{"id":35,"date":"2018-04-02T06:16:13","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T06:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2020-04-20T22:06:27","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T22:06:27","slug":"emails","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/emails\/","title":{"rendered":"Emails"},"content":{"rendered":"

These are the emails I sent from various cybercafes across the continent. It will give you a good narrative of all we did and saw, as well as of the excitement that went with it!<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0<\/span>Cape Town, 1 January 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n2.\u00a0<\/span>Swakopmund, 11 January 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n3.\u00a0<\/span>Vic Falls, 28 January 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n4.\u00a0<\/span>Vic Falls, 30 January 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n5.\u00a0<\/span>Zanzibar, 25 February 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n6.\u00a0<\/span>Dar Es Salaam, 27 February 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n7.\u00a0<\/span>Nairobi, 12 March 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n8.\u00a0<\/span>Addis Ababa, 31 March 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n9.\u00a0<\/span>Addis Ababa, 16 April 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n10.\u00a0<\/span>Hurghada, 2 May 1999<\/span><\/a>
\n11.\u00a0<\/span>Cairo, 14 Ma<\/span>y<\/span> 1999<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>_____________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Cape Town, 1 January\u00a0 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello everybody,<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m keeping my word: here is the first update. I just finished the “pre-departure-meeting”<\/span>\u00a0here in Cape Town. The group is one Project Leader\/chauffeur\/doctor\/everything-else,<\/span>\u00a0plus fourteen participants. So far they all seem to be very nice, although obviously<\/span>\u00a0I don’t know them yet. I do know I like the project leader, since during his<\/span>\u00a0briefing (which lasted about one hour) he must have mentioned the word “beer”<\/span>\u00a0at least 25 times.<\/span><\/p>\n

So tomorrow morning we set off into the wine country north of Cape Town. We’ll<\/span>\u00a0be sampling some Cape Wines by lunch… After that onto Namibia, where one of<\/span>\u00a0the activities will be “sand surfing” – cool, uh?<\/span>\u00a0Anyway, really not too much too tell yet. Happy New Year to all, and I hope<\/span>\u00a0I’ll have a chance to email again soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Swakopmund, 11 January 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

A second message from the road so soon – don’t get used to it, because after<\/span>\u00a0this it will probably be a while. I am currently in Swakopmund, on the Namibian<\/span>\u00a0coast, some 30 km north of Walvis Bay. It has been a fun week so far, mostly<\/span>\u00a0filled with lots of sand, sand, sand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me see, where shall I start. We set out from Cape Town on Jan 2. The plan<\/span>\u00a0was to de a wine taste, but unfortunately all vineyards we stopped at were closed<\/span>\u00a0on Saturday – we’ll have to make up for that some other time. That night we<\/span>\u00a0camped in South Africa, and got used to camp life. We cook on outdoor fires<\/span>\u00a0for dinner, and use a camp stove for lunch and breakfast. The beds are like<\/span>\u00a0the ones you may remember from MASH – just a kind of stretcher (but pretty comfortable).<\/span>\u00a0Fortunately, the weather has been nice enough so far that we haven’t needed<\/span>\u00a0tents; I have just slept outside, though some people have put up tents anyway.<\/span>\u00a0The second day we crossed the border into Namibia, and camped at Noordoewer,<\/span>\u00a0just across the border, at the side of the Oranje Rivier. Went river canoeing<\/span>\u00a0the next day in beautiful weather. After that the SAND started. Namibia is mostly<\/span>\u00a0desert, and it is quite windy. As a result, the truck, our backpacks, our clothes,<\/span>\u00a0our hair, etc. is filled with sand every evening. So far, all the camp sites<\/span>\u00a0have had nice showers, so it hasn’t been too difficult to cope.<\/span><\/p>\n

From there we went to Luderitz, which is on the coast just northwest of the<\/span>\u00a0big diamond area. Here we visited a ghost town called Kolmanskop. A little town<\/span>\u00a0built to accommodate the people working in the mines, but deserted when the mines<\/span>\u00a0ran out of diamonds. Quite interesting to see 80 year-old buildings being eaten<\/span>\u00a0by sand. Some houses had the sand filling up the rooms to the level of the second<\/span>\u00a0floor windows.<\/span><\/p>\n

After that we visited a castle in the middle of the desert (Nuwisib I believe<\/span>\u00a0it was called). Quite extraordinary to see, but pretty boring after a few minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

From there to Sesriem, which is no more than a campsite in the desert, at the<\/span>\u00a0edge of where the Sand Dunes begin. We climbed some dunes to see the sunset,<\/span>\u00a0and me and one other person took a balloonflight early the next morning to see<\/span>\u00a0the sunrise. This was lots of fun (my first balloon flight ever). We touched<\/span>\u00a0down somewhere in the desert, and were served a champagne breakfast rigtht there!<\/span>\u00a0Absolutely beautiful!<\/span><\/p>\n

As I said, now I am in Swakopmund. This is the first place where we are not<\/span>\u00a0camping, but staying in little chalets. How nice to sleep in a real bed again,<\/span>\u00a0not wake up with sand in my eyes. I wanted to go sandboarding here, but it was<\/span>\u00a0booked full. Instead, I will go quad-biking this afternoon (riding a four-wheel<\/span>\u00a0motorbike through the sand dunes). Other than that, today is a day for shopping,<\/span>\u00a0laundry (there’s a laundromat here…) and emailing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The people in the group are turning out to be very nice. It took a few days<\/span>\u00a0to get used to each other in the beginning, but we now seem to get along fine.<\/span>\u00a0We had a little impromptu party the other night, when the barman (everybody<\/span>\u00a0has a certain responsibility, mine is water) had bought some wine. The cooking<\/span>\u00a0is going pretty well – people are trying to outdo each other. When it was my<\/span>\u00a0turn (actually Jay and me – you cook in pairs), we made barbeque chicken with<\/span>\u00a0baked potatoes, and some canned vegetables. Yesterday the team actually made chocolate cake and apple crumbles. We’ll have 8-course gourmet meals before<\/span>\u00a0this trip is over!<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s pretty much it for now. Thanks to all of you for your New Year’s wishes<\/span>\u00a0– it was really fun to read my 38 new messages!<\/span><\/p>\n

Look forward to my next internet cafe…<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Vic Falls, 28 January 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Greetings from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe!<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you all of you for your messages (there were about 40) – it’s nice to<\/span>\u00a0hear from all over the world while traveling. My aplogies for not being able<\/span>\u00a0to respond to all of you personally. I’m sure you understand.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what’s happened since Swakopmund? The quad-biking was a lot of fun. The<\/span>\u00a0dunes are absolutely stunning. Of course got sand in every part of clothes and<\/span>\u00a0body…<\/span><\/p>\n

