We didn’t even know that Peru had such vast sand dunes until we visited Huacachina in Peru. Located on an Oasis in the Ica district, Huacachina is a super place to chill out and relax. One of the best things you can do while chillaxin’ is to walk up to the top of a dune to watch the sun set over the desert. It is an awe inspiring experience.

Going on a camel safari seems more glamorous than it actually is. When looking at photographs one thinks of Lawrence of Arabia and the Queen of Sheba. In essence, camels have terrible breath, their farts smell bad and they are very uncomfortable to sit on for hours on end. Riding through the desert can be tedious and monotonous, especially when you book a multi day safari in the Thar Desert of India. 

However, going on a camel safari can also be an amazing opportunity for incredible photographs. There is nothing more amazing than eating a meal cooked over an open flame and sleeping under the stars with your saddle for a pillow. The sand dunes are stunning and coming upon a village and meeting people who welcome you into their homes is what travel is all about.

It is these opportunities that make people fantasize about taking a camel safari into the desert. So let’s not burst anyone’s bubble here and pretend that riding a camel in the desert is just as glamorous as this photograph makes it seem to be.

To view more photos of the day check out our ongoing series. 

Who hasn’t dreamt of riding camels in the Arabian Desert?

We have been on a camel safari before in India, but we didn’t feel that we had truly experienced our Lawrence of Arabia moment until we rode camels in the Arabian Desert. And what better place than Wadi Rum, Jordan; The base of operations for T.E. Lawrence himself during the Arab revolts in 1917-18

Or so we thought…

It wasn’t the great camel experience we were hoping for. The guide walked in front of us as he led our camels to a nearby dune to watch the sunset. It felt a bit cheesy, especially when the convoy of pickup trucks pulled up to our little caravan to watch sunset with us.

But the view was spectacular.

If you blocked the sight of the nearby highway and loud tourists arriving in their vehicles, you could imagine ever so slightly that you were standing in silence overlooking the great landscape that had remained unchanged for thousands of years…At least until now.

A Bedouin girl from the village of Feynan in Jordan

The people of a country have always been something that stirs emotion in me no matter where I travel. Whether it be the Sherpas of Nepal or the  Elders of  Myanmar they always leave you with that lingering connection to that place. This little girl was no exception.

As we walked with our guide Mohammad through the lower part of the Dana Valley near the Feynan Eco Lodge this little girl approached us carefully. She was hanging out playing with her sister by their bedouin tent and seemed just as curious about us as we were of her. Drawing closer she smiled and waved, giggling at the sight of these two foreigners in her valley. When I asked if I could take her photo she put on that serious face I sometimes get from people not used to having their picture taken. After a few frames as I smiled at her from behind my lens I was able to provoke this pseudo smile.

I love taking portraits of people because you can really get a sense of their life through their eyes. What they have been through and maybe what their future holds. It is for that very reason I love photography.

For more information on hikes and accommodation in Wadi Feynan, visit the Feynan Eco Lodge website.

The beautiful Sand Dunes of Mui-Ne, Vietnam

Vietnam was one of our favourite countries in South East Asia. One of the highlights was going sand boarding on the Sand Dunes in Mui Ne.

After grabbing a jeep from our guesthouse we were taken to these amazing Sand Dunes that looked to be untouched by human feet at least for the past couple of days. I captured this image as one of the people we were traveling with headed up the sand dunes first. We had an amazing day sand boarding and enjoying the beautiful weather.

So if you are ever in Vietnam make sure to make it to Mui Ne and these amazing dunes that are part of the diverse landscape in this awesome country.

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One day while we were cycling through the Sudan, we cam across an eerie site.

Dead camels were strewn beside the highway buried in the desert sand. Their decaying corpses littered the desert for several kms as we cycled by.

We had heard that as camel caravans walk through the desert some camels are not strong enough to make it. They are left to be engulfed by the great Nubian Desert sands.

Another theory that we heard was that when a camel dies in a nearby village, they are brought out to the desert and buried here.

Whatever the case may be for the “Dead Camel Highway” it made for a unique and memorable moment when a man and child rode by on their donkeys without giving us a second glance.

