It's been a few days now and I don't know what to write or where to start.
The boat ride accross lake Nasser was always going to be pretty eventful so it was not really surprising when I found myself making 7 trips on and off the boat (which has a very small entry door and lots of people trying to carry food, microwaves, refrigerators, and anything else possible on and off to load themselves onto the boat). After a lot of pushing and shoving getting my gear, my bike, all the medical equipment, some of the other staff equipment on board I was starting to get the hang of it.
It was a bit of a squishy nights sleep on board the boat, but after filling out much paperwork we were finally able to disembark and enter the Sudan.
I was chatting to rider Ruth the other day asking her how she was finding it.
"It's almost like we've landed on the moon" she tells me. I know what she means. There are no trees, just lots and lots of desert. And a few rocks in the landscape.
Medically everyone is doing ok - nothing new. No trips to the hospital yet (apparently we're doing much better than last year when 4 riders had to be taken to Dongola hospital to get their eye infections, abscesses etc etc checked out).
Today is a rest day - but not for us staff. Mathias and I work and clean up the lunch truck (also our 'Clinic'). There's plenty of paperwork to be done - writing up an electronic copy of all our medical notes, going through the medical inventory again now that we are with our trucks - we have a lot more medical equipment.
It's great having the trucks, the Indaba staff to help us out, everything just runs so much more smoothly in the Sudan - it is still one of my favourite countries in Africa.
Love to all - thanks for fixing up my car insurance mum and dad x0
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Fun Times
I had a particularly good day yesterday as we travelled from Luxor to Idfu. I was on Lunch duty which means it's my job to help prepare lunch for everyone and then I get to ride sweep in the afternoon after we're all packed up!
So we find an awesome little place for lunch - a felafel man right next to a police check point, and Miles manages to convince the man to start cooking lots of felafel so the riders can have some for lunch. We're well prepared well ahead of time so I go and start talking to some of the local kids. I meet a man who I think is their dad as and I manage to score a free donkey ride. The kids want me to meet their mum as well and in the meantime it's clear that the man thinks that I should marry him (none of them speak any english but you can communicate a lot using gestures). The wives of the man also appear to think it's a good idea too. Time to retreat back to the safety of the lunch truck. It's only my third proposal so far.
The riders trickle in and out and there is a phone call of our first medical incident on tour. Thankfully the rider is now completely fine and back on the bike already today.
I ride with Elvis at the back of everyone where we can chat away enjoy the scenery, finally we arrive at camp.
One of the Egyptian truck drivers gives me a stick of sugar cane to gnaw on. Yum.
Then I go into town and try to find some drugs for the boss who is sick (not critically). I walk into three pharmacies before I find what I need. The man speaks good English and it is only a cheap drug so he gives it to me for free as a gift.
It's moments like these that really change your impressions of a place. Last time i visited Idfu it was a place filled with uncontrollable children - now it is a place of giving pharmacists!
When I walk back to camp I find a lucky horseshoe. I'm not particularly supersticious but I pick it up and keep it anyway. 65 Riders, 12000km... from moments earlier in the day I know we're going to need all the luck we can get.
So we find an awesome little place for lunch - a felafel man right next to a police check point, and Miles manages to convince the man to start cooking lots of felafel so the riders can have some for lunch. We're well prepared well ahead of time so I go and start talking to some of the local kids. I meet a man who I think is their dad as and I manage to score a free donkey ride. The kids want me to meet their mum as well and in the meantime it's clear that the man thinks that I should marry him (none of them speak any english but you can communicate a lot using gestures). The wives of the man also appear to think it's a good idea too. Time to retreat back to the safety of the lunch truck. It's only my third proposal so far.
The riders trickle in and out and there is a phone call of our first medical incident on tour. Thankfully the rider is now completely fine and back on the bike already today.
I ride with Elvis at the back of everyone where we can chat away enjoy the scenery, finally we arrive at camp.
One of the Egyptian truck drivers gives me a stick of sugar cane to gnaw on. Yum.
Then I go into town and try to find some drugs for the boss who is sick (not critically). I walk into three pharmacies before I find what I need. The man speaks good English and it is only a cheap drug so he gives it to me for free as a gift.
It's moments like these that really change your impressions of a place. Last time i visited Idfu it was a place filled with uncontrollable children - now it is a place of giving pharmacists!
When I walk back to camp I find a lucky horseshoe. I'm not particularly supersticious but I pick it up and keep it anyway. 65 Riders, 12000km... from moments earlier in the day I know we're going to need all the luck we can get.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Luxor Rest Day
Today is our first "rest day" in Luxor.