From Swakopmund we went to see the seal colony at Cape Cross. Very interesting:<\/span>\u00a0about 100 000 seals breed at this place on the Namibian coast. From there we<\/span>\u00a0went to Etosha, which is the largest wildlife park in Namibia. I finally saw<\/span>\u00a0the two animals of the “big five” that I hadn’t seen before: rhino (neushoorn)<\/span>\u00a0and leopard. Besides those we saw elephant, lion, hyena, zebra, various antilopes<\/span>\u00a0(kudu, impala, gemsbok, springbok, etc.), wildebeest, iguana… We spent about<\/span>\u00a0three days in Etosha, in two different campsites. Because it is so dry there,<\/span>\u00a0the animals have to come to waterholes to drink. The campsites are built next<\/span>\u00a0to the waterholes, so all you have to do is sit and watch (and drink a beer<\/span>\u00a0if you like).<\/span><\/p>\n

From Etosha we made our way to Botswana. Our first stop there was the Tsodilo<\/span>\u00a0Hills – a site with ancient rock paintings. The road to the site was about 4<\/span>\u00a0hours on a very sandy track, and indeed this was the first part of the trip\u00a0<\/span>where we had to dig out the truck. It’s not as bad as it sounds…<\/span><\/p>\n

From there it was on to the Okavanga Delta. This is an interesting place: the<\/span>\u00a0Okavanga is the only river in the world which does not end up in a lake, sea or ocean. Instead, it flows towards the Kalahari desert, but sort of runs itself<\/span>\u00a0dry on the way there. It forms a delta which is very fertile and filled with<\/span>\u00a0wildlife. We visited the delta on dug-out canoos, called Mokoros, and camped<\/span>\u00a0out there for two nights. Unfortunately, because the rains have started, the<\/span>\u00a0animals are dispersed, and we didn’t see much. However, we did catch a group<\/span>\u00a0of hippos (nijlpaarden) having sex – very impressive! Of course we all got very<\/span>\u00a0wet ourselves too.<\/span><\/p>\n

From there we would have driven through the Chobe national park, but we found<\/span>\u00a0out the roads were in very bad condition. So instead we drove around it to Kasane<\/span>\u00a0(took us two days), and did a half-day game drive into the park from the north.<\/span>\u00a0This was ok – again didn’t see too much. But then we took a trip on the Chobe<\/span>\u00a0river, and saw the largest herds of elephants I’ve ever seen – about 100, including<\/span>\u00a0many babies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, from there we came to Vic Falls, where we arrived yesterday. Our driver<\/span>\u00a0made us do a thorough truck cleaning, and then we went out to dinner: a real<\/span>\u00a0treat. Ate kudu, warthog, and some other animal I can’t remember.<\/span>\u00a0Vic Falls is very touristy. There are lots of activities you can do here, like<\/span>\u00a0white water rafting, ultra-lighting, bungi jumping, horse-back riding. So, yes,<\/span>\u00a0in about 2 hours I will do the highest bungi-jump in the world (111 meters).<\/span>\u00a0Mom, when you read this it will be too late already to stop me! Tomorrow white<\/span>\u00a0water rafting.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s about it folks. I’m still healthy, and so is everybody else. Look forward<\/span>\u00a0to my next internet cafe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Vic Falls, 30 January 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you again for the emails of the last two days. Since some of you seemed<\/span>\u00a0to be concerned about this: Yes, I am still alive. The Bungi jump was **FANTASTIC**,<\/span>\u00a0and very safe – no reason for anyone to worry. It was a little disconcerting<\/span>\u00a0to throw myself of a 111 m high bridge, but the sensation of free fall, especially<\/span>\u00a0in the beautiful surroundings of the Zambezi river gorge, was overwhelming (some<\/span>\u00a0people say it’s better than sex, but maybe I wouldn’t go quite so far). I’ve<\/span>\u00a0got a great video tape and pictures of it, which you’ll get to see in due time.<\/span>\u00a0(Given your concern, may be I shouldn’t tell you I am going “Microlighting”<\/span>\u00a0this afternoon, i.e. fly in a sort of moped\/deltawing, over the falls and the<\/span>\u00a0nearby gamepark. Oops, I guess I just did.)<\/span><\/p>\n

The white water rafting yesterday was great as well, though not as spectacular<\/span>\u00a0as three years ago when I was here last because the water was higher than then.<\/span>\u00a0Anyway, survived that one too without accidents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since I have not much more activity reporting to do, I’ll spend a few lines<\/span>\u00a0answering some of the questions I have received from some of you.<\/span>\u00a0No, I have not picked up a girl friend yet. It won’t happen with any of the<\/span>\u00a0people on the truck, since I am not interested in any one of them. Of course<\/span>\u00a0there’s always other people on the road I might meet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking about the people on the truck – it’s an odd but interesting group.<\/span>\u00a0I am among the oldest: we have three people in the 35-36 range. My tent mate<\/span>\u00a0is Jay, a law teacher at George Washington University in Washington DC (lived<\/span>\u00a0just 10 minutes from my home). He’s taking a sabbatical year, and traveling<\/span>\u00a0all over – this Africa trip is just one of four or five he is doing this year.<\/span>\u00a0Very nice guy. The other guy my age is Pat from Australia. Very nice guy too,<\/span>\u00a0with one big passion: drinking beer (of course this is the running joke, since<\/span>\u00a0he is from Australia). Some of the other more interesting personalities: Sue,<\/span>\u00a0an investment banker, originally from Canada but used to work in Hong Kong.<\/span>\u00a0She worked for Salomon Smith Barney out of college, and is going back to Business<\/span>\u00a0School coming fall. She is what you would expect from an investment banker:<\/span>\u00a0very loud and at times very obnoxious (oops, are there any I-bankers on this<\/span>\u00a0distribution list?).<\/span><\/p>\n

OK, folks, that’s all. Count on me being alive after the microlighting, and<\/span>\u00a0the next update will probably be from Harare or Lusaka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Zanzibar, 25 February 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Just want to let you know I am alive and well. The internet here is so slow<\/span>\u00a0and so expensive that I cannot really read all your messages – hopefully in<\/span>\u00a0Nairobi. Then I’ll also write more about what I’ve been up to. In a nutshell,<\/span>\u00a0since Vic Falls: Bulawayo (white rhinos), Harare, Lake Kariba (stayed on a houseboat),<\/span>\u00a0zipped through Zambia, Malawi (some days on the beach at the lake, including<\/span>\u00a0some scuba diving, and a trip to Nyika national park), Tanzania (basically straight<\/span>\u00a0to Zanzibar, where I scuba dived today).<\/span><\/p>\n