Bedouins ride through a Camel Graveyard in the Sudanese desert

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As the sun sets over the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India a lonely local boy, trudges through the sand from a small village in the distance. After an afternoon of trying to sell tourists a beer in the desert he heads home with his leftover product. He did succeed is selling us a couple of beers, but as we looked around we could see that business was not booming. Hopefully with the few Rupees he made for us he can hold his head high as he returns home with the days earnings.

Life in the desert of India is hard and this photo captures the daily trials and tribulations that people must face every day in the great Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India.

Homeward Bound in Rajasthan

]]> http://theplanetd.com/homeward-bound-in-rajasthan-snapshot-sunday/feed/ 5 http://theplanetd.com/dave-and-debs-surreal-moments-deserts-around-the-world/ http://theplanetd.com/dave-and-debs-surreal-moments-deserts-around-the-world/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:00:46 +0000 debndave http://theplanetd.com/?p=8067

We have done a post before on surreal travel experiences but nothing has compared to our time in India.  India itself is a little surreal and we have experienced some of the strangest moments in our travels.  Not surprisingly, many of those moments happened in the desert. It made us not only think of our time in the Indian desert, but other surreal moments in our travels that happened in deserts around the world.

What are they.

Check this out…Dave and Deb’s Surreal travel moments in the Desert

The grand Desert of Peru

1. Being left in the desert. It was odd. We had a difficult time with our camel safari and guide and after a bit of a tiff, he finally agreed to find us another camel so that we could actually ride them through the Thar desert instead of being led by him walking in front of us.  The surreal part came while we were waiting.  A man walked out from behind a shrub in dress shoes and full suit.   He had come to give us information on our camel. His cell phone rang, our guide and him talked and then the two of them walked off into the sand dunes while we were left behind with two camels and a goat.

2. Watching a major motion picture in the middle of the desert.  The camel man asked us if we would mind if some doctors came to meet us during our safari.  They wanted to have dinner in the desert.  No problem we said.  As soon as the sun went down, a bunch of headlights shone in the distance.  About 40 surgeons and students arrived with wine, whiskey and beer.  They brought along a generator and as we sat around the camp fire being served finger foods on a platter, The 3 Idiots movie started up on a big screen projector.  We had front row seats to India’s hottest movie in history. That night was definitely up there as the most surreal moment in our travels.

A Movie in the Desert, now that's Surreal

3. Walking with the Indian Army on camel back.  We had been on safari for 2 days.  As we turned a corner we saw dozens of troops doing maneurvers in the desert.  They were out practicing their GPS.  These are highly trained soldiers that take part in combat. They are always on high alert with Pakistan and the desert border is a hot spot.  We distracted them so much that they didn’t get any work done.  They walked along side us asking us about Canada, the weather and how we liked India.  One squad kept getting into trouble and had to be reprimanded by their captain.  They ran off into the desert only to be caught by us again a while later.  Eventually, all the troops were together and they took off running followed by their trucks and supplies.  We never saw them again. Very Surreal.

Soldiers during our camel safari, very surreal

4. Almost being left Behind in Vietnam’s Sand Dunes. While traveling through Vietnam, we had to see the famous sand dunes of Mui Ne. For our tour, we were sold on the fact that we could go sand boarding on the dunes. We were excited to give it a try. It turned out that once we got to the dunes they didn’t bring any boards.  When we complained, the guide was so angry that he threatened to leave us behind. That was the time I learned to never accuse someone from Asia of lying.  Luckily an local NGO was on our tour and smoothed things over.  We had to go through an entire ceremony of me apologizing to him in front of the entire group to save face. Finally he agreed to let us back in the jeep and take us home. Whew. Not only a surreal travel moment, but a scary one as well.

5. Having high artillery pointed at us in The Sudan. We were traveling by bicycle through the desert in the Sudan and were escorted by armed guards all the way through.  We didn’t see them often, because our group was so spread out, but once a truck pulled up in front of Dave and I.  2 guys were in the back standing behind truck mounted high caliber machine guns.  These things could take out a plane.  The truck road in front of us and the guys had their guns pointed at us.  They were smiling and waving, but all we could see was the barrel of these guns. We just prayed that their fingers wouldn’t slip.

