10 things you could do with $600...

If you had a spare $600 lying around, what could you spend it on?

1. You could buy a new computer, stereo, TV or other consumer durable black good.
2. You could drink 600 pints of beer in a Czech pub.
3. You could buy a season ticket at Carrow Road.
4. You could enjoy a lobster meal for 4 at Humerbar Restaurant in Zurich.
5. You could spend 2 months travelling in relative luxury in South East Asia or on the Indian Subcontinent.
6. You could visit Petra 20 times.
7. You could book two return flight tickets from London to New York.
8. You could buy an annual pass for 10 families to Prague zoo. (That is 10 lots of 2 adults and 2 children).
9. You could pay just the park entrance fees to Kilimanjaro National Park. If you wanted to climb it, you would need another $400 minimum.
10. Or, you could take a four-day camping safari (with your own equipment) in Tanzania, visiting Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Thats what we did!

What would you do?

Kdyz mate prebytecnych 600$USD, 10 moznosti jak s nimi nalozit.....

1. Koupit si novy pocitac, stero nebo TV.
2. Vypit 600 piv v ceske hospode.
3. Koupit si sezonni listek na fotbalovy tym Norwich City.
4. Zajit si na poradnyho humra pro 4 lidi v Humrbaru v Curychu.
5. Ztravit 2 mesice cestovani v pomernem luxusu v jihovychodni Asii nebo na Indickem subkontinentu.
6. Navstivit Petru dvacetkrat. (skalni mesto v Jordansko).
7. Koupit zpatecni letenka pro dva lidi z Londyna do New Yorku
8. Rocni vstupenka pro deset rodin do Prazske Zoo.
9. Zaplatit jen vstup do Narodniho Parku Kilimandzaro (pokud si chcete vylezt nahoru takze pridejte dalsi 400$USD!)
10. Nebo 4 denni safari se svym vlastnim stanem v Tanzanii do Tarangire Narodni Parku, Serengeti Narodni Parku a Ngorongoro prirodni rezervace.

Tak jsme nalozili s 600$ my.
Co byste udelali vy?

KENA

Zdravime,
Nakonec jsem psala z Addis Ababa
Jeste 2 dny jizni Etiopii nez jsme se dostali na hranice s Kenou, jih Etiopie byl krasne zeleny a plny huste dzungle. Na hranicich v Moyale jsme dostali viza a ubytovali jsme se v takovy spinavy dire, bylo to hrozny mesto, asi jako vsechny pohranicni. Celou jizni Etiopii a severni Kenu jsme se setkavali s ‘qatem’ coz jsou listky nejakyho stromu, ktery vsichni zvykaji a jsou pekne zmasteny, protoze se cpou plnyma igelitovyma taskama a sezvykaji az pul kila denne. V Jemenu, Somalsku, Etiopii a Keni je to legalni. Takze v Moyale byli vsichni pekne vymeteny a bylo docela komplikovany zjistit, jak se odtamtud dostanem. Jedina nase moznost byla, podelit se o korbu nakladaku s dalsimi asi 50ti lidma, nastesti nakladak prevazel fazole a tak to nebylo na tvrdym. Tahle jizda z Moyale do Isiolo ma byt jedna z nejhorsich v Africe, je to uplny voraniste plny der a taky to byvalo nebezpecny kvuli banditum. Ale musim rict, ze jsme byli pripraveny na nejhorsi, ze to bude neco strasnyho, ale dalo se to prezit, delili jsme se o jeden pytel fazoli a bylo nas tam hodne, ale nakladak mel velky kola a tak hrboly a diry po ceste nebyli tak bolestivy jako by to bylo v autobuse. Taky to trvalo jen 17hodin.
Meli jsme docela starch z Keni, slyseli jsme hrozny historky o vrazdach a prepadavani, znasilnovani a nevim co vsechno, to vsechno se opravdu deje, ale vetsinou za tmy, kdyz my spime a pres den se clovek citi docela bezpecne.
Prvni zastavkou mel byt Narodni park Mt. Kena, druhou nejvyssi horu Afriky jsme si chteli vyslapnout mistio Kilimanzara (ktery stoji kolem 800$ za vyslap za cloveka), nakoupili jsme si na 4 denni trek a stopem-pesky jsme se dostali pred branu parku, kde postavili stan v krasnym kempu.



Bohuzel, se od ledna tohoto roku ceny parku v Keni zmenili a tenhle park stal 15$ na den, tak ted ho zdrazili na 60$ denne + kempovani v parku+ pruvodce, takze to utrpeni vyskrabat se na horu by nas jeste stalo nejakych 300$, tak jsme se nastvali a zustali v kempu 2dny abysme alespon sporadali vsechno to jidlo, co jsme nakoupili. Kemp byl krasnej se super spravcem a vyhled na hour Kena jsme meli ze stanu.



