Diary: 15th - 30th September
Still
waiting for Sudan Visa! Don’t have a lot of confidence, but “In
Shallah!”
Problems
over the border in Gazza are not sounding too good.
Friday
15th September
Aqaba
Got
up very late, 10 o’clock. What, with the wind and my back it had been a
restless night. Mike and Peggy went off for a drive, but I wasn’t so
keen, and really needed to update the diary.
Took
some photos of Abdu and his Camel (Concorde). He was second in last years
Wadi Rum Camel race.
Unfortunately the races are only held in the winter,
but the way things are going we may still be here! Also took a few shots
of the campsite Musicians.
Back
feeling a lot better now, but will keep slapping on the after-sun.
Saturday
16th September
Aqaba-Wadi Arabia-Aqaba
Spurred
on by Mike and Peggy’s reports of a wonderful desert just north of Wadi
Rum, we went into town for provisions before setting off. If I had known
that the desert lies beyond what I like to call the “Killer Climb” ( A
tortuous 10 km ascent out of 7%+). I may have given it a miss. It was
however just as they promised, a beautiful drive into a canyon. The
off-road section was relatively short. We struggled to find a campsite.
Mike wasn’t keen on my suggestion of camping near an old river bed. He
thought we may be washed away by a flash flood!
Before
we knew it we were back on the main road to Aqaba. Camping here was out of
the question as we were only 2 km’s away from the Israeli border, and
there was a heavy, if discreet military presence.
We
returned to Aqaba to do our BBQ at the campsite. Rodger and Sally arrived
as soon as we got back. We spent 2-3 hours swapping GPS co-ordinates and
routes, it was nearly 11 o’clock when they left and then it was “All
hands to the pump” as we hadn’t eaten all day. We couldn’t light the
BBQ quick enough!
Sunday
17th September
Aqaba
I
got up early to do some tidying up. Rodger said last night that he had Amoebic
Dysentery, and I thought it was about time I sterilised all my cooking
kit.
Mike
ad Peggy were still in bed when Rodger and Sally arrived. We had a quick
“cuppa” and set of to the beach for a bit of snorkelling. Used the
underwater camera for a few pictures. Mike took a few shots of me doing
the “Man from Atlantis” thing, swimming under a coral arch! Hope they
turn out OK.
Into
Aqaba for a meal, then stopped of at the first campsite to see Ollie and
Sarah, and Allan and Astrid ( A Scottish couple in a 110 Hardtop). Ollie
and Sarah are now shipping to Karachi. Allen and Astrid are giving it a
miss and shipping straight to Bombay.
Into
Aqaba again for some more grub!
Monday
18th September
Aqaba
I
went into town early to E-mail Photos and Diary. Met Mike and Peggy later,
they had checked out some more flight prices with Egypt Air, but no joy!
I
went to a diving shop to buy a mask and snorkel. I had meant to get one in
the UK before leaving, but it was one of those things I forgot. I’m sure
I’ll get good use out of it here, and in the long run it should be
cheaper than hiring all the time. Noticed that the shop also stocks some
industrial lifting gear. May come in handy as I want a tree strop.
I
wandered around the market buying stuff to make a curry. Back at camping I
prepared the curry, then into the sea to try out my mask and snorkel.
Peggy did some rice to go with the curry. It was a great meal, even if I
do say so myself, just missing the Nan bread and a few pints of lager!
Tuesday
19th September
Aqaba-Wadi Rum
Decided
to Wadi Rum again! Knew Allan and Astrid and Ollie and Sarah were putting
their cars into containers tomorrow, so thought they wouldn’t be
interested. We went in search of Rodger and Sally instead. The GPS took us
straight to their apartment, where we found Sally loading up Zebedee ready
to go to Wadi Rum (what luck!)
Zebedee
looks great in the desert, real camel trophy stuff!
I
attempted to find the campsite from the first trip, but we stumbled across
a huge Bedouin camp of at least 50 tents. Gave it a wide berth (none of us
were in the mood for sweet tea!) We found another small canyon nearby and
camped up there instead.
We
had just light the fire when we heard what sounded like a huge mosquito
coming towards us. It was in fact Ollie and Sarah’s Petrol Landy. They
must had decided to do a last spin in the desert before putting cars in
containers. They spotted us and waved, but didn’t stop.
Beefburgers,
(very Bedouin!), Stargazing and bed by midnight.
Wednesday
20th September
Wadi Rum-Dieseh-Aqaba
Bacon
butties and marmite on toast for breakfast, courtesy of Rodger and Sally.
Drove
on to Dieseh via the 7 pillars of wisdom, and a photo session with a large
group of camels (what is the collective name for camels? I quite like the
sound of a “Troop of Camels”)
Had
a coke at Dieseh before heading back to Aqaba through the desert. We took
it in turns to lead, but it turned into a bit of a race towards the end,
all on different tracks chasing each other.
Had
a Pakistani meal in town. Nice and cheap, but service was a bit lacking.