Many surreal moments cycling Africa

6. A loudspeaker conversation in Egypt. Once again, we were riding our bike through the desert in Egypt.  A patrol man pulled up beside us and started having a conversation with us.  He would speak into his microphone and it came out of the loudspeakers mounted above the truck.  Where are you from? How do you like Egypt? What are your names? He bellowed.  We shouted back the answers between our breaths.  It was a difficult day and we faced headwinds the entire time. The conversation eventually dwindled, but he kept giving us updates every 500 meters.  Only 5 km to camp….4km to camp…4.5 km to camp.  It was surreal.  When we finally got to camp, we shook his hand and thanked him for keeping our spirits up.

Support Trucks in the distance of Sudanese Desert

7. Stern Warning in Peru’s Desert. We didn’t eve know that Peru had a desert until we traveled there.  But it has a giant desert and some of the highest dunes in the world. We were on our way to dune buggy through those giant sand dunes. It was a festive occasion. Suddenly policemen pull up beside us on 3 wheelers.  They have a heated argument with our driver. They yell for awhile and then the police turn to us and tell us that we should not go with them.  Driving in the desert is dangerous and we are risking our safety.  They then leave and we are left with our driver.  He doesn’t speak English and we don’t speak Spanish. Another girl on the tour tells us that some tourist were killed last week in a dune buggy accident.  We want out now, but instead we all get back in and go on our merry way dune buggying through the dunes.  It was a crazy ride, but we made it in one piece.

8. Aborting our Takeoff at Kilimanjaro Airport. O.K., it may not be a proper desert, but it was dry enough that a giant sandstorm came in just as we were in the middle of our take off.  We were barrelling down the runway when the plane started fishtailing.  They brakes came on and we came to a halt.  The next thing we knew a thick dark cloud of sand goes through rocking the plane.  The captain announces that we had to abort the take off due to a sand storm, but everything is fine now. He starts the engines and off we go.  We wonder if it is safe to fly with all that sand in the engine.  We hold our breath the entire way to Zanzibar.

Travel can be filled with hairy situations. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and embrace the strange, scary and yes, surreal experiences.

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When a person has a bad experience doing something normally they will say to themselves…”Never Again.”

When Dave and I have a bad experience, we say to ourselves…”We need to find way to give this another shot.”

Bikaner Camel Safari

Close up of our Camel

Our safari didn’t go quite as planned in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.  We had a sly guide and a disappointing experience that you can read all about in our post….Desert Safari Adventure, Not So Mystical in Rajasthan.
When we learned that we could go on a camel safari in Bikaner, a town 300 km north of Jaisalmer we just had to give it another try.
We made the mistake of not going with our instincts in Jaisalmer, and booked with a company that we had never heard of.
This time in Bikaner, we went straight to the guide book recommended expert on Camel Safaris.

The Camelman

The Camel man is an eccentric man that drives around in a Range Rover wearing a wide brimmed hat and impeccable suits.
Vijay is his name and he has been running camel safari’s since 1983.
We booked our one day one night safari to the desert and we were told that we were in luck. A group of 20 doctors would be meeting us there for dinner.
We would get better food and entertainment and have some company at the same time.
It sounded like a good idea to us.

The Safari

We had a rough couple of days before Bikaner, so our expectations were quite low. We weren’t too disappointed when we saw that even at the Camel Man the safari wasn’t going to be very good.
I guess camel safari’s in India just are not very fulfilling even for the average adventure traveler.
We were jeeped out about 10 km where we met our two camels, 3 guides and camel cart.  Two men walked in front of our camels leading them along the path as one man drove the cart.  Since we had a cart carrying supplies, we were stuck to the well trodden trail and we never left it.
Soon our two guides hopped on the cart and tethered our camels to it.  We were now on a pony ride type excursion following the cart in a slow and boring fashion.

Luckily a troop from the Indian Army was practicing their navigation with their GPS.  We had them to talk to for awhile and it was cool watching them run by, stop for a chat and then run off again.   We kept catching up to them so it passed the time a bit.