There is of course plenty of work to be done. Not much for us medics but the others all have plenty so I help out with the logistics of passport gathering, and figuring out the paperwork we need to do before we go to Sudan. It's a time consuming process.
At lunch we go and eat one of the two favourite egyptian dishes. It's like pasta and rice mixed together, tomato sauce, lentils and fried onion. Tastes good. The other options throughout most of Egypt is felafel and fool (bean thing). We've been eating plenty of both.
Adele and I take a wander through the local markets and we both buy a scarf and have fun haggling with the man that sells scarves to get a good price (even though he thinks his starting price is a good price!) The scarf will be good to keep warm in the dessert, and to double as a sarong later when it get's warmer.
Then I'm back to work running the afternoon clinic for riders. It's all just more of the same - ankles, knees, saddle sores. I've been seeing plenty of bums lately.
There is of course plenty of work to be done. Not much for us medics but the others all have plenty so I help out with the logistics of passport gathering, and figuring out the paperwork we need to do before we go to Sudan. It's a time consuming process.
At lunch we go and eat one of the two favourite egyptian dishes. It's like pasta and rice mixed together, tomato sauce, lentils and fried onion. Tastes good. The other options throughout most of Egypt is felafel and fool (bean thing). We've been eating plenty of both.
Adele and I take a wander through the local markets and we both buy a scarf and have fun haggling with the man that sells scarves to get a good price (even though he thinks his starting price is a good price!) The scarf will be good to keep warm in the dessert, and to double as a sarong later when it get's warmer.
Then I'm back to work running the afternoon clinic for riders. It's all just more of the same - ankles, knees, saddle sores. I've been seeing plenty of bums lately.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
`behind the scenes
A lot has happened since my last post. There are many stories and I don't know where to begin.
One of the clients asked me the other day - "you guys haven't had any problems yet have you?" James (the chef) and I burst out laughing.
"define what you mean by problem" is our response.
Nothing is easy, nothing is straight forward. It seems like we have had nothing but problem after problem. None have been too difficult for us to overcome.
Before we even start I am frustrated because it takes me 2 hours just to print out everyone's medical information.
Day one it was a mission to get the lunch ready on time for the first riders, a mission to check off all their names as they roll into camp in large groups when we're all still learning their names.
On day 2 I travel straight to camp with Sharita (the boss) to set up camp. We stop to fill up water at a fire station. We don't speak much arabic but it is clear that the man doesn't want us to fill up our water there. So we ring our in country support guy Rizik who talks to the man on the phone and eventually the man lets us fill up on drinking water. We continue on to camp and when we get there the pump on the tank has broken and we can't get the water out. Eventually Martin the bike mechanic rocks up to camp and fixes the pump, puts it back in the water but then the water got contaminated with all rust and grease that was on the pump. There goes our drinking water!!!!
The next day I am helping James with the cooking and as we're chopping up all the cauliflower we discover a tonne of afids all inside it.
Getting the Egyptian support crew to wash their hands before they go near the food is a big challenge.
Riding the first day convoy out of Cairo was a complete disaster with two flat tyres, people stopping to take photos, stopping for pee break during a convoy just not understanding the importance of not letting the convoy get broken up.
Medically there's plenty of sore knees, sore ankles, saddle sores to take care of. At the moment though the main concerns are the one client who's eyes has me pickled, and another client who is a bit feverish with diarrhea which I have encouraged to start her own antibiotics, paracetamol so fingers crossed it will be under control soon!
Greetings to all from Luxor xx
Friday, January 14, 2011
READY SET GO
I have been flat out over the past few days doing pre trip preparation, stocking up on medical supplies etc etc. I think we've been to at least 5 big chemists in Cairo, checked out the local ambulance service, dug deep for malaria tablets in this city.
Nothing is straight forward. You ask for one thing, something else is produced which is supposed to do the same thing but I don't know the drug so I'm reluctant to use stuff I don't know! The electric blood pressure machine we have is innacurate so we have to find a new one.
Decent painkillers are just about impossible to get our hands on.
Chasing people to get their details is frustatingly more complicated than it should be.
At the moment I'm trying to print out a few copies of everyones medical info but even that is impossible at the moment.
Despite all this, I'm having an awesome time, we've had the chance to visit some real local places, meet some genuinely awesome locals, eat good local food.
