it as a better road - not sure what this says about the other road! Arriving in Wadi Halfa we completed the immigration formalities much quicker than expected so decided to stock up on supplies and head out that night. The road follows the trainline most of the way to Abu Hamed but we decided to cycle alongside the tracks which seemed to offer a better surface and also prevented us getting lost!

10km under our belt on the first night and all felt good as we settled under the stars to catch some shuteye. 80km a day we thought, we might even get to Abu Hamed in 4 days! We started the next day making further good progress as the ground held firm but as the day went on the sand started to become very soft in patches and so it would be all the way until Abu Hamed. Such were the conditions that at times we had to resort to balancing our tyres on the rails and pushing our bikes in this way as the sand was too thick to push through. The Sudanese sunshine was also making it's presence felt making it impossible to do anything between about 11am and 3. All agreed that this was the toughest 'cycling' they had done to date.

Balancing all of this was the hospitality of the Sudanese which is legendary amongst travellers. Between Wadi Halfa and Abu Hamed there are several manned stations and where they could all of the workers would make sure we were fed, sheltered and watered to the best of their abilities. Aside from the odd sand storm I enjoyed the starkness and solitude of the desert too and when we did finally emerge from the desert 7 days later it seemed strange to suddenly see cars and people - i almost wanted to turn back. Somehow however the allure of cold Coke and a non rice based meal was too great!

A week in Cairo

I've been in Egypt for about 2 weeks now and I've come to the conclusion that i like the place. Sure there's the hassle factor and a frequent feeling that you're being ripped off but the majority of people seem a nice bunch and there's just so much to see here.

A week in Cairo just enhanced that. Cairo is a bustling city with a burgeoning population, insane driving and it seems a history of bad road planning. For all its faults it's a nice place to spend some time with some beautiful Colonnial quarters, the throng of the old town and of course the Pyramids. The museum too is a must, it's full to rafters with Phaoronic treasures and we spent a couple of sessions marvelling over them all.

The week was punctuated by taking the sleeper train to Luxor which is home to Valley of the Kings amongst numerous other Ancient wonders. Arriving in Luxor at 5am may not at first have seemed ideal but it did mean that we beat the crowds in fact having the amazing Temple of Medinat Habu to ourselves. From there we took in the Valley of the Kings before walking over the hill to the Hatshepsut temple and it's stunning situation. You could spend a week in Luxor marvelling over all the ancient treasures but sadly we only had two days before we had to head back to Cairo. In all a great chilled week and a welcome respite from cycling if not a complete break from exercise as we did end up going to the gym a couple of times to ensure Lisa didn't break stride with her London marathon training.


Medinat Habu temple













Temple of Hatshepsut










Walk like an Egyptian










Tourist at Karnak Temple

To Alexandria

Five days cycling from the Libyan border to Alexandria were pretty uneventful bar some stong headwinds and a broken pedal. The pedal was 'fixed' for a mere 10p in Marsa Matrouh with the disclaimer that it would get me to Cairo where i should get it replaced (amazing foresight i thought as the pedal finally gave up 30km after Cairo).
Most of the way from Marsa Matrouh to Alexandria the coast is littered with purpose built beach resorts which didn't really appeal though apparently some of the beaches are pretty nice.

Stopping in Alexandria for the night i was soon ushered into a turn of the century cafe by an old sea captain (of almost the same vintage) who kindly invited me in to talk politics over tea and biscuits. Alex seems a nice city with a good position and a laid back (for Egypt) feel. It also has an impressive new library and some remnants of it's time as a major Roman port.
Would have been nice to linger longer but i had my eyes set on Cairo where i was to spend a week with Lisa.

North African Driving Etiquette

There's a different style of driving in North Africa compared to back home. One less concerned with rules and rigidity but more with flair and improvisation. I'm not sure how it evolved but perhaps it was inherited under colonnial rule - the Libyans in particular have embraced what the Italians gave them and then taken it to a whole new level.

Liberal use of the horn is of course obligatory and for those not versed in such matters i present a short guide:

1 beep - Hi! I'm somewhere outside, inside, behind or in front of you
2 beeps - Welcome to my country! Why aren't you doing this in a car?
3 beeps or more - Hold tight! I'm attempting an improbable overtaking manouevre

I think i've got to grips with the form now and should i return i will definitely equip my bike with a horn. I feel less of a man without one - it prevents me attempting that improbable overtaking manoeuvre..