Our camel safari in Bikaner India

Scenery of our Camel Safari in Jasailmer

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The desert isn’t nearly as nice in Bikaner as it is in Jaisalmer and as the day went on, we actually started to think that our Jaisalmer Safari might not have been so bad.
We had only rode for about an hour and a half when we stopped for lunch.
Our guides brought a precooked meal with them and we ate on a tarp and table cloth.

Different Experience

The camel man safari is far more comfortable than our other safari, but it is also far less interesting. We sat for 3 hours at lunch.
We had wished that we had taken our travel scrabble or a deck of cards with us.  Our last safari was so busy and exhausting that we didn’t need any luxury items with us to entertain.  This safari however was so mellow that we wished that we brought everything along.

Our Camel stretching out getting Comfortable for its nap

After lunch we rode for about an hour and made it to camp quite early.
Unlike the safari in Jaisalmer, we had tents, tables chairs and even a dining area.  The Camel Man has a permanent camp that all safaris go to for the night and it certainly isn’t rustic.
We had a long time to go until sundown and since we were waiting for the doctors, they didn’t start a fire. The entire staff was preparing for the VIP’s that were about to arrive, and we seemed to be forgotten.

Our Desert Camp in Bikaner

We hiked up a dune for some privacy.
It was a hazy day and the sunset was nonexistent, so we pulled our our IPhone and played games of Tap Tap Revenge. It is the IPhone version of guitar hero. Yep, we were bored.

The Doctors Arrival

Things got better once the sun went down, the doctors came and the food started flowing.
Everyone spoke excellent English and we had great conversations.
Waiters came around to serve us like we were at a dinner party as we huddled around the warm fire.
The musicians began and it was awesome to watch with people who actually knew what was going on.
They told us that these men were descendants of the courtesans that used to sing for the Kings adoration.  They are self taught and it is an inherited tradition.

Musicians of the Maharaja's of Rajasthan

Desert Movie

Just as we were starting to have enough of the entertainment, the Doctors pulled out a movie projector.
The generator fired up and bright lights came on in the middle of the desert.  We thought that we might be watching some sort of slide show, but instead, they put on The Three Idiots.  India’s number one movie at the moment.
We had wanted to see this movie while we were in Mumbai and here we were watching it in the middle of the desert of Rajasthan.
It was a surreal moment.
Bollywood movies have a strange mix of English and Hindi, so we had an easy time following the story, especially with explanations coming in from all directions from the doctors.

One Cold Night

The party lasted well into the night and the temperature dropped dramatically.  Once everyone left, it was just Dave and I alone in the camp with our guides and camels.
We settled into our tents and wrapped ourselves in 4 thick blankets to protect us from the cold.
Thank God for the tents, it would have been impossible to sleep outside here.  The desert is much colder than in Jaisalmer.

While the Camel Safari was lacking and we can now say that we will never do one again, we certainly enjoyed our unique experience hanging out with the orthopedic surgeons of Rajasthan having our first and possibly only movie night in the desert.

Notes:
Make sure to ask for all prices up front.  We thought that Vijay was doing us a favor by having the doctors join us.  We ended up paying for the hospitality.
While he made it out that we would be getting extra food and entertainment because of the doctors, he ended up charging us for the luxury tour.
It cost us 1600 Rs. each for 1 day 1 night safari. – In Jasailmer we paid 800Rs per day
We should have asked, but normally if someone says that “you are lucky tonight, a group of doctors booked a dinner in the desert, so you can just join them and get extra food and entertainment.” We tend to think that he is giving us some extra stuff for free since the doctors were going to be there anyway and we didn’t have another choice on where we would camp.

As one person put it at the guesthouse,” Vijay has a sneaky way of making your think he is giving you hospitality, but in the end it is just extra charges with a smile.”

The morning ended quickly with a quick breakfast and a short ride back to town with us sitting on the camel cart not even on the camels.
If we hadn’t already spent 3 days in the desert, we would have been very disappointed.

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Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.  Things are looking up!

We awoke bright and early to catch our tour to the desert.  We were excited to be on our way.  A camel safari was a big item on our list of adventures that we wanted to do in India.
Our driver was on time and we set out for the great Thar Desert of India.
The day was bright and sunny and we drove out 30 km towards the Pakistan Border.
We met our guides on the side of the road.  After loading up the camels with food and water, we placed our packs on the horn of the saddle and hopped on.