>Kilimanjaro climbers: the hotel to come to is Key’s Hotel (I think earlier I<\/span>\u00a0said Keyes). I won’t arrive until late in the day, hopefully in time for dinner.<\/span>\u00a0I’d plan for payment in cash or traveler checks, they don’t seem to like credit<\/span>\u00a0cards much in Tanzania (altough at the mountain the situation might be better).<\/span>\u00a0See you there next week!<\/span><\/p>\n

Sorry for the short message – more from Nairobi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Dar Es Salaam, 27 February 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

I am sure you got my very short email from Zanzibar where the connection was<\/span>\u00a0very slow. Today I found a better place in Dar Es Salaam, so now I have read<\/span>\u00a0all your incoming messages (thank you all), and have time to write something<\/span>\u00a0more elaborate.<\/span><\/p>\n

So let’s go back to Vic Falls. You remember the bungi jump, and my announcement<\/span>\u00a0of the micro-lighting. Actually, that didn’t happen because it rained that afternoon.<\/span>\u00a0Really a shame.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Vic Falls we drove to Bulawayo, which is a very pleasant town more or less<\/span>\u00a0in Southeastern Zimbabwe. There we spent a day visiting the Matopos National<\/span>\u00a0Park, which is famous for its white rhinos. Indeed we saw a group of white rhinos,<\/span>\u00a0about five of them. Very impressive animals. Because we had official guides<\/span>\u00a0with us, we could actually get out of the car and walk up to them – to within<\/span>\u00a0about 20 meters!<\/span><\/p>\n

From Bulawayo we drove to Great Zimbabwe. This is a place of ancient ruins from<\/span>\u00a0before the colonial period. Actually, the country took its name from this place.<\/span>\u00a0It was very impressive to see the ruins: the buildings were originally constructed<\/span>\u00a0from stones, without using any mortar. For those of you who have been to Peru:<\/span>\u00a0I have to say the Inca buildings are more impressive in that they have no cracks<\/span>\u00a0between the stones. Nevertheless, it was fun to walk around – there was also<\/span>\u00a0a little model village including a witch doctor\/fortune teller. Two people had<\/span>\u00a0their fortune told and Guess what? both of them will become very happy and have<\/span>\u00a0as many children as they desire!<\/span><\/p>\n

From Great Zimbabwe we drove to Harare, in pouring rain most of the day. Actually<\/span>\u00a0we have been very lucky with the weather – most of the rain has happened while<\/span>\u00a0we were driving, not while setting up tents or cooking. In Harare we didn’t<\/span>\u00a0camp, but stayed in a backpackers hostel. A real bed! (although no bedlinen<\/span>\u00a0– still put your sleeping bag on top of the bed). Harare was OK – we spent a<\/span>\u00a0few days there, hanging out, buying souvenirs, going to a museum, going out<\/span>\u00a0to dinner, doing laundry, etc. Nothing too exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then it was on to Lake Kariba. This is an artificial lake created by the Kariba<\/span>\u00a0dam, which provides most of Zimbabwe and Zambia with electricity. The lake is beautiful, with the coasts of the lake turned into national parks. We spent<\/span>\u00a0two nights on a houseboat on the lake (real beds again, such luxury!) This was<\/span>\u00a0great fun: sitting out on the deck in the jacuzzi, going fishing in little boats,<\/span>\u00a0taking little boats out to the coast to see elephants, crocodiles, hippos, buffalos,<\/span>\u00a0storks, eagles, and lots of other birds. And of course we ate the fish we caught!<\/span><\/p>\n

From Kariba we crossed into Zambia. We didn’t do much in Zambia except drive<\/span>\u00a0straight through: one night just outside of Lusaka and one night not too far<\/span>\u00a0before the Malawi border. Our first night in Malawi was spent in Lilongwe, where<\/span>\u00a0the campsite was run by a very friendly Dutch couple. Then it was ontwards to<\/span>\u00a0the great treasure of Lake Malawi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lake Malawi must be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world (I can hear<\/span>\u00a0you thinking Tania, and you are right: it is not as beautiful as Lake Baikal).<\/span>\u00a0The water is clear, the beaches are wonderful, the temperature is perfect. We<\/span>\u00a0spent a total of 6 nights on the lake, spread over three places: Senga Bay,<\/span>\u00a0Kande Beach, and Chitimba Beach. At Kande Beach we went on a village tour of<\/span>\u00a0the local village. This was very interesting – we saw the people’s houses (huts),<\/span>\u00a0the hospital, the school (we actually taught a class of 60 7-year-olds an english<\/span>\u00a0song). Also, one night we had dinner in the local village, prepared by the local<\/span>\u00a0population. After dinner they sang some songs and convinced us to join them<\/span>\u00a0in some local dances! I also went scuba diving in the lake: my first fresh water<\/span>\u00a0dive. It was good but not great: no reefs, just small fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other thing we did in Malawi was visit Niyka national park. It took a while<\/span>\u00a0to get there – it’s very high: 2800 meters above sea level. We actually didn’t<\/span>\u00a0make it the day we thought we would, and as a result had to camp by the side<\/span>\u00a0of the road when darkness fell in: our first “rough camp”. Since then we’ve<\/span>\u00a0had a few more, and probably will have a lot more once we’re in Ethiopia. In<\/span>\u00a0Niyka we wanted to go horseback riding, but unfortunately, it rained so hard<\/span>\u00a0that we couldn’t. (so we sat in the bar and drank some beers…)<\/span><\/p>\n

We’ve been in Tanzania now for 6 days. Basically we had three very long driving<\/span>\u00a0days from Chitimba Beach to Dar Es Salaam (i.e. get up at 4:30, leave at 6,<\/span>\u00a0drive until dark). After arriving in Dar most of us immediately took the ferry<\/span>\u00a0to Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a very nice place – a historic town (called Stone Town)<\/span>\u00a0and nice beaches around the island. It used to be the center of the slave trade<\/span>\u00a0and spice trade in East Africa, and was run by Arabs (actually at one point<\/span>\u00a0Zanzibar was the capital of Oman). The Stone Town reminded me of Varanasi and<\/span>\u00a0Jasailmer in India: the same density of buildings, really close together, with<\/span>\u00a0the streets being too narrow for cars. Very easy to get lost, but since it’s<\/span>\u00a0not too big, you’ll always get out of the maze after a while. The only disappointing<\/span>\u00a0thing about Zanzibar is the enormous amount of people approaching you all the<\/span>\u00a0time trying to take you to their hotel or book their sightseeing trip or their<\/span>\u00a0ferry, or whatever. I thought I had seen it all between India, Southeast Asia<\/span>\u00a0and South America, but this place really beat them all.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went Scuba diving again (Oh, Harry H., I know you were very interested to<\/span>\u00a0hear: no problems with my eyes whatsoever in diving, and I’ve been to 66 feet),<\/span>\u00a0and I also went on a “Spice Tour”, where they show you all the spices and fruits<\/span>\u00a0that are grown on the island, as well as some historic sights. I now carry a<\/span>\u00a0bag of cloves with me for stomach upsets: supposedly clove tea will cure just<\/span>\u00a0about anything within two hours – we’ll see…<\/span><\/p>\n

