Fuuurther into Sudan by ferry (day 96-97)
In the desert and wilderness – that’s the title of the famous Polish novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. This time the trip will follow his compatriot Kazimierz Nowak’s route.
February the 8th, by the Aswan High Dam they deliver the stick. The Sudan team is composed of: Zbyszek Gałęza, Grzegorz Król, Piotr Strzeżysz and Jakub Pająk . In a while they will cross the Tropic of Cancer, while the second sudan stage will end just above the equator. Therefore the trip can be called “from the tropic to the equator”.
- We set out on the fourth and fifth stage of the relay AfrykaNowaka.pl in the same way that Kazimierz years ago and through the next two months we will follow the Polish traveller path in Sudan and Southern, looking for the Nowak’s Africa and spying on the modern look of the Dark Continent – announces Jakub Pająk.
In autumn 1932 Kazimierz Nowak got on the ferry with his bike from Asuan to Wadi Halfa. At the time, the same as today that was the only way to cross the border between Egypt and Sudan.
Africa – an amazing continent which doesn’t need a watch, the events determine the time … therefore at the beginning of the stage they start their ferry trip with a multi-hour delay.
But the next day starts exquisitely – in the morning they pass the temple in Abu Simbel, surrounded by big crowds of tourists, and after breakfast they convince the captain that it’s worth to sacrifice a small piece of boat to memorize Kazimierz Nowak. In the main hall they fix their first commemorative movable plaque – a cross-border one!
- On the ferry we have heard a story of a group of 70 cyclists traveling a week ago from Sudan to Egypt. Did the bicycle tourism become so popular in the Dark Continent? If only Kazik could see that, he would be so happy abort it – smile the cyclists.
- So against my will I took the train, though I would prefer to go by bike and see the Nubian Desert – wrote Nowak years ago, when he was forced to take the train from Wadi Halfa to Atbara. Today by kontrast – there is no possibility to to tavel by train.
So they start to admire their route on bicycles, which was impossible for Nowak 78 years ago. They will faithfully come back to the Kazik’s path in Atbara, after 700km, instead of 600 km.
- By now we have crossed a rocky part of the Nubian Desert and we arrived to the Nile Valley – they write from the route. – We are among the Nubians. We spend the night in a village deprived of electricity, shops and Coca Cola! We go toward Dongola. It’s scorching hot.