Deb on her Camel

Lucky we had been on camels before, because our guides didn’t give us any instructions on what to do.
When a camel is about to stand, lean back and hold on. You will be tossed forward as he straightens his hind legs first.
We were happy to see that we had 4 camels and two guides.

It looked like we made the right decision booking with the Hotel Shiva Guys.

That is until our jeep left.  We started walking with one of our guides whose name is Bilal.  He didn’t hop on a camel, he walked in front of us holding the reigns. It was just us, two of our four camels and Bilal.

We asked him why our other guide Allep wasn’t coming along with the other camels.  Bilal said that he would be along shortly.  So we walked for a while being led by Bilal wondering what was going on.

Bilal and our Camels

After a while, we told him that we didn’t want to be led by a man walking us through the desert. We specifically asked our tour operator if we would be riding our own camels, we didn’t want someone walking in front of us, we did that in Egypt and we didn’t like it. Bilal said that once the other camels come, we would be able to ride and that he needed to stretch his legs anyway because he had traveled for 5 hours from the camel camp this morning.

We walked on, but were not happy.

Finally, when we stopped for a break we spoke our minds.
We told him that we want to know where the other guide was and that we wanted to drive our own camels.
He said that he was on his way.  He got on his cell phone and called someone and said that he was coming, he just couldn’t find our tracks in the sand.
He started weaving stories together making excuses as to why Allep hadn’t arrived and we finally lost it.
We stopped by the side of the road and we told him that we were calling the company and ending the tour. This is not what we signed up for.  He was clearly not telling the truth.

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He had changed his story about Alleps absence 6 times.

1. He was waiting for a friend
2. He was waiting for an Indian Tourist – whatever that means
3. He was on his way but couldn’t find us
4. He had a sick friend and had to take him to the village that we were coming up to in the distance
5. He had a sick brother
6. And Finally…
7. His brother was so sick that he would not let Allep leave.

Allep was not coming back.

Now I know better than to call someone a liar in Asia.

They have this concept of “saving face.”  Even though they are telling a lie, you are not allowed to call them on it. However, at this point, I didn’t care.  I called him an outright liar and told him that we were calling our tour company and leaving the tour.
He said that would be very bad for him.  He would be in big trouble.
At this point we didn’t care. We had lost all patience. Incompetence is one thing but outright lying is another.
We tried calling our tour company which of course didn’t answer.
We tried calling our driver that we paid so much money for, who of course didn’t answer.
Bilal didn’t know this though, and he promised that he was going to go to the village to get our camel.
He said “If I come back with a camel after lunch, will you be happy?”
We wouldn’t be happy, but we didn’t have much of a choice.  We were stuck in the middle of the desert!! So we said, OK.
Sure enough, he came back after an hour and a half with a camel.

Dave Texting While We Wait

We thought about the absurdity of it all.
Here we are a couple of tourists left alone in the desert with two camels and a goat. (The goat just happened to be there, but it seemed to like us.)
We have spent a lot of time in the desert so we are pretty comfortable hanging out, but I wonder how other people would have reacted to being left all alone by their guide? It is not exactly a comforting experience.
Anyway he came back with a 3rd camel.  Where he got it, we have no idea. We loaded up our saddles and went on our way towards the sand dunes with the little goat crying and following us for as long as it could.

It had been a long day.

It started off with excitement only to be ruined with lies. We had fought, we had waited, we had gotten our way and then we finally had to put all of our energy into making the rest of the trip pleasant.
After all that fighting, how were we supposed to spend two more days with this guy?
Of Course he came back like nothing had ever happened.  He smiled, he sang, he talked about how good of a guide he was and how happy he was now that we were happy.
We smiled, but unlike Bilal, we had a harder time letting go of the bad feelings. It was a long cold night.

Our Camp

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To his credit, he was an excellent cook!
He made great meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We had fresh vegetables, rice and chipatis and for breakfast we had boiled eggs with toast and jam.
He worked hard. He took care of the camels, he set up our camp, he loaded our packs and gear and he made our fires.
Other tours that we saw had two guides to share the workload.