Jidlo a piti se uplne zmenili, vyborny mlecny caj s kourovou prichuti, takovy nafoukly koblihy k snidani a jogurty. V Keni zije hodne Indu a tak ryze a curry a chapatti je na kazdem menu. Mistni specialitou je ugali, takova lepkava nakysla hmota s masem, ale nastesti se tomu skoro vzdycky da vyhnout. Protoze Kena byla britskou kolonii, hranolky se smazenou rybou nebo kuretem jsou vsude k dostani. My jsme si oblibili v mistnich jidelnach pilau ryzi(ryze ochucena kardamonem s vodovym curry) a githeri( 3 druhy fazoli v trochu palive omacce) a to jsme si dali na pul. Vetsinou byli k dostani i cerstvy dzusy na ulici mango, avocado, papaya

Mistni dopravou jsou hlavne MATATU minibusy, ktery jezdi vsude a porad a strasne rychle. Tak jednim z nich jsme se dostali z Nanuyki do Nairobi, hlavni mesto z kteryho jsme meli opravdu starch, ale pres den je to ok, ale jak zavrou kramy, tak se ulice vyprazdni a po 7 vecer uz moc lidi ven nechodi. Prezdivka NIGHTROBBERY docela sedi a i kdyz bysme se nejradsi Nairobi vyhnuli uplne, tak to neni mozny a uz jsme tam byli 3krat a az na strasnej hluk a hodne lidi to bylo fajn.

Pak jsme vyrazili na pobrazi, autobusem do Mombasy, kde jsme stravili den, moc prijemna atmosfera, dobrej mix africanu, indu a arabu. Opravdu jsme tam uzili jak jidlo tak lidi, architekturu a swahilskou kulturu.



Nasi hlavni destinaci v Keni byl, ale ostruvek Lamu, ktery jsme meli nekolikrat doporuceny. Jen 7 hodin jizdy po pobrezi na sever od Mombasy, taky jedna z nebezpecnych silnic a tak kazdy autobus ma chlapka s kalasnikovem, nastesti jsme nemeli zadne problemy, ridic to valil 130km v hodine a tak nevim jestli by se vubec nejakym banditum podarilo nas zastavit!!

Lamu byl raj, prevazne muslimsky ostruvek s krasnou swahilskou architekturou, uzounkymi ulickami a hlavnim dopravnim prostredkem jsou oslici, nasli jsme si krasny ubytovani a bylo nam tam tak dobre, ze misto 3 planovanych dnu jsme tam zustali 5 dni, docela prselo. Vyrazili jsme celodenni vylet mistni plachetnici, strasne foukalo a tak jsme se malem prevratili, nastesti se nam to nestalo, ale potkali jsme jednu, ktere se to podarilo.



Zarybarili jsme si a ulovek jsme si ogrilovali na plazi, taky jsme se pekne spalili.



Meli jsme kuchyn k dispozici a tak jsme si obcas varili, I kdyz to cenove vyjde o neco draz nez jist v nejake mistni restauraci, tak si clovek muze udelat hromadu zeleniny s testovinama. Proste se nam tam hrozne libilo a i po 5ti dnech se nam nechtelo ostrov opustit.



Cestou zpet do Nairobi jsme si rikali, ze jsme v Keni 14 dni a jeste jsme nevideli ani jedno divoke zvire, dostat se do Narodnich parku po svych je skoro nemozny a mistni doprava tam nejezdi. Skoro vsechny vstupy narodnich parku se zdrazili na 60 $ denne a tak jsme muesli byt opatrni pri vyberu. Nakonec jsme si zorganizovali Safari z Nairobi za 290$ na 3 dny s navstevou 2 parku. Prvni Masai Mara, nejznamejsi a nejnavstevovanejsi park v Keni, kde jsme se projeli 2 hodiny vecer a 2 hodiny rano a neverili vlastnim ocim, kolik jsme toho videli za tak kratkou dobu, zacalo to zebrama, zirafama a pak jsme videli stovky buvolu, slony, jednu lvici a 2 lvy, no byla to nadhera,












vecer jsme se prezrali a rano jsme pokracovali do narodniho parku Lake Nakuru, kde jsme meli asi 4 hodiny u jezera a to byla nadhera, uplnej koberec z Flamengos, do toho pelikani a mezi tim se prochazeli zebry a videli jsme 3 bily nosorozce a zahlidli jsme hyenu a do toho ruzny druhy antilop a gazel.










No krasny to bylo po ceste do Nairobi jsme si vyzkocili u jezera Naivasha, kde jsme 2 dny kempovali u jezera a kousek od stanu se nam v noci prochazeli hrosi, teda nastesti za plotem, vydavali hrozny zvuky a docela jsem se jich bala, je to v Africe nejnebezpecnejsi zvire, napadnou vic lidi nez jake koliv jine zvire!!!!
Hell s gate narodni park je par kilometru od jezera a je to jediny park v Keni, kde se muze clovek prochazet nebo projizdet na kole. A tak jsme vyrazili na kolech, byl to uzasnej zazitek, jen na kole mezi zebrama a zirafama a taky buvolama(z tech jedinejch jsme meli trochu starch), divocaku a antilop.



