Baking in Gedaref, Sudan! (04/27/01)

I am writing this in the only Internet cafe in Gedaref, Sudan! You need a big map of Sudan -- Gedaref is in the southeast, about 500km from Khartoum.

The last week of riding from Addis Ababa to here was the toughest, loneliest piece of riding I have ever done in my life. Terrible roads--sharp rocks, gravel, sand, mountains, herds of animals--day after day. And then, blistering heat. I arrived in Sudan in the middle of their Summer -- I have never experienced heat like this in my life!

Anyway, quick highlights from the last few weeks:

* Visited the museum and saw "Lucy", at one time recognized as the oldest human fossils to be discovered

* Radio FM -- I was invited to do two radio shows. The first was their only Latin music show, hosted by DJ Kin, and he had me provide the entire show's music. (I will post the playlist later.) The response was incredible -- the station's two phone lines were ringing off the hook--it really made me want to stay in Ethiopia.

* Rode to Bahar Dar which is at the southern tip of Lake Tana. Saw the Blue Nile Falls which were at about half capacity but still very beautiful and impressive (Africa's second biggest falls).

* Took a boat on Lake Tana to some of the island monastaries -- several are 700+ years old (and some do not permit women visitors). Met tourists from Djibouti and Yemen.

* Crossed the border at Metema, Ethiopia. The immigration office was in a mud hut.

* After the Sudanese customs officers processed my papers for my motorcycle, they offered me lunch--which was delicious. NEVER, have I been treated so well by immigration/customs officials. In the two short days I have been here, I have already become aware how generous the Sudanese people are.

I have got to go. Tomorrow I ride through the blistering heat to Khartoum!

So much to tell, but so little internet time.

Your Friend,

Jim Sowers