Bilal was alone.

We will never know what really happened to Allep, but we are assuming that they had a little scam on the side.
4 camels could easily be split into two tours.  Many tourists were being led by a guy walking in front of their camels.  Maybe one of them had our other two camels that we had paid for.  They probably sold another tour on the side and pocketed the money. Whatever they did, they didn’t have to split the tip with anyone.

Info
Camel safaris range from 600-1000 Rs depending on comfort level.
It is cold at night, bring a hat and warm clothes.
You will get a blanket, but you will still be cold.
Bring a headlamp, it will be your saviour.
Make sure to get a tour that jeeps you out of Jaisalmer and away from the tourist trail.
Do your homework, I don’t think that it was our tour companies fault, I think it was our guides.  But we could be wrong.
Bring sunscreen, a hat and a scarf to protect you from the sun, it is hot in the desert during the day.

I have received a couple of emails asking about what gear we took with us to cycle the Tour d’Afrique. I thought that I would post the information to let everyone know what we packed for our cycling trip through Africa.

Here is a list of what we brought with us to cycle Africa, what we should have left behind and a review of our bikes.

Remember, this was a supported expedition and if we were to cycle Africa independently, we would take far less gear. Since we had trucks carrying our red boxes and all we had to carry was our water and snacks therefore we could bring far more than a solo rider.

Bikes and Parts:

• Specialized Tricross Expert Bike-Excellent bikes for cycling Africa.  It could handle all sorts of terrain. We only wish that we had a triple chain ring and a suspension seat post. We recommend going with the tricross Comp. It already has a triple chain ring and the lower model components are easier to replace and more durable. Our bottom bracket was difficult to replace because it wasn’t a common model and our rims were not suitable because they were only 24 spoke compared to the more durable 32 spoke and our rims were too deep. Otherwise, we think the Cyclocross is a way better option than a mountain bike.
• 2 chains-We changed our chains twice. There was considerable chain stretch cycling 12,000 km over the continent.
• 15 spokes-(5 of each size)when Dave broke his rim, they were needed to make the tire work for the next 7 days until we could get a new rim. We also lent a couple to people. 
  
• 2 racing tires,25c Schwalbe Marathon Plus-Excellent-12,000km, not one Flat
• 2 wide sand tires-47c Schwalbe Marathon Plus
• 2 all terrain tires-didn’t need these tires- We didn’t need this 3rd set of tires. The 25 c racing tire and 47 c smooth sand tires are all you need.
• 14 tubes-(small and large sizes)-We used Schwalbe tires, and never had a flat. But other people had many flat tires, sometimes several per day. We did have trouble at the beginning changing tires because of our deep rims, short valves and very stiff tires. Therefore we had a lot of pinch flats while putting them on. (completely our fault.) we were happy to have extra tubes because we hate to patch. If we were cycling independently we would not have brought many tubes, we would have used our patches more, but we were worrying about speed.
  
• 1 set extra pedals-never used them
• 1 set extra cleats-needed them.
• 2 brake cables-Yes we changed these.
• 2 shifter cables-These were also changed and needed.
• roll of cable housing-We changed housing during the tour as well.
• extra rear cassette-Didn’t use it.
• extra front chain ring-Didn’t need
• bar tape-Oh Yes, needed it.
• aerobars-Loved having them. Highly recommended for the flat countries of Africa.
• 1 extra seat-didn’t need.
• 1 extra seat post-Dave changed his.
• 1 helmets-recommended, one guy split his helmet in a fall and needed a new one.
  
• 1 pair bike shoes-other people brought extra shoes and it seemed like a good idea. We lasted with only one, but if one was lost or ruined, we would have been in trouble.