Pak nas mistni Masai vzal do lomu a odpoledne jsme se vratili a udelai hromadu salatu s avokadem, ktery je momentalne v sezone a stoji 2kc kus!!!!
Navrat do Nairobi a rychle do Tanzanie, nase plany se tak trochu zmenili, protoze kamarad Stepan nas opet prijede navstivit a to na severu Tanzanie a tak zajedem do Tanzanie a Ugandu nechame az na potom.

Celkove jsme nevedeli, co ocekavat od Keni, spis jsme byli negativne naladeni, ale vsechno nas mile prekvapilo, jak lide, tak priroda, tak krasni Masaiove, tak jidlo a maji taky vyborny pivo Tusker. Vsichni mluvi plyne anglicky a vetsina tisku je v anglictine, skoro denne jsme si kupovali noviny a musim rict, je to hruza co se deje v tyhle zemi, vrazdy, znasilneni, kolik lidi je HIV pozitivnich, kmeny, kteri se vrazdi vzajemne, korupce a jak je nebezpecno na silnicich, vsichni jezdi 100km/h a predjizdi zasadne bez koukani.
Ale libilo se nam v Keni.

tak vas vsechny zdravime a mejte se krasne

monika

Hakuna Matata

We had a nice introduction to Kenya, one of the powerhouses of African tourism. The immigration officer on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya was very friendly and taught us some Swahili and gave us some advice on travelling in Kenya. This positive start was soon counter-balanced by Moyale being possibly the most typical example of a border town this side of Tijuana! Guys chewing chat sat around the filthy hotels prone and unable and it was impossible to find any useful information on how to get out of the town! In fact the only way out was south towards Isiolo. Possibly the most infamous road on the trip from Cairo to Cape Town this road sends shivers down the spine of overlanders, many of whom loose their shocks enroute. Our only option was on the back of a truck full of sacks of beans, along with about 100 other people. We had heard stories of trucks turning over so we were happy to be so well weighed down! Not only is the road known for its poor, bordering on non-existent condition (there is no tarmac between Moyale and Isiolo) but it is also the territory of many bandits, which live on looting trucks passing through. The trip should take around 8 hours to Marsabit and then a further 9 hours to Isiolo. We were lucky in that our truck did it in that exact time, and we rolled into Isiolo at 3am the next morning.



Isiolo was nothing more than a place to stop and recuperate before heading on via Nanyuki to Naro Moro, at the base of Mount Kenya. Not only is Mt Kenya famous for being the second highest in Africa but also for being a cheap alternative to Kilamanjaro and Meru for trekking. Or at least it was. In our first encounter with KWS (Kenyan Wildlife Services) we realised that in January they had increased the fee from $15 per day to $55 per day, which is quite an increase! It still pales in comparison to the $1000 you would need to climb Kili, but still it put it out of our budget. Instead we relaxed in solitude at the campsite at the Mt Kenya hostel and contented ourselves with views of Mt Kenya from below.



Fully rested we headed to Nairobi, hoping just to pass through. Who is afraid of big bad Nairobi? We were actually, I mean, its not called Nairobbery for nothing! In the end we found that it was not so bad as the hype, that we were able to wander around without being robbed, raped and murdered. We ended up stopping over in Nairobi three times, and each time was fine. However on our first night we did get back to our hotel before 6pm and soon after heard two violent fights and gunshots from our room!



The next leg of our journey was to visit the Swahili homeland along the coast of Kenya. Frustratingly, the road between two of East Africa's biggest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa, was probably the worst road in Kenya but we got there eventually. Next time, and with a bigger wallet I am going to take the old Rift Valley railway that still operates with full service between the two cities. The history of Mombasa is like the history of Swahili in microcosm, a melting pot of African, Asian and Arabic cultures, with smatterings of Portuguese and British colonial influences thrown in fir good measure. Just Fort Jesus (which we didn't enter due to the also exorbitant entrance fees) managed to change hands between the Kenyans, Omanis, Portuguese and British during its operating history. The old town surrounding the fort revealed similar examples of this chequered past. We heard stories of anti-Western sentiment and Osama Bin Laden graffiti but all we received was a warm and friendly welcome. All in all it was one of my highlights of Kenya. I have to say as well that it is amazing how much one man has influenced millions of peoples opinion of 'the West'. Since his historic election victory the sheer presence of Obama has turned everything around. No longer are Americans treated as some sort of pariahs, with both locals and fellow travellers alike turning away from them. They are now being welcomed everywhere. At the same time in the UK we are electing far-right anti-social fascist scum like the BNP and the UKIP ('the BNP in blazers'). Now who is going to be shunned?