Today came back from Zanzibar to the mainland, and tomorrow we’re heading north<\/span>\u00a0towards Moshi\/Arusha\/Ngorongoro crater. Then, next Wednesday I’ll meet some<\/span>\u00a0of you in Moshi to climb Mount Kilimanjaro! It sounds like the group has ballooned<\/span>\u00a0to almost 20 people – it’s going to be great fun!!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s it for now folks. Next update will tell you whether I reached the top<\/span>\u00a0or not…<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Nairobi, 12 March 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

WE MADE IT! WE ALL MADE IT TO THE TOP!<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello from Nairobi, and thanks again for your messages. The big news of course is that we made it to the top of Kilimanjaro. Let’s start at the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

All my invitations to come climb Kili with me resulted in 9 people coming. Add to that one person from the Cape-Cairo trip, one person traveling alone who joined our group, and myself, and we had twelve people in total. For those of you who know these people: From Holland my brother Pieter and my high-school friend Eli; from the US my business-school friend Gerry and four of his friends; two ex-WKIers, Andy and Fernando; and then Jay from the Africa trip and Maria, the solo traveler (from the US but living in Mali).<\/span><\/p>\n

We started the climb last Thursday (March 4). The first day is an easy 3 hour hike through woods. We climbed from 1800 m (starting point) to 2700 m where the Mandara Hut is (sorry, US people, this is all going to be in meters, not feet), and walked about 9 km. The weather at this point is still warm enough for shorts and t-shirt. “Mandara Hut” suggests one hut, but in fact it is a collection of A-frame huts with 4-6 beds in each, plus a couple of large huts where food can be served and where you can socialize a bit in the evening. We had booked a full-service trip, meaning we only had to carry day-packs: there were porters for the rest of the luggage, and the food, as well as cooks, and of course a guide: Elias. Food was pretty good.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second day is a 5-hour hike to Horombo Hut, at 3700 m. Still not too exhausting. The important thing if you want to make it to the top is to go “Pole-pole” (Swahili for slow), and our guide made sure that we did. Besides, what is there to do in the next hut that would make you want to get there fast anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n

The third day was an acclimatization day. This means we did a hike up to 4300 m and then back to the same hut (up and down about 4 hours). Got caught by heavy rain on the way back. The place we hiked to was a point where you had a great view of the mountain and the path that we would be taking to the top. Very daunting!<\/span><\/p>\n

The fourth day we hiked about five hours to the next hut: Kibo Hut, at 4700 m. This actually is only one building, divided into rooms with twelve beds. After dinner at five, we went to sleep, because the walk to the summit would be during the coming night. Interestingly, the thing I had always heard about it being hard to sleep at high altitude seemed to be proven wrong by about five heavy snorers in our room.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, then, the big moment came. Up at 11 pm, get the warm clothes on, eat something, and ready to go the top. Elias lined us all up in single file (up to now we had kind of walked in a loose group, with some people getting ahead or behind), and put the assistant guides within the line after every three of us. Then we started walking – step by step. The side of the mountain is very steep at this point, and we had to zig-zag our way up. You take about one step per second, and each step is about the size of a foot. Anything faster or larger, and you’ll be out of breath immediately (it seems hard to imagine, even for my while writing this down, but that’s really the way it is).<\/span><\/p>\n

From 0:30 until 6:00 we walked with very few breaks at this slow step-by-step pace (only stopped when somebody would be out of breath), and then reached Gillman’s point. By this time, most of us have a headache, or dizzyness, although nobody has thrown up. Some of us have gotten some help from the guides in terms of being pushed up, or having their backpacks carried. Gillman’s Point is at around 5650 m, and a lot of climbers are satisfied here and return. Some of us were ready to do just that, but our guide would have nothing of it: “We are all going to the top”. So at 6:15 we continued – now while watching the sunrise coming over the mountains in the east. A stunning sight (though I’m sure some of us don’t remember too much of this stage of the climb). Slowly, very slowly, we made our way up the last 300 m ascent. We need to stop a few times because some of us come close to exhaustion. Finally, at 8:00 the first of us (including me) reach Uhuru Peak, 5895 m, the highest point in Africa. The feeling was indescribable – a sense of accomplishment, mixed with tiredness and awe. I am lucky enough to actually feel very good – the only thing being a slight headache. The views were stunning, the weather beautiful. It was around -10 degrees celcius (which was very, very lucky – it can get down to -25 easily). We took pictures for about thirty minutes, and then started to go back.<\/span><\/p>\n

The descent seemed much longer then I expected. Back at Gillman’s Point in about an hour, I guess, and then back to Kibo Hut down this interminably long slope of gravel and loose rocks. You walk down, sink into the pebbles to your ankles, walk and walk, and the bottom doesn’t seem to come closer. It’s hard to imagine we just walked up this slope. Now it becomes very clear why they make you do the ascent at night: if you were to see this slope ahead of you in daytime, you would probably give up before you’d start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back at Kibo Hut around noon, two hours of sleep, and then another 3 hour walk down to Horombo Hut, where we spent Monday night. The next day all the way down past Mandara Hut back to the starting point, and back to the hotel – for the first shower in 6 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m not sure I can do justice to the whole experience in this email. I’m also not sure that I can tell anybody they should do this climb: most of us agreed this was the hardest thing they’d ever done. But I personally enjoyed it tremendously!<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day Jay and I took a bus to Nairobi where we met the other people of the Cape-Cairo trip. We’ll be leaving Nairobi tomorrow and make our way to Ethiopia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some words about the rest of the trip. I’m sure you’ve heard about the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea – unfortunately, this means we’ll have to skip going to Eritrea. The tour operator is looking at alternative plans (e.g. flying to Khartoum, and taking a bus from there to Egypt), but nothing will be set in stone until the last possible moment. Please all rest assured that we won’t do anything foolish!<\/span><\/p>\n

