Jebel Barkal (Holy Mountain)
Trip Start
May 08, 2011
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24
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Trip End
Sep 26, 2011
Atbara, River Nile State, Sudan
Saturday, May 28, 2011
And then up at 6.00am. I never cooled down all night! So hot and humid! WE set off at 7.30am and soon found some water in Kharima to fill up all the tanks and the jerry cans. I even managed a kind of shower. Today, the weather has been hazy and humid. I am not sure if I prefer this to blue skies and dry heat. We headed off to Jebel Barkal (Holy Mountain). Ancient Egyptians and Kushites believed that this mountain was the home to Amun (God of Creation). We ascended the hill along the rocky side in order to get to the plateau and see the wonderful views of the 70 degree pyramids., the Nile and Kharima.
Today, my vertigo seemed under control as I descended a long, steep sand dune which had collected on one side of the mountain. We then departed heading roughly east. I took this opportunity to have a good sleep. I really enjoyed our visit this morning and felt a sense of achievement in ascending Holy Mountain.
We stopped for lunch in the middle of the desert. It was hot but not quite as hot as yesterday. Eventually, we arrived at Atbara and we were stopped a couple of time in order to have out passports checked. Well this is Sudan. Paul was really unwell (dehydrated) so he and Colleen got off in order to stay in a hotel in Atbara.
Then OMG, it started to rain in the desert. Spitting at first. Then it was torrential! It was still hot but the rain watered the desert around us. A couple of hours later, we arrived at spectacular and spooky Meroe. What a wonderful place. Setting up camp would be very interesting with the rain! In the evening, we celebrated Sue’s birthday.