Just as beautiful is the old Swahili town on the island of Lamu, 6 hours north of Mombasa. Because this road is another hotspot for bandits we had a military escort on our bus for part of the journey. The island is half an hours boat trip through the mangroves. Another beautiful old Islamic Swahili town this is a seaside resort with a difference. Here the beaches take a back seat to the old town and cups of steaming milky tea and thick mango juices take the place of cold beers. We took the almost compulsory dhow trip through the mangroves. Although the trip was quite scary, the wind was high and we passed an overturned dhow on the way, it was a nice day, we went fishing but only Monika caught anything so she had to share her catch with us (Along from Korea, Neil from the Philippines and I) as we had barbequed fish on Manda beach for lunch. Lamu was so quiet and serene that we spend several days there, in a state of almost total inertia. On one of our last nights we indulged in a deluxe meal of fresh grilled fish with such a plethora of side dishes I was at a loss as to which to eat next.



Which brings me to the subject of Kenyan food. Almost every country we enter I fear the worst. Since my introduction to African food in Ghana I am very pessimistic about the offerings. Kenya has been just as impressive as almost all the African countries I have visited since Ghana. Chapatis, fish and chips (with salt and vinegar), fried chicken, sausages, all manner of egg dishes and a smattering of Indian cuisine all washed down with strong, milky chai or, away from the coast, refreshing Tusker lager means that I never once had to try the national dish,Ugali, a meal pulp that resembles the worst of African cooking!



Having spent about two weeks in Kenya and not having seen a wild animal we decided it was time to return to the interior. Back in Nairobi we organised, after much deliberation, a 3-day safari to the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru national parks. At $100 per day it is not a cheap undertaking, although still only 60% of the cost of a Tanzanian safari. Its still a shock, especially when you a reused to $20 per day Asian tours! It was however, worth the money. The Masai Mara can't really be described without slipping into all sorts of clichés so suffice to say we bounced around in a safari van (with a pop-up roof) and spotted all sorts of wildlife lying under acacia trees such as lions, elephants and buffalo (3 of the 'Big 5’' in about an hour) as well as giraffes, ostriches, all sorts of antelope and wildebeest, and squillions of zebra. I was so excited upon spotting my first zebra and then I realised they are more common than cows here and spend most of their time grazing by the side of motorways!



Lake Nakuru was possibly even more beautiful. An alkaline lake populated by about 16,000 flamingos, with marabou storks and pelicans mingled in and white rhino, buffalo and more zebra wandering around the shore. We also saw a jackal and a hyena, two of the more nefarious species on display. I must also add that I was very pleasantly surprised that tourism hasn't had a greater impact, it has been really well managed. Even at Masai Mara the camps appear very low-key from the outside and, whilst Masai village tours are offered, they are not forced, nor are any other 'extras', and there was a marked absence of hawkers, although our van did manage to stop at a souvenir shop enroute both to and from the park!



We arranged to be dropped off from the safari at Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake with several campsites dotted around its shore. We were lucky enough to be visited by a herd of hippo during the nights, who came to graze on our campsite. I say 'lucky' as there was an electric fence separating our tent from these surprisingly dangerous animals. Close by is Hells Gate national park, the only park in Kenya which you can cycle through, apparently there are no wild cats there. We hired bicycles for the day and set off, cycling under beautiful rock formations and between herds of zebra, antelope, giraffes and buffalos, which apparently aren't dangerous as long as they are in a group. Again we had a run-in with KWS here as the entrance fee to Hells Gate was also increased. A warning to any students attempting to take advantage of the concessionary rate it will only be offered to students under the age of 23, in groups of 10 or more on an organised, official visit. Individual students on holiday will not enjoy the reduced rates. Personally I don't see the point of offering them to non-residents in that case.



And from Naivasha back to Nairobi, again, from where we left for Arusha in Tanzania, where we are now. We had planned to travel through Uganda to Tanzania but we had an email from Stepan as we arrived in Kenya who told us he would meet us in Arusha with his friend Tomas and we could go on safari together. So we changed our plans and headed down into Tanzania. Luckily these three countries in East Africa allow visitors to travel between them on single entry visas as long as we stay with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania so hopefully we can just go back through Kenya to Uganda and continue through back to Tanzania.



