Driving through the Sahara Desert in Sudan was exactly what you imagine it to be like- hot, windy and deserted. Fortunately that means the ancient Nubian and Egyptian ruins are in excellent condition. Although we were alone at every single site we visited (to be fair it is Sudan and some were nearly 20km into the desert!) this was one of the most impressionable experiences of the entire country. Stashed in the middle of a village, archaeologists have uncovered ancient noble tombs. As you can see, they are beautifully decorated inside and haven’t been retouched at all, unlike some in Egypt. Hardly viewed by tourists, we loved climbing down into the tomb with the local guardian, who explained in broken english and charades the different symbols and depictions. We were never able to get so close to tomb heiroglyphs again. It was an amazing experience for us and one we’ll never forget.
Photo Tuesday: Gorilla Baby
After surviving the terrifying (at least for me) charge of the male mountain gorilla, we settled into a peaceful detante with them in a large clearing. Surrounded by dense jungle foliage, it was hard to see the gorillas in the shadows. I was uneasy being so exposed until I saw this mother and her baby about 10 feet away. The baby’s adorable little face captured my heart and I immediately relaxed.
Want to see more gorilla pictures? Click here.
Photo Tuesday: Coke in the Jungle
Six hours in the back of a pick up truck along the beach on the Mosquito Coast of Honduras brought us to a landing where we could take a dug out canoe to plaplaya for the night before continuing our journey upstream into La Mosquitia. As our “captain” loaded the canoe with our belongings and cargo I couldn’t help but laugh at the “essentials” that were being carried, for a nice price of course, upstream to other settlements. Eventually we were deep enough into the jungle where there was no coca-cola or fanta, but trust me that stuff is everywhere!
Photo Tuesday: Whirling Dervishes
We were shown around Khartoum by a wonderful group of couchsurfers who showed us incredible hospitality and amazing friendship. On Friday evening we went to the Sufi Dance (whirling dervishes) in nearby Omdurman. It was an incredibly intense experience, not only for the believers themselves, but also for us from a cultural point of view.
As the chanting grew louder and louder believers began to move almost as though they were possessed. Completely withdrawn in deep meditation and prayer from the continuous chanting and drumming, a few took to spinning in circles while others began to repeat physical motions, like bobbing their head or throwing up their hands. The man in the picture whirled around the inner circle for several minutes before the prayers and chanting came to an end.
Photo Tuesday: Death Road Survival
This was probably one of our favorite days of the entire trip. We spent all of 24 hrs in La Paz, Bolivia, but we made sure to make the most of it. Our first priority was to mountain bike the “death road.” It was steep, the scenery was amazing and it was plain to see why the road is so dangerous. Fortunately no cars are allowed on it anymore, just bikes. In these outfits we ruled the road and survived.
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