Had a coffee at a street side stall and I bought another copy of the
Jordanian Times to catch up with the Olympics. There was a report of a
bomb attack in Islamibad. Should I show it to Ollie and Sarah? Think not.
Spotted
Ollie and Sarah loading cars into containers on the way through the port.
They’re staying at our campsite tonight so will catch up with them
later.
Ollie
and Sarah mentioned a Dutch guy who turned up at “sunset camping”.
Apparently he’s just come through Sudan and Ethiopia. Will search him
out tomorrow.
Thursday
21st September
No
need to look for the Dutchman, he’s found us. He arrived just after
breakfast and Mike and Peggy got chatting away to him straight away.
Sounds like he has some wonderful tales to tell. He seems very positive
about Sudan and Ethiopia which has changed Mike and Peggy’s outlook. His
name is Jurg, and he’s not Dutch, but Swiss, but he’s lived in
Amsterdam for quite a long time.
Went
for a snorkel with Jurg before heading into town for a snack. It was to be
a bad day. Jurg got a puncture on the way into town. After we had changed
the wheel I took Jurg to an Internet café, while I went in search of some
interior lights for the back of my truck.
We
got Jurg’s puncture repaired at a truck depot on the way back to the
campsite.
I
put the wiring into place for my lights, but it was getting late so I just
isolated the ends and coiled them into my kettle box. (mistake!)
Back
into town again for a beer and Chicken Tikka. The restaurant owner did his
birth date trick. (tell him your birthday and he’ll tell you what day of
the week it was!) He’s a keen mathematician.
Jurg
and I went off in search of floppy disks and beer. I put Jurg’s beer in
my fridge, but in doing so I removed the kettle to plug in the fridge.
When I put the kettle back I had to really force it to get it back. I must
have stripped the cover off some of the wiring I had just installed. On
the way back to the camping Jurg and I noticed a burning smell! The wiring
was exposed and had short circuited on the kettle. Grabbed one of the fire
extinguishers and soon had it put out.
The
fire had done very little damage (burnt my canvas pots & pans bag) but
the powder from the fire extinguisher was every where. It was too late and
dark to do anything about it now. Jurg offered me a beer to console me. I
wasn’t to worried, it could have been a lot worse, but I had reacted
quickly and what’s done is done, In Shalah (It’s gods will as they
keep saying here)
Jurg
was just saying that these things happen in three’s and what would be
the next problem when Mike discovered he’d lost his handle to wind up
his tent!
I
had laughed of my incident, (you have to) but the loss of his handle
seemed like the end of the world for Mike. Jurg and I told him that if was
the worst thing that happened to him during the trip he would be very
lucky and that he could get another made locally anyway. Mike wasn’t so
sure.
Friday
22nd September
Had
a bit of tidying up to do again! The powder was everywhere. The campsite
owner pointed me in the direction of a local car wash that had a vacuum cleaner. Jurg came along as he wanted to get some cash in town. Jurg
bought me an Arabic Style “Furry Dice” at the car wash, and he bought
a taxi light to use as an interior light for his truck! Jurg has the most
amazing Toyota Land Cruiser, a 4.2 litre diesel. He’s kitted it out all
himself and it is really well thought out. All his boxes are heavy duty
flight cases they use in the theatre industry, and they’re bolted to the
floor on aircraft sear runners so he can move them around, or as he says
send some home, full of souvenirs. He has a built in water tank with
in-line filter, the ability to carry 270 litres of fuel! One tall box by
the back door acts as his kitchen cupboard, but the thing I like most is
that the sand plates are also on runners so he can raise them up to guard
his back windows. ( Any way see the photos)
Jurg
and I decided to find someone to make a new handle for Mike, no problem
even on a Friday.
Back
at campsite I installed my lights (makes a lot of difference) and finished
tidying up.
Ollie
and Sarah invited me for a rum and coke, then Allen and Astrid appeared,
closely followed by Jurg, Mike and Peggy. All we needed now was Rodger and
Sally, just as I was sawing, this Zebedee came roaring up the road. A full
Pose!
Jurg
and I went food shopping while the others went for a Chinese. We went a
bit mad and bought 5kg’s of fruit for a fruit salad. Managed to put away
1/3rd of it and put the rest in the fridge for breakfast.
Saturday
23rd September
Jurg
and I decided to go to Wadi Rum while Mike and Peggy went in search of
the blacksmith we had found yesterday.
Drove
the desert road from Aqaba to Dieseh again, then back into Wadi Rum to
camp the night. I tried again to find the campsite from the 1st
trip, but when I was apparently right on top of it (according to the GPS)
I was actually right in the middle of the desert! Must check Mike’s
location for it as mine is obviously wrong.
Built
a huge fire and cooked tuna pasta for tea followed by more fruit salad.
Sunday
24th September
Woke
at 2.30am having had a very vivid dream. I was shouting at a non-existent
guy climbing up the back ladder of my truck! Jurg said he thought I was
listening to the radio and was getting a bit excited about some Olympic results!