Sometimes Kenya seems to be very developed, especially when you are speeding along a dual-carriageway in the central highlands, with pristine farmland on either side. Inevitably however, just around the corner it will all fall apart and you will be bouncing in and out of pot-holes again. I get the same feeling from reading the Daily Nation, the English-language newspaper that was my source for all the dirt, crime and corruption happening in Kenya. Take the minister who, in response to a new law restricting ministers to cars sized 1.8l or less stated that he 'could not arrive at official functions in a teenagers car'. Or the government and police officials who were intrinsically involed in the post-election violence and yet are being protected by the dragging -heels investigation. Or even the Mungiki, the gangster sect that controls much of the Rift Valley and Central Highlands, with 'red spots' including Nanyuki, Nakuru and Naivasha, the government does nothing, why? There are more connections than anyone wants to know. A young girl was recently shot by police who were using live rounds to disperse street hawkers, she was working as a waitress when she was killed. And every day there are new reports of rape and child abuse, of priests abusing their position, of young men taking their fathers to court to try to gain possession of the land their fathers worked so hard to gain. They don't want to give it up and see the money squandered. Perhaps the most poignant pages in each edition are the funeral notices. Almost half the deaths are explained away as a 'long illness', read AIDS, and the other half as a result of traffic accidents. In the lonely hearts column posters are less cryptic, demanding HIV tests as a must, or openly admitting to being 'HIV+'. After reading the paper one can be left feeling hollow and without hope, however we met some people in Kenya that renewed our faith in humanity. One of them, Orfan, works as a tour guide by day, spends his spare time running an orphanage for street children in Western Kenya and often goes out in the evenings to meet young prostitutes and try to talk them out of their life on the streets. He was lucky to survive the post-election violence last year, managing to run away from a bus in which more than half of the passengers were slaughtered to death. Whilst people like Orfan are still able to help there is hope for everybody.



Despite, or perhaps because of, the high level of tourism, Kenya has left me feeling a little cold. I thoroughly enjoyed travelling in Kenya but I see no reason why I would return. It just doesn't evoke the same blast of sensations as visiting, say Ethiopia, does. We had no bad experiences, just no unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Even though the safari was amazing, we still shared it with enough people to dilute the moment.

By truck from Moyale to Isiolo

The road from the border town of Moyale to Isiolo in Kenya is probably the most infamous along the whole Cairo-to-Cape Town route. Not only do the dirt tracks eat 4x4s for breakfast but there is also the added risk from the bandits that run amok across Northern Kenya. If you are travelling by public transport the choice is a twice (or perhaps thrice) weekly bus or jumping on the back of one of the trucks passing through daily. The journey takes around 18 hours if you are lucky. We were lucky. Our truck was full of bags of maize, which was good as they made comfortable seats and are heavy enough to stuck worrying about overturning, which a worrying number of the trucks are prone to doing. We left Moyale around 10:30am, stopped in Marsabit around 7:30pm and finally arrived in Isiolo at around 3:30am.

Here is a brief taste of this journey:

DISGRACEFUL!

No, I am not talking about the cricket! Something more important. How can anyone in Britain vote for the BNP? It's pathetic and makes me feel sick, and glad I am not there. How can we still have Nazis in Britain in this day and age, dont these people realise that multiculturalism is what makes Britain Great? Do these ignorant oafs realise that by voting for the BNP they are basically saying "You know Hitler, he wasn't bad, his heart was in the right place". If you vote BNP you are disgracing the actions of the brave souls that fought for freedom during WWII. People claim that they should be allowed due to freedom of speech, well, freedom of speech is only valid until you start abusing other peoples human rights, which seems to be the basic premise of the BNP. Parties such as the BNP and the UKIP (wake up guys, we have been part of the EU for years, and it has benefitted us greatly) should be forcibly disbanded and their leaders jailed under the terrorism act. Bastards.

Trekking in the Simien Mountains

Everything in Africa seems to cost a lot more than it should do, especially tourist activities like trekking, safaris etc. The Simien mountains in Ethiopia are the exception. Amazing trekking can be arranged at prices that don't break the bank. You can pay much more for organised treks with cooks, beer and wine, and other luxury personal services. We saw a lot of these and they do look nice. If however you want to do it the independent way, here is how:

We did a four day trek. The bus from Gonder costs 21.50 birr and leaves quite often, not only at 5:30am which is a rarity. Dont listen to any of the touts in Gonder or the bored guys in Debark who want to be your guide and folow you around ad nauseum.

Simien Park Hotel (good place, rooms without/with private bath 70/180) is THE place to stay in Debark and they do good food and good draft beer.

If you head straight for the park office in Debark (about 500m back along the road away from town from then Simien Park Hotel) they can organise everything. The mandatory scout is 40birr per day and park fees are 70 birr for two days (inc. camping). If you want an official guide he will cost 120 birr per day. We intended to take a guide but in the office they told us the scout knows the way and where the water is (there are actually showers at the campsites!) so unless we wanted more info we didnt need a guide, but they recommend. Cooks are 75 and mules/muleteers are 35 each. The equipment costs are 15 birr for a sleeping bag, matress or raincoat, 30/40 birr for a 2man/3man tent and 30-40 birr for cooking materials. If you hire equipment there you will need a mule and handler as their equipment is very old and heavy, especially the cookers. If you have your own equipment, like us, then you can carry it yourself. It may be stubborn but I couldn't help feeling like some sort of colonial lord if I were to use a porter/mule and if I cant make a trek with my own gear I would rather not go.

You dont have to feed your staff but we shared tea/coffee, bread, dates and 'kolo' with our scout.

