After last nights episode I wake early and am still tired ..I have a long day ahead.. but I have fuel to get me to Egypt. I head back to Karima and take the new desert road to Dongola.
It is about 200k to Dongola.. My chariot is going like a dream ..I'm doing 130 with a tail wind it is fun. The desert moves ...sand patches on the road.. and the sands are moving.
It is desert after all .
But this bit of greenery is welcome
The Sudanese trying to make the best out of their bit of paradise.
Finally I cross the Nile at Dongola.. check the service stations for fuel..all dry
I'm told there is Diesel about 200 k's south ..but I'm heading north to the Egyptian border
about 330 k's from Dongola. I have enough to get me to Egypt. So I move on. It's a good tar road, looks new, probably built to service the new Sudan/Egypt border post at Argeen.
I am doing 125kph but the big buses speed past me must be doing 140 .
I get to the first police road block.. I guess they are keeping a record of the vehicles heading north.. but I doubt it.
The Sahara is.. well the sahara...
There is evidence that humans have been here before
The Nile can be seen occasionally in the distance.. a lovely green belt ..
A bit far for a picture.. I press on.
Suddenly,after a couple of hours, in the middle of nowhere there is Argeen ( a massive infrastructure in the desert...) the border post. There are maybe 12 buses in the queue on the Sudanese side. I weave my way to the front and park.. It is just after 1.00pm. A man in a uniform beckons me and I follow with my passport and Carnet.. The Carnet is checked and photocopied and stamped.. the passport is taken by a "minder"- presumably to be stamped.
I am given a chair in the air conditioned office, for which I am most thankful. There must be over 200 people in each of the passport and custom halls (not air conditioned).
I wait and wait.. Eventually the customs guy wants to check my car and contents..it's hot outside.. He checks the Chassis number and looks in the back.. sees the camping gear and doesn't bother any further, probably too hot. Still don't have my passport. I am missing a piece of paper that I should have been given on my entry into Sudan.. I act dumb.. they don't seem to care.. The minder returns with my passport stamped and I can go.. so I think. The minder asks for US$50 for his efforts and hands me a bunch of receipts, which I add up to be $8. I give him $20.. he is not happy and calls a cop. I go through the process of trying to explain ..That the receipts add up to $8 and $12 for the minders efforts is satisfactory. The cop agrees with me and wanders off. Just under 2 hours..and if I think that is bad i am just about to be given a real lesson.
I head for the Egyptian side. It is 3.05 pm the gates are closed.. I'm told for prayers. so I park in "No Mans Land." At 3.30pm a policeman approaches ..asks for my Carnet.. Looks at it ..then my passport. "No good" he says. "Why" I ask.. "not in your name" .It is in my siste'rs name. I give him a copy of the Affidavit signed by the South African police authorising me full use. This is also unacceptable. I explain that it has been acceptable at the 7 previous countries I have been through.. It is not acceptable in Egypt.. I ask to see a more senior guy.. The customs manager is adamant that it is unacceptable and I must buy a new Carnet.. from the Egyptian Automobile Club which just happens to have an office here. I head over.. the young bloke checks out the Carnet and says I need an Egyptian carnet.. How much I ask.. US$550.. but he says he doesn't have one to sell me .. gives me a chair in the shade.
I contemplate my options.. Take a local bus to Aswan 400k away, fly to Cairo and return same way to Argeen. Maybe two days. All this time my car is in "No Mans Land".
I could just turn around and head back to South Africa but I have no diesel and this border post is 150k's from the nearest fuel in Egypt, where I can't go, or about 600 k's away in Sudan which I can't go as a) I don't have the fuel to get there and b) I am legally out of Sudan and only had a single entry visa . I chat on Whats App to my sister in Jo'burg who is making many very "helpful" suggestions. I am stuffed. At about 6 pm the Carnet guy who has been on the phone a lot tells me that he can get me a Carnet but not Automobile club - Eagle Automobile club.. I tell him he must pass it by Mr. Customs.. who appears to give the O.K.
I must now go and change money from US$ to Egyptian pounds.. I go to my car ..still in "No mans land",grab US$ from the hidden money and head to the bank for exchange.. There are two banks.. the first one has run out of Egyptian pounds.. so to the second.. It is closed for prayers.. after about 35 mins it opens and I am about 30th in the queue.. but there is no queue..
The internet is down so the bank can't operate.. but it is all happening after about 15 minutes.. Patience is a virtue.. By chance the first or second customer wants US$ the bank doesn't have any ..I have some .. so I get pushed to the front of the queue and do my exchange. It is now about 6.45pm.. I notice a policeman who had seen me at about 3.30pm,
he speaks about 25 words of English.. more than my Arabic. He asks whether I have had my passport stamped.. Not yet I tell him. He takes me by the hand to the passport control. There must be 40-50 people milling around. He opens a door, then another, and I'm in "the inner sanctum". Here 3 officers are stamping the passports for those waiting outside.. I hand mine in with the E Visa.. this is a new thing to them ..much discussion.. I am told to wait outside, which I do.
Outside the 40-50 are now 50-60 ..to me it is chaos.. Every now and then a person shouts out a few names and people grab their passports and move on, and a few more are taken in.. I chat to a black guy.. he is from Uganda he has been waiting 2 hours.. he says they don't like black guys.His bus has gone ..he has his luggage.. taken off the bus for customs inspection. and he waits... we chat .. He is complaining, I tell him he has a chip on his shoulder, but after about an hour the word Australian is shouted out. I have my cleared passport.. but the Ugandan is still waiting.
Now it is 8 pm and I have had nothing to eat, a fair amount of water( a beer would be good)
and I go now to pay for the new Carnet. I pay and the new carnet is printed ..at about 9 pm I have it. The Carnet guy takes me to Mr. Customs who waves me on. Then I start paying - $10 at this window - $25 here - $15 there and on and on it goes..For some of it I get receipts..but they are meaningless as they are in Arabic. Finally, I get into my car and drive into the Egyptian border post..Here the inspections start.. everything out the car ..bloody hell ..don't lose your cool.. tents, chairs, food boxes, fridge, suitcases .. But all is good. the new carnet is stamped and another 500 Egyptian pounds goes.. Now the final questions by the secret police .. why do I have a new passport? Cause I am visiting many countries and need many pages.. that's accepted.. Do I have an International drivers licence.. Yes.. I give them a copy.
That's all done and I'm good to go.. No! One more thing ..the vehicle must be registered in Egypt. Off to a different office.. On the way I pay for the numerous photo copies the Carnet bloke had made when selling me the new Carnet.. US$8.. whew. Now vehicle registration this is quick - about 45 minutes.. and about US$50.. I cable tie the number plates on to the vehicle and am given new rego. papers. Finally I say goodbye.. hand my clearance paper, stamped by every Tom, Dick and Harry, to the gate keeper. he wants 20 pounds. I have no change ..I give him 100 (about A$10) - he of course has no change.. and waves me through.. It is 11.18pm the temperature is 38 degrees and I have a 150 kilometre drive to the nearest town Abu Simbel. The border took just over 10 hours and about US$700.
I have been stiched!
It is a lovely night, a good road with no one on it ( they are all in bed).
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