I am hoping for a cybercafe in Addis Abeba, but I have no idea whether I’ll find one. So don’t count on anything, it may be 6 weeks until you hear from me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Addis Ababa, 31 March 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Greetings from Addis Ababa – and thank you for your messages again. It is great<\/span>\u00a0to get news from around the world when in Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is relatively little to report since Nairobi, since the past few weeks<\/span>\u00a0have not been all that exciting. Mainly a lot of driving…<\/span>\u00a0Anyway, the highlights:<\/span><\/p>\n

From Nairobi we went north to Lake Naivasha – visited Hell’s Gate National Park,<\/span>\u00a0as well as Joy Adamson’s home. Then went to Samburu National Park, where the<\/span>\u00a0wildlife was disappointing, but the truck getting stuck in the mud a few times<\/span>\u00a0provided some entertainment…<\/span><\/p>\n

From there began the long drive north to Addis Ababa. On various stretches in<\/span>\u00a0North Kenya we had an armed guard on board, to protect us against bandits. Needless<\/span>\u00a0to say, they were sleeping most of the day. The second day in Ethiopia we arrived<\/span>\u00a0at Shashemene Hot Springs – a very nice place with hot water coming out of the<\/span>\u00a0mountain. Very nice showers and baths.<\/span><\/p>\n

The more interesting things lie ahead of us. For those of you following the<\/span>\u00a0news (and being able to get any news besides the Kosovo situation), you’ll know<\/span>\u00a0that the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has flared up again in February. Unfortunately,<\/span>\u00a0that means we cannot go to all the places we had intended to (in particular<\/span>\u00a0Axum, where the Arch of the Covenant is supposed to be), and we can also forget<\/span>\u00a0about driving Ethiopia-Eritrea-Sudan. The current plan is to take a plane to<\/span>\u00a0Khartoum (we’ll leave the truck behind), then a train to Wadi Halfa, and then<\/span>\u00a0a ferry to Aswan. Subject of course to getting a visa for Sudan…<\/span><\/p>\n

Before that however, we’ll make a loop of northern Ethiopia, visiting Gondar,<\/span>\u00a0Bahar Dir, and Lalibela. If the email works I should give you an update on that<\/span>\u00a0in about two weeks, right before we go to Sudan. If you don’t hear from me,<\/span>\u00a0it might take until Cairo for my next email access…<\/span><\/p>\n

Talk to you all soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Addis Ababa, 16 April 1999<\/span>\u00a0(or 8 August 1991 on the Ethiopian calendar)<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you again for your emails.<\/span><\/p>\n

I promised I’d get back to you before I fly to Sudan, so here is another message<\/span>\u00a0from Addis Ababa (by the way, my last message was typed from the Hilton, but<\/span>\u00a0that didn’t mean I was staying at the Hilton as some of you inferred – it’s<\/span>\u00a0not that kind of trip!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia is an amazing country. The impressions are so many it’s hard to begin.<\/span>\u00a0It has both impressed me and disappointed me thoroughly. So let’s start with<\/span>\u00a0a little history lesson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been colonized. It was<\/span>\u00a0occupied by Mussolini’s fascists for a few years (1936-1942 or so), but that<\/span>\u00a0was hardly colonization. It is also the country with probably the second richest<\/span>\u00a0(recorded) history on the continent (yes, Maha, you’re right, that would be<\/span>\u00a0after Egypt), which may be a surprise for those of you who don’t know anything<\/span>\u00a0about this (like me before this trip). The history goes back to Queen Sheba,<\/span>\u00a0who ruled over Ethiopia (then called Sheba) during the reign of King Salomon<\/span>\u00a0of the Israelites. In fact, she visited him once in Jerusalem. I’ll spare you<\/span>\u00a0the details of the legend of that particular night, but suffice it to say that<\/span>\u00a0she went home pregnant. She bore a son, Menelik, later King Menelik I. While<\/span>\u00a0in his late teens, she sent him to Jerusalem to meet his father. He stayed in<\/span>\u00a0Jerusalem for a while, and when he went back, Salomon sent all the first-born<\/span>\u00a0sons of his close circle with him (this is the source of the Felasha Jews, or<\/span>\u00a0Ethiopian Jews, if I understand correctly). Menelik was the first king of a<\/span>\u00a0dynasty that lasted until 1974 (yes, 1974 AD). Apparently, Emperor Haile Selassie,<\/span>\u00a0who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 until he was deposed in 1974, was a direct-line<\/span>\u00a0descendant of King Salomon. This dynasty has not ruled continuously, but after<\/span>\u00a0a time of other rulers, the line has always been restored.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Menelik left Jerusalem with all those people, supposedly secretly some<\/span>\u00a0people took the Ark of the Covenant with them (not spelled Arch like in my last<\/span>\u00a0email – thank you for the correction Chrzysztof). Apparently it was somewhere<\/span>\u00a0in Southern Egypt for 600 years, until it made its way to the church in Axum<\/span>\u00a0where it still is today. The problem with this story is that it is hard to verify,<\/span>\u00a0since there is only one man alive – the guardian of the Ark – who ever can go<\/span>\u00a0into the room where the Ark is kept. Only when he dies is a new guardian appointed.<\/span>\u00a0Oh, well, perhaps it is better that there is uncertainty…<\/span><\/p>\n