Great
mornings drive. I let my tires down even more and we were climbing some
big sand dunes. Had to pull Jurg out of a rather precarious sideways slide
before he rolled it over. Then another puncture for Jurg. His Hi-Lift jack
started to lean over as we were putting the spare on and I had to hold up
his truck while Jurg quickly bolted the wheel on. Would have made a great
photo, but we were both obviously had our hand full. Hope this isn’t the
start of another bad day!
We
went to the rest house at Wadi Rum and went off on foot in search of some
springs (water). Found them, but very unimpressive. Just a trickle of
water.
Back
to Aqaba for a cold beer, get puncture fixed and re-inflate tyres.
Arrived
back at campsite to find Ollie and Sarah in need of a lift into town. They
had to collect flight tickets and other stuff. Arranged to collect them
later on.
Jurg
and I had decided to do fish that night, so it was into town again to get
shopping. Picked up Ollie and Sarah from a burger bar where we also got
some ice for a few G&T’s
Fish,
Salad a few G&T’s and bed.
Monday
25th September
Quick
check of Maggie’s fluid levels, then into town for money and DHL. Post
not here yet. Told to try again after 1 o’clock.
Went
to extend paperwork for cars at the Saudi border. They had changed their
minds and told us we had to go to Customs in Amman. We did however manage
to get another months car insurance.
Had
a little while to wait for post so we accepted invitation of border police
to join them for coffee and watch some of the Olympics. (water polo)
Back
in Aqaba the package from Billy hadn’t arrived. I had the wrong office.
Post man pointed me in the direction of the DHL office. Got Package, all
present and correct.
Took
dead sea road to Kerak for a change. Hell of a head wind. 5th
gear was too much for the 1st 50km’s
At
Kerak we visited the guy who had sold me the battery. He was very pleased
to see me again and supplied us with cokes. I bought a new tyre pressure gauge
and Mike got a reversing siren which plays “La Bamba” The owner
showed us some of his photos (He’s Ukrainian). I spotted a wonderful shirt-
he was wearing in one of them. He immediately offered it to me. So it was
back to his house for tea and cakes while he got his sister to iron it for
me. Again I can’t believe the hospitality of these people. They
constantly seem to be trying to out do each other in the “Your
Welcome” stakes.
Met
Hussein and he agreed to sponsor me and Billy for our Sudanese visas.
We
then wandered round town looking for a restaurant. We turned away lots of
offers, but when we turned round to go back we found they were all shut.
We had to settle for an expensive looking place, but it turned out to be
very reasonable.
Tuesday
26th September
I
was up early to photocopy visa applications etc and have a haircut and
shave.
First
stop in Amman was the Sudanese embassy. I’ve got to wait 15 days for my
visa if granted! But Mike and Peggy will get theirs back tomorrow.
(doesn’t pay to be British some times)
Safeways
for a bite to eat, then Mike and Peggy went looking for a campsite while I
went off to hunt down the Customs office. Found it after 2 ½ hours, but
was too late. Come back tomorrow!
Met
Mike and Peggy back at Safeways. I did some E-Mailing and Mike and Peggy
surfed the net to find the address of a hotel in Amman we had heard does
camping. (Success!)
Onto
Cameo Hotel via “Burger King”. Camping at the hotel was JD5 per
vehicle which wasn’t cheap for me but it was getting late and it’s
handy for downtown Amman.
Wednesday
27th September
Amman-Aqaba
Back
to Customs for paperwork. It took an hour, visiting 4 different
departments, but we were assisted by a friendly customs officer who spoke
great English. When we were finished he invited us to the customary cup of
tea and a chat.
Back
at the Sudanese Embassy: Mike and Peggy were told their applications would
also have to be sent to Khartoum. Mike turned round, huffed and said
“It’s because we’re with you!” Needless to say I wasn’t too
impressed. It wasn’t a particularly nice thing to say, but worst of all
saying it in front of the Embassy staff may not have helped my cause.
Decided
that the best place for me was out in the car. I left Mike and Peggy to it
and went for a bite to eat. When I returned they had left. The guy at the
Embassy said they had gone to get a letter of recommendation from the
Dutch Embassy. I’d had enough of Amman for a while and set off back on
the 4 hour drive to Aqaba.
Had
a few beers back at the campsite and went to bed.
Thursdsay
28th September
Went
to Egyptian Embassy to apply for a visa. God, it was a refreshing change.
Only JD12 and issued in 10 mins. Spent most of day shopping for stuff
Billy would need when he arrived i.e. cutlery etc. I went back to the Scuba
shop to enquire about a tree strop or sling. “No Problem” the guy
said. I t turns out he also has an electric winch. It’s not great, but
if it gets us through the Sudan Ethiopia section it may be worth it. Will
wait and see if I get a Sudanese visa first.
Jurg
arrived back at the campsite at 6 o’clock. He said Petra was wonderful,
but too many tourists. Mike and Peggy arrived and hour latter, looking
quite pleased with themselves. They had Sudanese visas!
They
did mention though that they had seen Hussien at the Embassy doing a bit
of PR work for me. May call him in a couple of days to see what the score
is.
Noodle
soup and bed.