Looking forward to getting started with the ride tomorrow
Sending my deepest sympathies to everyone back home - good luck with the big clean up and I'm sorry I'm not there to help out. xx
Nothing is straight forward. You ask for one thing, something else is produced which is supposed to do the same thing but I don't know the drug so I'm reluctant to use stuff I don't know! The electric blood pressure machine we have is innacurate so we have to find a new one.
Decent painkillers are just about impossible to get our hands on.
Chasing people to get their details is frustatingly more complicated than it should be.
At the moment I'm trying to print out a few copies of everyones medical info but even that is impossible at the moment.
Despite all this, I'm having an awesome time, we've had the chance to visit some real local places, meet some genuinely awesome locals, eat good local food.
Looking forward to getting started with the ride tomorrow
Sending my deepest sympathies to everyone back home - good luck with the big clean up and I'm sorry I'm not there to help out. xx
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Aladin
So not long after I finished writing my blog update I go for a walk to try and find my camping mug.
While I'm walking I bump into a young man who introduces himself to me. His name is Aladin. He wants to know where I'm going.
"just for a walk" I tell him. Not really wanting any more marriage proposals from these Egyptian men.
He keeps chatting to me and because I feel like being polite I chat back. He is a Bedouin man, not from Cairo so that is a bit more interesting than the average Cairo man who wants to take me to his perfume shop. He's from somewhere just beyond the White Desert. He is not a guide, tells me he doesn't want my money, he just wants to practice his English.
Eventually I tell him that I need to find a mug because I forgot to bring my mug from home. And he is actually quite helpful and we go to four or five different shops until we find a perfect sized mug made from stainless steal. Perfect for camping. And only costs me 5 egyptian pounds (= about 1 AUD/1USD - love travelling when the dollar is so strong!)
Then of course he wants to have a cup of tea with me. I don't want to though (because tea with egyptian men never turns out to be just tea!) so I make some lame excuse about being very tired and needing to go back to where I'm staying. He wants to meet up again later but I apologise and tell him that maybe when he's in Australia and needs to find a mug I'll help him do that. I escaped successfully and hid in my room for a bit just because I get frustrated with all the men in this country.
While I'm walking I bump into a young man who introduces himself to me. His name is Aladin. He wants to know where I'm going.
"just for a walk" I tell him. Not really wanting any more marriage proposals from these Egyptian men.
He keeps chatting to me and because I feel like being polite I chat back. He is a Bedouin man, not from Cairo so that is a bit more interesting than the average Cairo man who wants to take me to his perfume shop. He's from somewhere just beyond the White Desert. He is not a guide, tells me he doesn't want my money, he just wants to practice his English.
Eventually I tell him that I need to find a mug because I forgot to bring my mug from home. And he is actually quite helpful and we go to four or five different shops until we find a perfect sized mug made from stainless steal. Perfect for camping. And only costs me 5 egyptian pounds (= about 1 AUD/1USD - love travelling when the dollar is so strong!)
Then of course he wants to have a cup of tea with me. I don't want to though (because tea with egyptian men never turns out to be just tea!) so I make some lame excuse about being very tired and needing to go back to where I'm staying. He wants to meet up again later but I apologise and tell him that maybe when he's in Australia and needs to find a mug I'll help him do that. I escaped successfully and hid in my room for a bit just because I get frustrated with all the men in this country.
The Sudanese Embassy
Well the big plan for today was to get my Sudanese Visa all organised but it hasn't quite gone to plan. Last time it was done in a day, this time it appears it might take 2.
It's a bit of a mission to get a Sudanese visa in the first place - especially in Cairo. There's a complicated process. Here's how it works:
Step 1 - Line up in the line that says "PASPORTS" (nb: spelt with only 1 s)
Step 2 - Answer the mans questions about why you are going to Sudan. "I need to ride my bike to Capetown and to do this I need to ride through Sudan" I tell him.
Step 3 - fill in the form the man gives you and take it over to the photocopy man who will copy that and your passport and your entry visa for Egypt
Step 4 - take these forms back to the "PASPORTS" line and line up again in the line
Step 5 - Get the PASPORTS man to squiggle something in arabic in red pen on the form
Step 6 - Go line up in the "Cashier' line and give the lady 100USD
Step 7 - Take the receipt back to the PASPORTS man (you need to line up in the line again)
Step 8 - Come back at 1000am the next day and line up into the PASPORTS line
Fingers crossed I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow without any issues and it will all be processed when I go back tomorrow at 1000am.