We trekked to Imet Gogo and back over four days, like this:

Day 1 - Debark to Sankaber, about 30km, 9 hours, nice views over the escarpment and lots of baboons
Day 2 - Sankaber to Geech - 12km - 5 hours, more amazing views including one precipice.
Day 3 - Geech to Imet Gogo and Imet Gogo to Sankaber - 22km - 7hours, amazing views from Imet Gogo, well worth it. More baboons on the return to Geech.
Day 4 - Sankaber to Debark - slightly more direct route, no views but quicker, 6-7 hours

In total our fees cost 140birr per person and the scout 40 per day. Split between two of us it came to 440birr plus about 300birr for food and supplies (best bought in Gonder). Because he had done what we expected a guide to do we tipped our scout quite well (100birr, although the average is 1days wage for every 3 worked). So 840birr between two people over four days works out at 105 birr or just under $10 per person per day. Of course if you want a guide etc it soon adds up. Also, we did not meet anyone else who walked out of Debark, most take some transport to Sankaber at least, and the charge for a one way trip is 800birr! I thought the walk was amazing although in the office they will tell you it is boring.

The trekking is not hard but carrying your own gear and food makes it slow going. If you are not at least used to some trekking you might find it tough. However these guys are used to taking out-of-shape tourists into the hills, they know we need to stop and rest and eat something. Just because they don't stop, doesnt mean you can't stop. Just call out that you need a rest, or just sit down. I know it sounds obvious but apparantly some people didnt think so, they were waiting for someone to tell them what to do, you have paid so you are in charge. Even at this altitude it leave one short of breath so we had at least two 10-15min breaks in addition to our lunch break.

Oh, and you can buy water purification liquid in Goha Pharmacy in Gonder for 4birr, just one drop per litre. The water from the taps at the camps looks crystal clear but you wouldnt want a dose of the trots three days walk from Debark so it makes sense to take this with you, the Amheric name is 'Wuha Agar'.

We had rain on two evenings but nothing too heavy, I suppose it will get worse as the rains draw in more.

How to travel through Sudan

Here is our recipe for travelling in Sudan:

The visa application in Cairo was relatively simple (if you can get the letter of introduction from your embassy, Czech nationals will have to write their own letter and ask for a proof of signature instead, Brits will pay around $50 for the letter but ti will be issued within 5 minutes). The visa cost $100, required two photos, the form written in duplicate and photocopies of the passport and Egypt visa. There is a guy with a photocopier in the embassy who charges 1LE per copy.

The fare for the Aswan to Wadi Halfa ferry is 306LE for seat class and can be bought in Cairo, in a small office at Ramses train station.

We arrived at the port at 10am on Monday. Immigration and customs are fairly painless (unless, like most of the Sudanese passengers, you have boxes and boxes of luggage!) and you should be onboard by 12ish. You are given a meal ticket before boarding which entitles you to one meal, which was very nice - chicken, rice, bread, vegetable dish, salad and fruit. Most people used their ticket before we left. Further meals cost 14LE and a small packet of biscuits int he 1st class restaurant cost 1LE. Water and soft drinks cost 2.5LE. If you have any problems on the ferry you can look for Mr Mutaba, the chief engineer, his english is great and he can translate any questions to the immigration officials or anyone else you need to speak to.

The ferry should depart around 6pm but we were delayed due to high winds on the lake and left around 2:30am, I was happy to see such safety measures in place. During the journey we submitted our passports to the immigration officials in a cabin behind the 1st class restaurant. We passed Abu Simbel around 4pm and the captain came in very close so people could take photos, many people crowded to do so, not just the four western tourists on board. Later we stopped on the 22 parallel to swap the Egyptian guard for a Sudanese one and around 9pm we reached Wadi Halfa. Before we arrived we were ushered into the 1st class restaurant where the immigration procedure began. Once the officials arrived we had to fill three separate forms of our details and were required to have our temperature taken (we were not sure whether this was normal procedure or a result of the swine flu epidemic). It took about half an hour and we were able to disembark. Customs were very friendly and waved us through without even a cursory glance. Boksi (converted pick-ups) wait outside and charge 5SD to get to town.

In Wadi Halfa we stayed at the Nile Hotel, they charged 7SD for a bed. There is a separate section for females although they will allow foreigners to share a room mixed. Close by are restaurants where you can eat fuul, falafel or meat, prices are from 2-8SD. Bottled water costs 1SD for a small (500/600ml) bottle and 2SD for a 1.5l bottle, soft drinks Pepsi/Stim (something like Appletize) are 1SD. The registration office is on the main road close to the bus stand. It should cost 103SD (Around $40) per person but there is a guy who will help you register and take care of the toing and froing from several offices and will charge $50, worth the extra $10 I thought. YOU ONLY HAVE TO REGISTER ONCE IN SUDAN. Many travellers told us we need to register again in Khartoum, and pay again, but all officials were very explicit in telling us not to. Buses south only leave on Wednesday so dont hang around unless you want to wait a week! We paid 30SD each for a space in a boksi to Abri. A bus ticket to Dongola cost 45SD but they fill up quickly. In any case we wanted to take our time. I think jeeps to Dongola cost 70SD per person.