What Gear we Should have packed for Africa

• Extra Rim-Dave bent one and had to buy one off of a departing sectional rider
• Extra Bottom Bracket-Many people had their bottom bracket go
• Long valve inner tubes- we struggled with our deep rims and short valves when pumping up our tires.
• Extra Tire Levers
• Electrolite Supplements
• Our own Gatorade
• Our own chair

Camping and Gear for Africa – other than the tent, everything is X 2

• North Face Roadrunner II Tent-Excellent, but small for 2 people
• Z Rest Thermarest full size-Great for thorns, didn’t have to worry about deflating.
• Half Size inflatable thermarest for extra comfort-added that extra comfort.
• 3° Celcius down sleeping bags-could have used a warmer sleeping bag.
• silk sleeping bag liners
• Thermarest pillows-didn’t need at all, we only used the fleece camping pillow case with our down jackets as filling.
• fleece pillow case to stuff clothes in for extra comfort
• Tek Towels small and large- only needed large.
• 1 bowl, plate, fork, knife, spoon- didn’t need the bowl, just used the mug.
• 1 cup and mug
• headlamp-invaluable!
• clothesline (pegless)-excellent. From Canadian Tire, didn’t have to worry about losing pegs.

Electronics that we packed

• 2 Canon digital elph cameras-didn’t stand up to the elements well, we recommend looking for a more durable camera. Sudan eats up electronics.
  

  Our bikes and Gear ready to pack for Africa

• 1- Canon 10D SLR digital camera-didn’t need while riding, but used on day off and 2 weeks when we had to bypass Kenya.
• 1 -16-35 mm lense-same as above
• 1-28-300 mm lense-same as above
• 1- Canon HV 20 Video Camera
• 2-helmet cams-didn’t use hardly at all. Waste of money.
• 1 Mac book pro computer-Loved having our computer with us!
• 1-portable hard drive-would have brought a flash drive memory stick instead.
• 1- solar charger-a must!
• 12v Chargers for all electronics-adapter needed for the solar charger, definitely needed.

Other valuable things to pack for cycling africa

• Arm and Leg-warmers a must!
• Long Finger Gloves-needed
• Hammer for Tent-definitely needed
  
• Spade for toilet-We didn’t have to run around looking for the shovel.
• Cell Phone-bought a SIM card for each country we entered, and could text people at home anytime
• Padding for handle bars-definitely needed for the corrugated roads in Ethiopia.
• down jackets-I loved having these, we used them as pillows (stuffed in a travel size case) and needed for cold mornings in deserts.
• Butt Butter – certainly helped avoid chafing.
  

Survivorman came into the studio the other day.  He was promoting his new show “Survive This”.

As I did his make-up, I talked to him about how much I enjoy his show and how I think that it is great what he has accomplished.  He was very nice.

What I really wanted to talk to him about was how I too am an adventurer and working on my own television concept and the reason I am such a fan is because he is doing exactly what I want to do with my life.  I never did get up the nerve.

First of all, that would be very unprofessional as a persons make-up artist.  My job is to make people feel relaxed before their interview, to put them at ease and to talk to them about… well, frankly; them.

Second of all, how could a make-up artist possibly be as  hard-core as he is?  He is Survivorman.  He has been all over the world surviving extreme situations.

Hey wait a minute, Dave and I have been all over the world Surviving extreme situations.

I survived cellulitus, a serious infection in Tanzania.  I had the same knee infection as the guy on “Survivor” the other night. He gave up a million dollars to go home because it was a serious risk to his life.  Now, if I would have known just how dangerous cellulitus can be, I would have gone home myself. Fortunately the fates were on my side and I recovered from my ordeal without harm.

I have been eaten by leaches on the Head Hunters Trail in Borneo, lost in the Desert of Sudan, suffered a pretty nasty burn on my leg from a motorcycle accident in Thailand and have carried home 3 different types of parasites in my stomach at one time.  All while at the side of my husband who has suffered more than I have in many situations.

His burn was far more severe than mine from the motorcycle accident. We won’t even go into detail about how they cleaned his burn with a razor blade while he bit on a wet towel for the pain.  He was swarmed by fire ants in Guatemala,  had a terrible illness on an island in Honduras with the closest hospital being a day away by boat.  While riding his bicycle in Ethiopia, he was chased by baboons for several km and narrowly out ran them.  We were both feasted upon by bed bugs in Malaysia and Thailand, and we  slept with cockroaches crawling all over him while seeing the Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu National Park only to wake up in the morning and our hiking boots and gear covered with swarms of bees.