I met a sudanese man who has a brother who lives in Perth. I tell him my sister lives in Perth too. He wants to take me around the corner for tea but I have never gone and had tea with an arabic man that didn't end up in either a marriage proposal, or him trying to make me pay a minimum of 50 egyptian pounds to buy some of his perfume. Only it's actually called "essence" rather than perfume I learnt yesterday (when I found myself having a cup of tea with a random Egyptian man I met on my walk who got offended when I tried to call it perfume!).
So I tell the man I have to get my visa first.
It's a bit of a mission to get a Sudanese visa in the first place - especially in Cairo. There's a complicated process. Here's how it works:
Step 1 - Line up in the line that says "PASPORTS" (nb: spelt with only 1 s)
Step 2 - Answer the mans questions about why you are going to Sudan. "I need to ride my bike to Capetown and to do this I need to ride through Sudan" I tell him.
Step 3 - fill in the form the man gives you and take it over to the photocopy man who will copy that and your passport and your entry visa for Egypt
Step 4 - take these forms back to the "PASPORTS" line and line up again in the line
Step 5 - Get the PASPORTS man to squiggle something in arabic in red pen on the form
Step 6 - Go line up in the "Cashier' line and give the lady 100USD
Step 7 - Take the receipt back to the PASPORTS man (you need to line up in the line again)
Step 8 - Come back at 1000am the next day and line up into the PASPORTS line
Fingers crossed I'll be able to pick it up tomorrow without any issues and it will all be processed when I go back tomorrow at 1000am.
I met a sudanese man who has a brother who lives in Perth. I tell him my sister lives in Perth too. He wants to take me around the corner for tea but I have never gone and had tea with an arabic man that didn't end up in either a marriage proposal, or him trying to make me pay a minimum of 50 egyptian pounds to buy some of his perfume. Only it's actually called "essence" rather than perfume I learnt yesterday (when I found myself having a cup of tea with a random Egyptian man I met on my walk who got offended when I tried to call it perfume!).
So I tell the man I have to get my visa first.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Enroute to Cairo
Farout it's been a busy last few weeks with Christmas shenanigans, work, spending quality time with friends and family, moving house, and getting all ready to head away on my mission to cycle across africa for the second time (because doing it once is simply not enough!)
Managed to get away with a few moments of worry when the fire alarm went off at Brisbane International Airport and made everyone go stand outside for a few minutes until they decided it was only a falsey and the firies had reset the alarm.
As I step onto the escalator after saying goodbye to mum and dad (and thanks for the lift!) there's a few moments of nervousness where I feel a bit unsure, a bit lonely and a bit frightened. But it's nothing compared to the first time I travelled by myself over to Vietnam, and nothing compared to when I took off to Cairo in 2009. By the time I reach the bottom of the escalator I've taken a few deep breaths and the unsureness, the loneliness, the frightened feeling evaporates and gets replaced with extreme excitement!
I managed to get away pretty much on time and am now currently hanging out at Changi Airport, Singapore.
I have a 4 hour stopover here and then it's on to Dubai briefly to refuel and then finally to Cairo. I have organised for the man at the Australian Hostel Cairo to come and meet me and pick up me and my bike. Cairo typically shuts down on Fridays and Saturdays which is the weekend over there so I should be able to go and catch up on a few minutes of shut eye, head out for a wander, then go and sleep a bit more!!!
The only thing I realise I've forgotten to bring at the moment is my mess kit but I'm not too concerned as I should have time to figure something out when I get to Cairo without any issues!
Managed to get away with a few moments of worry when the fire alarm went off at Brisbane International Airport and made everyone go stand outside for a few minutes until they decided it was only a falsey and the firies had reset the alarm.
As I step onto the escalator after saying goodbye to mum and dad (and thanks for the lift!) there's a few moments of nervousness where I feel a bit unsure, a bit lonely and a bit frightened. But it's nothing compared to the first time I travelled by myself over to Vietnam, and nothing compared to when I took off to Cairo in 2009. By the time I reach the bottom of the escalator I've taken a few deep breaths and the unsureness, the loneliness, the frightened feeling evaporates and gets replaced with extreme excitement!
I managed to get away pretty much on time and am now currently hanging out at Changi Airport, Singapore.
I have a 4 hour stopover here and then it's on to Dubai briefly to refuel and then finally to Cairo. I have organised for the man at the Australian Hostel Cairo to come and meet me and pick up me and my bike. Cairo typically shuts down on Fridays and Saturdays which is the weekend over there so I should be able to go and catch up on a few minutes of shut eye, head out for a wander, then go and sleep a bit more!!!
The only thing I realise I've forgotten to bring at the moment is my mess kit but I'm not too concerned as I should have time to figure something out when I get to Cairo without any issues!
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