This story is important to understand the brand of Christianity practised in<\/span>\u00a0Ethiopia, though. Ethiopia has its own church: the Ethiopian Ortodox Church<\/span>\u00a0(at some point it used to report to the Coptic Church of Egypt, but it is in<\/span>\u00a0fact very different, and is now recognized as independent). The focal point of their religious experience is the Ark. Every church in Ethiopia has an inner<\/span>\u00a0sanctum, where only the priest can enter, where a replica of the Ark is kept.<\/span>\u00a0Religious festivities focus around the Ark. Etc., etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enough of a history lesson. Let me describe our time in Ethiopia. As you know<\/span>\u00a0we entered from the south, at a border town called Moyale. After a couple of<\/span>\u00a0days driving we arrived at the hot springs near Shasmene. A very pleasant place<\/span>\u00a0– hot water flowing out of a mountain, and captured in showers and swimming<\/span>\u00a0pools. From there we went to Lake Langano, where we just spent a lazy afternoon<\/span>\u00a0on the lake shore. From there to more hot springs at Sodere. From there to Addis<\/span>\u00a0Ababa. As I mentioned briefly before, we spent a week in Addis Ababa because<\/span>\u00a0our truck broke down. More about that later. Addis Ababa is mixture of the modern<\/span>\u00a0and the third world. It’s a pleasant enough city, but I found there isn’t that<\/span>\u00a0much to do. I did see Lucy, the 3.5 million year old skeleton that made science<\/span>\u00a0rethink the evolution of mankind. Other than that, we just walked around, shopped,<\/span>\u00a0went to restaurants, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Addis Ababa we finally left for Bahir Dar. It took us 3.5 days to get there<\/span>\u00a0because, you guessed it, the truck broke down. Bahir Dar is on Lake Tana, which<\/span>\u00a0is the source of the Blue Nile (for those of you who remember Lake Victoria<\/span>\u00a0as the source of the Nile: indeed that is the source of the White Nile. The<\/span>\u00a0White and the Blue come together in Khartoum). Nearby are the Blue Nile Falls,<\/span>\u00a0which are very spectacular. Around Bahir Dar are some monasteries, which I found,<\/span>\u00a0frankly, disappointing. Sure the churches were old, and had some nice paintings,<\/span>\u00a0but they were in a delapidated state, the roof being repaired with corrugated<\/span>\u00a0tin, and the inside dirty. From Bahir Dar we went to Gondar, which is one of<\/span>\u00a0the old Capital cities of Ethiopia. Its main attraction is the Royal Enclosure,<\/span>\u00a0which contains some 7 castles inside, built by successive kings. Impressive,<\/span>\u00a0but again, poorly maintained. From Gondar to Lalibela, another former capital.<\/span>\u00a0Lalibela probably has the most widely recognized tourist attraction in Ethiopia:<\/span>\u00a0the churches that completely hewn out of living rock. There are 11 of them,<\/span>\u00a0and they are worth seeing. According to legend, the only way they could complete<\/span>\u00a0them was with the help of Angels, who would work at night, and do 7 times as<\/span>\u00a0much work as man did during the day. From Lalibela we came back to Addis, arriving<\/span>\u00a0earlier today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The great dissapointment about Ethiopia is the attitude of the people. Without<\/span>\u00a0exaggeration, I would say that over 90% of all the people that we met or waved<\/span>\u00a0at from the truck, immediately change into a beggar the moment they see a foreigner.<\/span>\u00a0As most of you know, I have been to many poor countries, and seen many beggars,\u00a0<\/span>but nowhere have I seen ordinary people so used to holding out their hand the<\/span>\u00a0moment I show up. It is sad, discomforting, and after 3 weeks, very irritating.<\/span>\u00a0Imagine everywhere you go you hear people screaming at you: “You, you, give<\/span>\u00a0me pen, give me money”. From the 5-year old to the 50-year old. I wonder why<\/span>\u00a0this is so prevalent here. One easy answer (which may be completely false) is<\/span>\u00a0that it is the result of years of charity. Whether or not that is the case,<\/span>\u00a0there is some real food for thought here…<\/span><\/p>\n

Another thing about Ethiopia is that is probably the least hygienic country<\/span>\u00a0we visited so far. One of our guidebooks quoted a doctor who had lived in developing<\/span>\u00a0countries for 20 years and found Ethiopia to be the dirtiest. Indeed, we have<\/span>\u00a0had more health problems in the past 3 weeks than on the whole earlier part<\/span>\u00a0of the trip combined. Most people have had 1-2 days of intestinal problems,<\/span>\u00a0some more severe than others. One person was diagnosed with Typhus, although<\/span>\u00a0we think the doctor didn’t know what he was talking about. I myself had a cut<\/span>\u00a0get infected severely – I went to see a doctor about that today. This was actually<\/span>\u00a0an interesting experience: I arrive in this upscale clinic (with English-speaking<\/span>\u00a0staff), to request that a doctor look at my wound, and decide whether or not<\/span>\u00a0I need some anti-biotics. I have been cleaning the wound 3 times a day for the<\/span>\u00a0past week, and it already has improved a lot. The doctor orders about 7 different<\/span>\u00a0blood test, plus an X-ray, and finally advises me to wash it with soap every<\/span>\u00a0day and put a band-aid on. Go figure… (I have to be honest, he also gave me<\/span>\u00a0anti-biotics – but still the diagnostic procedure did seem way disproportionate<\/span>\u00a0to the problem and the eventual medical advice).<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the part of Ethiopia that has really surprised and impressed<\/span>\u00a0me, is the scenery. Especially in the northern highlands, the scenery is spectacular.<\/span>\u00a0I’m not a poet, but words like “rugged beauty”, “sheer cliffs”, and the like<\/span>\u00a0come to mind. It’s unlike any mountainous region I’ve seen before. And we’ve<\/span>\u00a0probably missed the best part, because the war with Eritrea prevented us to<\/span>\u00a0go further north than Gondar (incidentally, I haven’t seen a single piece of<\/span>\u00a0military hardware, and probably a sum total of 20 soldiers in all the areas<\/span>\u00a0where I’ve been).<\/span><\/p>\n