So, I am worthy of Survivorman. We are definitely not as extreme as he is, but we want to be. Really!  And when you put down it on paper, it looks like we have suffered a bit or two ourselves.

I really should have picked his brain more.  I should have asked some advice. Maybe I could have given him a little advice myself:-)  Ha ha, now I am dreaming.

Sudan's Deep Sand, Bike Stands Alone

According to Rae and John, two retired Air Force Pilots who are taking part in the Tour this year, what we have been through these past 2 weeks is as difficult as basic training for the military. And I believe it! These past 4 days have been the most mentally and physically challenging days of my life.
We had a wonderful unscheduled day off in Waidi Halfa which I already told you about. Unfortunately, we had to pay a high price. Suddenly we were forced to cram 5 days of riding into 4 to make it to Dongola by Jan 27th. No problem you say?
Well, if we had roads, it would have been OK, but instead we travelled 110km per day through the Sudanese Desert. 427 km of deep sand, loose gravel and corrugated road. I had heard about this type of road from last years tour, but could not wrap my brain around what it was. It is the most painful experience on a bike, especially one without suspension. Miles and miles of constant bumps that jar your wrists, back, neck and knees. Basically your entire being feels like you were put in the rinse cycle of a washing machine and spit back out again. You spend your day looking for and easier line to follow, but you never find one.

Wandering the Desert of Sudan

Dave and I spent 9 hours a day for 3 days on the bike. At one point Dave said to me that he wouldn’t wish this on his worse enemy. And here we are doing it by choice. We had some really low lows together that day. I put everything I had into day 1 in Sudan and spent the next 3 days suffering. Sometimes we would be so exhausted riding through the sand that we would just fall over.
To give you an example of a typical day, each morning we would wake up at 6 am, pack up our tents, have a quick breakfast and leave for a long slow day in the hot sun. Then we would come back, set up our tent, eat dinner and go to sleep.

So, now let me tell you about day 2. It was really “fun” because we became nice and lost late in the day.

No Roads in Sudan, Just Sand

You see many times you are only following grooves in the sand, so it was very easy to lose your way. We spent an hour walking from the Nile, through farmers fields, back to the desert, back to the Nile, through the most rural village I have ever seen in my life. 5 huts, a donkey, 2 dogs and a group of women watching us walk through with our bikes and dirty faces. Very surreal. We made our way back to the desert and eventually came across something that resembled a path and hoped for the best. We were both extremely worried that we were going to be stuck in the desert all night, but more importantly…Lose our EFI status!
As luck would have it, we made it into camp and hour before sundown. Yeah us.

Now for day 3. Debbie’s breakdown day. I was very very fatigued and still had another 110km ahead of me. Many people had opted for the bus by this point, but I but I am too stubborn to give in and lucky for me, I had my rock at my side – Dave. So instead, I whimpered, cried, cursed and stumbled my way through the day. Everyone was hurting and suffering also, and the bonding that happened during that time was incredible. People were so supportive and kind, I really have to emphasize what an amazing group of people we are travelling with. But then, what else would you expect from a bunch of nuts who thought it would be fun to cycle the continent of Africa. The have to be extraordinary.

Deb Kissing Tarmac after days in the Sand

So this brings me to day 4. Still riding and still suffering. But only 87km. The good new is that at 63km we hit tarmac. Can it be true? It started with a grueling morning of 18km in deep sand were everyone became lost at one point. Groups were branching out and taking different tracks. It is amazing how quickly you can be with people and then they just disappear. We all eventually made it out though and once we hit the tarmac, I got down on my knees and kissed it.

We now hove a rest day in Dongola and after 6 days without a shower, we were all bathing in our red boxes as soon as we arrived at camp. What a sight. A bunch on adults playing around the one hose of water that we had. As soon as we washed off that sand and grit, it was like we washed away the pain and suffering of the past 4 days. Add a half a chicken dinner to that mix and we were very happy campers. Literally!

Dave Bathing our red box in Sudan

If we can make it through Sudan, we can make it anywhere.
Bring on the Ethiopian mountains baby. But first there is a lot more of this great big country to go. Stay tuned.