The ride to Abri took between 5-6 hours and the road is paved most of the way. In Abri there is only one lokanda and they let us camp on their yard for 5SD per person. If you need a room they will most likely want you to pay for four beds in it. There is a friendly restautant near where the boksi leave and they do falafel, fuul and fried fish, from 2-5SD per plate. The market here is quite lively in the mornings. A boksi leaves for Kerma around 9am, but you should get there at 8am, it takes over 6 hours and the road is not so good here. They should stop at least every two hours to get a drink and stretch your legs. In kerma there is only one lokanda and it is not so nice, but OK. We paid 10SD for the room as they would not allow camping but I think 20SD for the room is the norm. All of these lokandas have running water so showering is easy, although in Wadi Halfa you may need to fill a bucket and take it to a cubicle. There is not much food available in Kerma but there is one restaurant opposite the river that does some sort of stew for 3SD a plate. The boksi to Dongola leave in the morning. It is less than 2 hours, paved 90% of the way and costs 10SD each.

In Dongola we stayed at Lord Hotel, I think most foreigners stay here. The manager is helpful but he will try to sell you a room with private bath. We got a room with shared bath for 20SD. Beds are available for men at 7SD. Either side of the hotel are restaurants selling fuul, falafel and delicious fried fish., the fish is 5SD for a plate, the fuul and falafel 2SD each (I think).

You must register with the police in Dongola, this is free and takes two minutes but is quite far out of town so you might want to take a rickshaw, they will take you, wait and bring you back for 4SD. We planned to go to Karima but changed our mind, although if you do go you should ask in the office for a 'permission to cross the river' this is also free and seemingly pointless as you must come from that side from the north anyway! From Dongola there should be regular AC coaches to Khartoum. However they were all full when we went so we paid 30SD to ride in the back of a pick-up. the buses i think cost 30-35SD. The road is sealed all the way and the 440km journey takes under 6 hours.

Everyone knows about the Blue Nile Sailing Club in Khartoum. You can camp for 12SD per person, there are showers and a place to wash your dusty clothes. The small kiosk by the camping area sells water and soda for 1SD each and burgers (with egg) for 5SD. In town there are better, bigger burgers for 4SD. There is a juice stall that opens onto the car park of the BNSC, tasty juices cost 4/5SD (small/large) and the kiosk next door sells drinks and snacks. It is better to buy water here than at the 'camping' kiosk because the camping kiosk sells Crystal water which has a strange sweet aftertaste. All other brands taste normal.

In Khartoum it seems almost the only food available cheaply is burgers, they are everywhere. Normally with an egg on top as well, and sometimes cheese, they cost 4-5SD each. Fuul, fish and falafel are also available, as are shwarma but you have to look for them. At the 'Sea Scout meal' next to Blue Nile sailing club they do excellent BBQ chicken, for around 10SD.

Internet access in Khartoum is fast and cheap, normally 1 or 2SD per hour, the big one near the mosque (Netgate?) is 1SD but they have about 40 PC's of which at least 10 will be guys watching HD porn and slowing things up for the rest of us. A nice place is on Atbara road, or the fastest is Flower Net, part of a florists on the corner near the ethiopian embassy, they charge 2SD.

We visited the Al-Mogran park, entry 3SD, which was OK. The confluence of the two Niles is fairly unspectacular however.

There was a massive dust storm whilst we were there which made things cooler, we even had some rain in Dongola. It was dangerous however and there were many accidents because of it. From the campground you can hear ambulances wailing all night.

The Ethiopian embassy was closed for a week, an important meeting in Kassala apparently, but once it re-opened you cam submit your application in the morning and receive it at 3pm the same day. The cashier did offer to try to fast-track our application but it was so busy after the closure, maybe 200 people there, that it was not possible. There are several women in neighbouring streets selling tea and coffee, the highlight for us through Sudan has been jebbana (the coffee spiced with ginger, cardamom and sometimes cinnamon), they normally cost 0.5SD in the villages, 1SD in khartoum.

We did not visit any of the ancient sites as we had just come through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt so we were more excited about the villages and life here. I would imagine they are quite hard to visit without your own transport but I have no evidence to back this theory up.

From Khartoum we took a bus to Gedaref, which cost 26SD (36SD for A/C we were on an AC coach but got downgrdaed and issued with a partial refund). If you get to Mira Bary (the main Khartoum long distance coach station) early you can get a bus all the way to the border at Gallabat. We arrived in Gedaref after midnight and were taken to a cheap, but dirty, lokanda, for 15SD for the room. Any rickshaw driver will know where to take you.

To get from Gedaref to Gallabat minibuses leave in the morning and charge 10SD per person. The trip takes around 1.5-2 hours. Once at the border there are three offices on the Sudanese side, the whole immigration process should take around 20 minutes. On the Ethiopian side look for the brand new immigration building. This is still not open so walk behind it, through the small farmyard to the shack where current immigration procedures take place, again, it shouldn't take too long.