An audience with the president

Yes, there he is. One in from the right. That's Ahmed, president of the Libyan Green Mountains Cycling Association and a very nice man he is too. I had the pleasure of his company and his translator/guide/neighbour on my recent visit to their home town - the ancient Greek city of Cyrene.

I'm more of a landscapes man really but apart from the old towns i've already mentioned Libya does have an impressive selection of ancient cities dotted along it's coastline including the Roman cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna. Certainly worth visiting.

That's it for Libya. Five days cycling in the Green mountains concludes my stay here and so it's Farewell to Libya and 'Welcome in Egypt!'

so last week!

Seems i'm not the first one this year to be cycling in Libya. I've just discovered some friends of a friend are doing a round trip of the med at the moment.
They're about a week ahead of me but there's a chance our paths might cross somewhere on the road to Cairo.

Ecohousing - a lost art

I've just visited the towns of Nalut and Ghadames on the edge of the Sahara both several hundred years old. What's interesting is that they both incorporate walls with high thermal mass for Passive Solar heating (and cooling). Libyan's in fact claim that Ghadames has the oldest Air conditioning system in the world.

These aren't the only Eco features. The houses also had a sophisticated water management system and even their very own form of composting loos. Funny how we're only just rediscovering these techniques!
Ironically the towns are now all but deserted with the government having built new 'improved' versions outside the city walls in the 80's. Apparently the new concrete homes work nowhere near as well!

Sahara by Car

Sadly independent travel is currently not possible in Libya - a guide is needed. I've only managed to secure a guide to cycle the Eastern half of Libya so I've had to arrange alternative transport for the western part, giving me a chance to visit the Sahara.

Libya is quite diferent from the rest of North Africa and perhaps the only country that has managed to retain the true spirit of this region. It's obviously very dry here - not least because Libya is the most Muslim country of all North Africa ;)



Let's offroad!

Miles from Nowhere

Dune

Surely a mirage?











Saharan Sky

Almost famous...

Times of Oman

4 nights in tunisia

After the slight edginess of Algeria, Tunisia is a breath of fresh air feeling instantly safer with still no signs of tourism on the route i chose. I have however heard the first snippets of English for a while - GCSE French having got me this far.

It's starting to feel more desertlike as i touch the fringes of the Sahara. Shame i can't stay a bit longer really as the roads are largely nice and flat too but time is of the essence and Libya beckons

land of zidane

I'm starting to wonder whether Zidane's infamous World Cup headbutt wasn't just a token of affection such is the welcome i've received while in Algeria. Endless cries of 'Bon Courage!', food handouts and offers of help have come my way. All a bit overwhelming..
Having said all that it does still feel slightly edgy and while the polkice have done their best to assure me there is no terrorism here they have insisted on giving me a 2 police car escort everywhere (slightly embarrassing when u get overtaken by a peloton of Algerian cyclists!)

The hospitality was nicely summed up upon leaving Algeria as the customs man took me inside for the formalities followed by a cooked lunch and a chat. Just to make me feel completely at home, upon discovering my profession he then asked i could fix the bluetooth on his laptop!

friendly face

slightly camera shy - spotted just outside Bejaia

Rock the Casbah - not too hard though!

A few days cycling along the Algerian coast and i arrive at the capital Algiers. After some deliberation i decide to take a rest day and explore the town a bit (aimlessly). Luck seems to be on my side as the friendly Djamel notices my lostness, strikes up conversation and proceeds to take me on a guided tour of the town. We are then joined later by his friend Wahab who continues the tour, takes me to lunch and helps me sort all my errands.
Amazing hospitality and my Algiers experience would have been so different without them both.

Here i am in the Casbah. It's the old town of Algiers, originally built by the turks and once amazing but now it's sadly crumbling after years of neglect and needs lots of attention.

double take

Now in Algeria. Thought I'd seen the last of this long ago..

back on track

Well almost.
After wading through mountains of red tape to get a visa I´m catching a ferry to Algeria on Saturday where I´ll begin the North African leg.

With hindsight i might have postponed my original departure date and obtained the visa in the UK but actually spending the last couple of weeks in Spain hasn´t been so bad :)