So now some more about the truck. I hadn’t mentioned this before, but we are<\/span>\u00a0currently on our third truck. Our first one started to belch black smoke somewhere<\/span>\u00a0in Botswana, and Richard wasn’t able to locate the problem. He had alerted London<\/span>\u00a0(the headquarters of Encounter Overland, the tour operator), which had sent\u00a0<\/span>another truck to Harare, as a precaution. Indeed, in Harare the problem couldn’t<\/span>\u00a0be fixed in the time we were there, so we took the other truck. All of Encounter’s<\/span>\u00a0truck are second-hand trucks which they themselves adapt for overland group<\/span>\u00a0travel. As a result, though the trucks are similar, no two trucks are exactly<\/span>\u00a0the same. We, the passengers weren’t happy with the second truck, since it was<\/span>\u00a0a lot less comfortable and had less and less accessible storage space. In Nairobi,<\/span>\u00a0there happened to be four Encounter trucks at the time, so when we left Nairobi,<\/span>\u00a0Richard had his choice. Apparently he didn’t pick a winner. Since Nairobi, we’ve<\/span>\u00a0had a spring break 3 times, the air compressor break, the timing fail (this<\/span>\u00a0cost us 24 hours on the way to Bahir Dar), and some other problems which I didn’t<\/span>\u00a0really get. Good thing that we’re leaving this truck here and fly to Khartoum!<\/span>\u00a0So, off to Khartoum tomorrow. Here is the reader’s quiz: Why is Sudan frequently<\/span>\u00a0referred to as “The Sudan”, just like “The Gambia”, and “The Lebanon”? Are there<\/span>\u00a0more examples (don’t come up with The Netherlands, because that’s just because<\/span>\u00a0it’s plural, and it isn’t plural in Dutch anyway)? This is not a joke, I really<\/span>\u00a0don’t know the answer to this and would like to find out.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t expect to find an internet place in Khartoum, or in Aswan or Luxor,<\/span>\u00a0so the next message will probably be from Cairo in 3-4 weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best wishes to all,<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Hurghada, 2 May 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I’m in Egypt now, and have gotten through the Sudan without any problems.<\/span>\u00a0Thanks again for your emails of the past few weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First some general stuff about Sudan since it’s a country that is not well known.<\/span>\u00a0Sudan is an Islamic Republic, and one of the strictest in the world. Alcohol<\/span>\u00a0is banned in the whole country, and if you are found with alcohol, public flogging<\/span>\u00a0is the punishment. Similarly, amputating hands of thiefs and other similar things<\/span>\u00a0are practiced. Sudan has been involved in a civil war between the Islamic government<\/span>\u00a0(which controls the north of the country) and the Christian rebels in the south.<\/span>\u00a0This is the reason why we couldn’t drive the truck from Ethiopia into Sudan:<\/span>\u00a0it would have meant entering Sudan in the south. We had gotten visas in Addis<\/span>\u00a0Ababa, in about a week’s time. This was good, as the guide books say that it<\/span>\u00a0can take two months to get a visa.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, about two weeks ago we left the truck in Addis Ababa and flew to Khartoum.<\/span>\u00a0The one American in the group decided not to go, and meet us again in Egypt.<\/span>\u00a0He figured he would not be very popular in Sudan since the US bombed Khartoum<\/span>\u00a0last year after the bombings of the embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam.<\/span>\u00a0The airport was actually much nicer and the immigration and customs procedure<\/span>\u00a0much less hassle than we expected. We found a place to stay and walked around<\/span>\u00a0town for a while. The most striking thing that became immediately clear was<\/span>\u00a0how friendly the people were. Perhaps the friendliest we have met in all of<\/span>\u00a0Africa. What a relief after Ethiopia! Nobody hassled us, nobody asked for money<\/span>\u00a0or other things. Insofar as there were beggars (we saw only a few), usually<\/span>\u00a0when they approached us some local person would walk up, give the beggar some<\/span>\u00a0money, and tell him to not bother us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khartoum is located right where the Blue Nile and the White Nile come together,<\/span>\u00a0so it’s very nice to sit at one of the riverside restaurants, and look out over<\/span>\u00a0the water. The food was pretty good, and cheap. Altogether it was very, very<\/span>\u00a0enjoyable.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next morning we had to go register ourselves at the “Alien’s Registration<\/span>\u00a0Office”. This requirement is put forward by the Sudanese government, in an effort<\/span>\u00a0to control foreigners and what they are doing in the country. In addition, we<\/span>\u00a0needed travel permits if we wanted to travel outside of Khartoum, and photo<\/span>\u00a0permits if we wanted to take any photograph anywhere in the country (even with<\/span>\u00a0the permit you cannot take pictures of bridges, railways, military installation,<\/span>\u00a0beggars, garbage dumps, and lots of other things). This whole procedure took<\/span>\u00a0up most of the morning, plus plenty of passport photos, photocopies of passports<\/span>\u00a0and visas, and lots of money. That’s what a paranoid government results in.<\/span>\u00a0Anyway, we got everything we needed, and spent the rest of the day wandering<\/span>\u00a0around Khartoum.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our arrival was on Saturday and the once-a-week train to Wadi Halfa leaves on<\/span>\u00a0Mondays. This meant that we only spent a day and a half in Khartoum, which was a real shame. So Monday morning we went to the train station for our 30-hour<\/span>\u00a0train journey to Wadi Halfa (on the border with Egypt). First class tickets<\/span>\u00a0were sold out, we were told (although later we saw plenty of empty seats). The<\/span>\u00a0second class compartment had 8 seats, and we were 8 people. Actually it wasn’t<\/span>\u00a0that uncomfortable. The thing I will always remember about this train ride is<\/span>\u00a0the dust. All windows were open because of the heat (Sudan is on average 10C<\/span>\u00a0hotter than Egypt), and the train goes through nothing but desert. I have never<\/span>\u00a0been so dusty in my life. The guy sitting next to the window looked like a mime<\/span>\u00a0after a few hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

As in Khartoum, the people on the train were very friendly, and quite a few<\/span>\u00a0actually spoke decent English. One gave me some presents, saying “Welcome to<\/span>\u00a0Sudan” and “it’s my duty to give you something”. Again, what a contrast with<\/span>\u00a0Ethiopia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday afternoon we arrived in Wadi Halfa, which is a very small community<\/span>\u00a0whose only reason for existence is that that is where the train ends, and where<\/span>\u00a0the ferry for Egypt docks. The guidebooks will tell you this ferry is not running<\/span>\u00a0because of the problems between Egypt and Sudan, but actually it started service<\/span>\u00a0again about a year ago. The “hotel” in Wadi Halfa was very interesting. Since there will only be guests 1 night per week, it doesn’t make sense to build something<\/span>\u00a0large. On the other hand, it never rains, so it’s alright to sleep outside.<\/span>\u00a0As a result, the hotel is really no more than a corrugated tin fence, with 3<\/span>\u00a0rooms in the enclosure, and a lot of beds in a storage room, which are pulled<\/span>\u00a0out when people check in. The whole courtyard ends up being filled with beds,<\/span>\u00a0with people sleeping outside. Again we met some very friendly people who insisted<\/span>\u00a0on buying us meals and drinks, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day we left Sudan on the ferry to Aswan in Egypt. This ferry crosses<\/span>\u00a0Lake Nasser (created by the High Dam in the Nile, at Aswan) in about 18 hours.<\/span>\u00a0It’s an old German riverboat, not uncomfortable, but very basic. The boat ride<\/span>\u00a0was nice, with nice views of the lake and the desert beyond. The next day we<\/span>\u00a0arrived in Aswan.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you are probably aware, most of the monuments of ancient Egypt are found<\/span>\u00a0along the Nile. Aswan has a few: the Temple of Philae, the unfinished Obelisk,<\/span>\u00a0the ruins on Elephantine Island, St. Simeon monastery. In addition to seeing<\/span>\u00a0monuments, we spent a couple of hours every day sailing on the Nile in a felucca,<\/span>\u00a0a traditional Nile sail boat. Very nice and very relaxing. The Nile is very<\/span>\u00a0clean this far south, and it’s no problem to swim.<\/span><\/p>\n

