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Thursday, September 9, 2010

A Campsite in the Desert

As promised yesterday here is our trip from the temple ruins back to the highway. Our new friends wanted to show us where they were going to camp that night and asked us to join them for lunch
Riding back across the desert to the highway, we passed Sudanese on donkeys, donkeys grazing and camels

The Nile is visible from the highway at certain points. If there were not powerlines in the photo, the mudbrick houses along the Nile could be out of a Children's Bible


We followed Robyn, Izzy and Getenet along the highway. Robin wanted to show us their campsite about 40 minutes drive down the road.


Back on the highway, Grant stopped at the motel with a pink plastic palm (last week's post) I popped indoors for a pit-stop and of course, took photos of the restaurant. There was nothing going on as it is still Ramadan



Buying Cokes/sodas from the roadside shop/dukani just before we turned into the desert again
 Africa in one of her best guises: land stretching as far as the eye can see, thorn trees, rocks and desert

Approaching the "campsite" where we had lunch
As we arrived at the campsite I noticed a rock balancing precariously on another in the gap between the mountains

A close-up of one rock balancing on another

I love the paperbark thorns so prolific in the desert. They provide good shade with the umbrella- shaped crown

I  imagined I could hear the ocean beyond these dunes
The friends, Robyn, Izzy and Getenet,  we made in the desert camped here on Sunday evening. We had lunch with them and then travelled home. Now we are also plannning a night sleeping out in the desert


Entering the outskirts of Khartoum we passed agricultural lands. And of course I had to snap the donkeys!
On the way home again. I can't wait for our next trip into the desert!


The Arabic word for mountain is Jbl (pronounced Jebel)

6 comments:

  1. Love the "campsite." I want to go!

    Those have got to be the most spindly legged donkeys I've ever seen.

    I can't wait until you get out into the desert again. So much nicer than sitting home in the flat.

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  2. Wow, Jo - you are really showing us the beauty of the Sudan .... the temples are quite incredible, also loved the balancing rocks & bush scenes/trees .... how wonderful that you've met some friendly expats. There are many Australians here in Tanzania & I have a standard phrase for them 'I've never met an Australian I didn't like !' they are all super friendly and usually very hardworking, too. (P.S. A shop or 'dukka' is also referred to as a dukani here !)

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  3. What a wonderful trip you all had to the desert... Glad your new friends found a TREE around their campsite...

    That one picture does look like something out of a children's Bible --along the Nile (if someone can take out the power lines)... NEAT picture.

    Thanks for sharing... Can't wait 'til your next trip.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  4. I kept trying to see if Cleopatra was on her way up the Nile...Lol
    I LOVE these trips! Where we going Next????Lolol
    hughugs

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  5. What a great view into the desert. I love the wide open spaces you have there. A camp-out in the desert would be fun. I'll bet the stars are amazing.

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  6. This is so fascinating to me, Jo--a world away from me. Let us know how the outdoor sleeping goes.

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