Hope this helps. Just be prepared to drink a lot of soft drinks and jebbana and eat a lot of fuul, fried fish and burgers!

Average daily budget - 40SD (without any sightseeing outside of the towns and cities)
(USD$1=2.4SD, GBP1=3.9SD)

Egyptips

Here are our travel tips for a nice visit to Egypt:

Visa - valid for 30days, issued at Nuweiba port or at airports - USD$15
Taxi between Nuweiba port and Tarabin beach and v.v. - 20LE (after bargaining, in fact everything in Egypt is after bargaining!)
Soft Beach Hotel - 30LE p.p.p.n in beach hut with choice from good breakfast menu
Ave. price of meal at Soft Beach - 25LE
Snorkel gear hire at Soft Beach - 30LE !!!!
Beer - 15LE (this is very expensive!)
Bus from Nuweiba to Dahab - 11LE (2 hours)

Dbl/Trp room at Auski beach camp, Dahab - 40/50LE (Avoid Penguin Camp, they have gone upmarket and their staff are very unfriendly!)
Meal (Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner) at a restaurant/cafe off the beachfront - 5-23LE
Meal at a beachside restaurant - 30-150LE
Beer in a shop/in a bar or restaurant - 6.5LE / 10LE
Bottle of Egyptian wine in a shop - 38LE (the red is OK, apparantly the white is not so good!)
- Many restaurants in Dahab are unlicenced but allow you to bring your own bottles with you, which is good as you pay the shop prices, the restaurant keeps the bottles and returns them, everyones a winner! -
Snorkel gear hire in Dahab - 5LE for mask and snorkel plus 4LE for fins
Internet in Dahab - 5-8LE per hour
Tour to Blue Hole + snorkel gear hire - 20LE + 5LE
Overnight tout to Mt Sinai (inc. bus transfer, guide and entrance fee) - 75LE (90LE with return to Dahab) - leave at 11pm, arrive St Katherine at 1:30am, start trekking around 2am, on top for sunrise. Descend by 9am, visit monastery and leave for Dahab at 10am.

Shared Taxi from St Katherines to junction for Suez - 100LE (2 hours)
Bus from jucntion to Suez - 42LE (expensive!)
Minibuses around Suez and Port Tawfiq - 0.5LE
Room at Arafat Hotel, Suez - 25LE per person.
Macaroni meal on street - 6LE
Coffee and cream cake by the canal - 10LE
Bus from Suez to Cairo - 10LE

Dorm bed at Sultan Hostel, Cairo - 15LE
Cairo Metro ticket - 1LE
Internet in Cairo - 3LE per hour
Bus to Pyramids of Giza from close to Sadat metro station- 0.5LE
Pyramids of Giza entrance ticket - 60LE
Egyptian museum entrance ticket - 60LE (plus 100LE extra for the Mummy Rooms)
Walking around Coptic cairo or Islamic cairo - FREE
Koshari/macaroni/Shwarma/Sandwich - 5LE
Fresh Juice - 2-5LE
Overnight bus to Luxor - 100LE, leaving 9pm from Cairo gateway, 12hours
- Overnight train to Luxor - 160LE 1st class (refuse to sell foreigners 2nd class) from Ramses station -

Dbl room w/fan at Oasis Hotel, Luxor - 30LE (inc. free sunset tea on the roof terrace)
Shwarma near the train station - 4.5LE (but they will ask for 9LE!)
Minibus around town - 1LE
Entrance to Karnak temple - 70LE
Entrance to Luxor temple - 40LE (not sure if worth it, we just looked from outside)

Ferry from East to West bank - 1LE
Taxi around West Bank - 80LE after hard bargaining for a trip to Valley of the Kings, then pick-up at Deir-al-Bahri temple and visit to Seti temple, Ramesseum and Habu temple (Valley of the Queens also possible)
Valley of the KIngs entrance - 80LE (includes 3 tombs, but not Tutankhamun or Ramses 6 they have extra charges, our tip would be Tuthmosis III for one of them)
Entrance to most other sites (Deir-al-Bahri, Ramesseum, Seti, Habu temple etc - 30LE per site
****** - ALL ENTRANCE FEES ARE 1/2 PRICE WITH ISIC CARD - ******

Day entrance to Rezeiky camp (with pool) - 15LE
Train from Luxor to Aswan - 25LE (31LE if bought onboard)

Dbl room w/bathroom and poor breakfast at Yassien Hotel - 40LE
Trip to High Dam, Philae and Abu Simbel - 80LE plus entrance fees, leaving at 3am (We didn't go)
Nice meal w/soft drinks at Panorama on the riverbank - 40LE
Tasty Kofta at Abeer restaurant - 7LE
Internet - 6LE per hour
Shared Taxi to High Dam port - 10LE p.p.

Ave daily budget - 80LE for general travelling plus 60LE for site entrances (USD$1=5.6LE, GBP1=9.2LE)