One excursion from Aswan is to go to Abu Simbel where the great temples for<\/span>\u00a0Ramses II and Nefertari are. You have to fly to get there, because the road is closed (see below), but you can fly there and back on the same day. Abu Simbel<\/span>\u00a0was very impressive. You may be aware that the whole complex was moved to higher\u00a0<\/span>ground when the original location flooded after the High Dam was built. They<\/span>\u00a0took the whole temple apart stone by stone, and rebuilt it a few hundred meters<\/span>\u00a0down the desert…<\/span><\/p>\n

About that closed road: You may recall that in the fall of 1997 some 50-60 tourists<\/span>\u00a0got shot dead near Luxor by Islamist extremists. Obviously, that hurt tourism<\/span>\u00a0a lot, and the Egyptian government has done everything it can to get the tourists<\/span>\u00a0back. One of those things is increased security: some roads are closed altogether,<\/span>others tourists can only travel in convoys, and everywhere you can see heavily<\/span>\u00a0armed tourist police.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a few days in Aswan we hired a felucca and went on a two-day boat ride<\/span>\u00a0downstream. Very nice… Party on the beach the first night, swimming, looking<\/span>\u00a0at the stars at night… From the point where we left the river, it was a 2-hour<\/span>\u00a0taxi ride to Luxor.<\/span><\/p>\n

We spent four days in Luxor seeing the monuments. Luxor has many: Temple of<\/span>\u00a0Luxor, Temple of Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Tombs of<\/span>\u00a0the Nobles, Village of the Artisans, Temple of Ramses III, etc. Rather than<\/span>\u00a0me trying to describe all that, you can pick up any book about Egypt and read<\/span>\u00a0all about it. Suffice it to say I was very impressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

We should have picked up a truck again in Luxor (Encounter has many trucks and<\/span>\u00a0had arranged for a driver to drive a truck down to Luxor to pick us up), but the driver had crashed the truck into a sand dune… So we’re continuing to<\/span>\u00a0use public transportation (though the repairs may be ready by tomorrow or so).<\/span>\u00a0This morning we came from Luxor to Hurghada on the Red Sea. From what I’ve seen<\/span>\u00a0so far, it might as well be Cancun, or Cozumel, but that’s alright: I’ll do<\/span>\u00a0some diving here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two weeks to go on the trip, which will be filled with Hurghada, Sinai desert,<\/span>\u00a0Dahab, and Cairo. I’ll email again from Cairo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Best wishes to everybody,<\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Cairo, 14 May 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello from Cairo. Today is the last day of our trip, though I’m not going home<\/span>\u00a0quite yet (see below).<\/span><\/p>\n

There is not that much to tell about the last two weeks, since I sent a message<\/span>\u00a0from Hurghada. After some diving there, we drove to St. Anthony’s Monastery<\/span>\u00a0(our next truck met up with us in Hurghada). We spent the night rough camping<\/span>\u00a0in the desert (a very beautiful night, totally desolate and full of stars),<\/span>\u00a0and visited the monastery the next morning. Supposedly this is the oldest monastery<\/span>\u00a0in the world, dating from 305 AD. Interesting. From there we drove to the Sinai,<\/span>\u00a0to St. Catharine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai. We climbed Mt. Sinai that same<\/span>\u00a0evening, arriving at the top at around midnight. It’s only a 2 hour hike, and<\/span>\u00a0it is around 2900 m high, so nothing like Kilimanjaro. At the top there were<\/span>\u00a0a few other people around, but not too many. We went to sleep (we brought our<\/span>\u00a0sleeping bags), and unfortunately found upon waking at 5:30 (shortly before<\/span>\u00a0sunrise) that we now had around 700 people joining us for the sunrise. Most<\/span>\u00a0of them Italians, making us wonder who was left in Rome. I remember climbing<\/span>\u00a0Mt. Sinai in 1981, and being disappointed by the fact that there were 150 people<\/span>\u00a0or so watching the sunrise, but this was orders of magnitude worse! On top of<\/span>\u00a0that, the Eastern half of the sky was clouded, so there was no sunrise to watch.<\/span>\u00a0Another change from 18 years ago was the drinks and snacks stands along the<\/span>\u00a0route, and the hawkers trying to sell you camel rides. In the end that came<\/span>\u00a0in handy, because one in our group twisted and badly sprained her ankle.<\/span>\u00a0That morning we drove to Dahab, on the Gulf of Aqaba, where we stayed four night.<\/span>\u00a0I went diving every day we were there – the diving is very good there. Dan,<\/span>\u00a0I didn’t make it to Sharm El Sheikh, but I was told that the diving is as good,<\/span>\u00a0while the place is much less commercialized. Dahab used to be a hippy hangout,<\/span>\u00a0and it still has some of that atmosphere left. Most hotels are not called hotels<\/span>\u00a0but camps, and they all have shaded areas with rugs and pillows on the beach<\/span>\u00a0where you can relax, or sleep. It was very enjoyable.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Dahab we drove in one day to Cairo, where we’ve been for the past four<\/span>\u00a0nights. We’re doing the obligatory tourist sights: Pyramids of Giza, Saqqara,<\/span>\u00a0Citadel, Khan El Khalili, Coptic Cairo, etc. Again, I don’t have to say much<\/span>\u00a0about these monuments that you can’t read much better in book about Egypt, except<\/span>\u00a0that most of them are pretty impressive. I am enoying Cairo immensely, more<\/span>\u00a0than I expected (sorry, Maha, my expectations weren’t that high…) It’s an<\/span>\u00a0intense but friendly city, with lots of beautiful things to see.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the group’s people are leaving tomorrow for various destinations (Jordan,<\/span>\u00a0Israel, Syria, Turkey, England). I am staying here for another week, and will<\/span>\u00a0be hanging out with my parents. They are finishing up a tour of Egypt, and will<\/span>\u00a0join me in Cairo in two days time.<\/span><\/p>\n

So that’s pretty much it, folks. Four and a half months of travel are coming<\/span>\u00a0to an end, and I’ll have to start facing the real world again (o, no!). <\/span><\/p>\n

Wim<\/span><\/p>\n

______________________________________<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These are the emails I sent from various cybercafes across the continent. It will give you a good narrative of all we did and saw, as well as of the excitement that went with it! 1.\u00a0Cape Town, 1 January 1999 2.\u00a0Swakopmund, 11 January 1999 3.\u00a0Vic Falls, 28 January 1999 4.\u00a0Vic Falls, 30 January 1999 5.\u00a0Zanzibar, … Continue reading “Emails”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":556,"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35\/revisions\/556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsteemers.com\/Africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}